The Loss of a Friend

I was about 13 when we brought Ruby home. My sister and I had wheedled and pled, promised and pledged; We said things like, ‘Nothing for either of us for the next three Christmases!’ ‘Walks every day, we swear!’ and ‘Food every night, we promise! We’ll never ask for anything ever again!’

Today at about 9am I drove with my parents to a small veterinary clinic off of Palm and Herdon to have Ruby’s vet of 13 years give her one last injection and say things like ‘Today’s the day, huh?,’ and, ‘Let us know when you’re ready to take her body home.’

My dad and I dug her grave together through the unyielding valley hardpan, mixing our sweat with tears to soften the ground as we chipped away and said things like, ‘She was a good dog,’ ‘Remember the way she used to eat horse crap?’ and ‘Is digging a grave supposed to be this hard?!’

I carried my dog of 13 years from the back of the car to her grave, held her frail body covered in matted fur to my chest one last time, and placed her on her favorite blanket facing Northwest. Towards Alaska. My father and mother and I stood next to the mound of dirt with a circlet of Star Jasmine on it and said things like ‘That is that.’ and ‘I’m glad that you are here for this.’

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday. We’re surely gonna miss you.

Times, They Are a' Changing

My mother gave me one of my childhood journals this Easter she had found while cleaning out a storage closet. I am currently in the process of writing my Senior paper, and it was a refreshing and entertaining break to see the progression in such a short time from near-unintelligible scribbles to fairly coherent thoughts in three short years. Behold!


Transcript: This is space. Space has no air so astronauts have to keep air packs on their backs so they can breath and so they won't die. - Summer '87


Transcript: Today is October 15, 1987. I like the bike ride because I like going across country on the road and I like the park, too and riding home was just as much fun as riding there and school was fun because we listened to the legend of the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow and a black cat and tomorrow I will make a pumpkin patch picture and a paper bag and I ran five times. I played monster with Michael today. - Fall of '87


Transcript: August 9th, 1989. When it is hot I like to go swimming. Katie taught me how to do somersaults, backward rows, hand stands and straddles. One time Katie and I swam 100 laps. I can do three somersaults in a row. The end. - Summer '89


This one is pretty legible and readable. - Fall of '90


Today's entry.

Sometimes it's encouraging to know where you come from.

*Muffled Sob*

I just finished a 34-page draft this afternoon . . . now I'm listening to Metallica. I'm planning on writing out the rest of the Liam adventure after I graduate, for those of you who may still be interested; stay tuned!

Freakin' Weekend, Baby!

and for a change of pace . . .

About Time . . .

I was really hoping that we'd come up with a new and better way to kill each other. Enter: Blackwater! Nothing like a shotgun that can deliver nearly 300 rounds a minute to slake your blood lust. The host of the show gets even more creepy at about 4:30 when he starts describing specialty rounds.