Random Thoughts and Other Stuff

I'm still dealing with the loss of my dad, a man who expected to live forever, and who fell woefully short of his goal. It's strange not being able to talk to him or e-mail him. I have some voice mail messages from him on my cell phone and I will never be able to delete them. I listen to them from time to time, and I can hear his physical decline with each message. I can't believe I'll never hear his voice again. It's been over two and a half years since my mother died and now I can't remember what her voice sounded like. There's no way I'll ever be able to delete my dad's messages, so I guess I'm stuck with Verizon for life. I'll definitely have to pay those bills on time.

Despite the recent loss, life goes on. I adopted my dad's cat Dimitri, and he's even larger than Pink was. Hard to believe, I know, but Dimitri is about twenty pounds of solid cat-fat. His physique is testament to my dad's cluelessness about people of the feline persuasion. Dimi is a nice boy and he's already made friends with my dog Rusty (The Chainsaw.) My girl-kitty Linnie loathes him and Spiffy (Dawg of the Dead) only wants to chase him. Nevertheless, Dimitri has settled in and he's doing well.



Zombiefest is coming up in a few weeks and the organizers are putting together a tribute to my dad. They have also invited The Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania to set up a booth there to take donations and begin adoption proceedings for rescued animals. Sandy, Rich and the entire The It's Alive Show cast and crew are generous, caring people. Zombiefest will be held October 27 & 28 at the Pittsburgh Expomart (which is not really in Pittsburgh, but rather in Monroeville at the infamous Dawn of the Dead mall). In addition to the traditional convention stuff (signings, vendors, etc.), they are planning a Zombie Ball and another record-breaking Zombie Walk at the mall! All the best Dead people will be there. Even Dawg of the Dead will be there on Sunday, hawking her SpiffyCards. Fifty percent of all SpiffyCards proceeds that weekend will be donated to the ARL. For you zombie-haters (GASP!) out there, Max Brooks himself will be in attendance, no doubt giving tips on surviving the zombie plague. Yeah, like that's possible.

I have one more thing I want to say before I sign off tonight, and that is "thank you" to all the people who have left condolences on my blog, my MySpace page and in my dad's guest book on the P-G website. It is heartwarming to see how many people loved my dad. Thanks for your kindness and expressions of sympathy. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Horror fans are the nicest people in the world.

~xo