Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
It has been some time since I’ve posted here, and longer still since I’ve posted regularly. For this, I deeply apologise to you, my one loyal reader. My only excuse is this: it has been a trying time, and I’ve been working long hours. In the past few months, I’ve spent weeks at a time out of state. I’ve been […]
» Read moreTristan was struck by an SUV while crossing the street in the early morning hours of last Saturday while I was in Pittsburgh. The driver left him in the road, where another vehicle ran over him. Only then did a witness to the second hit-and-run call 911. His pelvis was badly broken, both legs were damaged, his right ankle was […]
» Read moreI‘m approaching the end of my rope. I’m not there yet, but I’m sliding down quickly and some bastard’s greased the last few meters. Nightmares this weekend were the least of it. Tristan has a fantastic attorney, who’s cutting us a huge break in terms of payment. Between bailing Tristan out and making the first payment to the attorney, we’ve […]
» Read moreMy beard is going grey at an alarming rate. My last real photos were for the wedding, and I look like I’ve aged five years in five months. This may have something to do with Tristan’s plight. It does something to you after a while, when you keep getting these little reminders, whether it’s when I’m talking with Tristan, or […]
» Read moreSo. Tristan came home last night. I went to work for a two-thirds day while Tristan’s mother went through the bureaucratic nightmare that is bailing out an accused felon. This is, apparently, an all-day affair. He spent the night at our house. We talked until deep into the night. This morning, I made breakfast (perish the thought), and we went […]
» Read moreThis post should have been about my job. Or the garden. Or maybe the strange trip I had to Westport Connecticut. Or really, anything but this. Yesterday, Francine and I got back from Mass and had a little breakfast. She was going to leave at about noon to make some photocopies and teach a knitting class. My plan involved laundry […]
» Read moreFor all the words of encouragement and well-wishes and most of all the prayers, thank you. I start Monday. Full medical/dental/vision/401k. Good pay. Bonus program. In a room with three other writers. Ground-up company that has enormous financial backing, impatient customers, and enough backed-up work to keep us in kippers through June. Thank you. Deo gratias.
» Read moreWell that went surprisingly well. We chatted about 45 minutes, and he ended by asking about my availability. Considering what his time’s worth, I think he’s already out several grand on me. Sue the receptionist told me that these things rarely take more than fifteen minutes. The really bad ones don’t last fifteen seconds. He’s apparently leaving for Belgium tomorrow, […]
» Read moreI‘ve got an interview this afternoon in downtown Seattle. The job is scriptwriting for GPS-tagged video for cross-country luxury tour buses. Crazy job. Fair pay.
» Read moreThe wedding was beautiful. But I get ahead of myself. My parents arrived from Chicago on Sunday the 20th and stayed with us for a week. We put them to work: my Dad was the consummate chauffeur, particularly to the airport as other folks flew in. My Mom did our flowers, and they were fantastic. My sister flew in from […]
» Read moreThe wedding is on Friday. My parents have been here since Sunday. My sister arrives later today from Wisconsin. My friend Jason from Los Angeles tomorrow. The schedule is insane. Perhaps a nap? No time.
» Read moreOne of our cats is a frisky, quasi-hyperactive kitten named Sophia. Right now, Sophia is tearing up the dining room, prancing and dancing and playing with a little plastic gizmo that I think might once have been a top. Earlier, I had to rescue one of Francine’s scarves. Sophia had wrestled it to the ground and was gnawing it to […]
» Read moreI‘ve been trying to write this post for two days. On Saturday, we went to the Sinfonietta through the magic of free tickets. Francine and I were enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon, and the day sort of got away from us. We completely lost track of the time until Mel called us to ask where we were. It was 7:00, […]
» Read moreI spent a ridiculous amount of time yesterday getting the wedding invitations out. This involved photocopying, folding, stuffing, stamping, stuffing again, licking and sealing, and stamping again (addressing and the first round of stuffing had been done the previous night with Francine). In the process, I discovered that we had inadvertently left eight people off the list.
» Read moreI have been unemployed now since All Saints Day, November 1. My state unemployment claim has been denied, so as of this moment I have officially zero income. OK, that’s not quite true. I’ve been doing some odd publishing and layout contracts, but this is not going to pay the mortgage. Or the wedding. So I’ve been going to Tulley’s […]
» Read moreIt’s at least quasi-official. After four months of contracts and extensions, I’m at the end. I’ll be unemployed a week from tomorrow. I will no longer be employed by the Archdiocese of Seattle. Time for an ale, methinks. Yea, perhaps several. Edited to add: Turns out all I’ve got is porter. Well, I’ll make the best of it.
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