Roots

Three hundred. This is the 300th post on Gropius vs. Eddie. We've come a long way. I thought I'd go back to the roots of good 'ole Gropius, for those of you who think "What the hell kind of name is that?" or "Is this a man or a woman writing this blog?" or "Gropey? Sounds like something not so rated G."

So sit back while I share the fairy tale of Gropius with you.

Once upon a time, a little homeless kitty found its way to a friend of mine who seems to be a perpetual bachelor. I believe he has a fear of commitment, though he might argue on this point. It was so pronounced, this fear of commitment, that after having the kitty for three weeks, knowing he would keep it, he still hadn't named it. Because, you know, once you name a pet, it's yours baby.

The two of us were enjoying an architecture exhibit at a local museum, where we were introduced to the work of Walter Gropius. A German architect who taught at Harvard and founded the Bauhaus school and style of modern architecture, he was an interesting character.

• Me: "Aha! Gropius. It's the perfect name for your cat. It's different. No one can accuse you of being run of the mill. It will spark conversation for sure. And it will force you to do what you know you are doing anyway-keeping him!"
• Fear-Of-Commitment-Man: "Hmm."

This idea, this "Gropius" idea, went on for another few weeks. All the while a set of mutual friends went about trying to convince him that Eddie would be a better name. "You don't want to be calling this cat Gropey when some chick is over at your house," they argued. "They will think you're perverted."

But for me, it's a real question about whether you want to be unique and exciting or regular and boring. You know? Gropius vs. Eddie. So this blog was birthed partly as a joke. The whole idea was that if I could put this much time and effort trying to convince him to name the cat Gropius, I should win for sure.

It's been a while. The cat is now a man (minus the parts that neutering took care of). His name is Gropius. He's odd, but not too odd. He's not your average gentleman. And here we are at post 300.

I've always been more of a dog person so find it odd that, of my own creation, I refer to myself with the same name as Fear-Of-Commitment-Man's cat. Yes, strange indeed. And there you have it.