Confessions of a One-Track Mind

From a news article about the activities of Pope Francis I:


Alessandro Forlani, a visually impaired journalist for Italian RAI radio, approached the pope with his seeing eye dog Asia.

"He has a special relationship with creation in the spirit of St. Francis," Forlani said afterward. "I asked for a blessing for my wife and daughter at home. He added 'a blessing for the dog too' and bent down to bless it."

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The presentation on service dogs went pretty well this morning, despite the fact that I overslept. Snoozed right through my alarm, woke, caught sight of the clock, thought it said 10:43 (Church starts at 11) screamed, virtually levitated out of bed, looked again, saw that it was actually "only" 10:13, and calmed down, but did not slow down.

I made it from bed to church in a scant 35 minutes, by virtue of knowing what I was going to wear and having it ready beforehand. (Zebra suit with cranberry red shell and shoes, shell and coral necklace.) I did not, however, have any notes, which made it challenging.

I'm told it was a good talk; I meant to discuss service dog etiquette, but didn't. Was going to differentiate between service dogs and theraphy dogs, didn't. I've run across several stories about service dogs in the news recently and touched on all of them, so it didn't go too terribly.

I'm taking a breather from my room; there's been a Hoarding: Buried Alive marathon most of the evening, and there but for the grace of God...saw a news story yesterday about a guy in California who lost it when city officials showed up on his doorstep. He shot one of them and held them off for a while before surrendering. Yikes. At times like this, I feel like a model of mental health (other times, I'm not so sure).

Got an email from GK that made me squee gleefully: She's got a new Nook Touch for me by way of some overpriveleged kid she knows who got it as a graduation present and didn't want it. Woohoo, he may not care for it, but I'm just thrilled! She says she'll get it registered for me and load a few books onto it. I suggested she scope out my Amazon wish list, which I should probably go update.

A pretty good day, all things condidered!

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Tossed and turned and moaned and groaned trying to get comfy in bed. Left Hip hurt abominably. Ibuprophen is my friend. Note to self, do NOT try to sleep at J's again until she has a new couch, which is alledgedly going to happen in the next couple of weeks. Although I have noticed, it seem to only be here at home that I hurt....

OTOH, she's STILL going round and round about the grant that was supposed to get the dog training company official premises since November. And it's been longer than that since I saw a nickel out of the biz. Speaking of dogs, I signed up to give a presentation about service animals at church this Sunday, which means I need to get my ass in gear and actually write something.

I should also gear up and start doing laundry---unearthed a lot of bedding while excavating my bedroom, and I've been climbing over piles of it for a week now. Fortunately, that's not ultra time-consuming, so I can run back and forth from my desk to the garage.

Although, come to think of it, I'm getting peckish. And I've got an arse-load of stuff on my DVR that needs to be viewed and cleared. Ah, well---thanks to my mid-day nap, I'm sure to be up all night!

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I was at J's this afternoon, when her friend called and said she'd found a dog in the street and was going to bring it over. This is par for the course, and of course, it was late enough in the day that everywhere we tried to call to see if they knew her was closed.

It turned out the loose dog in question was the most adorable brindle and white English bulldog bitch, wearing an orange and black spiderweb print bandana and the creme de la creme: Pink-painted toenails. The sweetest dog! I got to handle her while J had a grip on her dog while we introduced them. She was absolutely mellow about the whole business, and sat next to me with her head on my knee.

Through some kind of telepathy, J and I both decided her name was Matilda. I totally fell in love with her and was ready to try to dog-proof my place and bring her home.

J, on the other hand, was sure someone was missing her. (The fashion accessories were kind of a tip-off.) We ended up driving six blocks to where she was found and sure enough, the first building I went into and asked if anyone had lost a dog. They knew immediately what dog I meant, and someone led us over there. "Matilda" was reunited with her people.





Her real name is Rosie. (Except nothing like the C's Rosie, so I'll always think of her as Matilda.)

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The ducks love me tolerate me because I serve them food.The cat loves me because I have nails and know where to scratch. The old dog sniffs me and wags in passing and is appreciative of the Velveeta I hide her pills in.

Rosie, on the other hand, is giving me the stink-eye. After her vet visit the week before last, she's been getting twice daily ear drops for a fungal infection that seems to be clearing up nicely. Still, she gets the drops until the drops are gone, and she's gotten to the point where, as soon as I open the bottle and she gets a whiff, she's gone.

