December 11, 2011
December 9, 2011
snippets xi-xvii
Hi! Did you get my Evite? Did you see my event posting on Facebook for my reading at the cafe? I cross-linked it to Google+ and sent out an email blast to our friend circle, but it might have gone straight to spam, so check your BlackBerry. No? I'll re-send it. What's your email address? No, the other one. Can you text it to me? Thanks.
- Mark Morford, "Please text me your naked email URL," SFGate.com
December 8, 2011
whatcha reading xxv
Matt regarded his employer with grieved disapproval.
"If you don't mind my expressin' my feelin's, Mr. Scott, I'll make free to say you're seventeen kinds of damn fool an' all of 'em different, an' then some."
- White Fang, Jack London
Sister Wendy once said of Guernica that it was more poster than great work of art. That's kind of how I feel about this book.
December 7, 2011
skinny legs and all
Ondine was keeping all her weight off her leg on Monday so we took her in for a check-up. The doc didn't find anything from a physical exam and didn't think x-rays were necessary, but he told us to limit her activities for the next seven days. He said, "You're off the hook with the walks for a week."
I do not think he expected my look of dismay. Walking her is the highlight of my day. I may write too much about her car issues and not enough about her good qualities. She's a really good friend. She has helped me in ways I would never have imagined when we adopted her last January.
(Do you like her new Martha Stewart sweater? She looks like she's ready to bake a pie.)
garden camping xviii continued
The tent was still all wet through Monday so I left it up. Since on Tuesday I had a conference close to home and didn't have to get up early, I camped out on Monday (night 30). It was 32 degrees when I got up. Skipped last night - the forecast was 23-27, and I had to get up early anyway. (Frost on the windshield this morning - our first.) At this point I figure I'll just leave it up and get out there when I can. The cold isn't a problem - my 55-degree travel sack works as a liner inside a heavy old Walmart bag. The limiting factor is having to get up at 4:00 a.m. and go to work. (As I'm sitting here typing this I wonder why that makes a difference. Mountaineers always get up early. Hmmm.)
December 5, 2011
December 4, 2011
December 3, 2011
December 2, 2011
snippets xi-xvi
In the civilian dog world, a growing number of animal behaviorists seem to be endorsing the concept of canine PTSD, saying it also affects household pets who experience car accidents and even less traumatic events.
Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman, director of the animal behavior clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuft University, said he had written about and treated dogs with PTSD-like symptoms for years — but did not call it PTSD until recently. Asked if the disorder could be cured, Dr. Dodman said probably not.
“It is more management,” he said. “Dogs never forget.”
- Anahad O'Connor, "Dogs and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," New York Times
YUP.
Speaking of which, Ondine has been doing better with passing cars - still not great, but well enough that I've felt OK about switching her out of the prong collar and back into a SENSE-ible dog harness. (We use it in conjunction with a loose martingale, which helps keep the front straps from dragging across her shoulders. The harness doesn't fit too well, though. We'll probably have to go to the next size up.) With the harness she tends to grab the leash when she gets agitated. It's manageable, but she is fast and flexible and can twist herself in unimaginable ways to get at it. It's like she's part owl. I can't have her gnawing it, of course, but it's a useful behavior since she's turning her attention away from the cars, which creates an opening to play. She's pretty good about letting it go if I engage her in something else right away. Praise, treats and good rub-downs all work well. (Also, my leash-handling skills are co-evolving with her. At this point I could probably rope a goat blindfolded.)
Maybe I'm over-anthropomorphizing, but my impression grows stronger day by day that she's trying really hard to work through this stuff. Lots of give-and-take.
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