Canis Familiaris or You Lucky DOG

This here is a picture of Smith. A german shepard mix of some sort (chow? collie?) that J and I met last Monday in WV. At the time, Smith was not Smith, but simply "boy" and/or "puppy". We were hanging out on the porch of J's mother when we first eyed this fine specimen of dog over at the neighbor's house--and were immediately taken by his friendliness and good looks. Although Smith was quick to greet everyone in the neighborhood, he tended to retreat to Freddy's (neighbor) porch--thus we assumed he belonged to Freddy's family. As the week progressed we noticed that Smith never went in the house (even when temps dropped in the evening), prompting us to worry a bit about his food and shelter situation. Freddy's other dog had a house outside, but Smith did not. How could this be? One day during a pleasant walk, we took some leftovers to Smith (meatloaf and potatoes) which he promptly devoured. We knew we shouldn't probably do this (since we thought this was Freddy's dog), but damn, he looked hungry and cold. On Friday, J awoke to a loud raucous next door--barking, barking, barking, and looked out the bedroom window to see a white truck taking Smith away. ANIMAL CONTROL. Bad news. Someone (more than likely Freddy) called the law on Smith. Visibly shaken, the two of us jumped in the car, pajama pants still on, to try and track down the truck! When this failed, we called the local shelter and gave a description of the truck (they confirmed this was an animal control vehicle and said they would drop all animals off to their shelter--they advised us to call back in two hours to see if Smith was dropped off). After busying ourselves for the next couple of hours, we called the shelter back; it was confirmed that our "boy" had been dropped off and was now sitting in a cage waiting to be adopted. Because the shelter was full, they told us that after 5 days Smith would be euthanized!! In one of our most spontaneous decisions ever made as a couple, we hauled ass to the shelter, plopped down $30, and sprung Smith from the humane society. As cat lovers, and owners of three indoor cats, we really had no idea what to do with this new dog we called Smith. The rest is history . . . we adopted him on Friday, took him to the vet and groomer, and hauled his lucky ass back to NY on Sunday.

Now we have three cats and a dog. Since Smith was such a sweet animal towards people, we hoped and prayed he would would be decent with our kitty cats. Not so. In the house we have to keep him on a leash or in a kennel until he shows some respect . . . we will not take any risks with our cats. But, we have decided to commit to Smith, and will be patient while he adjusts to his new housemates and vice versa. I think the cats are mostly curious . . . albeit a bit frightened . . . but we are spending quality time with everyone to ensure no trauma or hurt feelings.

Spring Break Road Trip 2006 really turned out to be an adventure. We are new to this dog thing, and feel wore out most of the time, but it's turning out to be a pretty cool experience. He's a bud and one hell of a lucky dog.

Road Trips

Tomorrow we set off on our Spring Break road trip 2006. I've always enjoyed the *idea* of road trips, but typically, I'd rather fly to save on time and/or car mileage. Yes, the latter is a weird little neuroses of mine that is directly related to my fiscal issues. Anyway, this year I am trying to break old, bad habits. In addition to becoming a better wife, I am determined to become a better road tripper. So, as we head for warmer climes and mountain air, I am definitely geared up for the adventure. We might stop off in a cool city during our return trip to do artsy/touristy things, another advantage driving has over flying--those unexpected side trips.

I hope to get some work done while on break too. I have a conference coming up at the end of March and I really need to get cracking on a paper. So, like every other trip I take, I've packed a ton of books (around 10) with the full intention of reading, taking notes, etc. Hopefully, this trip will be different than my previous ones, where I simply end up throwing my book bag in a room, never to take one note or read one word while vacationing. Oh well, maybe my books provide me with a sense of security or comfort--even if they remain unopened.

J and I took a lovely walk through our town this afternoon. I'm enjoying the hell out of 50 degree weather and sunshine. On our way back we placed we an order for a pizza at a local eatery. Let me say that you simply cannot, absolutely cannot, beat a NY pepperoni and mushroom pizza. When we left the state to embark on our midwestern adventure, I felt sad to leave the NY pizzeria's behind. Sad no more. In almost any town in NY, you are bound to find a decent slice!

I doubt I'll be doing much updating to my blog while on the road, but I hope to take some cool, grainy photos of our trip with my PDA to share upon our return.

Now, to finish my packing . . .

On Not Being a Wife

i hate grocery shopping. i'll manage to weasel my way out of this domestic duty for months on end. it's terrible. i feel bad for j, cause she's always burdened with planning meals, and making lists, and planning more meals, and running errands. so the cycle goes. oh, i'll pitch in with the laundry--especially when it warms up (because i'm a fool for hanging clothes out on the line), and i'll cook the food that j picks up at the store, and i'll occasionally find myself obsessed with keeping the kitchen super clean . . . but overall, i suck at being a "wife". other than money (because i'm way too neurotic about finances, something i try to work on, but still have a LONG way to go), reproductive work is probably the only other issue we have that comes between us. sigh.

we've been down to one car for a while, so i decided to drop j off to school this morning and do our shopping (mind you, it was only 3 items that needed to be picked up) for our road trip we are taking tomorrow. during this experience, i realized that i could start to enjoy the store more if i just went at the 9:00 am hour. the store is empty, no screaming kids, just me and the "early bird" set winding our carts up and down the aisles with no apparent purpose. i had to get some cat litter too, so i found target equally exciting!! just me, my cart, and a huge, generic, box store all to myself. i've actually been in a super mood since doing my "chores", so hopefully i'm making a break-through. i think there's still hope i can become a better wife!!

maybe my mood has been enhanced by the warm weather today. we are nearing 60, with overcast skies (as usual), but it feels awesome not to don a coat, hat, and gloves. spring is definitely in the air. and, i'm now officially on break for the next 17 days. woo-hoo.

happy friday!

grief

i've always been told that grief comes in waves. i'll say. i've been missing my nana like crazy these days. it's been 4 months since she died, and i still miss hearing her voice on the phone, or calling for a weekly update to see how she's feeling. i don't know. things just haven't been "right" since she passed. mom has begun the depressing task of cleaning out her house, transferring car titles, dealing with hospital bills, etc. death. ma told me that she found a tape "nana's favorites" that j. and i made for her years ago. i still remember when nana called to let us know she received the tape--buzzed on bloody mary's with johnny cash or willie nelson blaring in the background. good times. the other night when i was overtaken with grief i begged nana to give me a "sign" that she was ok. i guess this is what we do when we grieve. we just cling to something, some sign of "life", some hope, something. i wonder if she knew how much i loved her? i hope so. still missing you nana.

ael