Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Cast of characters

Yan: My husband. Yan was the nickname his mother gave him as a child, and I like it so I'll use it here (though I should note that his mother pronounces it "Yon," like way on yon-der, while I prefer it with the long A). Yan and I met when I--not he--was laid off TheStreet.com in April 2001. We worked together and I had a crush on his (married) boss, but that's only because I hadn't seen Yan up close. He slouches, so from far away he looks older than he is, but up close he's beautiful. Long, dark eyelashes and big, round blue-gray eyes. Pale skin and black hair with a sexy gray streak. And he's funny. Smart too. We've been together (almost) ever since I saw him up close for the first time at the layoff party.

Mari: My best friend. I met her at the bus stop in our apartment complex on the first day of fourth grade (I said "hi," she said nothing). Our lives have been really different but I can't imagine life without her. At one particularly low point, I called her every day--twice a day--and sobbed into the phone, even though she was still a newlywed and probably just wanted to sit naked on the couch with her husband and watch bad TV. She never said a word, no matter how early I called on Saturday mornings. Thanks, Mari.

Simon: The Wonder Dog. Simon is my 9-year-old dachshund/lab--in other words, the light of my life. I got him from Town Lake Animal Center in Austin 7 years ago after getting my first solo apartment. Simon gets a lot of attention due to his uncommon good looks and his exceedingly calm demeanor. As a neighbor once put it, "that dog has wings." He does.

Mandy: Mandy is the 5-year-old beagle mix we got as a companion for Simon almost 3 years ago. She has the funniest, most beautiful howl. She does not have wings but she does wait up till everybody goes to bed before retiring to her own (heated) bed, and that makes her pretty special too.