Some Open Letters

[akirlu]

Dear Neighbors:

Reasons why I have still not finished painting my house:

• In September, my dog's cancer came back.


• In October, my dog died.


• Then it rained for nine solid months, no lie.


• In January, my Dad got really sick.


• In February, Dad was hospitalized, got out, and I went to California to visit, and help my brother sort out the possibilities of hospice or home care.


• In March, my Dad was moved to hospice where he died.


• In April, my Mom was hospitalized and we feared stroke or liver failure or both, also, we had the memorial for my Dad.


• In May, Mom was moved to a nursing home. I worked on convincing my brother that it was time to consider keeping her in one. Lost that one.


• In June, the nursing home released Mom to home care again, and I started getting regular panicked e-mails and texts from my sister in law.


• In July, the panic escalated as Mom tried to get rid of her home care provider by trumping up false charges of elder abuse.


• August 1st, my Mom died suddenly. Cue another trip to California.


• August 8th, the night before I came home, my cat disappeared.


• August 14th, found my cat dead under an apple tree.

In short, it's been a crappy year. Hope to do better next time.



Signed,

Still haven't managed to pick up an extension ladder




Dear Friend and Faned-

Why I never got beyond the sketching stage on your cool fanzine illo idea:

See letter to neighbors. (Only never mind about the rain. It probably wasn't that much of a factor.)

Signed,

Not drawing much





Dear Everyone Else:

If I've dropped some more balls than usual, I'm sorry. It has been a crappy year.

Signed,

Me

Comments

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm sorry that's just not good enough Ulrika!

(NB: I hope I don't really need to point out that this is a joke, and let's aim for that run of luck to change immediately. Ok? Good, settled. I'll email fate immediately.)

[davidlevine]

Wow. I hadn't realized your year had been quite so craptastic. Hope the fall is better.

[cschells.livejournal.com]

As long as there are plans to finish someday, I'd say you're golden! Our backyard neighbors painted the front, sides and half of the back of their house a dark teal... and left half of the back (a small addition that seems to be a laundry room) dirty beige. This is what I see out my kitchen window now that they cut down the beautiful tree that used to be in their backyard.
Anyway, here's hoping for a better year for you, beginning immediately!

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I hope the next year and onward is much better.

[replyhazy.livejournal.com]

I foresee a dramatic calendar-burning ceremony on New Year's Eve!

Seriously. Hoping better luck is headed your way right now. Sooner, even.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I think you need to send this year back for a total refund.

[malkingrey.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. I'm sorry you've had such a crappy year -- maybe next year will be better.

[kaffy-r.livejournal.com]

Oh Christ, what an awful year. Should you desire them, many hugs. May the coming year be twice as full of joy as this one was of tears.

[threeringedmoon.livejournal.com]

If I were a huggy person I would

{{{hugs}}}

Hope this year is better.

[auntysocial.livejournal.com]

That's an awful lot of bad things for a single year.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, our neighbors' house has been half-painted for a couple of years now. Life gets in the way sometimes. Go easy on yourself, eh?

Well, if you're going to put it like that....

[u-must-b-joking.livejournal.com]

Holy crap. I knew, out of the corner of my eye, that you were having your challenges, but you are now officially carrying a stress level that would fell a mythological creature.

Hugs.

Better days are coming.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry it's been such an awful year. I'm glad you inherited your mother's creative talents but not the craziness. Hugs.

[quirky-teal.livejournal.com]

Some years are like that. I know that I never want to relive 1983. This one has not been stellar, either, but so far not quite that bad.

Best wishes for an upturn REAL SOON NOW. Meantime, try to keep as balanced as possible.

Loving you always.

[davidkevin.livejournal.com]

May all who you have lost shine in your memory.