My Cat Hixxy

AHHHH I know that there's a plethora of cat lovers out there, and for good reason! They're like the perfect compliment for the soul.  So relatable in their ways, so cute, so dreamy. They're enlightened from birth and they bring out the best in those of us who open up our hearts to them.  Last June, 2014 I adopted a black 8 week old kitten with a crooked tale whom my friend Dandelion dubbed Z Noodle cat. Me and 5 other friends then proceeded to go on a road trip to California with this barely weaned whining feline on what turned out to be quite the SHIT show. What were we thinking, driving the length of the West Coast in a Mini Van packed with all of out baggage... Holy shit we were a romantic lot and the idea seemed far out and hella dope, I mean why not? We were a motley batch of wanderers, hedonists, and common opportunists, with a vague common goal of having an adventure that would be memorable, escape, umm, but damn... reality hit us as MMEOOOEWW MOEOWON (oh god he shit) OMg im so uncomfortable. AGH you said we'd go to LA, san francisco , blararra hrarar rahrh I gotta quash my warrant! .... GOOD MORNING. Siddhartha wants you to leave Z to fend for himself (ugh Kerouac that angsty cat hater). HMMM So we pretty much hated each other by the time we reached San Francisco. The logistics of 6 adults and a kitty riding in a Toyota mini Van were a festering abscess of delinquency. I tried to hold things together the best could. I packed all the bags in Tetris style but everyone had to access their stuff all the goddamn time so the organization didn't last very long. Multiple seating arrangements were attempted. I think that we thought PLUR would prevail in making a giant cuddle puddle of comfort in the back. But lack of personal space eventually succeeded in creating a dark brooding air which grew stagnant. Poor Z, he missed his mother so. I did my best to comfort him, even though he didn't really seem to like any of us.  I think most of the others hated him, especially since I, the fearless Leader(?) Was giving him so much attention and simply that I had made the last minute decision to bring him along.  But Honestly the others could go fuck themselves, thought I. Even if there was to a degree, delusion surrounding my love for Z, I made him a mirror of affection which was among my only solace when the others started bitching. Sorry, I should really say some good things about the trip.  It wasn't all bad, about 20 percent of it ranks among the most fun i've ever had.  the points where we stopped to explore San Fran and the Beaches of LA and Peters house were a great time.  The actual ride had some good moments too, we shared a pretty common bond over music, we listened to Timestretch by Bassnectar a million times, and even then it didnt get old. He really is one of the best... I had a religious experience when I saw him at Paradiso later that month. But back to Z, I was going through another sort of rebellious phase that summer where I decided that I was more Beast than man. Even though I loved my group of friends, misanthropy was brewing within me and i didn't prohibit it. WAIT... Sorry, I don't really want to continue writing about this right now, it kinda brought my vibe down to a sort of melancholy level that makes energized writing difficult. I'll try to come back to it later. Anyways, I had initially started doing this post to proclaim my love for my new adopted kitten, Hixxy.  But I had to give some background on my overall obsession with Cats, which started long ago, but of which Z was an important rekindling.  I really do love that boy Z. He has always been so well behaved, gentle, loving, voracious, albeit somewhat detached from me more than I had hoped he'd ultimately be. He does show me the occasional act of affection.  Most of the times I'll just be really clingy and grab him and start messing around with him trying to get him to bite and scratch the shit out of my arm.  Because that sort of violent attention is better than no attention.  On the times where he is really warm and friendly it makes me the happiest and proudest boy in the world.  Alas, he's almost a year old now, living with my Family back in Yelm.  I, however, am now located in Pensacola, Florida, where the Navy has me awaiting flight school. I probably will not see Z for several months, which not long ago would have made me really depressed. However, Z has matured, I can see, into a sort of Man Cat. And bless his soul, he still acts kittenish in many respects, from his high pitched meow to the way he lets me pick him up by the scruff, and I think a lot of it is indeed because he loves me, and knows how happy these things make me. Oh Z, I miss you and will think about you every day. I hope that mom and dad will let you outside to play, which I know you love so much. Even though you go nuts chattering over the birds outside, you seem so gentle and I don't know if you'd ever end up killing one except out of necessity. The more you think about it the more I realize many of my traits have been imprinted on to you. There is indeed what I believe to be a universal consciousness. Our brains are like fine tuned radio antennas, and I think that I've hijacked your frequency in my obsession with you. Even the aloofness from much petting, which saddens me at times, is a trait which I myself would so express in your position. I'll be back for you, Z. I promise.  Ahh, Hixxy, so I've only been down in Pensacola for a week and I've already adopted a kitten.  I got lucky enough to find a place with Dylan Kelly, and Brendan Bradley (who will sadly be leaving for Corpus Crispy in 5 days) two fellow aviators who live in a house that is rather pet friendly. Dylan like electronic music and notably Happy Hardcore :D Also, Dylan has a 15 week old Siberian Husky named Sammy, who reminds me a lot of Link in her insatiable prodding for attention. SO I felt kinda homesick, and figured a kitten would change that.  I hit up craigslist and found a woman named Ann who was giving away 3 six week old kittens for a 5 dollar adoption fee. I went over, and after carefully considering the litter, picked the runt. She is a slightly haggard, but exceedingly cute black and white baby, with a sort of dairy cow pattern of coat.  She is waayyyyy more complacent, comfortable, and chill than Z.  Mostly when she is left alone will she start crying.  She seems to disregard pain, or danger. She is always itching to jump from pretty significant heights and will not run away from Sammy who has already clawed and bitten her a few times. She has a small appetite but luckily I have managed to coax her into eating some canned kitten food, stimulating some respectable bowel movements. She follows me around as if I were her mother, and perches on my shoulder like a parrot. SHE IS SO DAMN CUTE. I took her to the store with me today and as expected she was quite popular. I think she is an aquarius- pisces cusp.  The realization has humbled me into being quite thankful for all the love she receives and gives. I come More and More to believe the Gaia Hypothesis.  I have been meditating a great deal on this chunk of azurite/Malachite I got in Seattle before I left. My third eye feels positively electrified. I think that maybe Hixxy's arrival might have made Sammy sick, the poor thing. Maybe there is too much stimulation going on what with me and the cat moving in, Bradley leaving soon, and Dylan's family visiting from Virginia. Tons of energy flowing in this new house of mine. Carly is taking care of her tonight, that should help.  Well damn I'm near spent from this sprint of writing.  I'll possibly edit it later to elaborate on my theories and perhaps anecdotes. I love you, and thanks for reading this.

