Grief

If you click on the title, there was an interesting article stating that prolonged grief is now considered a mental disorder.


I don't have much to say.  I'm still grieving about my cat Spooky.


Hey, will you vote in my poll?

Goodbye

There is something about the presence of a cat that seems to take the bite out of being alone.  ~Louis J. Camuti

      After failing at my first attempt at college, I was once again living with my mother.  She was not particularly happy about this arrangement and was counting the days until I would get my shit together and get the hell out of her two- bedroom condo.  Instead of leaving, I dug in my heels and adopted a cat.  There was an ad in the paper under animals that stated in bold dramatic typeface, “Adopt or Die!”  My, god, I thought, I must save this poor animal from a cruel and untimely demise.  The truth was, I was lonely.  Somehow I thought that adopting a cute little needy kitty would fill the void left by my first boyfriend.

     I immediately drove to the house to check out the death row kitties.  They were five of them, all black and spastic, clamoring for my attention on the living room floor.  That is, all except one.  He was cool and ambivalent about my presence.  He couldn’t even bring himself to look at me.  Like the men I was attracted to at the time, he was perfect.  You don’t want me?  Well guess what Mr. Nonchalance, I’m going to take your flea ridden ass home and make you like me. 

     Our first night together wasn’t the greatest.  He hid under my bed and tried to swipe at my ankles every time I passed by.  The only time he wanted to be near me was when I began eating my mom’s tuna casserole as a smelly enticement to come hither. Upon sniffing the aroma of my odorous dinner, he clawed his way up the white eyelet bedspread and proceeded to bat the fork out of my hand, causing tuna and noodles to fly across my room.  Our love affair began.

RIP

Spooky aka "Pooty"

March 1989 - September 22, 2009

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Today, a fellow Goucherite Ly Nguyen posted a blog entry on Facebook that got some people talking about postmortem photography.  This used to be a very common practice, but in 2009, a lot of people think it's creepy and morbid.

For my manuscript, I interviewed a woman who volunteers for an organization called www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org  She is a photographer who takes pictures of babies who have died during birth.  The photographers who volunteer for this organization are amazing.  They are providing a valuable service to families who are in the deepest depths of grief.

I encourage everyone to go to their site to check it out.  Please watch the video on the About Us page.  Turn the sound on your computer up and listen to the lyrics.  Have some tissue at the ready.  I promise it is not gross or disturbing.  It's actually very tasteful and beautifully rendered art photography.