Sheesh. As if I weren't already grouchy, cranky, or whatever you want to call it. Now I'm reading this book, and I just have to mention it. It's called "Fierce," and it's a memoir by Barbara Robinette Moss. I guess it's a sequel of sorts to an earlier memoir she wrote that focused more on her childhood; that one was called "Make Me Into Zeus' Daughter." I didn't read that one, because this one appealed to me more with its focus being on her trying to make her way through adulthood. She, like me, and like many of my readers, is an ACOA, an Adult Child of Alcoholic(s). That shitty label can make itself known in many hideous ways, but we all have quite a few things in common; so I like to read memoirs like this. Usually.
But damn, woman! That's what I keep saying as I go through the book. First of all, I got about 10 books in the last month, between loaners from friends, a couple e-book purchases, and the library. And out of the EIGHT I've already peered into, this was one of only TWO that even seemed decent. It was a real strike-out of a book haul this time. I will try to read a little more of my other books, but they don't look too promising so far.
Anyway, the whole time I'm reading this book, I just can't stop shaking my head. I'm bewildered. I mean, okay, I don't know Ms. Moss' exact age; I suppose I could cipher it if I took the time, but I haven't. She must be the age of MY parents, roughly; her own father, the drunk in this scenario, was a WW2 vet. And I know that the times were different when she was growing up, but man, was she naive, even into adulthood, even halfway through this book when she's been divorced twice, lived in 3 states, and had a child! And she just keeps making all of these crap decisions that make me think, Damn, there's a difference between being effed up from an ACOA upbringing and just lacking common sense completely. Wow.
I was drawn to the book, because the e-book store kept suggesting it to me, supposedly because it matched up to my other purchased books. I made note of that, but then I also saw it reviewed on Amazon recently. Oh, there were all these positive reviews about the author's candor and overcoming this and that! It sounded like it would be right up my alley! So I'm going to read it through. I'll give her this: she writes in such a way as to keep me turning the pages, if not feeling sympathetic toward or relating to her. I'll let you all know what I think when I'm finished.
So I might as well mention the other book that I read, last week. It's been on my ever-expanding book list forever, friends have been urging me to read it and saying how much they thought I would like it, on and on. I guess I wasn't clear on the plot or whatever ... it's summary sure doesn't do it justice. It's "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Well! I could not believe I had waited so long, with this book just OUT THERE, waiting for me to pick it on up! I simply adored it! I had to think it over, reflect, absorb, all of these things that I do with a beloved book ... and yes, now that I've done that, I can honestly tell you it is one of my Top 15 favorite books of all time. It might be Top 10; I have to sit down and think about my current list. I mean, this is including my favorite so-called "great" literature, my favorite childhood classics, poetry, whatever, all in one collection ... and this book would make the top 10-15. It is wonderful. I loved it.
So there you are! As you know, I don't do any sort of regular book or movie reviews, but hey, if I like or love or hate or am confused by something, I like to discuss. And this weekend I've had one movie and two books ... and it ain't over yet!
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Notes from My Book-Selling Days...
As I might or might not have mentioned before ... I spent a lot of years as a manager in a book store ... a couple of different locations actually, all within one large book seller that you all know well (at least in the U.S. ... I think in other countries too). I shant mention it specifically, but you know the type: big store, selling multi-media, usually with entire sections - if not entire floors -- dedicated to Children's Books, DVD's, Music, and some sort of cafe. I can actually only think of two big ones that operate right now, so take your pick.
Although working in the retail business in general is, well, hell on earth- no other way to put it, I did enjoy many parts of my career in the book world. Actually, what I really came to learn and love was all sorts of new music and all about the music industry. I suppose I applied to the job at first thinking that maybe, just maybe, I'd be placing myself in proximity to an author or agent or some publishing person that might, just maybe, "discover" me and MY writing! What I learned was that in reality, the "book people" hardly ever had contact with us. Books are churned out in printing presses, warehoused, inventoried, and ordered, all without any authors or agents being personally involved at all. HOWEVER, the music situation was quite different.
I don't know whether it's the same now (it has been about 7 years since I left the biz), but when I worked at the stores, the music labels would send local representatives to each location on a regular basis. For example, our rep from Sony would come and bring promotional cd's from new artists, sometimes from well-known artists with new work out, etc. He was also in charge of all displays around the store having to do with Sony artists, so he would put up different posters and ads and the like, within Sony's given allotment of space. The thing was, being a manager and developing a friendly relationship with these reps, yielded awesome results!
