No, not a lion or tiger. Just Cat.

Cat Collett, the world's most pleasantly squeezable anthropologist and self-proclaimed Sex Goddess Of The Western Hemisphere, not to mention a rockin' friend of yours truly, is currently in the midst of an extended stay in Africa.

Her friend Shad is maintaining an online collection of her dispatches from Africa, which are unfortunately limited in frequency by her remote location in Nyae Nyae. Visits to the bigger cities provide the rare opportunity to post e-mail updates and send a few lovely photos, which are also limited to a few small selections by the size and speed of the internet connections.

Still, what's there is marvelously interesting, and at least the internet pipes are big enough to allow for an instant messenger conversation, which allowed me to personally confirm that Cat is safe and well in Africa and having a grand time of it. She is very much missed, but her tales of decidedly un-touristy adventures provide a welcome consolation to those of us who must suffer without her for a few more months.