July 16

If you're local, you have a chance this weekend to see Patrick's play, The Illusion of You, which TeKay directs. It and nine others make up the Ten by Ten Festival in Carrboro, NC. Information is on the Festival's webpage.

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In this entry two years ago, I wrote about the significance of July 16 to me. This year, it's once again a hard day.

At the end of that entry, I suggested getting in touch with people who matter to you. The person I wrote to that night is one of the chosen siblings---a concept I first explained last year on this day.

This year, I'm once again going to suggest that you go now and make contact of some sort with someone you care about. I'm cutting this short to leave you time to do just that. And I'm going to go do likewise.

July 15

Close to a year ago, I did some thinking about community. The topic is on my mind again, for different reasons this time, but is again sparked by what I considered an egregious misuse of the word, "we."

In this instance, someone I really don't like was the object of much fanfare, and was told that, "we love you!" Well, I don't. And I'm one part of the we in question, which happens to be a group of friends and acquaintances of mine. Yes, I know it's an innocent remark, but it pissed me off nonetheless. I don't like it under any circumstances when someone who doesn't know how I feel makes a blanket statement which includes me, if for no other reason than there's no polite way to correct it.

I'm obviously not going to stand up in this particular group and say, "Well, the rest of the people here may love you, but I do not." It would accomplish nothing positive. When the group-love comment came up, I managed to get very, very busy so I wouldn't have to participate in the fanfare except very briefly and at a distance several times arm's length.

Are there people in that group that I do love? Sure there are. But just because I love someone doesn't mean everyone does. So I won't be the next person who stands up in that group and announces, "We love you!" to anyone.

I may well be the one who says, "I love you," but as far as the rest of the people, they're on their own.

July 14

Ms. Nameless, our new receptionist, has done a wonderful job in the week she's worked at the law firm. She has grasped all sorts of concepts, and is learning to work with the various software programs we use. We are most pleased. And she seems to like us, too, so this is working out to be a good deal all around.

I promise I'll get a name for her one of these days, but so far I haven't had a chance.

Today was busy, and tonight has been filled with e-mail --- of the good kind, from actual people instead of spam bots. I spent some time this evening answering that, and now find myself pretty much worded out. I'll try to come up with a few more in the not-too-distant future.