Through Sony and a few other major labels (who also repped their subsidiaries and thus exposed us to some great new music not being played anywhere else), I was allowed to request certain cd's for my store or personal use, ANYTHING under their label! I explored so many genres of music and different artists that I otherwise never would have heard about! It was great, a real education, a FUN education! The record labels also gave me tickets to baseball games and invites to their record label holiday parties (more freebies to be had!). It was the closest I had ever been to being an "insider" of some kind! It was really, really fun! And no, I have no loyalty to the Sony conglomerate ... I just can't remember which label was which with some of the other reps! Sony definitely gave out the most free shit. :)
...The thing that got me thinking about all of my happy times in book world was earlier today, when I was having a phone conversation about authors and which stores in my area seem to get the best ones to come out for signings, etc. We got on to the subject of emerging literary "stars," and how it would behoove these stores to grab such writers just as their star is rising ... later on, they cost too much! My friend on the phone used Alice Sebold as an example, and we recalled how when "The Lovely Bones" was released, we were able to watch that book absolutely explode onto the scene, and the author emerge from anonymity to super-stardom.
I was reflecting on what a cool thing that is to see. At least, to someone like me! As a book seller, we would go from being completely unaware of an author, literally having zero books on the shelf by that person ... to five days later being in full combat mode, trying to get the most copies the fastest and keep 'em coming! It really happened that fast. One Monday I would go to work, and I'd get a few phone calls inquiring about a certain title... I'd order it or give other information for the callers... Then throughout the day, I'd hear my co-workers ordering it, maybe I'd see a review in a daily newspaper, etc. Throughout that week, calls and inquiries just reached fever pitch ... oftentimes one out of every two customers who entered the store wanted to know about this book. By the weekend, I would receive notifications from our warehouses announcing dates and quantities when I could expect shipments of the title. Usually over that weekend I'd see more reviews or a friend would mention reading the book, I'd see that the author would be appearing on this or that tv show ... and voila! By the next Monday, everyone knew the book, its author, and we couldn't keep it in stock. With "The Lovely Bones" and "The DaVinci Code" and others like it ... We'd literally stack them everywhere- behind the cash tills, behind the information desk, behind themselves on the shelf, up in the rafters, everywhere! Because customers were always asking, and then you could simply grab one for them from ... wherever! As a manager, it was astonishing at first to realize that even with books stacked to the ceiling quite literally, every weekend would see us turning people away until the next shipment. Crazy.
Oh, and although the aforementioned titles, along with several other Best-Sellers of the past decade, were driving insane sales, nothing in my career ever, ever approached the hysterical and non-stop demand for the Harry Potter books. I worked in the book biz when the last book came out in hardcover ... We had the local POLICE controlling the crowds ... who incidentally camped outside our doors all night to be first in line. That was the front lines baby!
Although working in the retail business in general is, well, hell on earth- no other way to put it, I did enjoy many parts of my career in the book world. Actually, what I really came to learn and love was all sorts of new music and all about the music industry. I suppose I applied to the job at first thinking that maybe, just maybe, I'd be placing myself in proximity to an author or agent or some publishing person that might, just maybe, "discover" me and MY writing! What I learned was that in reality, the "book people" hardly ever had contact with us. Books are churned out in printing presses, warehoused, inventoried, and ordered, all without any authors or agents being personally involved at all. HOWEVER, the music situation was quite different.
I don't know whether it's the same now (it has been about 7 years since I left the biz), but when I worked at the stores, the music labels would send local representatives to each location on a regular basis. For example, our rep from Sony would come and bring promotional cd's from new artists, sometimes from well-known artists with new work out, etc. He was also in charge of all displays around the store having to do with Sony artists, so he would put up different posters and ads and the like, within Sony's given allotment of space. The thing was, being a manager and developing a friendly relationship with these reps, yielded awesome results!
Through Sony and a few other major labels (who also repped their subsidiaries and thus exposed us to some great new music not being played anywhere else), I was allowed to request certain cd's for my store or personal use, ANYTHING under their label! I explored so many genres of music and different artists that I otherwise never would have heard about! It was great, a real education, a FUN education! The record labels also gave me tickets to baseball games and invites to their record label holiday parties (more freebies to be had!). It was the closest I had ever been to being an "insider" of some kind! It was really, really fun! And no, I have no loyalty to the Sony conglomerate ... I just can't remember which label was which with some of the other reps! Sony definitely gave out the most free shit. :)
...The thing that got me thinking about all of my happy times in book world was earlier today, when I was having a phone conversation about authors and which stores in my area seem to get the best ones to come out for signings, etc. We got on to the subject of emerging literary "stars," and how it would behoove these stores to grab such writers just as their star is rising ... later on, they cost too much! My friend on the phone used Alice Sebold as an example, and we recalled how when "The Lovely Bones" was released, we were able to watch that book absolutely explode onto the scene, and the author emerge from anonymity to super-stardom.
