Rescued from the abyss!!!

I hated Blogger for a little while. They forced me to switch to Blogger Beta. My old blog came along fine, but this blog did not. I haven't had access for a couple of weeks now. I've still been writing posts, so I'll have a few to go up in the next week or so. Sorry to be gone for so long.

Anyhow, it's fixed now, so my babbling will resume shortly.

I'm in Kansas for the week visiting my family and taking a short vacation. It was much needed. I haven't had any time off since I started my new job in May. I'll report on the whole trip soon. And hopefully I can figure out how to post photos!

Cheers.

Holy days.

I guess the holidays make me nostalgic. I've been writing an awful lot about my past lately. I'm not generally quite so sentimental, but December gets me going every time.

I'm going home to Kansas for Christmas and I'm staying for almost a week. It's going to be hella fun. There are a ton of people and places I want to see. It's been a while...I guess I was there last Christmas, and that was a whirlwind two day trip.

This year I'm spending nearly a week, but it's still going to be difficult to see absolutely everyone I want to see.

JuCoMo just bought some commercial space where he's going to open a coffee shop in downtown KCMO, so I'll get to see that. He may even have his big espresso machines in by the time I'm there...in which case we're going to lounge around caffeinating ourselves and making critical decor decisions, or at least deciding what music should be played for the grand opening. I have a lot of new electronic stuff I want to share with him...I'd better take some blank CDs.

DaBull is just retiring this month after a long career as a jurist full of stirring crap up...including one little drama recently where he temporarily shut down the entire public education system in the state of Kansas. I'm glad I'll get to see him before he jets off to Palm Springs to lounge by the pool for the remainder of the Winter.

My ex...let's call him Wapio...has agreed to meet me for lunch. This would not be so extraordinary except that I didn't get to see him before I moved to NYC, so it's been at least three years and possibly longer. I have a peculiar desire to touch base with him. I'm so incredibly different than I was in my early 20s, when he and I were together, and I guess I'm curious to see how he's changed. There was a time when I honestly believed I could not live without him, and that we would spend our lives together. I suppose that but for a handful of factors things might have turned out that way. It's interesting, though we may have little in common now, he was once a very important part of my life, and I want to keep in touch with him.

Another highlight will be going to midnight mass at Grace Cathedral in Topeka. I used to sing in the choir at Grace and I have many acquaintances there who it will be lovely to see. Not to mention that the service is usually beautiful, with a ton of music and a bit of sparkly wonderment at the end, when they turn off all the lights and the congregation is hushed as they watch the glowing nativity stained glass window, which is lit from the outside for the evening.

And then there's my family...but I think I will save those traditions for another post.

I love cats.

It's a bit strange, because in the leather world I'm a puppy, and I've spent more than a few hours running around on all fours (usually in hotel lobbies crowded with leathermen), sniffing crotches (hello...leathermen!), and generally being man's best friend.

But when it comes to home, give me a cat over a dog any day.

First of all, a cat can take care of herself. If I decide I want a drink after work, I don't have to worry about running home to walk my cat. She'll be fine, and running a little late will just mean she's that much happier to see me.

Which brings us to secondly: cats are totally loveable. No, they may not come running at you, leaping up on your legs as soon as you walk in the front door. Hello! I don't want to be assaulted when I enter my home! I want to set down my bag, take off my jacket, and settle in to some good play time once I'm comfortable. Every cat I've had who has lived with me has been very affectionate. So what if it's on her terms rather than mine? Do I really want a relationship with someone who will love me when I say so and go away when I'm not in the mood, without regard to my friend's feelings? How boring.

I could go on at length. I suspect it's a genetic thing, as during Christmas dinner with my mother's side of the family I expect to get a full report on the recent activities of the feline companion living with each of my relatives. Yes, even my uber-butch brother loves him some kitten.

Of course I left my Niechi back in Topeka, living with a friend from school. It is a very good home and I'm sure she's doing well, but I miss her desperately.

Last night I experienced one of those rare full body memories. As I settled down under the covers, shivering a little and waiting for the bed to warm up, I could feel Niechi walking across the bed. My body recalled exactly what it felt like to have her little paws pushing the blankets down as she crossed the bed to sniff my chin and say goodnight. Her weight would come down tentatively with each step as she tested to make sure she wasn't settling on an unsupported section of blanket, but overall her gait was confident, because she knew and loved me, and had done this every night for years. I missed her so much it really hurt inside my chest for a moment.

I hope you're sleeping well, Niechi-baby.