So, we finally got a little bit of snow here in Nashville. My friends from Chicago and Ohio don’t call this snow. They think an inch of snow is a joke. But that’s Chicago and this is Nashville. In Nashville if there is even an 80% CHANCE of snow, schools start to close. The bread aisle at the local grocery becomes a yeast-less wasteland. Snow is taken very seriously here. As it should be. Nashvillians can barely drive in the rain. Snow? Are you kidding??

Anyway, I took my cat Charlie (full name: Charlie Parker, of course) out to play in the snow. He is only 11 months old and has never seen snow before, so it was interesting watching him discover something new. Plus, he’s a black cat, so the contrast of his fur against the vast landscape of white was actually quite beautiful. I wonder if Charlie gets lonely. I sometimes think about getting him a girlfriend. He’s been “fixed” already, so their relationship would be pretty much a platonic one. What would I name her, though? I was thinking Chan, which would make sense, but I was told that names that begin and end alike will confuse the kitties. I could name her Dizzy, but what girl wants to be named Dizzy. Billie maybe. Ella. Hm. Ella might be nice. Sarah. Carmen. Dinah. Maybe Ella would be the best choice. Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald have played together before, so it’s not a complete stretch. I could name her Mary Lou, but that sounds to Hee-Hawish, even though Mary Lou Williams was one hell of a piano player. I could name her Clora after Clora Bryant. Of course, not many people would know who Clora Bryant is. And I would say, “Are you kidding? She’s only the first female jazz artist to play in the U.S.S.R!” To which the response would be, “The U.S.S.R? Wasn’t that dissolved back in the 90’s?” To which I would respond, “Yes, but…” So, you can see my dilemma with the whole naming a girl cat Clora. Too political. Let’s see. I always wanted a pet named Mingus, but my girlfriend says that sounds like a disease. “What did him in?” “He contracted Mingus.” “Ohh, what a painful way to go.” “Yeah, his foot fell off.” So, I guess Mingus is out. I guess we’re stuck with Ella. Although, Clora is a beautiful name and with the popularity of Good Night, and Good Luck, perhaps it is only fitting to have a pet that reminds us all of the fall of communism. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

And put up a Starbucks.