Ears and cats and opinions

Over the last two days, I seem to be trying to develop a sore throat/ear infection of sorts. Basically it's all on the right side: all the lymph nodes on that side of my neck are unhappy. But the ear and throat pain builds up during the course of the day.

Since I don't like to take antibiotics casually, I decided to hold off for now and dose myself with vitamins and zinc instead. But it's a standoff. I haven't gotten any better or worse since it began three days ago.

Also I added to the cat population here, at least temporarily, by bringing Rusty back from the shelter earlier today. Rusty is an aging orange and white cat with two problems: a) he generally doesn't like other cats, and b) he sometimes shows his displeasure by peeing where he shouldn't. He also has a mouth condition that requires steroid injections every couple of months. He's been at the shelter for literally years now, always looking unhappy, and I am beginning to despair that anyone will ever adopt him.

I had a chat with a long-time friend Alex earlier today. We've known each other for over 10 years, and although we initially met sharing hopes for romance, it was fairly obvious that there wasn't any physical chemistry. But that didn't keep us from liking each other and keeping up the friendship.

During our conversation, I mentioned John's odd horoscope/message and asked what he made of it. After filling him in on the card I'd sent, what I'd written in the card, and other details, Alex finally said: "The only reason I can think for someone sending such a weird message is if he were really drunk."

Although I really can't see John as an aging alcoholic, stranger things have happened.