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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / OK, That Was Weird

OK, That Was Weird

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The power went out during the soccer game because of a storm. It came back on right around the time Tunch was killed last year.

I’m not superstitious or religious or anything like that, but it was weird. I was looking at the battery powered clock over the sink while sitting in the exact same seat on the deck where I was last year when Tunch was killed, said to myself “Right about now became the officially worst day of my life” and the power came on.

Weird. Sure, it’s just a freakish coincidence, but it’s still weird.

Reader Interactions

51Comments

  1. 1.

    Ken

    I haven’t run an n-gram analysis on the Google corpus, but offhand I’d guess that “I’m not superstitious or anything like that” is followed by the word “but” around, oh, 99% of the time.

  3. 3.

    khead

    Hey – shit happens that will remind you. Not weird at all. We are still going through it too after losing SweetPea. Go hug Steve. That’s what we do. (Note: We do not hug Steve, we hug our own cats).

  4. 4.

    TaMara (BHF)

    Not weird. Sorry, I know it’s not the popular belief around these parts, but there is so much out there we don’t understand. It doesn’t have to mean anything profound, except maybe, an acknowledgement of your feelings in the moment.

  5. 5.

    Corner Stone

    Maybe a mani/pedi would help soothe the savage beast?
    But either way, please to keep the pants on.

  6. 6.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @TaMara (BHF):

    I think a lot of life’s little weirdnesses and coincidences and synchronicities are, as you say, not necessarily profound but a way of grabbing our attention and just getting us to notice — to be here and now and pay attention to the moment. Doesn’t have to be woo-woo at all unless that is more comforting.

  7. 7.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    Weird and not surprising. We miss him too, much as we love Steve. (To the extent one can miss and love cats one hasn’t met).

    In June I got an email from Stuck’s sister that it had been a year. I still intend to go see his marker and take a photo for here; she said she will let me in (it’s locked!). My thought was to get a picture of the plaque with a photo of Charlie, one of his hummingbird pix, and the Balloon Man next to it. I’ll then send the photo to a front pager to post.

    Any compositional suggestions are welcomed. I’ll try to get it done before the end of the summer.

  8. 8.

    Violet

    If anyone could control the weather it would be Tunch. And you know he would. He just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.

  10. 10.

    Glocksman

    @Ken:

    It could be a coincidence, but…

    My maternal grandfather died in 1964 of a heart attack at the age of 58.
    My maternal grandmother slipped on ice, cracked her head open and died in 1976 at the age of 58.
    My mother died of pancreatic cancer in 2000 at the age of 58.

    My 54 year old sister is really dreading the year 2018.

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Glocksman:

    Huh. My maternal grandfather died in 1947 at age 58 of a heart attack.

    My mother died in 1975 at age 58 of a cerebral hemorrhage.

    I dreaded my own 58th birthday (2000). Obsessively, I actually counted the number of days from birthday to deathday of my mom and granther. Passed the respective dates, breathed a sigh of relief. A few days later, I was in the hospital having a quadruple coronary bypass.

    Don’t tell me there’s nothing to family patterning.

  14. 14.

    Mustang Bobby

    I keep finding traces of Sam, my late dog, twelve years after he died and years after I’ve moved to another place. I can still hear his bark and his dogtags jingling on his collar, and he shows up in dreams at least once a week. I don’t know about heaven or hell, but I’ll settle for spirituality.

  17. 17.

    WaterGirl

    @Mustang Bobby: You’re a lucky guy. I used to have dreams with my dad in them, but that hasn’t happened for years now. I always loved those dreams, a way to get to spend a little bit of time with my dad who has been gone since 1995.

    Hey, how did your play go?

  19. 19.

    Joeyess

    Cole, you were personally of great comfort to me when my Iggyfigadoo was taken by a dog this past year. You reached out and helped me outta that hole. It seems that little coincidences like these are part of the healing process. The tears still come, but with them is occasioned by a slight smile.

    You’re a good man.

    j.

  20. 20.

    Mustang Bobby

    @WaterGirl: I think Sam wants me to know he’s okay.

    According to a friend who does not sugarcoat things, my play was the best of the program; the rest were garbage. So I’ll take his word for it. I was very happy with how it went; the director got it and the actors were up to the job.

  21. 21.

    Howard Beale IV

    Lorin Maazel has died, age 84. Classical music folks will know who I’m talking about.

  22. 22.

    Bobby B.

    Sitting in the same chair all the time, all my life, I see everything sooner or later. The hidden meaning of “Lookin Out My Back Door.”

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    @Mustang Bobby: Glad your play was so successful!

    Say, you never answered my question a week or two ago (or you answered and I missed it).

    You made a comment about both dad’s being good guys, the real one and the fictional one. Or something like that. So was your “mustang” story a true one, or was that fiction?

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Howard Beale IV:

    I should mention, I was glad that NPR has been acknowledging Maazel’s passing in their top-of-the-hour headlines throughout the afternoon.

    I’m less thrilled that the news anchor on Sunday ATC pronounced his name “Mozzle” (the actual reporter got it right, but it was a bit disconcerting).

  26. 26.

    Mustang Bobby

    @WaterGirl: Sorry I missed that. The “Mustang Bobby” story is fictional, but the dad in the story is like my own, and I could see him doing something like that. I’ll let you know when the novel is finished.

