per amica silentia lunae

Update on Mungo's medical issue:

- He came through the surgery just fine and is healing well

- The tumor was only Stage 1 and they got it all ::sigh of relief::

- He was bewildered by the E-collar at first, but now he has learned to wield it to enhance his blast radius

- We're going to keep him on the doggie downers until after the 4th because he hates loud noises and we don't want him to spaz out while we're away and rip stitches; our vet concurs

I've been working from home for the last several days, which is the longest stretch I've ever done. Kind of weird but not unpleasant after I got used to being a bit lonely.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/11/christopher-lee-dies-at-the-age-of-93-dracula

Let's raise a glass to:

Lord Summerisle
The Comte de Rochefort
Saruman
Dracula
The Man with the Golden Gun

and many many others...

A man who had met Tolkien, re-read the Lord of the Rings every year, and told Peter Jackson exactly what sort of noise someone makes when you stab them from behind...

Actor. Warrior. And totally metal.

Hail to the traveler!

Morning Edition has been doing a series on attitudes towards gay marriage in North Dakota. This is the first one I've managed to catch so far:

A North Dakota family breaks the silence on gay marriage

Interesting and thought-provoking. Very heartening the way the family seems to be dealing with it, too.

There was a bit of nuance to the gay marriage debate that often gets forgotten in the news coverage (you have to go to the transcript to get this; the online article is a summary):

GREENE: ... To her back [when she was young, a born-again Christian], love meant convincing people there was really only one acceptable path.

M. HOFFERT: And I was doing it out of love. So I'm trying to understand and remember that there are people - and I'm not talking about the extreme people where I see that religion is a cover for hate. I'm talking about people who are truly thinking, out of love, that they want something different for the people in their lives that they know. And, you know, it's like I'm just trying to assume positive intent and to stop there. It's hard though, sometimes.
...
[at end of story]
GREENE: ... The impression we left with was of a loving family struggling with something really hard. When Melanie got engaged a few days ago, the whole family congratulated her - every member. Wherever the Supreme Court lands on gay marriage this term, the kinds of conversations we heard all this week are going to go on. They bring to mind something Melanie told us in that abandoned church on the farm where she grew up. People can be conflicted about something and still be thinking out of love.

Gives me some hope after reading a very different story recently.

Kate Hanna passed away this morning after a valiant battle against cancer. She was surrounded by love and support in her last days, and the generosity and compassion of her friends and loved ones was truly moving.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to the Snow Leopard Trust: www.snowleopard.org

Most of you who knew her probably have (or will) find out about this via other means, but I thought it best to spread the word wide anyway.

Ave atque vale, Kate.

(f*** cancer)

I haven't read as much Terry Pratchett as many of my friends, but I've loved what I *have* read. The first couple of Discworld books are on my "re-read as necessary" list, as is "Good Omens". His writing was warm, funny , and generally kind. He also routinely had moments where he took my breath away- Death's speech towards the end of "Hogfather" will still bring tears to my eyes.

Another appreciation, entirely personal to me: I generally dislike being Told Something for My Own Good. Although I often got the feeling that's what Pratchett was doing in at least some of his books, it didn't bother me and I still loved what I was reading.

Oddly enough the overriding sensation I got looking at the earth was, my god that little thing is so fragile out there.

— Mike Collins

Wishing you a happy, safe and peaceful holiday season. May your new year be full of kindness and compassion.

"...the warm wind blows gently and the red poppies dance."