I met Harlan Ellison once in the 70's and once in the 80's. The meeting in the 70's is a much better story. I went to Southern Methodist liberal arts college. My freshman year I lived in the dorm, as the only other choice was to live with my parents. On my way upstairs to my tiny room one evening, I heard the jingling of my good friend's belled purse in the women's dormitory "guest room" and walked into the room. There was Harlan Ellison with a small contingent of college women holding forth and waxing philosophical. The funniest thing I remember was Harlan going into the walk-in closet, trying to get some privacy to change his jeans. Those closets were rigged so that the light would turn off if you shut the door, an early and primitive sort of energy-saving mechanism. Harlan went into the closet, closed the door, and said, "Oh fucking hell, it's dark as shit in here." We wouldn't leave, so he ended up changing his pants in the dark!

My second encounter was not quite so amusing. It was in an autograph line at the World Science Fiction Convention in Atlanta in 1985. I said, "I met you at Centenary." and he said, "What the fuck is Centenary?" ..pause.. "Oh yeah, I remember." It turns out he had dated a woman who sat next to me at the 1975 graduation ceremony. At least I got a signed copy of An Edge in my Voice. Except Harlan hadn't quite finished the book, so I got a signed frontispiece (116 of 1200) and had to wait for him to mail me the book.

I recall him fondly as an erudite, abrasive elf.

Dear future vet - Your letter brought tears to my eyes. I hope there is a way for you to finish vet school because your compassion is sorely needed by our domesticated animals. I'm a non-physician health care provider for humans, not a vet. I had to take Xanax just to get through the dissections in Comparative Anatomy, and I had no part in their death. I left the room when they were killing the frogs. Despite that, the evidence of the horrible deaths these animals had died lingered on their bodies. I can't imagine having to paticipate in inflicting pain on living beings. Although the animals were already dead, I silently asked each one to forgive me every time I worked on them. That and the Xanax was the only way I could learn what I needed to know from them.

Ralph Nader was one of the choices on my California Green Presidential Primary election ballot. How could he have been on the ballot if he was only "thinking" about running?

I am echoing the sentiments of other cat owners who have posted here about their own unbalanced, beloved cats. I had a cat like this also, except I rescued him at approximately age 2 when his former owners abandoned him at an apartment complex. He was aggressive toward anyone except me. I didn't take him to the vet at all because he was so aggressive, until he became ill in his fifteenth year.

He was affectionate in his own way, although he would bite me too. I sometimes wondered if I had added to his aggressiveness by having him declawed. I won't do that to another cat. I had to lock him in a remote room when the housekeeper or repairmen came. My friends learned that if they gave him a treat, he usually wouldn't bite them.

I figure that adopting an animal is a sacred trust, like a marriage, and for better or for worse, I was going to give that cat the best life possible.

When he died, some of my friends said "good riddance" but I have grieved that cat like I would grieve the death of a dear friend. Even after eight months, I'm becoming tearful as I write this cyber note about him. He really changed my life, and the way I look at my relationships with other beings. My new kitty is much saner and friendlier, and she's special too, but not like him.

I'd like to hear this video, but it keeps resetting after he tells us his dad never graduated from high school.

Could it be a Russian Blue or a blue Burmese? I want one!

Could we change the name of the feature to "Video Cat?"

Thanks for removing any latent desire I ever had for a pet bunny. What good are those things anyway?

the lyrics to Imagine. From his body language and facial expression, my guess is he just didn't want to sing the lrics about no religion, no heaven, no hell, no possessions, etc. He didn't want any headlines proclaiming "Bill Clinton becomes atheist."