family.

There are four people in my immediate family. One is invisible.

My father runs his own business. You would like him. He is a musical, gregarious man who reads very quickly, is into genealogy, likes to go ballroom dancing, hit garage sales, and tell jokes (but not at the same time). He still lives in the house where I grew up. Whenever I visit him, we have dinner at either one of a variety of chain restaurants or a local deli, which we thoroughly enjoy. I like to make him laugh by ranting, cursing, and/or saying ridiculous nonsense. He has no attention span. He is also one of the kindest and most loyal people I know.

I have a brother. He has a family of his own now. They are very busy.

My mother died 15 years ago. I will never stop missing her.

This isn't exactly the right place for her, but I wanted to mention my cat Jenney. She died on February 9, 1998, when she was almost 13, from an unusual form of cancer which affected the lining of her lungs. She was a small tuxedo American Shorthair stray, liked by people who detest cats (i.e., my mother; I sometimes imagine them sort of hanging out together, wherever they are). I adopted her in January 1986, so she predates my career; she was a wonderful companion.

Cora is the cat who lives with me now. She is 19, and has earned her feline GED (in between bouts of chasing her tail). She is black, very chatty, and, like me, obsessive.

Go home.