MSI Press Blog

  Cats are not children — but they are astonishingly good at teaching you how to be with children. Mine certainly did. Somewhere between the “mwout” debates, the 3 a.m. hallway zoomies, and the silent stares that communicated entire paragraphs, I realized I was being trained. Thoroughly. And with great precision. Here are the lessons I didn’t know I needed: Patience is not optional. A cat will come when a cat is ready. So will a child. You can call, coax, plead, or offer treats, but the moment you stop hovering is the moment they appear. Boundaries are love in action. A cat who walks away is not rejecting you; they’re regulating themselves. Children do the same. Respecting space is part of respecting personhood. Affection has its own timing. Cats give affection in bursts — sudden, intense, and often when you’re busy. Children, too, have windows of connection. Miss them, and you wait for the next one. Routines matter more than rules. Feeding time, play time, quiet time — ...

  This excerpt comes from   How My Cat Made Me a Better Man  by Jeremy Feig. RELATIONSHIPS the approach Finding a date is similar to making new friends, but with a better chance you'll end up in bed together. A few guys are type-A personalities, able to effortlessly schmooze and dazzle the ladies. But for the majority of us, getting a date takes real effort. You have to deal with the anxiety and fear of rejection that come with asking a woman out. That's true whether it's in person or online. Because it can be just as nerve-wracking writing an email on a dating site as approaching a stranger in a club. Once you hit that send button, it's all out there. Women are lucky. They can pick and choose from all the guys with their hokey pickup lines and overabundance of cologne. That's because society, annoying presence that it is, says that men have to ask women out. So the pressure is all on you. And unless you put yourself out there, chances are you'll be going home a...

  This excerpt comes from   How My Cat Made Me a Better Man  by Jeremy Feig. RELATIONSHIPS Picking the right mate The turtle had all the qualities Shelly looked for in a mate: extreme softness, the perfect size, and the inability to turn her down. I don't know if she was actively seeking a partner like that or if she just found her Mr. Right. It can go either way. Think about what you look for in a woman (or in another guy, if that's your preference). A specific hair color? A good heart? A giant rack? In a perfect world, you'd find someone who fits all of your criteria. But it's not a perfect world, so you have to work with what's available. Even if a chick doesn't match your dream combo of blonde, brainy, and basketball fan, that doesn't mean she couldn't be the one for you. Don't focus on the traits your perfect woman must have. Your preconceived ideas are just those--ideas. If you're so hung up on them that you can't settle for anything le...