The Legend of Cyber Kitty

*Why, yes, that is a nearly empty bottle of DayQuil in the background. I'm chasing it down with beer.*

Once upon a time, when I was a baby bird, I received a cute black kitty-cat toy thing as a gift. You flipped this little switch and the kitty would walk. It didn't sit or do flips or anything like that. It just walked. However, like most battery powered/electronic toys in our house, it stopped working not long after I got it (yes, I tried replacing the batteries...duh). Kitty was not nearly as interesting to me after she went kaputt and was unceremoniously discarded.

For a few years, at least.

We were reunited around the time that I started high school. I happened across her one day in our backyard shed, her black "fur" looked pretty matted and gross. Still, overcome by a wave of nostalgia, I picked her up, brought her inside, popped in a fresh AA battery and flipped the switch.

Nothing happened.

So, I did what any young girl would do in the same situation. I got myself a knife and proceeded to cut off the fur to see what kitty looked like on the inside. One missing eye and a temporarily dislocated leg later, the ultra bad-ass Cyber Kitty was born.

I still think it's one of the best ideas that I've ever had, because Cyber Kitty is truly one of my most prized possessions. One of my second best ideas was placing Cyber Kitty in the care of my friend Elaine while I spent a year in Hamburg. Not only did C.K. have a nice cushy spot at Elaine's house in Toledo, Ohio, but Elaine's dad also fixed up her wiring -- so now she can walk again!

Most of the time, Cyber Kitty can be found sitting on my desk, keeping watch and providing me with inspiration. Occasionally, her view is blocked by the mass of beer cans that accumulate on my desk over the course of a week, but I always try to keep her within my line of sight.

I haven't yet taken her abroad...but I plan to. Cyber Kitty is down like that. Also, I realized today that Cyber Kitty would never rip me off for $200...unlike some people I know. And that kind of loyalty is important to me these days.

Comments

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