Ends & Odds

If I were a lame-ass newspaper columnist, I'd say that this week's home page is "seven columns for the price of one" or some such shit instead of telling the truth: I couldn't quite get it together to do one long piece, so I'm gonna feed you several small ones and hope that you don't notice how abundantly lazy I am.

Well, to be fair to myself for a second--just for a second--I'm not a total loser: I've had a cold off and on, mostly on, since the last update and feel, as I type this, like my head and chest are packed with soggy newspaper. (Not even a classy newspaper like The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, but something trashy like The Weekly World News or The Sun-Times.) And I'm on vacation from work this week, so I'll be able to get some writing and photography done...just as soon as my nose stops running.

So while I marvel at just how much fluid one's sinuses can hold, here are some brief updates and announcements:

Requiem for a Lioness
The vibe of Mom's living room was wrong. And as I pulled off my coat and looked from one couch to the other, I figured out why: Kiki was nowhere to be found. In that moment, I knew. But I let Mom give me the news in her own time. "I had to have Kiki put down," she said quietly. "She couldn't walk anymore." So despite a migraine (something Mom gets once or twice a month), Mom bundled up Kiki, carried her to the vet and did what needed to be done. It's not an easy thing to do--I've only had to do it twice in my life, and that's two more times than I ever wanted to--but as hard and sad as having a beloved pet put to sleep is, it's better than letting the animal suffer. So bye, Kiki. I'll miss you shedding at will on my black slacks and throwing yourself at the front door when I came in and bitching me out when I wouldn't let you dash out into the darkness. I'll just plain miss you. Damn.

From the "Less Said, the Better" Department
In the e-mail for my last update, I said I would be writing about Valentine's Day this time. But I've changed my mind since then. What do I have to say about it, really? Nothing good. And is it a coincidence that I'm taking my week of vacation now? No, it is not. Maybe next year, I'll have a reason to talk about V-Day or post some poetry or do something more than this. But this year, I just don't feel like wasting the time or energy. (Gee, do I seem just a little bitter?)

No, I Don't Have an Upholstered Balcony. Why Do You Ask?
Also in my last e-mail, I mentioned "an announcement of some interest" or something equally enigmatic. Well, here it is: Starting next week, I'll be posting movie reviews on Adoresixtyfour.com. They'll be a mixed bag of movies currently in release, classics of the silver screen and wastes of film stock. And truth be told, I'll probably update the Movie Reviews page more often than I will the Home page. So tune in next week and let me know what you think.

Okay. That's enough for now. Or, more accurately, that's about as much as I can do without my nose running all over this keyboard. And even though I want to throw this keyboard across the room because it keeps double-typing C's and S's, I need to get a grip. And since I spent about 90% of the weekend in my apartment in a self-induced coma, I need to get outside. I think I'll run to Palid Poultry and get a pint of Chocolate Truffle Explosion--a well-known restorative for one's mind and body. (Yep, I'm gonna keep saying that till I believe it.) Later...