Cheers,
Niguel
3APR2015
2218

            To be a dreamer.  A romantic, who carries within their souls the greatest passion for life and its fruits.  The summer solstice of the year 2013 is nearly at hand, and it seems that EDM is reaching its cultural apex! This critical mass of synthesized art is being produced by a “new rave” generation, and I can’t help but notice that the same trends that drive this movement carry notable similarities with those that spawned the “New wave” movement of the 1980’s. 

            I've always seen my mother's spirit as harmonious with my own.  Perhaps it is because she raised me, and spoiled me to no end.  While my dad was off becoming a doctor, my mom treated me as one might treat a California Condor hatchling.  That is to say, she always coddled me, protected me. She endowed in me all of her hopes and dreams, her very soul’s code.  Seeing her smile contentedly is one of the most natural sights in the world. 

            Christina Marie loved, and still can be found losing herself within, the British synth-pop of her young adult years.  Duran Duran, A Flock of Seagulls, Eurythmics, it would appear that this anglo-electronic phenomenon sought to take the rebellious elements of punk rock, and fuse them with an embracement of modernity, technology, and a general optimism of the future’s potential.

            While the world continued to bask in a Bolshevik based paranoia, the New Wave generation sought to prove that, rather than fear the bomb, the world should look at technology as an extension of the human soul, which, being inherently good, would ultimately be used for the betterment of mankind.

