The dog and I are alone all day today, on a cold cold Saturday (-21 degrees as I am writing). We take turns, I read a book while he naps, he guards the house while I nap, then we both run around chasing his tennis ball, then he puts his paws in the air, signaling he needs a belly rub. Earlier, we were at the dog park, and a large poodle shoved Rusby’s face in the snow, and he turned around and went straight for her jugular, displaying for the first time an aggressive characteristic. It kinda made me proud. Stupid poodle.
Pedram went ice-skating today, as many lakes in the city have frozen over and Montrealers love to “take advantage” of the artic weather. Last week, a friend “dropped by” our place while cross-country skiing the neighborhood. I am taking advantage of the cold with a warm hot chocolate.
P is skating with some co-workers, and then in typical Pedram style, a two hour event will be a 12 hour ordeal, because it takes him 2 hours to say hello, and another 2 to say goodbye. But this is a good thing, as two days ago I was invited to join co-workers for dinner and to watch Sherlock Holmes. People like us! And they are inviting us out with them! These are all tiny steps in becoming more comfortable here, finding our groove, and spending our days NOT staring at each other. And then maybe we’ll be so busy with new friends that we’ll long for more time with each other.
(I say all that, but if anyone would ask me what I would want this weekend, the number one thing would be to drive to my parents house, take a walk with my dad, drink hot tea in front of the fireplace with my mom, yell at my brother for playing rugby, and go for coffee with girlfriends.)
If you are cold, go get some hot chocolate with friends. It will make you warmer, I promise.