I was reflecting on what a cool thing that is to see. At least, to someone like me! As a book seller, we would go from being completely unaware of an author, literally having zero books on the shelf by that person ... to five days later being in full combat mode, trying to get the most copies the fastest and keep 'em coming! It really happened that fast. One Monday I would go to work, and I'd get a few phone calls inquiring about a certain title... I'd order it or give other information for the callers... Then throughout the day, I'd hear my co-workers ordering it, maybe I'd see a review in a daily newspaper, etc. Throughout that week, calls and inquiries just reached fever pitch ... oftentimes one out of every two customers who entered the store wanted to know about this book. By the weekend, I would receive notifications from our warehouses announcing dates and quantities when I could expect shipments of the title. Usually over that weekend I'd see more reviews or a friend would mention reading the book, I'd see that the author would be appearing on this or that tv show ... and voila! By the next Monday, everyone knew the book, its author, and we couldn't keep it in stock. With "The Lovely Bones" and "The DaVinci Code" and others like it ... We'd literally stack them everywhere- behind the cash tills, behind the information desk, behind themselves on the shelf, up in the rafters, everywhere! Because customers were always asking, and then you could simply grab one for them from ... wherever! As a manager, it was astonishing at first to realize that even with books stacked to the ceiling quite literally, every weekend would see us turning people away until the next shipment. Crazy.
Oh, and although the aforementioned titles, along with several other Best-Sellers of the past decade, were driving insane sales, nothing in my career ever, ever approached the hysterical and non-stop demand for the Harry Potter books. I worked in the book biz when the last book came out in hardcover ... We had the local POLICE controlling the crowds ... who incidentally camped outside our doors all night to be first in line. That was the front lines baby!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Pharmacy Savings, Book Review, and Other Randoms
I digress today from my travel memoirs, but I have more of those!
Some strange thing is going on with me where I can't sleep at night. I stay up most of, or sometimes even ALL of, the night, and then once the sun comes up ...and I mean, sometimes it's like the recorded minute of sunrise for the day (as I'll later find out) ...I fall into the sleep of the dead. I mean, the phone rings, people in my building slam doors and yell and do their usual shit ... but I do not wake, or I wake a little bit, enough to be aware of it. It's more that I know these things go on all day when I am awake, so I assume they are taking place when I'm in this deep sleep. Thankfully, the alarm clock does still rouse me, probably because nowadays I use it so infrequently.
Speaking of whatever goes on here while I sleep, just yesterday I left my building and saw that Sheriff's Office had placed a sort of "sorry we missed you" note on the main door. It referenced a court case number and the officer's badge number; then at the bottom was handwritten "c/o [someone's name]". Now, I know that this was not regarding me, but I was still curious. The name at the bottom, the "c/o" which in usual terms means "in care of" ... does that mean the person to be contacted at the Sheriff's Office? Because, um, I can assure them that no one in this building will be taking it upon themselves to call up the police and go "um, were you looking for me? Hi! I'm home now." And if that name referenced the person they were looking for, um, is that really okay? Like, isn't that invading my privacy to post a big notice with my case number (so anyone interested could look it up and see what I have been arrested for or whatever) and my name? Shady, you Sheriffs Officers, shady.
Okay, so what else? Today I learned that Walmart is NOT playin' when they talk about their discounts on generic drugs. I don't mind sharing with you that one of my billions of prescriptions (it sure seems like I'm at some pharmacy every single day practically) is Ultram, the generic of which is called Tramadol. It's for pain, you know, like killer migraine pain. Anyway, I've been getting it at my local Walgreens, because they have a savings club and all my meds are there and blah blah. But I went to Walmart today basically on a whim, because I had pictures to pick up and it was on my way to the dentist. I thought, hey, they have a pharmacy, why not? So the lady who took my info said it's a 30 min wait, blah blah, and I went to the dentist and came back...