There's a line from Shakespeare, something about pouring poison in the porches of someone's ears---I always think of that line when I've got her pinned and her ear flap pulled back so I can squirt her dose in. You'd think I *was* poisoning her from the reproachful looks I get! Silly bitch. You can run, but you can't hide. Like it or not, I'm your Pack Leader for the time being, and you WILL be properly murdicated. Er, medicated....

Heard from the C's yesterday that they currently expect to return on Wednesday, as in the day after the day after tomorrow, NOT next Saturday as originally planned. My back is rejoicing at the thought of not having to sleep on the padded brick for those three nights. The rest of me is not so sanguine; bye-bye a/c, cable. Back to Home Sweet Hell, where I'll be relying on my paygo phone, a converter box and portable and ceiling fans.

But hey, what can you do? As much as I've been missing my bed, I'm sure the C's have been missing theirs. Woke up this morning humming Que sera, sera--- and determined to enjoy it while it lasts.

Heck, it's going to take me that long to pack---I don't thinkl I've been home more than 24 hours in the last two months; I'd just run in, grab a few items to vary my wardrobe and dash back out. So I've got a bunch of tote bags, laptop bag, stuff on hangers, a cardboard carton full of provisions, and that doesn't count the stuff in the fridge....

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Btw, if you're not the type to shun spoilers, just go to IMDb and look at the list of titles for upcoming eps of SPN. Fanservice much?!?! My pick for #9 is Bobby and Crowley, but we all know 'Fluffy's a little warped, right?

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Much to my surprise, because she's a nervy little thing, Rosie traveled very well. Her only lapse was when she barked at the teller in the drive-up window. Teller admired her and sent a biscuit over with my deposit slip, but I didn't give it to her until she calmed down.

The vet gave her a pill and a shot of something that's supposed to be "death to fleas!" (his words), plus drops for an ear infection they diagnosed, flea-be-gone pills for the other dog, and some goo I'm supposed to apply to the back of the cat's neck. Fun times ahead!

I'm glad it's nothing too exotic; a bit inconvenient, but not draconian. It also explains why I've been a bit itchy; I chalked it up to mosquitos, because I haven't actually SEEN any fleas, and I foresee much laundry and vacuuming ahead!


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This morning I get to take Rosie to the vet. She's chewing herself all the samn time, and it's making us both miserable. I'm not looking forward to it---I don't know how well she travels---but if it stops the gnawing and slurping, it'll be worth it.

See, as much as I love dogs, this is one of the reasons I don't have one. I can't afford to take ME to the doctor---one badly-timed vet bill could upset the whole house of cards. Heck, we've just seen a flat tire threaten to do the same thing.

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It's my last night at the Fur Factory (aka Mb's). Tomorrow, the C's are off on their travels and I'm headed over there. I'll miss Mb's cooking and companionship. I'll also miss SO and Jazz the Wonder Akita. The cats, not so much....

Did I mention she acquired another one over the weekend?! It was lurking around the store where she buys her smokes, and she was afraid of its proximity to the highway. This brings the indoor total to six. There's a feral colony living in her yard, and while I haven't got an exact count on them, it's AT LEAST nine. Nothing exceeds like excess.

I visited with the C's last week, to discuss routines (their older dog is now taking daily glucosamine, for instance), and PJ has promised a choice selection of DVDs and the lastest Tom Clancy will await me in the guest room. Can you see why I enjoy staying there so much? It's climate-controlled, has a well-stocked pantry, great location, all the tech and extras---and the critters are delightful.

Maybe I should qualify that---their dog Rosie is an adorable little monster*, their older dog Bear is very mellow and no trouble at all, their cat, Gizmo, is a loner and only shows up to demand food, and the ducks...well, they're outside and over all, not that much trouble either.

In addition to critter-sitting, my goals are to reestablish something like a normal sleep schedule and, as always, to find a job, because otherwise, I'm not sure what I'm going to do for October's bills. (I'd sell a kidney, but how the heck do you market something like that, eBay? Craigslist? I doubt it!)


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* Half Jack Russell terrier, half Cavalier King Charles spaniel. She's slender and shaped like a JR, but has a silky "feathered" coat like a CKC. SO cute, but more than a little spoiled. One thing I want to work on while I have her for a while is her habit of charging the door, barking at guests. This will be a challenge!

