I was shocked by the news this morning that director and producer Tony Scott had killed himself. Scott, who directed The Hunger, Top Gun, and True Romance, jumped to his death from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro on Sunday afternoon. He was 68 years old.
Depression is a serious and debilitating illness. If you suffer from depression, please seek help. Reach out to a friend. Talk to a professional. You are worth it.
I’ve mentioned in the past how Olympia, who was a stray for 6 or 7 years before we adopted her, is an under cat. She normally likes to hang out under the love seat in the living room, or under the wingback chair next to the love seat, or under the china cabinet, or under the bed. I also mentioned that she’s becoming more confident as she grows to understand that she’s safe here, coming out from under things more often, letting us pet her, etc.
And then, just this week, this started happening:
This is Olympia on the wingback chair! Not under it, on it! (The wingback chair looks like that because it needs to be reupholstered, so right now it’s just basically a frame covered with an old afghan my grandmother made. The seat cushion is long gone and has been replaced under the afghan with a spare bed pillow.) (Also, look at Olympia’s sleepy face!)
And then, just this morning, I saw her sitting on top of the love seat, too. Not under it in her normal spot, but on top of it! Alas, she jumped off too quickly for me to snap a photo. She may feel comfortable enough to get on top of things now, but she still isn’t all that comfortable yet with being seen on top of things.
We’re definitely in the phase of constant breakthroughs with our little stray. I can’t wait to see what she does next!
Author and prolific social media presence Robert N. Lee has a glowing review of Chasing the Dragon over at his Google+ page. Here’s the pull-quote:
You can see the full post by clicking the link above — though I should warn you, the comments devolved rather quickly into a discussion of the ’80s pop bands Saga and Asia, for some reason. Ah well. It’s better than talking about reading, I guess!
Today marks two years since I broke my drug addiction to nicotine! I’m as surprised as anyone that I made it this long after twenty years of smoking regularly. I can’t say it’s always been easy, but it’s been empowering as hell to know I beat it.
I’ve been lucky, too. There’s no indication of lung cancer, emphysema, or debilitating lung damage. Probably, I quit just in time, but I still have a year or two to go before I can be considered fully in the clear. (Apparently, one’s risk of developing lung cancer continues for a few years after quitting. That’s how rough this stuff is.)
Also, by my calculations, I’ve saved nearly $6,000!