Okay, when I get it at Walgreens ... and I'm not singling them out, because they have pretty comparable prices in my area to other pharmacies, and they're cheaper with the savings club ... but when I get it there, it is well over $50 for say 90 pills or a 30-day supply or something. That's the generic, and that's a pretty typical script. At Walmart today, to pick up those 90 pills ... drum roll ... SIX DOLLARS!! SIX! 6 U.S. dollars. Shit man! It makes me want to go return all those other months-worth of pills and get refunds. You know? The same medicine, the same amounts, the same manufacturer and everything, and they charge you $44 more? Outrageous. Wow. Well, I know where I'll be getting my generic medicine from now on.
Now, if you have medical issues like I do (and God bless ya if you do... sheesh), I have to add that the pharmacist at Walmart told me they have considerable trouble even getting certain other drugs, brand-name ones. Like, say Adderall and the newer Vyvanse are some examples I know of. She says they don't keep them in stock and when she orders them, they "may or may not come." And if they did, it would take over a week. That's super odd, if you ask me. At the ol' W-Greens, they just order stuff they are out of (which is rare), and it comes the next day. So I would say Walmart specializes in drugs that are generic.
And what else did I have on my mind as I sat down to write today? Oh well, I've been reading an outstanding book that I would recommend to anyone who is even remotely interested in one or more of a variety of topics including: Law, Society, Current Events, Politics, Philosophy, Morals & Values, and more! It's called Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel. I actually received the book as a Christmas present from my dad, who told me that the parts he read were so fascinating that he couldn't bring himself to wrap it up for me until Christmas Eve. He said he kept reading it and worrying that if he didn't hurry up and wrap it and put it away, he'd end up with it all dog-eared or spilled-on.
The subject matter is heavy, but Sandel sort of spoon feeds it to us, as I can imagine him doing as a teacher. A really fun, inspiring professor. I've heard there are long waiting lists for his classes, and when I read this book, I can almost hear him talking (minus the timbre of his voice, which I've never heard). But seriously, you know how some people can write in that way where it really is just like listening to them talk to you? I would be surprised if I learned this book was not just like his lectures and lessons. And they are good ones! They're like your favorite teacher, who really gets you to love a subject that maybe you sort of liked going into it or maybe you couldn't have given two shits about when you were forced into the class. But he makes it exciting.
The thing is, while I'm reading this book, I am simultaneously watching the Tea Baggers (if that's the low-brow name they originally desired, then by all means, I'll be happy to oblige them) carry on with their blatantly ignorant signs and carrying monkeys with them to their protests and the whole bit ... and I'm watching President Obama, what he's doing, what he's saying, because that's what I do, I watch the man I helped elect and whom -- I proudly tell you-- I greatly admire, but do not blindly support, do not always think he's right and all that garbage that "they" accuse "us" of doing ... and I'm thinking to myself as I read this beautiful book ...
Everybody should read this. No, REALLY. Because at the heart of this book is the history and evolution of OUR current society and its laws and it's morals and values, conflicting and complicated as they are. There are things that I feel ashamed for not knowing as I expound on my own political beliefs. Sandel really tells you where to find the root of our ideas of what is "right" and why we think that. I love the challenge that the book is giving me as I read: I have to ask myself Why do I believe that x, y, and z is the "right" way to run a government, a country, a church, my SELF? Yes, we say, it's RIGHT that every citizen of an industrialized country have access to basic shelter, food, and health services (maybe you say something else, but this is my example, so just roll with it, kay? Sandel offers all sides of that theory)... But then we have to ask ourselves...What makes it "right"? And if that is the end we seek, how do we achieve it without crossing our own morals and doing something that is "wrong" in our view? Or do we not care about the means if the end is met? And so forth. It is fascinating to me.
So when I see people spouting off on TV or on their little crayon-drawn signs (as they do around here), I wonder whether they have asked themselves these questions. It's not enough to just say what your neighbors or church or parents have told you. This is the fabric of our changing world, our changing nation within it. And so if people are going to get passionate and go protest and rally and speak out against the war or the government or the President, then for God's sake, I pray you, I beseech you, read this book or at least ask yourself this type of question and know your answers. I don't feel like we have any business blowing smoke out in the public square until we understand where we stand.
So, okay. Off my soap box. I'm not usually one to preach or tell others what to do, but I just really was moved by what I learned in the book; and I'm not finished with it yet. Probably some people have already asked themselves these moral questions, through their education or their church or wherever. But I'm pretty educated and come from brilliant parents with a wide range of experiences, and I know that I have not really dug down to see what my beliefs are all about. Okay, so that's that. I said I'd stop!
