Since I'm not in a particularly creative mood, I have decided to write about the two suggested topics: the background squiggle, and my cat's hairball.

The background squiggle: I have heard that Jeff thinks it is a fish, but I always thought it was a knight slaying a dragon. Or the word "Thanks." Whatever it is (or was intended to be), it is a necessary part of the general SixLinks appearance. If for no other reason, then because it keeps you sitting there, thinking to yourself, "What the hell IS it?"

My cat's hairball: My brother's cat Madagascar (Maddy for short) has bright orange fur, as many badass tomcats do. He loves to lick his coat to a healthy sheen, then produce bright orange, soggy, matted hairballs at the most inopportune of moments, like when my brother's math tutor came over for the first time, or when the contractor came over to discuss the extensions to our house. Yep, he's a good kitty all right. He always leaves them right on the front doorstep for the world to see.

He has always been a great mouser (and rabbit-er, and mole-r, and raccoon-er, and...) and left us many presents on the doorstep over the years, but he decided to retire from that lovely business about a year ago. Now, every time I go home to visit my parents, our wild rabbit population seems to expand by an order of magnitude. Maddy can clearly be seen laying in the grass beside the barn, watching them eat fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden, while cleaning his bright orange coat...



SixLinks: I'm impressed by the list of suggested sponsors. And by the turnout for the Tour de SixLinks. Good job, everyone!

(I can't wait for my second badge ever...)