Living Alone

This long weekend I've been watching my friends' dogs Yuna and Jake. They are incredibly sweet. And they like lots of attention. But what I've noticed is that being here reminds me of when I had my own place, except this one comes with dogs! And a home theatre with a wall sized projection TV screen!

I can actually get stuff done without (much) interuption. I can go to bed, and get up and eat whenever I want, and whatever I want without comment. I can take my time, read magazines and watch TV. And sing out loud without anyone hearing. And...well I guess I can do most of those things at home. I don't know what it is. It's not having all the demands on my attention. When Mom comes home from work, I have to stop what I'm doing and pay attention to her or she gets whiny. And I'm supposed to know exactly where Dad and Grandma are at all times. It can wear on me. And just having Grandma in the house makes it a tenser place to be. She causes so much animosity. Between her and Mom, between her and Dad, between Mom and Dad and between her and me. She drives us all crazy. And normally I have to explain and justify everything I do. If I want to take a nap, or if I want to go to bed early, they think I'm sick. If I get up early to go out, where am I going? When will I be home? So this has been like a little vacation from that. And from Miracle's constant barking. Yuna and Jake bark of course. But not incessantly. Mostly Yuna makes a snorfling sound like the Hamburglar from the old McDonald's commercials.

The dogs are snoring now on the home theatre seating. Soon I'll put Yuna to bed in the laundry room where her bed is, and Jake will quietly jump up onto the bed with me and go right to sleep. Then they'll wake me up at 6:30 for breakfast. They do like to get up early, but then I can go back to bed for a little while. And enjoy the quiet of having my own place, for just a little while longer.