DB, there's a saying--"when it rains, it pours." Sounds like you found an intersection of the figurative and the literal. Sorry to hear about your job. Any prospects? I've had similar encounters with the rescue of someone who seemed to not only not appreciate it but to put themselves again in harms's way. You were there and you did what you could. The trick is to not become embittered and pass by someone who needs help the next time.

I adopted a dog this weekend. It isn't all altruism by any means--I've been meaning to for some time. I have a young dog, a stray who turned up in May, who needs a companion. With all of the Katrina dogs coming to town, now seemed as good a time to draw down the population of local dogs to make room for the newcomers in the shelter. I even took my dog down to meet the prospective pup (~5 months old), and they were rolling all over each other sniffing and licking and wagging when we separated them. She is being spayed today will come home on Wednesday.

The family I'm working with were moved to a new shelter, where they have more privacy. I took two sisters shopping on Saturday at one of my favorite thrift stores and they were able to come up with several nice outfits for applying for jobs and for just wearing around ("it's hot here! I can't stand these long pants!" one woman said of her jeans obtained early after fleeing her home in LA). Differentiating the wardrobe and planning ahead for cooler weather was a nice "normal" activity after so much hurry up and wait.

Looking ahead, this is going to be such a difficult holiday season for so many people. Lots of room for good deeds, indeed!

SRS