The Days, They Slip Away | Main | Brooklyn Warble
October 5, 2005
The Origin of Uncle Irving
Irving is my little buddy. In our five years together, he has seen me through some incredibly difficult times, lived in six places, and endured countless camera flashes. Nicknames for him range from Irwingus to Oybean yet he still appreciates his given name the most: Uncle Irving.
Irving is named after my great uncle, Irving Strum. There is no real reason why he assumed this moniker, as I never met my great uncle Irving and have only seen a few pictures of him. What I can tell you is that Uncle Irving the Kitten shared the similar characteristics of his namesake: he was a skinny baby (yes, really, he was) with big, hairy ears, a slightly large nose, and very worried expression on his face.
I debated on naming him Seymour or Stanley. In fact, for the first few weeks of our time together, I would forget which name I had picked. Quickly, however, Irving acquired the nickname Oy, as in �oy vey, Irving!� which morphed into Oybean for his likeness to a soybean when curled into a ball.
As he has grown older, Mr. Bean has lost some of his Strum characteristics. His ears are still hairy, but they have become more proportionate to his face, as has his nose. He still looks worried most of the time, but with the looming addition of two more sisters, I would be (and am) nervous, too.
Posted by callalillie at October 5, 2005 6:20 AM | Feline Musings
mortimer no like flash. so i usually don't use it. besides, the flash makes him look too dark.
Posted by: tien at October 5, 2005 12:54 PM
are you using a good flash? if you use one that you can bounce, it won't bother the car (or other people) as much.
i can't believe that you have become such a mush for your cat, tien.
Posted by: corie at October 5, 2005 1:21 PM
well, the next purchase is either flash or another lens. not sure which route to go.
i know. it's bad. it's just so easy to take a picture of such a cute cat.
Posted by: tien at October 5, 2005 2:54 PM
i know, irving IS adorable, isn't he? kidding. well, not really.
Posted by: corie at October 5, 2005 3:03 PM
Irving is such a photogenic subject. You can see he loves the camera and it looooves him. What? Me Worry? He was born in a perpetual state of angst. That's why the two of you get along so well. You can relate to one another.
Posted by: Vickie at October 6, 2005 7:07 PM
