10/2

3:35 p.m. -- I'm cooking tonight. Don't know what to make. Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't taste sad like Tita's dishes in "Like Water For Chocolate." When she's sad, her cooking makes everyone else sad. My food (something I can make with a can of cheddar cheese soup, I'm thinking) will probably not be so ... cosmic. But I'm a little sad right now which is why I'm here and not grocery shopping yet.

I was at the table in my underwear doing a crossword puzzle and eating a frozen carrot and corn medley when I heard the rustling of a plastic bag outside. I flew to my room (with the fork still in my mouth) thinking it was my across-the-street neighbor who sometimes brings by lemons from his tree, and put on a button-down workshirt so I could open the window and talk to him. But it wasn't my lemony neighbor, it was Popo. I was so surprised to see her I went to the door and opened it, not remembering that I wasn't wearing any pants. Popo kindly did not comment.

Her family's dog, a sweet lab from what I remember of hanging around the house many years ago, just died, and remembering that I have a dog she had brought by Baby's remaining food supply. Which was really nice of her to do considering she really does not like me and has never even met my dog. Well, my dog likes her very much now, even though he has never met her, and we both thank her for thinking of him.

I was only minimally acquainted with Baby, as he was shut away with Noah (who died awhile ago, I think) most times I visited the house. Sometimes I would be out on a run and bump into him and his dad, Ed, or I'd be driving around Manoa and see the three of them walking. I knew Unagi (who also died recently) a little better ... he was a large cat with big round eyes, the sweetest of the five or six cats they had. He didn't pee on your stuff, like Sammy, or try to climb on your head, like Rex. Kuro was always sitting somewhere high -- I petted her maybe once. Smokey, I dunno, m said Smokey just didn't care for the likes of me. Tecumseh disappeared a long time ago but I remember him well because he reminded me of Mattdog: red-haired and crazy. Unagi would just sort of sit in his chair. from what I remember. And get skritched and patted and rubbed. He was a sweet cat. A really big sweet cat.

Coco (my dog) isn't doing so well himself ... he sleeps all day except for walks and meals, and he has eye problems and major arthritis. He's about 14 years old (we got him when I was in fifth grade -- our family doctor's mother-in-law was anxious to get rid of her new puppy when she found out he was part pit bull.) I don't know when he started slowing down ... it must have been gradual but it seems there was a fast-forwarded part where he suddenly started falling down all the time and suddenly couldn't hear us calling or whistling to him anymore.

He's sleeping right now and while his all-day naps have made me sad since he started taking all-day naps, I'm especially sad today. I think I'll build a canned-food pyramid in front of the sliding door where he looks in the house.

But first I have to put on some pants and buy food for tonight's dinner.

9:07 p.m. -- No sad food, in fact, I made fiesta rice. Or something like it. I made a big pot of rice and then dumped the rice in a skillet with butter, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. Put lots of black pepper and some garlic salt. Then I made burritos with seasoned beef, the rice, sour cream substitute (which I bought by accident) and cheddar. The table looked bare so I added refried beans. My aunty and uncle, who I invited to dinner, kindly did not point out the absence of a green vegetable on the table. (But if they had I would have showed them that the rice was half a vegetable dish.) We had a quiet dinner and then I gave my aunty a manicure and then they went home. Brother Mart woke up and Eugene's Brother came over. They ate.

I'm sleepy now but I feel like I should do some more laundry (yes, at this hour) and maybe mop the floor or something. Oh yeah, my parents finally called after two days of not answering their cell phone. They were very excited, had just gotten back from Paul Anka's very last performance at the MGM. Geez, whose swan song will I be all excited about when I'm their age? Probably Mariah Carey or something. Though I can't exactly picture her singing "Heartbreaker" or anything post-Dreamlover on a Geezer Diva Tour.