"The cat that came with the sublet "-- A. Adley

I'm sad to report that though we did everything we could for our beloved kitty, Czar, we lost her on November 15th.

In 1993, I sublet an apartment in Minneapolis from a friend of a friend, Melanie. Little did I know, she would end up giving me the gift of a lifetime. Melanie couldn't take Czar on her trip to the UK, so she asked if I would look after her. Around day 5, I decided I was never giving Czar back. She was that special, that sweet. Turned out Melanie decided to live abroad so she and I were able to avoid a nasty custody battle. The two of us were together since. That's not to say we were inseparable. When she met Stewart in 1995, she threw me over for him so fast it made my head spin. We both had a new boyfriend, the same new boyfriend. And so it went. Stew and I loved her dearly, and she returned that love every day, even the days she peed on our bed, always on my side. I want to go on and on, regale you with cute anecdotes and silly memories of all our years together but it feels too soon and besides that, I'm at work and the boss and there would be tears, so... Just know that I could go on, there are many stories, but mostly it was just three friends hanging out every day, digging each other.

The house feels blank when I come home. I'm told that feeling will pass but I have to say, I'm skeptical.

Czar

1990(ish) - 2006

Incommunicado

Hey friends, sorry I've been incommunicado recently. The term "perfect storm" has frequently come to mind over the past few weeks as work, home and personal issues have all hit the fan at the same time. Work = tying up a 5 months long project while trying to interview candidates / hire for an open position in my department, home = kitchen remodeling project gone awry due to (gasp) asbestos in the old flooring that HAD to be abated (don't ask), and personal = our much loved 16 year old kitty, Czar, has taken quite ill and requires many trips to the vet. All that and more over just the past few weeks.
Good times.

We are busy digging our way out and I'll resume regular blogging soon.
Send those good vibes our way, will ya?! We certainly could use 'em!

P.S. The latest batch of adoption referrals from China has arrived in the U.S. and covers people logged-in from August 10-August 25! This represents a 15% increase over recent volume, according to online analysis. Woo Hoo! No way to tell if this rate of referral will continue to increase, remain the same, or return to previous levels. If we see another jump with the next batch, perhaps we can be hopeful that things are finally speeding up. If this is the case, we're looking at maybe March/April to see our daughter's face! Stay tuned...