Annie

This is my wonderful friend Annie: brilliant, wise, funny, passionate about politics and art and the mysteries of the human heart. Retired therapist in her seventies from a Bronx Jewish Red Diaper Baby background, curious about everything, practitioner of Qigong and student of the Tao, and one of the most interesting people in Portland, in my opinion. We got together for Vietnamese lunch (I had a three-bean dessert with condensed milk and tapioca; I'm still on steroids and I crave sweets) and for talk talk talk. At first Annie advised me not to get the cat because I'm not well yet and maybe my system is fragile and sensitive and would get further broken down from exposure to animal hair; and then she advised me to get the cat because I'm not well yet and maybe my system is fragile and sensitive, and it might be restorative for me to have an animal in my lap. It would keep me sitting longer, for one thing. (Who can get up and do things if there is a cat on their lap?) And there is the matter of my humming and the cat's purring, both known to be deeply restorative, and if I am allergic and have a bad reaction, I can just take him back to Eugene.

I have spoken with Taiga's person, and we have arranged for me to drive down to Eugene (two and a half hours) on Tuesday, and meet Taiga. Then I'll see how it goes. If we are a match, I'll bring him home that afternoon. If I have any doubts, I'll keep looking for a companion, maybe try the dog breed rescue organizations again. As Annie reminds me, "It's all process. It's not what you end up with, it's how much you learn about yourself on the way."

For the sheer joy of it, since I have mentioned Eugene, here is my favorite Eugene song by my favorite Portland retro swing band.