New trick

The other day, I heard Roxanne crawl down the hall, making a clunking noise as she went. She had gone into the hall closet, found the vacuum hose extension, wrapped around her neck like a boa, and crawled back out to the living room. Lovely!

More recently, she pulled the same trick with an item of my dirty laundry. Funny, but gross.

Happy Thanksgiving

Belated happy Thanksgiving! I hope that your travels went well, your families played nicely together and your turkey was delicious. I want to hear all about it.

I haven't posted lately because I've been sick (yes, again). I caught a cold that morphed into a sinus infection, and if you've had one, you know they throw you down and beat you up. But I'm on the mend, and I hope to be healed soon.

So what's been happening? I am still working one day a week, which I enjoy, but is also necessary to keep my skills sharp.

Dan and I went to see The Studio at Signature Theater last week. I enjoyed the show while watching it, and strangely, the plot continues to grow on me in retrospect. It was about the creative process of a choreographer and his dancers, and I definitely enjoy watching art unfold.

Roxanne is doing well, continuing to eat and slowly improving. She caught my previously mentioned cold (so did Dan), but got over it in a few days. She seems to be on the verge of walking -- she has started to cruise the furniture, and she'll step along with you if you hold her hands. She can already crawl up the stairs in a flash, which was mighty alarming the first time, but now I'm prepared.

I can't believe we're headed toward the holidays already. I haven't decided how I feel about that, but I'm fastening my seat belt.

Happy Birthday, Albert

Today, my brother Albert would have turned 31. The photo above was taken four years ago, about a month before he killed himself.

Every year, it gets easier to remember how much I loved Albert, and what a great guy he was, as opposed to focusing on how he died. Today, I celebrate his life, and consider myself lucky to have been a part of it.

At the same time, I can’t let myself ignore the fact that he committed suicide. More than 30,000 people die from suicide in the U.S. every year, and hundreds of thousands of survivors live with the pain of their loss. Again this year, I've made a donation in Albert's memory to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. They do good work.

I don’t want to get preachy here, but I have to say that the winter, with shorter days and the holidays, is a dangerous time for depressed people. So take care of your mind, body and spirit. Be gentle with yourself and others. Let your loved ones know how much you care about them, and really ask how they are doing. It could make a difference.

Happy birthday, Albert.

Halloween

Moo!