            Throughout countless musical movements, love has been a theme most readily embraced by the masses; My mother’s music proved to be no different.  Among the most popular, and amazing songs of the time were, “Space Age Love Song”, and “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” Both songs make heavy use of synthesized instruments and vocals, creating the feeling of being caressed by eternity’s blanket.  The lyrics, while simple, are by no means trivial.  The aforementioned, “Space Age Love Song,” speaks of love in a way which makes it seem so fleeting, perhaps even out of reach… But then, isn’t it this idealized love that’s most desirable? Her eyes are all the narrator sees; yet that is all he needs.  His love is not corporeal.  But he knows it’s out there, because he feels it from the very depth of his soul.

            My mom is a dreamer, these are her songs, and love is her theme. By using technology as a means of expression, the new wavers rid themselves of the fears of their predecessors, and dreamt of a time when humanity would reach a utopian state.  Perhaps this quote, by Rudi Dutschke, can best express the feelings of a generation. "Jesus is risen. The decisive revolution in world history has happened — a revolution of all-conquering love. If people would fully receive this revealed love into their own existence, into the reality of the 'now', then the logic of insanity could no longer continue."

            Fast forward to the 21^st century.  Politically, the conditions which coincided with New Wave’s rise bear a strong resemblance to those of EDM’s rise.  Ronald Regan was the Republican president from 1981-1989.  He promulgated the idea of the Evil Empire, which invoked fear in Americans, and stoked the flames that fed the Cold War.  George W. Bush was the Republican President from 2001-2009.  He threw around terms such as “Weapons of Mass Destruction”, to scare Americans into supporting his War on Terrorism.

            But my generation would not have it.  From my perspective, growing up in the 1990’s and 2000’s, the only people afflicted by the “terrorism” fever were high-strung conservatives and G.I.’s.  My peers and I just went on being kids.  In our day-to-day lives, we didn’t encounter terrorist plots or shady medio-oriental malefactors.  What we did see, however, was a resurgence of racism and general condemnation of those who were different.  Thankfully, the multiculturalism of the 1990’s had prepared us for this exact situation, and most of us passed the racism test with flying colors.  Flying colors indeed… LOL! My generation adopted the rave as a place where anyone could express themselves freely. The rave promised PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect).  It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from, whether you were black or white, straight or gay.  People would flock to raves, in order escape the overbearing western world, which rewarded conformity.

Us 90’s kids wanted nothing more than to be, well, kids! We had it better than any generation of kids before, or after.  We had Saturday morning cartoons, anime, video games, super soakers, and Pokémon.  How could one even give a damn about growing up in such an environment? Indeed, the rave scene bears strong affiliations with the ideal childhood.  The Kandy Kids dress up as animals, sporting innumerable bracelets and colours.  The music itself, most notably the happy hardcore and chiptune genres, makes one feel as though they are in a video game. A dream world, in which everything is perfect, cool, amazing! Indeed, we used this technology as it was intended, to have fun and to love one another.

EDM has matured over the years.  It has entered into the mainstream with producers such as Swedish House Mafia and Tiësto bringing raves to the masses.  With this newfound influence, we, the dreamers have broken down prejudices in a way our predecessors could only have imagined.  We are making true equality a reality.  Same sex marriage is rapidly becoming legalized across the nation, and women’s rights and opportunities have never been stronger. 

We are all people, capable of both happiness and sadness.  Dreamers such as my mom and me seem to feel emotions at their extremes, and are particularly impacted whenever we are awoken to the realities of life.  But we carry on, in a never-ending pursuit of self-actualization.  Children, in all of their innocence, are happy just being alive and exploring this beautiful world in which we live. We must never let our childhood essence wane. One of the most popular house tracks of this year, “Don’t You Worry Child,” speaks of this ideal time we might remember from our youth. It reminds us that, even though growing up might seem wrought with difficulty and worry, heaven has a plan for us.

“There was a time

I used to look into my father's eyes.

In a happy home

I was a king, I had a golden throne.

Those days are gone,

Now the memory's on the wall.

I hear the songs

From the places where I was born.

Upon a hill across a blue lake,

That's where I had my first heartbreak.

I still remember how it all changed.

My father said,

"Don't you worry, don't you worry, child.

See heaven's got a plan for you.

Don't you worry, don't you worry now."

Yeah!”