    I am really fortunate that at the age of almost 62 both of my parents are still alive, well, and we’re still close. I know so many of my friends where that is not the case, and I cherish them even if they can, on occasion, set my teeth on edge.

  27. 27.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    There are a hundred ways that our gone over to the other side people or pets let us know that they are still around, I wake up in the middle of the night feeling my Judy sleeping on my legs, how do I know it is not Flossie or Skeeter, because the bathroom door is locked and they are not in the bedroom. I smell my Dad’s pipe in the living room on a regular basis, my Grandmother is a constant presence in my life because she chooses to be, she smacks me around the head on a regular basis because I do not pay attention to the messages she is sending me. “You have a gift young lady, use it” I am scared of my living Mum, however I am even more scared of my Grandma who is constantly scolding me because I will not use my gifts.

  33. 33.

    Steeplejack

    @WaterGirl:

    Thanks for that link to Stuck’s Flickr stream. I had the blog but not that one.

    I have a “Notes” file in Word where I collect links and snippets from all over. Many from Balloon Juice, no surprise. One of my favorite Stuck quotes, on getting older:

    Cheer up, the good news is, while the body falls apart, the mind is set free, unless you get dementia, then it is really set free. So many things you thought were important or stuff you missed out on, all that shit fades away to, I exist, therefore I yam.

    RIP, Stuck and Tunch. Two magnificent bastards.

  34. 34.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @SiubhanDuinne: A month or so ago, I was taking a shower, in my windowless bathroom when I heard things crash to the floor. Everything on top of the toilet had been swept to the floor and all the towels in the room were on the floor. I was about to yell at a cat, but the door was closed tight. My first thought was, huh, there must be something I need to pay attention to…

    A week later I was working at my desk when I heard things crash again. I looked around, all the furry four-leggers were within sight, sleeping. I went in the bathroom, now the things on my vanity table were on the floor.

    Since the USGS did not record any unusual activity in my area on either occasion, I assumed I needed to pay attention to something or other. I got the message, things stopped flying off flat surfaces. LOL.

  35. 35.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @TaMara (BHF): I would find that more than a little disturbing, though my fears would run to things like rats or earthquakes caused by secret fracking rather than anything ghostly.

  36. 36.

    WaterGirl

    @Steeplejack: You’re welcome! I knew I had it, I was very pleased to find it with very little trouble.

    I followed the link to the General’s full quote. That was really good.

    I have a “notes” file, too. It’s in a little program called “Things”. Infinitely searchable! (Not a fan of Word.)

  38. 38.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack:

    I have a “Notes” file in Word where I collect links and snippets from all over. Many from Balloon Juice, no surprise.

    I have an album in “MyPics” that I’ve labelled “Tunch and Piglets.” In addition to John’s menagerie, it has photos of Charlie, and Tristan and Mithy, and L’il Bit and The Bodhi, and MAX PUPPEH!, and many of JeffreyW’s rescues, and lots of other BJ pets whose photos get posted here now and then.

  39. 39.

    Mystical Chick

    @TaMara (BHF):

    Tamara, this Mystical Chick loves you! :) Was gonna say the same thing. There’s TONS we don’t know and I’m witness to some of it and it can be amazing when you see it in action. His Tunchness rules from wherever he is and Steve is his (secret) minion, I’m betting.

    Hoo-doo? Woo-doo!

  42. 42.

    Howard Beale IV

    @SiubhanDuinne: Maazel’s passing was one of the lead stories on the BBC World Service (I have the XM varaint of Sirius XM in my car, and that’s what I have on when I do local driving.)

  44. 44.

    Howard Beale IV

    @efgoldman: Yeah, but then again lots of conductors tend to be somewhat on the mercurial side. OTOH, some conductors, like Monteux and Beecham, would get their results with a joke. Previn recounted a story while he was under the tutelage of Monteux-after a concert where Previn was getting somewhat wild on the podium, Monteux asked him: “So, Andre, did you think the orchestra performed well tonight?” Previn, fearing a trap, said “Yes, Maestro, they performed well.” “Good..”, Monteux said-“Next time, don’t interfere with them.”

  48. 48.

    geg6

    @Howard Beale IV:

    We’ve been very lucky here in Pittsburgh, having had both Previn and Maazel as principal conductors of our symphony. Just wonderful, both of them. The city is mourning tonight.

  49. 49.

    J R in WV

    While my musical talent runs more to improvised standards from the big band era, I love love me some classical music. We go to the local symphony whenever we’re in town, reasonable prices, casual atmosphere, great soloists, many have been with the small symphony for 25 years.

    A great piano or violin concerto makes me cry every time! Sublime! And then I buy the CDs out in the lobby!

  50. 50.

    Lurker

    I remember crying my eyes out upon reading about the magnificent Tunch’s early demise. Over a cat I had never met and over the pain of a guy — John — whom I’ll likely never meet… That’s how powerful a presence on BJ Tunch was. Tunch will live forever in my memory.

  51. 51.

    moderateindy

    Perspective is a funny thing. If losing a pet was truly the worst day of your life, then you should color yourself a very lucky man.
    I had a dog that I was incredibly close to. In fact, I would dare to say I had a psychic connection with. And while her passing was incredibly painful, it paled in comparison to losing both parents, and one of my best friends. And yet I would say that I’m fortunate, because I haven’t lost a sibling at a young age, or a child.

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