2 posts from July 2009

A day in the life:

Sleep...sleep...sleep.
"Baaabe? Wanna have Breakfast with me?" says Jon
I am usually awake by this time anyway listening as Jon gets the dogs' food ready, as he showers and of course the chaos as he takes Wallee out of his kennel. It's not difficult for my eyes to flutter open.
YES of course, baaabe, I reply.

Rarely do I have to get up and sometimes I sleep in, but it's one of those things that has just become a tradition. I work at night. He works in the day. And so we have breakfast together every day. I guess the normal people have dinner together every night.  Maybe they use tv trays and watch Wheel of Fortune and comment of Vanna's age.

I stumble out of bed, open the bedroom door and I'm greeted by the puppy. This is not a sweet pat and lick greet. He runs full speed at me, leaps in the air and flies directly into my crotch. Every morning, I forget to be on the defensive in preparation for it. Usually, cereal and coffee are already waiting for me cause my babe is awesome. Buuuut it's easier to keep them from constantly annoying us if we feed them first. Wallee is a food fanatic. He cares about little else than breakfast and dinner. They are the highlights of his day. Consequently, we have to be armed with a water gun in order to successfully get food in his bowl. He is 70lbs at 8months old and so it hurts when he jumps on you. Jon and I can't seem to get him to appreciate the word NO yet or consequences as a matter of fact. We set the food down for them but they have to wait until we say, "Ok, go eat your breakfast." Sara gets released to eat first after she takes her anti-pee-pee pill (she's incontinent). We make Wallee wait until she has had a couple of good bites. This is to convince him of her superiority in the pack, though I'm not quite sure it's working. He runs full speed at his bowl when he cue him and eats like we have been starving him and as if any moment we are going to reach down and take his food away. After, if Wallee doesn't throw up from bolting his food, we put up the baby gate and sit down.

During breakfast:
"What are your plans today?"
Wallee no! Wallee stop. Oh, I'm going to the gym, taking the dogs out, paying bills. Wallee!!!! I'm serious mister...you better get off the couch.  Good boy.
"I have to run errands on my lunch break. Getting my Texas drivers license."
Ugh, Baaabe he has your sock.
"Wallee! Fuuuuck. Wallee! Drop it! Great, this is my last sock and it's covered in dog slobber."
Sorry babe.
"It's ok. No big really. What do you work? Are you coming over tonight? Wallee! OFF THE COUCH!"
I'm closing but I'll definitely come over. 
"Good. Shit, I forgot to make my lunch."
Wallee! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T PUT DOWN MY SHOE...!"

After Jon leaves for work, Wallee goes back in the kennel so Sara and I can go back to bed. He gives me about 30 minutes before the whining begins. I try to sleep through it and I can a little bit. I refuse to get up before 9am to let him back out. I try to not reward his whining. So at 9am, I wait until he stops for a minute and get up to let him out. He charges Sara, gallops around the apt grunting and growling, rolls on his back and bites things.  Next he jumps up on every counter trying to see if he can reach anything good. He usually gets the pot holder. I get it back. And he goes and gets something else. After 30 minutes he's tired from all this and goes to sleep.

The rest of the day is Operation Tire Wallee Out usually starting during the heat of the day at Town Lake. My new method is to park far enough away that I have to walk them a bit. Then they get off leash and swim for about an hour. Wallee is a good boy at the park. He comes when I call him and brings me his ball to throw. UNTIL...that is....it's time to leave. I usually have another ball or a treat to lure him so I can get him on the leash. This can take up to 30 minutes.

Tired puppy is lovey, sweet and give a lot of kisses. He sleeps while I get ready for work. Jon comes home to give them dinner and take over puppy duty. By the time he gets home, Wallee is recovered from the afternoon and ready for more rambunctious Wallee fun.

I look at Sara. She's five now and she's perfect. Her flaws include whining when I make her go outside and every now and then she tries to jump and lick someone's face. But she is obedient, calm, sweet, PERFECT. Was this the same puppy that used to bite my feet? Was this the same puppy who I followed around screaming Sara no! Sara that's my sock! Sara get off the couch! Same dog who once ate an entire pumpkin bread? I suppose that means Wallee will be a good boy too.
   

Michael Jackson died. There is a detachment that goes along with celebrity deaths that seems to center on this idea that they are not human beings. I mean, how could they be? How could MJ be human? He had a lot of plastic surgery therefore he obviously didn't breathe air like we do. He put masks on his children which of course means he did not eat or drink as we do.  There were allegations that he molested a little boy....that one's hard to comment on. Personally I always thought of Michael as being little more than a child himself. Aside from possibly impregnating women to have his own children, I can not picture him being a very sexual person let alone a sexual deviant. Of course that's just another allegation. We will never know. But even if he was a sexual deviant; even if he was evil and crude...he is dead. What satisfaction does it give a person to rejoice in it as if a human death is entertainment? Evil is tragic in itself. I'm not saying I mourn for evil guys, but I definitely don't sing Ding Dong the Witch is dead as if I'm sitting in ancient rome  laughing as the prisoner is eaten by a lion. It's more like A Thing That Makes Ya Go Hmmmm. Anyway, I don't think MJ was evil. I think he was the king of pop and an amazing entertainer that was a direct influence on my love of music. For that, I mourn you, Michael. For that, I narrow my eyes into slits at all the ridiculous comments on facebook about your memorial yesterday (although I wasn't really cool with the whole coffin thing. It was distracting).

In other news, Miami in a week! YAY! We are renting bikes and drinking ourselves silly on South Beach. I can't really afford it..but ohhh well. My little family is very happy. Jon and I are considering the big move in. I'm into it. I'm ready. I love him and want to wake up with him everyday (actually, I already do...I'd just like my stuff here as well. ha!). He may not be. I think he is taking his time to make sure his own motivation is not money related. If he isn't ready for all that, I totally understand. It's a big decision and I appreciate it not being taken lightly. Wallee is not noticibly but minisculely less crazy. Sara is still my guardian angel. Mom, Emily and Dad all seem happy. Life is good. I'm missing school though. Remind me I said this in a month.