Friday, December 10, 2010

Reprinted from Lying Rooster News 2007

New addition…

My truck driving school lasted 2 ½ weeks and my class had 16 students in it. We got to know one another somewhat.

To be able to attend 2 ½ weeks of 10 hr days meant that almost everyone there had to leave their job… money was tight for everyone. One classmate, Todd, was a chain smoking, black coffee drinking, career military man. He spoke too loud, was too free with his opinions, but he was not a bad man.
He told us that when school finished that he was moving his family closer to his in-laws since he was going to be OTR for several weeks at a time. About a week before the end of class Todd says that he has to find a home for his dog as she was too big for an apartment, I couldn’t believe that he had waited until now to find her a home, I asked about the dog…I spoke with Su. We had recently turned down 2 dogs that a friend was looking for a home for (right PL?). I knew that Todd was the type that would put this young dog down all due to his lack of foresight. We agreed to take her if they would pay for ½ the spaying when they got the money…they agreed but I don’t believe we will see the money.

When we went to get her we saw how she had been living. She was an inside dog, too big for the house and her pack mate was a Pomeranian! The family each had a PC and sat in the living room with their backs to each other paying on line games. If they weren’t interacting with each other or their kid I was certain they were not interacting with the dog.
So in addition to 30+ chickens, 3 cats, 3 dogs, and a snake we have Jetta, a 2 year old (younger I think) Great Dane.
Todd said she weighed 150# and she stood 32” at the shoulder. He was right about how tall she was, but anyone could tell she was underweight no matter how much she weighed. Todd said that they did not feed her large breed food because some vet told him that if the small dog ate it she could be hurt worse than the big dog eating regular food (ol’ roy?). She weighed 112#. She is now on large breed food and we are putting weight on her slowly, she gets 8 cups a day 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening.
Her new pack mates are closer to her size range. Diablo is shorter but currently outweighs her, Sadie is tall but only weighs 75# to 80# and Destiny at 35# to 40# can almost run under everyone else.
So welcome to Jetta, the black Great Dane with the white spot chest and feet.

Update #1: 2007
I got to go home for a few days during my training. Jetta has settled into the pack nicely. She follows Su everywhere, won’t let Alex pet her often, and growls at me when I come to bed hours after Su goes to bed. Well at least I know Su has a protector…although I think Diablo would have been there for her too. And between you and me…my money is still on Diablo…even as old as he is…he could take Jetta.


Update #2:
12-10-10
Its three years later and Jetta has become a wonderful addition to our home. When she came to us she was skittish and seemly nervous of everyone around her. She eventually settled in nicely and became a strong member of the pack.
About a week ago Jetta started acting different, not eating as much and sleeping all day. A trip to the Vet let us know that Jetta’s kidneys were beginning to fail. After that trip to the Vet she went down quick and stopped eating altogether, Su ended up having to force feed her for 3 days until the Vet was able to visit our home and end her suffering. At 5:45pm today Jetta closed her eyes forever and was buried on our property.

Her Character was every bit as enormous as she was. She scared the daylights out of people even though she was scared herself. She came here in need of a loving family and a safe home and before she left here she returned all that love and more. She is missed.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

My obligatory note of thanks…

It is that time of year when my social network sites are full of people proclaiming what they are thankful for. While no one has said that I must voice what I am thankful for I none-the-less feel a certain amount of pressure to share in kind.

My wife recently posted to such a social networking site asking everyone to share and I stated that I was thankful for books, DVDs, and Rum. I intended to add a quote by Longfellow, Whitman, or Hemingway in order to sound deeper than I am, but my drive fell short of my intentions. I later posted that I was really only thankful for boobs in all shapes, sizes, and colors in attempt to bring some levity to thread.

I am writing this because, like far too many people, I let situations pass where I could have told someone thank you, but did not. I don’t remember who said time can often temper regret for the things we have done, it is regret for the things we have not done that is inconsolable or something close to that(maybe Twain, Wilde, or Smith).

I want to thank all those souls that have, at different moments, brought some light into my world. Whether it was my wife and I laughing at some quirky situation in our home, my pride in my son’s development into a good man, the myriad of friends, co-workers, and acquaintances that softly smile at the right time, or the stunningly beautiful woman, who knows she is attractive, allows others to enjoy the vision of her loveliness.

With my ever present depression and my many years of work with abused children, be it the young boy that was beaten daily or the girl that was an object of lust to men in her family, I have more darkness in my world than I will ever be able to dispel on my own.

Thank you for your illumination.





I would like to add that I really am quite thankful for boobs and if you don't believe me, then expose yours to me and watch my face light up.

Monday, September 6, 2010

A Life Without Purpose

Over the years I have sought for the reason to my existence and have yet to find a satisfactory answer. I would hope that I am not living this life just because my mother and father got frisky one night (God! What a vision!), but more and more I get the feeling that is the simple truth of it.

It appears that destiny did not create me to play a vital role in the unfolding of the universe.

Many motivational and self-help authors implore us to discover our purpose in life. Joel Osteen even titled his book, "The Purpose Driven Life." The belief is that without knowing your purpose to outline your overall goals in life it becomes more difficult to make the decisions that lead you closer to achieving those goals and satisfaction. I am forced to agree that not knowing your goals makes it harder to be successful with them.

I recently read in an article that we all have a purpose in life even if we don't know what that purpose is. It asked the question, "What makes you get up every morning and do what you do? Is that your purpose?" God, I hope not!
I get up every day so I can pay the bills on a house I don't really like because my wife loves it and I do not wish to let her down. I go to work every day not because I feel like a valued member of a team at a job where I make a difference, but rather because my absence may endanger my friends at work (Wow...what an ego I have.)

The book, " Do It, Lets Get Off Our Buts" by John-Roger and Peter McWilliams suggests that you discover your purpose in life by making a list of your positive qualities and actions that you find nuturing, positive, and satisfying. By shuffling the lists (preferrably on 3x5 index cards) a pattern may emerge or some combination may resonate with you and be your purpose in life.
My question is why stick to the positive qualities and actions? We have all met negative and/or toxic personalities in our lives and workplaces. I am sure there are those individuals that are driven by malice (makes me think of a mean girl named Alice), greed, or fear. Those life purposes can't be positive.

When creating my lists I was not shy about the possibility that my life purpose may be negative so I also included those qualities. Here are some of my possible life purposes:

I am a(n)...
  • Apathetic sleeper
  • Laconic writer
  • Lethargic eater
  • Sporadic slacker

There were a few postive combinations, but none resonated with me so I began to wonder about the possibility that not all of us have a purpose to our lives. What then? I help drive the corporate machine by paying my bills and being a consumer. Maybe those of us without a purpose in life are needed by society.

Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage." If I were to stay with that theme...I suggest that perhaps I am a supporting cast member to someone else's purpose in life. Maybe my purpose in life is to live in mediocrity and join a supporting cast of millions for the great people of the world like Barack Obama, George W. Bush, or Anna Nicole Smith. In a more personal setting maybe I am here to demonstrate contrast for the teacher I work with and her passon for teaching those with Autism or for my wife's love of learning (currently finishing her Masters).

The saying goes, "There are no small parts, only small actors." Maybe its ok to be a small actor, of course it takes some painful resignation to realize that destiny does not need you to help the universe move towards it's ultimate goal. We aren't all special no matter what our politically correct world wants you to think. Alan Jackson sings, "It's alright being little bitty in a little hometown or a big ol' city."

In muddling through life I have learned that not every one is a positive person and many of us do not have a purpose to drive us on. While it is not what we may have dreamed for ourselves it is none-the-less our reality.