Clumpy Days

Today the sun is out a little, and it's a nice change of pace from the cold, rainy, chill-you-to-the-bone weather we've had lately. The dark skies and wet leaves and early nights and windy banshee noises.

Are you ready? You're not going to believe what's happened the last couple weeks:
--E's pregnant.
--C contacted J, A, and myself to say that L fell down, broke her fingers, smashed out a couple teeth, and is in the hospital.
--A good friend confided to me some of her health concerns. (She is the ultimate trooper -- if anyone will recover with flying colors and be the better for the experience, it's her.)
--Luna, our new companion, is blind in one eye and needs surgery to remove it because the pressure is building against the muscles and tissues. (And that's the really short version of the story. The long version involves screaming and yelling, tears, exhaustion, glasses of red wine, a mental health day, and more.)

Tonight I am going to a candlelight vigil in downtown PDX for Dan Callaway and his loved ones. He's part of PDX's queer community, and he was murdered recently. This vigil is to honor him, his family and friends, others in the queer community, and the diversity that Portland should/could/does represent. Thank you to Karla for the invite.

Feel optimistic yet from all of the above?

There's so much yin-and-yang in everyday existence, tugging on us and weaving us down the middle. We must choose to stitch the balance into place. For all the heartache I've gone through lately, I can't help but think: I got to have a fun Food Fight! shopping experience with Christina and Ben last night; I woke up to the cutest display of affection ever a couple nights ago; Ollie and Luna love one another so much and are now just the best of friends (and maybe more); Thanksgiving is two days away, and I get to share it with people I adore; Christina and Ryan got Jan, Ben, and myself princess chocolate bars from Disneyland; Ryan got me the cutest Dumbledore keychain (whispered tone: "...because he's gay!"); my writing is coming along well and a major plot point clicked for me this morning; I get to see Tori in concert in 14 days; Ben found the perfect loveseat/sectional for his apt. and I had fun loading it up and setting it up with him; Six Feet Under is so fucking good, and it's amazing to be rewatching it from the beginning; I've heard some "Nathan songs" lately that help keep me realizing that everything happens in its own place and time for just the right reason; such a thing exists as a bacon-chocolate bar, which--while I can no longer eat it because I'm a vegetarian--I can certainly treat Jan and Ben to it; Jennifer and I will give one another a huge hug on Friday; Aaron and I had a long, wonderful talk yesterday; I got to watch The Plague Monkeys videos; and....well, that's enough for now.

Wishing you all a fun and safe Thanksgiving. Marieke, I'll make sure to eat some yummy vegan dishes for you on Thursday, while you're doing that whole Scotland thing:) [Aaron -- I know you're rebelling against me for my non-meat holiday!] Marieke, give Andy a big squeeze for me! Maybe you two can re-enact some politically incorrect moments from Thanksgiving history. When my brothers and I were young, my mom would help us cut out construction paper pilgrim and Indian outfits and we'd put on pre-feast plays that had little to do with actual history. Well, I guess I've always had a flair for drama! And for being non P.C.