And my sweet Dorian is patiently (sort of) nudging me to go out on the porch and play now, so I must attend to that. I hate when I sleep half the day as I've been doing, ESPECIALLY because someone else (even if that someone is not human) depends on me to get my ass up and feed him and play with him and generally tend to his well-being on a schedule. This guy who, as I've written many times, has been patient and uncannily sensitive while I've suffered through illness and pain and whatever ... I just think he deserves the most respect and fun and exercise and good life that I can give him when I AM well. So I'm trying. Even with the "new" routine (which I do NOT wish to make a trend) of waking up at noon (if we're lucky) and thus, not filling the food dish til then, etc., he complained for about a day, then he just settled in; now I find my guy sleeping in his favorite box, also til noon. He's just a cat, but he's enough to make me want to do better. Yes, for myself, of course, I'm not an idiot. But for him too. I'm all he has. Food, play, sleep, treats, toys, and me, his human. And that's good, I realize his cat-ness means he doesn't need what humans need, but still. I guess what I'm trying to say is that he has given me so much, whether he knows it or not or whether it's a sacrifice or anything, for him. That's the least I can do in return.
Some strange thing is going on with me where I can't sleep at night. I stay up most of, or sometimes even ALL of, the night, and then once the sun comes up ...and I mean, sometimes it's like the recorded minute of sunrise for the day (as I'll later find out) ...I fall into the sleep of the dead. I mean, the phone rings, people in my building slam doors and yell and do their usual shit ... but I do not wake, or I wake a little bit, enough to be aware of it. It's more that I know these things go on all day when I am awake, so I assume they are taking place when I'm in this deep sleep. Thankfully, the alarm clock does still rouse me, probably because nowadays I use it so infrequently.
Speaking of whatever goes on here while I sleep, just yesterday I left my building and saw that Sheriff's Office had placed a sort of "sorry we missed you" note on the main door. It referenced a court case number and the officer's badge number; then at the bottom was handwritten "c/o [someone's name]". Now, I know that this was not regarding me, but I was still curious. The name at the bottom, the "c/o" which in usual terms means "in care of" ... does that mean the person to be contacted at the Sheriff's Office? Because, um, I can assure them that no one in this building will be taking it upon themselves to call up the police and go "um, were you looking for me? Hi! I'm home now." And if that name referenced the person they were looking for, um, is that really okay? Like, isn't that invading my privacy to post a big notice with my case number (so anyone interested could look it up and see what I have been arrested for or whatever) and my name? Shady, you Sheriffs Officers, shady.
Okay, so what else? Today I learned that Walmart is NOT playin' when they talk about their discounts on generic drugs. I don't mind sharing with you that one of my billions of prescriptions (it sure seems like I'm at some pharmacy every single day practically) is Ultram, the generic of which is called Tramadol. It's for pain, you know, like killer migraine pain. Anyway, I've been getting it at my local Walgreens, because they have a savings club and all my meds are there and blah blah. But I went to Walmart today basically on a whim, because I had pictures to pick up and it was on my way to the dentist. I thought, hey, they have a pharmacy, why not? So the lady who took my info said it's a 30 min wait, blah blah, and I went to the dentist and came back...
Okay, when I get it at Walgreens ... and I'm not singling them out, because they have pretty comparable prices in my area to other pharmacies, and they're cheaper with the savings club ... but when I get it there, it is well over $50 for say 90 pills or a 30-day supply or something. That's the generic, and that's a pretty typical script. At Walmart today, to pick up those 90 pills ... drum roll ... SIX DOLLARS!! SIX! 6 U.S. dollars. Shit man! It makes me want to go return all those other months-worth of pills and get refunds. You know? The same medicine, the same amounts, the same manufacturer and everything, and they charge you $44 more? Outrageous. Wow. Well, I know where I'll be getting my generic medicine from now on.
Now, if you have medical issues like I do (and God bless ya if you do... sheesh), I have to add that the pharmacist at Walmart told me they have considerable trouble even getting certain other drugs, brand-name ones. Like, say Adderall and the newer Vyvanse are some examples I know of. She says they don't keep them in stock and when she orders them, they "may or may not come." And if they did, it would take over a week. That's super odd, if you ask me. At the ol' W-Greens, they just order stuff they are out of (which is rare), and it comes the next day. So I would say Walmart specializes in drugs that are generic.
