"From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines, going where I list, my own master total and absolute, Listening to others, considering well what they say, Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating, Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me."
Walt Whitman (1819-92)
"When I look back now over my life and call to mind what I might have had simply for taking and did not take, my heart is like to break."
Akhenaton (d. c.1354 BC)
And now, the current weather, from some random person we pulled off the street:
Friday, June 29, 2007
Bit of an update
This is going to be a rather informal update, mainly because I intend to ramble, don't want to be bothered with the normal formatting, and I have no idea what I'm going to talk about. It'll be a surprise for both of us.
First, I hope everyone likes the new vlog format. I find that a lot of times I can do far more through that medium than I can in print. Sorry you have to look at my scary mug sometimes in the process, but that's the tradeoff :) It also allows me to kill two birds with one stone, as it were, because each of these videologs is posted at the same time on the flip side of Cliff Between the Lines, which lives on the YouTube service. If you double click on any of them, you will be taken to the YouTube page where there is a different comment system and sometimes video responses from other users to what you are watching.
Well, lets see...my wife and I are now officially separated. I hate seeing it come to this, but its really best for both of us (except perhaps financially.) This is amicable, there has not been a single argument or one shouted word. No one has been called a name or insulted. The decision was reached in a calm and reasoned manner. The dissolution of any marriage is a reason to grieve, and this one is no different.
Now, on the friendship front, there is where the water is flowing most rapidly lately.
My dear friend John, whom I've mentioned, was told he should go to John Hopkins for testing ans analysis. I immediately (really, like 1 second) offered to go with him, or meet him there and do anything I could. At this point, he hasn't made the trip yet, and he may not. If he doesn't, I will head south again soon.
As of nine days ago, and I counted them in amazement today because it seems like years, I welcomed a new friend into my life. Her name is Monica, and she is a devout Christian (extremely) and a professional spiritual advisor, the first I have ever met. The amazing thing is that it became obvious at the get go that we had WAY more in common than usual. It was as if every time I pulled something out of my pocket, she would hold out the same thing. And the more we got to know, the more it happened. It was almost frightening, but it was quite nice. The guy she's madly in love with doesn't do much for me (Well, I am a guy!)...but other than that... :) I'm very glad I met her, especially now when I need friends so badly.
On a sadder note, I had a friendship self destruct two weeks ago. It really didn't have to, but I couldn't stop it. There is nothing I hate worse than losing a friend, and I will do anything I can to stop it, but I am almost at a loss in this case. That really bothers me deeply, because I care about my friends, even the estranged ones.
Our 18 year old Maine Coon cat has maybe a day left in him. I really didn't think he would make it until now, but he is a heck of a fighter. Docs have been telling us he was soon to die since 1992. This time though, he is. Still he valiantly struggles. He isn't in any pain, he's just drifting off. He is sharing our kitchen with two cats that don't belong to us, a cat with backwards elbows and a cat who is a dwarf. Really. And you can continue that theme through my entire house.