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Discussing the movie "Jumpin' Jack Flash" yesterday, I abbreviated it as JJF...after a typo that came out as JJR. Sometime during the night, a synapse fired, and I thought, "Wouldn't that be interesting if it was 'Jumpin' Jack Russell'?!" Given the manic nature of the terrier terrors, they probably would've out-hypered Whoopi.

With that in mind, I think there are a lot of movies that might be better served by being dog stories. I mean, "The Shawshank Redemption" is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I'd also sit through "The Shawshank Rottweiler". Tunneling his way to freedom...in a similar vein, the Steve McQueen movie "Papillon" would be much different if a *real* Papillon starred in it.

I'm not much of a Brad Pitt fan---if he was Brad Pitbull, maybe---but I'd go see "A Rhodesian Ridgeback Runs Through It", and I'd be in the front row for "The Curious Case of Dandie Dinmont". (Likewise, if his beloved had given us "Growl, Interrupted", I might have been more enthused.)

Oh, the classics that could be given a tail-wagging reboot! "Ordinary Pomeranians", "Field of Dalmatians", "Sherlock Hounds", "The French Bulldog Connection", "Dante's Pekinese", "The Silence of the Labs".... I totally want to see "2001: A Shiba Inu Odyssey", and "O Boxer, Where Art Thou".

I've always been a fan of spaghetti westerns---I can hardly wait to watch "The Good, the Bedlington and the Ugly". I can perfectly visualize the poster: the Good is a yellow Lab and the Ugly is a Xoloitzcuintle.

Of course, who can forget that lovely Irish Setter Scarlett O'Hairy at the end of "Gone With the Airedale" as she says, "I'll think about it tomorow. After all, tomorrow is---squirrel?!"

And the Oscar goes to---"Schnauzer's List"! Think that's in bad taste? Two words: Puppy mills. Not a laughing matter.

Cats? You're on your own. The only title that comes to mind is "Stand By Meow".

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This morning, I accompanied Mb to a doctor's appointment. According to her, he yells less when she has someone in the room with her. He didn't yell at all, he seemed very calm and on top of things. FWIW, I liked him; he reminded me of Cesar Millan.

Afterward, when we got out of there, it was about 10:30. Cracker Barrel was on the way home, so we dropped in for brunch.

Usually, I adore Cracker Barrel. Today, however, they were not up to par. It was close enough to 11 that we could've ordered lunch, but I was in the mood for eggs I didn't have to cook. To begin with, it took so long for our order to get there, I started to wonder if the hens weren't laying well. The toast that came with it, when it did arrive, was charred on one side. I asked for fresh toast, not burned, and some jelly, preferably blackberry.

Oh, and my bacon? Was jerky. I have nothing against crispy bacon, but I draw the line at dessicated. We got two containers of jelly, one each: Grape and strawberry. Um, wrong berry.

Waited. Waited some more. In the interim, I got two beverage refills from another server who passed by and noticed I was out. By the time the second round of "toast" appeared, my eggs were rubber. (Quotes because it was barely-warm bread that didn't even have a tan.)

I wasn't happy, and Mb was, if anything, even more pissed on my behalf. (That's how you know you've got a true friend!) The only reason I left any sort of tip was because she *did* bring some lemons wedges for my drink, which was the first thing I asked for---that was done promptly. So she got a flat 10%. Usually, I'm a 20% tipper, if only to disprove the study that said "middle-aged" women are the worst tippers. Her loss.

We sought out a manager before approaching the cashier, and he gave good grovel. Said that our server was usually very good, and he didn't know why she wasn't on her A-game, but he'd talk to her. AND he comped our meals, which I was hoping for, because I could've stayed home and cooked better than that!

The gift shop beckoned; we wandered around for a little while, since we were unexpectedly a bit wealthier than we'd thought we'd be. I found a reusable tote bag for J---her birthday is next week---it has a picture of a dachshund on it, and says: "You had me at 'Woof!". Everytime the subject of dachshunds come up, she says how stubborn they are. *grin*

If I weren't so short on sleep, I'd make some clever quip about a dog's breakfast, but not today....

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Car du jour: Saw a very nice yellow Year One GTO on the way down to the doctor's, and on the way back, a Vecchio-era Buick Riviera, champagne beige.
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I've spent a ridiculous amount of time staring at the puppy cam. SO. DAMN. CUTE!!!

I did miniscule amounts of housework, which is still more than I've done since GK's visit. Still need to do laundry.

Justified deserves a post unto itself, but I'm too tired.

