Random bullets of recent happenings...

• I woke up yesterday and my precious little E.C. was limping. Not limping, actually, but dragging her hind right leg. She couldn't really stand or lay down without an insane amount of effort and touching her was out of the question; she howled and rolled around in pain. Not three weeks ago, I had to bring her to the vet because she looked drunk and couldn't walk straight. The vet didn't know what was wrong but assumed it was an inner ear thing. So, I thought her new problem might have something to do with that...or the fact that she has a heart murmur and might've had a stroke. I turned out that she tore her ACL, so now she's at home, all doped up on painkillers. What a cute little stoner:

• My father is coming up for a visit this weekend. I can't wait to see him. He's a great guy. I didn't always feel that way. When I was young, my father was intensely scary and angry all the time. He an my mother fought constantly, yelling and throwing shoes and yelling some more. They finally decided, when I was 15, to get a divorce, which was sort of a blessing. Then my mom had an aneurysm and when she recovered, she decided that God (something she'd never believed in before) had kept her alive to keep the family together. And that's when my father decided to tell her that he's gay. She wasn't too happy with him; guess it was the whole lying to her for 13 years thing. Anyway...my father is no longer scary and angry all the time. In fact, all of his good qualities have come out, as well, and he's fantastic to be around; smart, funny, level-headed and fun. I try to understand that being gay and coming out in this country is not easy...it's hard to remember that, though, when you live in one of the most liberal states. So, I don't blame him for "lying"...I truly believe that while he must have known he was gay, there was also a part of him that just wouldn't allow it to be true...it's sad. In this country, I bet there are a lot of angry, abusive men who live lies because the majority of this country makes it not okay for them to be who they are. Thanks to the support and love my family showed to my father, my brother also felt comfortable enough to come out to us.