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Loss.

I've felt it particularly keenly this past week. Checker went to Doggie Heaven, where she's free to lope around, eat socks, and sniff crotches to her puppy heart's content. Ethan accepted a job on a boat that will make him all but impossible to get ahold of for the next year, on and off. Meghan left the city to go back to her families house in preparation for her trip to Madrid. It's suddenly very quiet and lonely in my life. It feels like a bad country song... "Well my dog up and died and my best friend is leaving and..." you can surmise the rest.

In the next circle out, Dante and Kevin left the city, and while we knew it was going to happen, it was rough saying goodbye. Remebering the good times, like when Dante and Nobi took care of the plans for my birthday last year, and I had one of the best birthdays I've ever had, surrounded by love and friends and just general good times. And so I've begun to get a little misty. My circle of friends is changing, of necessity - old ones are moving on with their lives, getting married, living together, or changing careers. I was just thinking that other than stopping by her stand, I don't ever see Dori anymore, nor Maria nor Jasmina. That's one of the reasons that people complain when a site like this has a cast section - people roll into your life and then roll out again, and where are you? The same place. Exunt stage left.

I'm going to miss Dante a ton, partly because he represents a part of my past that is mostly dead and buried (the me terrified of the world part) and partly because he's just a good friend. I don't need to do a laundry list, but it's like suddenly virtually everything in my life has changed. Suddenly I'm working for a nonprofit arts organization (CrossPathCulture), in a business development role, building my legal practice and meeting tons of new people, but the people that were the lynchpins of my life, well, they're all pulling out one by one. I'm not sure if I'm going to sink, or if this is a ship about to blast off. I'm banking on the latter.

Enough about loss, though, it's time to get on with what happened over the weekend.

Friday night was a party for David Griffin's birthday. We had it at the CrossPathCulture offices, and while there were excellent Watermelon martini's to be had, and I'm sure more partying to be done, I left at 10 to go down and help Meghan pack up her stuff, and say a quiet goodbye. I'm going to miss her.

Saturday, I met my parents at Cafe Habana for a very good breakfast of Eggs and Chorizo (yum!) and then it was off to the Mermaid Parade. There are pictures below, never fear. We followed it up with dinner at Mooza, in the garden, where we proceeded to have a nice meal, and got thunderstormed on. Very entertaining, and delicious, all at once.

After, I tried to go to a Freeskool event, knowing full well that I'd be spending the night at Ethan's place, and when I got to the bar where it was happening (West 8th, owned by the guys that own Tribe) I was told in no uncertain terms that the place where the Freeskool guys were spinning was offlimits until 11:30. I went back there when it opened, looked around, soaw nobody I know, realized that damn I need a night of dancing to breakbeats (hello, ladies, need a boy to escort you to a club or something? I'll do it, and Chris-san is coming tomorrow and he'll help too!) but that that just wasn't the time for it. I had to get to Ethan's, so that I could crash at his place.

Of course, when I finally got to Ethan's, it was time to go visit his girlfriend at the bar she tends. When we got there, she and her roommate were having Heffeweisse, and drinks were on James. The ladies were drinking from 18oz handblown chalices! Gigantic motherfucking glasses. Ethan and I had Margharita's. We're such sissymen.

Much as I wanted to go to sleep, I can't resist the opportunity to sit and talk to a pretty girl, so we left at 3:30.

Today, I got back to my place at Noon, missed breakfast, and went out with Dad for the first time in god knows how long. We've been planning a father son outing forever now, so we did that. Went shopping for Camera equipment for him, and some food for me. Talked about not much, but it was relaxing and cool to spend that kinda time with my dad.

After all that, it was Sex and the City with Bethany and Morgan, who still hasn't given me a photo to give her a cast page. I found out that they'd gone to the Mermaid parade too. I'd love to see their photos. We were in the stadium, and they were on the street. I bet it was a whole different experience.

Oh, and we're continuing the fund drive without any money, a subscription drive. If you're not a subscriber yet, don't forget to subscribe and if you are, then tell your friends to do it.

I'm also looking for fan signs. Take a photo of yourself or your friends, with your own swerdloff dot com sign, and email it to fansign@swerdloff.com And now: the photos.

Gerard Pas and son with sign
The start of the Mermaid Parade
He's got his tentacles all over her!
Gavin was in the parade! I know him!
Finderella
Nearly topless women
Homeward Bound and Ms. Liberty
Aloha and Man's Ruin. Christ.
Parents on train
Roll your own today - talk about anything - leave a haiku, talk about things you've lost, your experiences with the mermaid parade, anything you want. Leave suggestions for what I should do with Chris-san, or for July 4, or with my career. Today, I just want to listen.