Day 169

5) Write Raphael at least 4 letters while he’s in Honduras (2/4) 4/21/07, 8/26/07

On Aug 24th I received a reply from Raph to my first letter and, in shifts over the weekend, I wrote him back. Then the letter sat around for two weeks due to my whirlwind of activities and my painful decision to put my best friend/baby/kitty to sleep. He was eighteen with rapidly failing health and his quality of life had diminished. In a lot of ways it's easier knowing he's out of pain, but I keep having to remind myself he's gone.

92) Attend 10 live performances (3/10) SF Mime Troupe: Making A Killing 7/4/07; Aladdin Jr. 8/4/07; Ahh! Rosebud 8/24/07; Out Damned Spot 8/31/07

Dan invited me and several of his friends to attend the play, Ahh! Rosebud, on Aug 24th. It spoofs Citizen Kane in the form of his sled Rosebud being a demonic, murderous thing causing overly ambitious people to kill, their victims turning into mindless zombies. It was funny and clever, and I enjoyed myself.
A week later I went to see Trinity's band, Out Damned Spot, perform at a cafe I frequented when I worked @ Hollywood Video. They did two sets and sounded good. In fact they sound better in small cafes than in larger venues.

53) Volunteer 50hrs (18/50) Food Bank 4/18/07, Homeless Children (2) 5/2/07, 6/20/07, Sprucing up the Botanical Garden 5/19/07, Breakfast for Abused Children 6/2/07, Fixin' Feral Kitties in Oakland 9/16/07

Last Sunday I volunteered 6 hours at the Oakland SPCA helping a small army of cat lovers spay/neuter 160something felines. I ended up doing the coolest job there, transporting passed out kitties by holding them at the nape of neck with one hand and supporting their bottom with the other. The system works by getting civilians in the area to catch and deliver to the shelter all the feral cats around their neighborhoods. The cats are then divided into male, female, unknown, and sick sections. The sick ones are done last. It was part of my job to determine the sex of the unknowns once they were tranquilized. In order to operate on the cats they spread them on boards with their legs strapped down. It was totally surreal. Here's an article on the subject with a picture.

58) Buy furniture for the deck 9/15/07

This Saturday the design company I work for had a moving sale (we moved from Potrero Hill to SOMA), and I snagged two chairs and a table for the deck. I was willing to pay but they gave them to me for free. They're metal, and rather worn, so I'll have to paint them, but then they'll be really nice.