I miss my kitty, so here are some pictures of him.

Kitty sticking head underneath roof.

Majestic kitty looking out the window. 

Kitty in crevice. 

Portrait of kitty looking like the dictator of a third world country. 

Very soft-looking kitty enjoying warmth of monitor. 

Kitty experiencing equally strong anxiety and curiosity at the sound of the printer working. 

Sleeping kitty. 

Yesterday I went down to the Social Security Administration and applied for my SSN. I should get it in two weeks. Two weeks until I become a semi-real person in the eyes of the government! Awesome! The office was filled with people seeking to obtain worker's compensation by flirting with the overweight clerk behind the counter. (Not only was she overweight, but she also wore a poncho!) Nonetheless, the flirting seemed to work, for most compensation seekers would leave with a triumphant smile on their face, taking leave of the next in line with "You take care now, brother! I'll see you in two weeks." It is good to know that flirting skills can produce a steady income.

So Adam and I went out in the boonies this weekend. We spent last night on Puget Island, in a tres rural bed & breakfast that functions mostly as a farm. The surroundings were quaint, the people white (the young people were giving us the eye something fierce... a farming island can't be much fun for the kids) and the history rich: Cathlamet, the town that Puget Island officially belongs to, dates back to the 1830s.
Today we drove to Long Beach, which was chilly but lovely. I will always have a soft spot for tiny beachside towns, with all of their touristy kitschiness. The proximity to the water, the abundance of seafood and ice cream, and the silly trinket stores all bring me back to kidhood. Which is interesting, because I only remember enjoying going to the seaside as a very young kid, and the enjoyment is the only conscious memory I possess of those times. I suppose that is enough...

Dude! Had I known that adding a picture of a cute piglet would boost the number of hits I get to tens (tens!) daily, I would have made that move way sooner.
So, yes, I have been away for a long time. It's funny, every time that I blog after a long hiatus I feel compelled to provide a summary of what I've been up to, which is not necessarily fun and which diminishes my motivation to continue blogging. Oh well, here goes.
I got married! Adam and I eloped, and the marriage was officiated (and consummated) on his brother David's living room couch in Manhattan. It was spectacular!
We are making slow but steady progress on Mega Mansion. I am hoping that we will have most of the furniture we need and most of the boxes unpacked by the end of the year.
I am continuing to improve my level of physical fitness. I spent 15 minutes on the elliptical today, doing interval training, and it was a piece of cake! I've also been noticing that my heart rate barely budges by the time I've completed my daily walk up the hill to Broadway. As recently as 6 months ago I would have had to stop to catch my breath.
Speaking of fitness, I have also received my personal training certification study materials. While extremely interesting, the amount of information I will need become familiar with is considerable. I was thinking of taking my certification exam in November, but I might postpone it til spring. I'll see how it goes.
I've been tutoring a developmentally disabled sweetheart for 7 months now, and I think we have made some progress (he seems to be more comfortable reading and writing). More often than not, however, I am thinking that the best help I can offer is not increased literacy, but a couple hours a week of constructive neurological stimulation and interaction with somebody who doesn't treat him like a child.