McAnally's Pub

It is officially my birthday.

I don't feel any older or wiser. But, I don't suppose you ever really do.

It's also Halloween. That never changes either. Not sure how I was lucky enough to be born on All Hallow's Eve, but them's the breaks, right?

You'd think having a birthday on a holiday (even one that isn't recognized by the post office) would mean people don't forget your birthday, but it doesn't. There are those people who just don't remember things like that.

Then there are those who wish people would. This year, though, hasn't been too bad. Murphy got me something nice and Molly brought me things that should never be displayed in public anywhere I frequent. Things her parents would not approve of at all.

I'm not usually home on Halloween, so I don't usually buy candy for little goblins to come thieve, but this year's different. I'm home, I have candy and my dog is giving me looks that say he should get a piece or two before the end of the night. Maybe. Chocolate wasn't meant for pets. Just ask Mister. He walked over, sniffed the bowl, turned tail and stalked away back to his bookshelf.

I don't even know if there are kids in my neighborhood. Guess I'll find out tonight, huh?

Rosa has spent just enough winters in Chicago to understand that she needs to have thick clothing for the rapidly approaching cold. This is the reason that she is sitting on a bench in the park and knitting.

To her credit, it is a) still light out and b) underneath a streetlamp anyway. See, sometimes she learns from her mistakes! Sometimes.

Right now she's working on a massive ink-blue blanket, the finished portion draped over her knees.

I was thinking, as my dog nosed at my face this morning, that I need to check on Thomas. I haven't seen him in a while and I should make sure he's not getting himself into any big trouble.

Though, thinking more on that, maybe I shouldn't - because if he is in big trouble, I'll get sucked into it. But isn't that what brothers are for - getting each other out of just as much trouble as they get each other into?

Current Location: Harry's apartment

So, I'm kicked back, reading a book, listening to it rain, waiting for the phone to ring.

This is the part of my job that's a bit on the boring side. I don't mind most of the time. Not until it's time to pay my rent.

Current Location: harry's office

What should I read next, The Call of the Wild or The Gun Seller? Both have been sitting in my paperback stack for months. The stack's in no particular order. It's not even really a stack. More like a bunch of books tossed into a box. These two just happen to be the ones I plucked out when I reached in with both hands.

Decisions. Decisions.

Current Location: Harry's Office

Business is slow.

Contrary to popular belief, I don't really mind that on some days. Today, I mind. Why today? Because in today's mail I received a polite note from my landlord about my rent. I'm a little late with the rent this month. Okay, a lot late. I can't help it that Mouse and Mister both needed annual check-ups and I needed a few repairs to the Beetle... all at the same time.

That little bit of change from the Council isn't as much as one might think.

I could try that savings account thing, but I don't know that it'd work out as well as everyone thinks.

Current Location: Harry's office

Happy Birthday, big brother.

Oh sunlight, how I've missed seeing you during the pre-dusk hours. Only, I prefer that you not pierce my poor tired eyeballs when you greet me. Really.

Though, I am much less tired than I was, say, thirteen hours ago. Hell, I'm only getting up now because there is a fifty-pound ball of hair on my head attempting to suffocate me with nothing but it's tail.

My morning workout consists of getting said ball of hair off my head - it's like doing a set of bicep curls or bench presses, depending on the direction of feline flailing; getting myself out of the bed - that's a lot like, you know that scene in The Princess Bride when Buttercup pushes Westley down the hill? Yeah, that rolling down the hill part, only not quite as far. Once I'm on my feet, I'm pretty good to go, except for the hurdles I have to jump to get into the shower. There are two - one is the aforementioned ball of fur and the other is a much larger ball of fur, this one of the canine variety. So, with the triathlon out of the way, it's time for a chilling and very brief shower.

Current Location: Harry's Apartment