Chiller channel is showing an American Gothic marathon on Friday. Yay, fun tiems!

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Video clips at Ustream

Snagged by way of dine.

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It was cold last night. I didn't turn on the space heater, although I woke shivering before dawn and wished I had---but was too cold to get out from under the covers to do it. Dreamed about Susie...we had been to some scrapbooking sale, and she'd gotten a bunch of "theme" pages and she was talking about what pictures she was going to use them with. Bizarre, since that really wasn't the kind of crafting she was into.

Woke up cold and depressed. Added a long-sleeved pullover, which helped with the cold, but was freaking out about the house. My mom used to say, "A place for everything, and everything in its place", and I was looking around going, "Where? Where do I put that? Or that? All this STUFF, I don't even---!"

I did what any sensible person would do: I went back to bed and slept for another three hours.

I did not magically feel better when I woke up. More weird dreams...I had been given or rescued a little brown dachsund, and I was panic-stricken, because I knew I couldn't afford a dog. Also, he needed to be housebroken. Life or death, because I was staying with Mags Bennett (from Justified), and she was threatening to turn him into sausage if he crapped on her rug one more time. We were in an old house, recently inherited, that was all paneled in knotty-pine and the rooms ran together like a labyrinth.

Shifted some stuff around in the dining room---I swear, it never ends, I just DID the dining room, but of course, things come in from other areas while you work on them, or you set something down "just for a minute"---and pretty soon there's a fresh patch of clutter. Arrrgh!

Went back and forth, working out there, coming back here for a quick game of Staries...what snapped me out of my funk was looking at a slideshow of the quake/tsunami devastation in Japan. That prompted me to give myself a mental bitchslap. I'm worried about a few boxes and some piles of laundry? Pfft, that's nothing.

Today has been full. I spent about five hours collecting cans (and picking up a bit around the edges). There's going to be a metric assload of stuff going to the curb on Monday! Which is good, albeit frazzling, as when one bag tipped over in the driveway and a bunch of cans slid under my car. Ended up with two bags in the trunk, three in the backseat and a contractor bag in the passenger seat; I could barely see out the window.

The Universe decided to fuck with me; had a cop get behind me at the first light on the main drag and follow me ALL the way out to the turn-off toward the industrial park. Got stopped at every single goddamn light, all five of them. Sweat bullets, then he kept going west on 524 and I took a deep breath and headed on to the recycling center

I think I set a new personal record: 43.5 pounds of cans, netting me $23.93. If I'd scrounged the bottom of the back seat, I probably could've rounded it up to $24.

Came home, showered, headed to the church for movie night. The original schedule called for "Despicable Me", but the owner of the DVD had loaned it to someone who misplaced it. We ended up watching "Megamind", which I really enjoyed. Hell, I'd get it just for the soundtrack, which was heavy on 80s metal, no pun intended.

Something odd happened while I came home and checked my e-mail---someone knocked on my office window. My first thought was BC; unannounced visits are totally his modus operandi. No, it was Mb and her SO with his service dog, Jazz. (Insert gratuitous Akita shot here)




You may not be aware of it, but thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act, a service animal can go anywhere a member of the public can go. Apparently the staff of Golden Corral and members of the Palm Bay police department aren't aware of this, because Jazz, SO and Mb were evicted from the restaurant this evening, and per Mb, All Hell is fixing to break loose. They wanted to talk with J, who is something of an authority on this subject. I rang her up on her new iPhone number and they got to talking. There is talk of calling news channels and the local paper about this blatant violation of the ADA and Mb has also left a message for her lawyer.

While SO was detailing the events of the evening, I finally got to unwrap the wall hanging I've been waiting for. I guess I know what I'm going to be busy with tomorrow---putting a backing on it and getting it ready to hang. (At this point, it's a 9"x13" tapestry rectangle.) I can present it to its intended recipient on Sunday, and I will of course snap a pic and post it for you all to see.

They departed, and I went in and watched SPN. God bless the DVR! Highly awesome ep in many ways, although parts of it were very OMG!WTF?!BBQ!!!

In a little bit, I'm going to wander in and watch Blue Bloods.

That's my day.
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I was rooting for the Borzoi in the Hound Group, but I *do* like this dog---awesome mover, just floating as she goes. So while she wouldn't have been my first choice, she was my favorite of the group winners who were up for Best in Show, and the darling Italian gentleman who judged them felt the same. Hooray for Hickory!

