cast of characters
Wednesday, Jul. 31, 2002 @ 5:24 p.m.
It has occurred to me that a Cast of Characters may be helpful to have in my diary. While it is still something I do for myself, I do have readers and I value them for encouragement and critical feedback. So to make my so-called life easier to sort out, I present:PEOPLE:
Family:
- The ‘rents: The parental unit consists of Mom (my mother) and Phil (my step-father, who has been my father in every way except biology for most of my life). They currently live in the Sierras near Yosemite, but are shortly to move to Louisiana and begin their retirement. My biological father is dead and wasn’t much of a parent, and his second wife (referred to as “the step-monster”) was a drunken witch who hated children. Neither of them make much of an appearance here.
- David: My older brother (4 years older then me). He is my equal in almost every way and he and I have always had a special relationship. He lives in the Central Valley with:
- Mary Ann: His girlfriend. She is sweet and I love her like a sister, but she is one of those people who can’t go to the corner store for milk without having an asteroid hit her on the head.
- Rian: My oldest brother (7 years older then me). He lives in New York City and may or may not be gay. No one knows for sure. But he is really into Broadway.
- Jamie: My step-sister, usually just referred to as “my sister” (since neither of us have any biological sisters). She lives in Los Angeles, works in the music business, and has awful taste in men.
- Granny & Grandpa: My mother’s parents, the only grandparents I have. They live in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. I love and admire them greatly.
- Stacy: My second cousin once removed. She takes care of my grandparents; without her they would probably be living in a home. She’s a lesbian, which is not an easy thing to be in rural Louisiana.
- Aunt Lori: My mother’s youngest sibling, she was the child of my grandparents’ middle age and grew up pretty much as an only child. She’s only a few years older then Rian and has always felt more like a cousin or older sister to all us kids. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Friends:
- Ben & Elisa: Everyone’s favorite high school sweethearts. They are practically joined at the hip and I rarely mention one without the other. Currently living in London, England; back in time for Christmas.
- Chrissy: She went to the CIA. That is the Culinary Institute of America, ha ha. I don’t see her as often as I’d wish because she works nights and weekends.
- Jason: The first gay friend I ever had. He’s immature and promiscuous and lives in San Francisco. He’s living the stereotype.
- Gino: Currently living in Prague, Czech Republic and teaching English to kids.
- Ai: We grew up on the same street and were friends from the age of 10 until a few years ago, when I lost her to drug addiction. She is still in my heart, though.
- Mario: I met him when he was Jason’s boyfriend and we stayed friends until a few years ago, when we quit talking for the same reason as me and Ai.
- Susie: A good friend who hooked up with my ex-boyfriend after we broke, who made her drop me like a hot potato. I recently saw her at a party and she said she would keep in touch. We’ll see. I haven’t been invited to their wedding.
- Darrell: He’s half Japanese and half Jewish and looks exactly like John Cusack. A master of the back-handed compliment.
- Gino’s Dad: He hosts parties called “Macho Night” where everyone has to bring a movie and we watch them all and eat pizza. I was the first female to break the gender barrier.
- Trout Head: His name is really Dave, but he's had that nickname since early childhood. I have no idea where it came from, but he wears a golden fish head pendant. He drinks several 2-litres of Coke a day and took so much acid as a teen that he has permanantly fried his brain. He's a sweet guy, though.
Others:
- Junebug: My rabbit. She’s the only creature on earth than can induce me to talk baby-talk. A white Netherland Dwarf a little smaller than the average housecat. Pink eyes, gray ears, tail, paws, and nose. She has an annoying habit of grazing on area rug fringe.
- Ana: My landlady. She is really nice but her family has this unfortunate habit of standing directly outside my window and shouting at each other at the tops of their voices.
PLACES:
- The shack: Where I live. It’s a tiny one-room cottage in Ana’s back yard. It has cable, hot water, and a garbage disposal in the kitchenette sink. It doesn’t have a phone line (I rely on my cell phone), oven (I am a master at using the toaster oven) or stove (I have an electric dutch oven that is amazingly versatile). Plus it has a microwave and a little ‘fridge. I spend a lot of time at home and have spent weeks and months turning the shack into the perfect hidey-hole.
- The school: Where I work. The less said about that, the better.
- Vermilion Parish, Louisiana: The original home of my family. The grandparents and a lot of other family members live there and I try to visit at least once a year. My parents will be retiring back there in about a year.
- East Bay (that’s the San Francisco bay): Where I was born and raised and have spent most of my life. But I may soon move to:
- Austin, Texas: The Silicon Valley of the South.