octipus rex 23

(From Thomas' Journal)

I am beginning to feel more comfortable on the thirteenth floor of the Hotel Nicholas. What I like most about Joy and her friends is that they accept each other as they are, and they treat me the same way. There is no pressure to conform. I will be glad when the lease on my apartment ends and I can move in with them.


(From Thomas' Journal)
This evening was full of surprises. (Though I should not have been surprised.)
Joy invited me to her place for dinner. I was surprised when I got there and learned that the dinner was a birthday dinner for Vaclav, the black cat.
I said "Happy Birthday," awkwardly. It is not very often that I wish a cat "Happy Birthday." Then what really surprised me was that he said "Thank you." he went on to say that he and the other sapient animals on the thirteenth floor had not wanted to speak in front of me until I had gotten used to the place a little more. I also learned that it is Raymond, the alligator, who yells, "Where is the octipus rex?" and that is octipus, not octopus. An octipus rex is an animal with eight feet and eight toes on each foot. They move very quickly and never stand still, so no one ever knows where they are. I still do not know what this has to do with dinner time. I explained to Vaclav that I had not brought him a gift, because I had not known that it was his birthday and if I had know I would not have known what kind of gift to buy. I am going to buy him a copy of From the Diary of a snail. I'll feel funny buying a book for a cat.
For dinner we had spaghetti with clam sauce, shrimp and a dessert of figs and cheese flavored with catnip. We drank a wonderful Liebfraumilch.
Each time I visit the Hotel Nicholas my dread of returning alone to my apartment increases. Fortunately I shall be moving there soon.

(From Martin's Journal)
tonight was one of the few occasions on which joy cooked dinner. we had a dinner to celebrate john's birthday. we had raw squid and boiled sea weed and drank champagne.
herbert and i bought him a set of pots, joy's gift gift was the meal, andre-richard decicated his latest novel to him and thomas gave him a reproduction of a painting by red skelton.
john put us all in shock by making a speech thanking us for the presents.