(I was really disappointed by the Miniature Schnauzer, he was a real robot, no personality came through at all. The Smooth-Coat Fox Terrier that got the group win would've been my second choice for best, and the Shar-Pei was my third choice.

Although the Akita---!magnificent! Really, I would've put him up for Working Dog. Jazz, my friend PR's service dog Akita, is gorgeous, and such a sweetheart! I've really become won by the breed.

Speaking of terriers, karaokegal, how about a Black Sheep drabble about Meatball? Think he ever learned to open his own beers? Or maybe he sniffed out something potentially scandalous....

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Today I've gotten two big flex-bags of trash out to the cans for Friday's pick-up. Also a half-dozen or so cardboard boxes that were serving no purpose. (Left over from Aldi's trips, before I started taking my own bags.) It's an improvement.

Called GK this afternoon, and found out that her visit may or may not happen next month. (She didn't take Spring Break into account, and the prices aren't what she budgeted for.) No matter; I'm still going to keep going with the living room. I figure that even if she doesn't come down, come summer, I may want to sleep there, as it's marginally quieter than my room.

Watched Night One of Westminster last night, although none of the dogs I was rooting for won their group. It concludes tonight---there will be terriers, woohoo! Although most of my favorite breeds made their appearances last night.

Made a little progress on my bedroom while I was at it; between going to the dogs and watching "Enough Already", which I DVRed during Westmister, I got another bag stuffed. I'm even flinging plastic bottles, of which there are a plethora strewn about. In a perfect world, I'd recycle them, but I'm at the point of wild-eyed desperation: Never mind saving the planet, I'm just trying to save myself. (Cans, on the other hand, have accumulated to the point where I really miss Kat's minivan for one simple, profitable trip to the recycling facility.)

I'm making a good dent in the big box o' bags I bought last week. Let's see which I run out of first, bags or clutter....

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I think I have finally gotten myself resynched as far as sleep goes. *crosses fingers* It helps that there is actual full daylight at 8AM instead of murk.

Yesterday I went to a dog event---wasn't working the booth, just hanging out. Due to the coolish weather---50s with a strong breeze over the weekend---there was a good showing of the heavier-coated breeds. Not just huskies and malamutes and shepards, but a stunning Landseer Newfoundland, gorgeous he was, a real gentle giant. Giant? Also a big black giant Schnauzer. A St. Bernard. And three lovely black Standard poodles, all very perky.

There was a lure coursing course set up (I know that sounds redundant, but chasing the lure is called coursing, and it's set up with boundaries like a racecourse, so it's not, really.), and watching that was fun. There were some dogs who didn't Get It, as in, "I'm supposed to follow the plastic bag (lure) all the way around the course." They'd romp after it as far as the first turn, then wheel around and run back to their people. There were a couple of Rotties, though, whose prey drive sent them galloping through the course, chasing that bag for all they were worth. They're so athletic, it was beautiful to see.

Am a little put out with J. Part of it is her math---I picked up a couple things for last week's event with my own money, and I disagree with her total as far as reembursement goes. Part of it is her assumption that I'm always available (She'd shoot me if I said she takes after her mother, but...in this, yes, she does.) and have no plans of my own that might conflict with her events---for which I'm not getting compensated, I might add---she hasn't even fed me lately.

There's also the fact that she's been enlisting her bestest buddy from school, the wench who didn't show up for set-up last week, and who made a snarky comment when I showed up yesterday. I flat-out don't like her...it's ironic, because usually it's the other way around: My friends don't like each other, but I get along with everyone.

Slid by Fashion Bug afterward to try on jeans. When I asked what the inseam length was on their average jeans (as opposed to petite or tall), the salesgirl looked at me as if I had two heads. What--?! I'll bet their online reps would know. Only found one pair in a dark wash that I liked, and found out that their size 28 fit the same as JMS 26, namely, too tight but I could zip and button them. It was late in the day; I need to go back some time when I can do nothing but try on fifteen pairs of jeans for two hours or so.

Did get some last-hurrah-of-summer tops---three silky tanks that were marked down to $3.98 apiece, meaning that all three of them together were less than half the original price of any ONE of them. They're dressy, and it never hurts to have a little something classy in reserve at this time of year.

This morning, I came out of the house to head over to the food bank, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a U-Haul truck parked next door. Oh god, Please God, let that mean that the Noisy Neighbors are Going Away!!! *crosses more fingers, can't type*

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