Back in Home City

Diamond is apparently doing quite well…slowly recovering. My friend, who's looking after her, says she went mad for catnip on the weekend, which is just a joy to hear. One of the reasons I knew she really, really was not well was that she, catnip-lover that she is, would not touch it last week. So I am feeling cautiously optimistic about her. I miss her, though.

I arrived in Home City on Saturday, after a great deal of distress about leaving Diamond. Ack! I was not happy, and cried a lot of the way home. I felt dejected, pulled in two directions (literally). I feel so pressured around coming back to Home City – everybody wants a piece of me. R, all my friends, my family. I don’t know how to balance it all. I know – cry me a river, Hilaire. It’s wonderful to have so many great people in my life. But the situation just inevitably puts pressure on, and the way I felt about leaving Diamond (as if it was the wrong thing to do, but as if not leaving would create so much drama that I had to) was an exaggerated example of the way every trip back is in terms of pressure, pressure, pressure.

But I have four weeks here, so it’s great.

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On Saturday night, we had a party so that I could see loads of people (and also have an occasion to introduce two friends that I have wanted to set up for over a year – I finally can, now that the one has split with her horrible boyfriend). It was ridiculous to have that many people in the apartment with me on crutches – I could barely move around. But it was an excellent time!! A very, very fun party. Often I feel stressed out by parties in my own home. Not so, this time – somehow, it was wonderfully laid-back: Here, people – here’s some cheese and some gin…make yourself at home.

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R adopted her first ever cat last week – he was a stray who showed up on our friends’ doorstep and so they wanted to find a home for him. He is a darling! It’s been lovely to get to know him. He was the hit of the party…he has the most relaxed, social personality. Several of those present threatened to steal him. R is happy that I’m here to help her learn The Ways of the Cat (for, though I have been catless for several years up until this time with Diamond, I grew up with multiple cats and was a cat owner into my twenties).

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Though it’s sort of impractical due to my crutches situation, I’ve decided to do much of my writing at the university library. Way to go, me! This makes all the difference. I wrote about 1200 words pretty effortlessly this morning. Not having the distractions of home makes all the difference. And Grumpy ABD Adjunct and her family are picking me up and driving me on the mornings when I go in to the library, because she works here, too – how lovely!! It really helps me out to only have to make the trip between home and library one way on transit.

I am still at the library, post-writing. I can hear a cat meowing near where I'm sitting. This ain't no teeny tiny casual library, either...why is there a cat in here? I shall go investigate. Perhaps some staffer has brought hir cat to work...?