Causes of Celebration

- It's Friday! Woohoo! And it's a long weekend. Rock! True, I have the day off on Monday for a not-so-happy Jewish Holiday (Yom Kippur), but I still got the day off and I'm thrilled.

- New Decemberists' record leaked to the Internet!! The Crane Wife so far sounds like a mishmash of all previous Decemberists goodness but without the random poppy sheen of Picaresque. Looks like another A+ from my good friends from Portland. (PS, guys, your website is in desperate need of a re-design. Seriously. Get on that.) (hey, while I'm making unprompted requests, how bout a South Florida show ?? Pretty please?)

- Visit from my Dad. He's a good guy going through a tough period. Hopefully some time in the sun, and the cool shade of my balcony, will unburden his heart.

- And finally, love. Love is the ultimate cause of celebration. I have my love. Her name is Shawn. Things are not always so easy for us, what with life and money and damn persistent plumbing problems, but we try our best to be happy. Sometimes we both act crazy and we make each other even more crazy, but more often, we find the peace and the solace in each other's presence that is lacking elsewhere. I've learned that relationships are harder than I ever imagined or even guessed, but in the end, they're worth it.