27 November – 3 December 2017
This has been a difficult week for me. On the 28th, I lost my kitty Franz who was born in my living room 16 years ago. He has been a part of so many moments in my life. I’m not sure how to express how much he has meant to me, but I can tell you that his absence is very much noticeable. I miss him. I miss him waking me up in the morning, cuddling with me while I watch TV, and greeting me when I walk in the door. I feel guilty that I couldn’t keep him alive, and the whole week has felt like such a blur.
I was 22 when Franz came into my life. I really feel like my adult life has been defined by him. And yes, his mama is still with us. Molly is 6 months older, and she seems to have not really noticed that Franz is gone. And I’m glad to have her — I don’t mean to take away from her impact on my life, but they had such different personalities. Franz was a sweetheart. He was timid and gentle. Molly more or less tolerates me. She is independent and self-determined. And she always gets her way. I’m trying to think of a creative way to memorialize Franz. He deserved to live forever, and I want to keep him a part of my life forever.
Highlights from Tumblr
Okay, so it wasn’t a cabinet exactly. I had grown to love the duplex and the many oddities that made it special. It had started to feel like home for me. The pops and creaks the place would make as it warmed from the sun had become familiar. The troops of insects and spiders that would find a way in had started to be less of an annoyance than they once were. The sound of the water under the house — like sitting atop the beach with waves moving back and forth — was soothing. I had even grown fond of the huge fireplace, sitting awkwardly in the corner. It took up too much space and was unusable. I had decided to place foam skulls in it for Halloween and string lights in the top so they would be slightly lit up.
This is my last day in the duplex. I intend to be moved out by the end of the day today — both me and the cats. I am quite over this moving experience. It is second only to moving to Alaska for the worst of my life. It has felt rushed and cursed the entire time. Even now, many of my things sit untouched in the soon to be vacant house. It hardly seems like I have enough time to move. In truth, I had planned to continue tomorrow morning, as this is my regularly scheduled weekend off. The manager who writes the schedule, in her infinite pregnant “wisdom” decided that she would schedule me anyway. Don’t worry, I have been making her feel bad about it since I saw the schedule. I should have just told her that I cannot work. This is too important.