And what else did I have on my mind as I sat down to write today? Oh well, I've been reading an outstanding book that I would recommend to anyone who is even remotely interested in one or more of a variety of topics including: Law, Society, Current Events, Politics, Philosophy, Morals & Values, and more! It's called Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel. I actually received the book as a Christmas present from my dad, who told me that the parts he read were so fascinating that he couldn't bring himself to wrap it up for me until Christmas Eve. He said he kept reading it and worrying that if he didn't hurry up and wrap it and put it away, he'd end up with it all dog-eared or spilled-on.
The subject matter is heavy, but Sandel sort of spoon feeds it to us, as I can imagine him doing as a teacher. A really fun, inspiring professor. I've heard there are long waiting lists for his classes, and when I read this book, I can almost hear him talking (minus the timbre of his voice, which I've never heard). But seriously, you know how some people can write in that way where it really is just like listening to them talk to you? I would be surprised if I learned this book was not just like his lectures and lessons. And they are good ones! They're like your favorite teacher, who really gets you to love a subject that maybe you sort of liked going into it or maybe you couldn't have given two shits about when you were forced into the class. But he makes it exciting.
The thing is, while I'm reading this book, I am simultaneously watching the Tea Baggers (if that's the low-brow name they originally desired, then by all means, I'll be happy to oblige them) carry on with their blatantly ignorant signs and carrying monkeys with them to their protests and the whole bit ... and I'm watching President Obama, what he's doing, what he's saying, because that's what I do, I watch the man I helped elect and whom -- I proudly tell you-- I greatly admire, but do not blindly support, do not always think he's right and all that garbage that "they" accuse "us" of doing ... and I'm thinking to myself as I read this beautiful book ...
Everybody should read this. No, REALLY. Because at the heart of this book is the history and evolution of OUR current society and its laws and it's morals and values, conflicting and complicated as they are. There are things that I feel ashamed for not knowing as I expound on my own political beliefs. Sandel really tells you where to find the root of our ideas of what is "right" and why we think that. I love the challenge that the book is giving me as I read: I have to ask myself Why do I believe that x, y, and z is the "right" way to run a government, a country, a church, my SELF? Yes, we say, it's RIGHT that every citizen of an industrialized country have access to basic shelter, food, and health services (maybe you say something else, but this is my example, so just roll with it, kay? Sandel offers all sides of that theory)... But then we have to ask ourselves...What makes it "right"? And if that is the end we seek, how do we achieve it without crossing our own morals and doing something that is "wrong" in our view? Or do we not care about the means if the end is met? And so forth. It is fascinating to me.
So when I see people spouting off on TV or on their little crayon-drawn signs (as they do around here), I wonder whether they have asked themselves these questions. It's not enough to just say what your neighbors or church or parents have told you. This is the fabric of our changing world, our changing nation within it. And so if people are going to get passionate and go protest and rally and speak out against the war or the government or the President, then for God's sake, I pray you, I beseech you, read this book or at least ask yourself this type of question and know your answers. I don't feel like we have any business blowing smoke out in the public square until we understand where we stand.
So, okay. Off my soap box. I'm not usually one to preach or tell others what to do, but I just really was moved by what I learned in the book; and I'm not finished with it yet. Probably some people have already asked themselves these moral questions, through their education or their church or wherever. But I'm pretty educated and come from brilliant parents with a wide range of experiences, and I know that I have not really dug down to see what my beliefs are all about. Okay, so that's that. I said I'd stop!
And my sweet Dorian is patiently (sort of) nudging me to go out on the porch and play now, so I must attend to that. I hate when I sleep half the day as I've been doing, ESPECIALLY because someone else (even if that someone is not human) depends on me to get my ass up and feed him and play with him and generally tend to his well-being on a schedule. This guy who, as I've written many times, has been patient and uncannily sensitive while I've suffered through illness and pain and whatever ... I just think he deserves the most respect and fun and exercise and good life that I can give him when I AM well. So I'm trying. Even with the "new" routine (which I do NOT wish to make a trend) of waking up at noon (if we're lucky) and thus, not filling the food dish til then, etc., he complained for about a day, then he just settled in; now I find my guy sleeping in his favorite box, also til noon. He's just a cat, but he's enough to make me want to do better. Yes, for myself, of course, I'm not an idiot. But for him too. I'm all he has. Food, play, sleep, treats, toys, and me, his human. And that's good, I realize his cat-ness means he doesn't need what humans need, but still. I guess what I'm trying to say is that he has given me so much, whether he knows it or not or whether it's a sacrifice or anything, for him. That's the least I can do in return.
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