"HELLO ELLA'S OWNER!"

I would put a picture of Ella up here, but Blogger in beta is giving me grief.

Anyway, that's what I was called this evening as I came home from work. The little boy that lives on the end of my street only knows my dog's name, so now I am "Ella's owner," which I think is hilarious.

I also think it's a great transition into announcing that my legal woes regarding Ella and my apartment are officially over. As of last Thursday, the Board's attorney and I signed a Settlement that states I am allowed to keep Ella and I have to pay $1,500 of their legal fees. I fought that whole legal fee thing up until the very end, so I'm a little salty over it. On the other hand, the Board wanted me to pay all the fees...almost $6,000...and their lawyer tried to bully me in paying half of that, so at least I didn't end up paying as much as they wanted. I have until the middle of next month to pay the fees off and I feel good that I am able to do it.

So after almost six months of going to court, talking to lawyers and vetting settlement agreements, Ella and I get to stay in my apartment. I thought there would be this huge wave of relief when this was finally over, but actually I knew I had won this case months ago. We were haggling over logistics.

I am proud of myself for standing up for Ella, and by extension, standing up for myself. Ella's presence has saved my life and through her, I now understand unconditional love. I am proud that I didn't let anyone intimidate me into giving her up. I'm proud of the fact that handled my business: did my research, collected all my documentation. Every time I came into court, I was completely prepared. I feel good about that.

Ella and I are home.


************************
On another note, why the hell was Jamie Foxx in the booth for "Monday Night Football"? He was in one football movie a million years ago...how does that qualify him to wear those giant headphones?