Thirty years ago, my best friend John died. In his honour and in my fog of grief, I rescued a beautiful mutt puppy in Montreal, the city where he died. I named her Zoey, Greek for "life". Wanting to be the most excellent of good mummies but having very little money, I found a wee guest house in Los Angeles for the two of us. The structure was more shack than house but, oh, the yard! It was huge, and anchored by an extraordinary orange tree that perfumed my Spring evenings wit

Engagement, April 2010 after Egg Toss, August 1989 In my memory the engagement happened to two adults, though we were anything but, with me fumbling my way through grad school, trying to act as an authority figure as a TA to students older than me, him working the front desk of a hotel so he always had a free place to stay when he traveled. We stay up late every night, drinking beer at a new- to-us bar or downing six-packs at home. We play Guitar Hero and watch episodes of Fr