The baleful look is because I was walking Sasha and Mia near her tree.
Rescue dogs
When people say, apropos of nothing, that they have a rescue dog, it’s usually for two reasons. One is they are bragging about how great they are for rescuing a dog (1b is rich people, explaining in not so many words why their dog is a mixed breed). The other is because the dog is a biter. So when I was told about eight times that the dogs that I will be subbing in for on Friday are rescue dogs, I realized that they meant category two.
I met those dogs today, along with their regular walker. Both chihuahua mixes, both really traumatized. I couldn’t get near Teddy, he growled and barked from his blanket cave on the sofa, and I understand that he snaps at everyone, and he is serious about the snapping. The other, Dakota, trembled in fear, but let me give her treats, and took them from my hand, but wouldn’t let me touch her. All I have to do is let them out onto the patio so they can pee, but somehow I have a strong feeling that, come Friday, those dogs will have bladders of iron.
Poor things. Poor things that will happily bite my heart out and drink my blood, but what they must have been through to be that scared of strangers.
***
By the way MANY PEOPLE HAVE RESCUE DOGS WHO ARE NOT IN CATEGORY ONE! Rescuing dogs is a wonderful thing and I am glad that people do it! I just have noticed that when you are chatting to people with dogs on the street and they say in a sort of self-satisfied way, that their dog is a rescue, and you sort of get the impression that they expect a brass band and confetti.
Personally, every cat I’ve ever had in my life is a rescue, but I have never mentioned it before because that’s kind of how you get cats.
(cross-posted to livejournal)
Photo of the day 1/24/12
Puddle in a parking lot.
Late
Somehow I managed to be forty-five minutes late all day long. I started my first walk late, realized that I had five walks today not four, which meant that there was nothing but rushing rushing rushing all day.
Tomorrow let’s work on leaving the house to get to the first walk on the earlier end of my time than the later, or later than the later, shall we?
(cross-posted to livejournal)
Photo of the day 1/23/12
The Man can’t keep Mia down! She has street cred!
Bill Zuckert 12/18/15 – 1/23/97
Today is the 15th anniversary of my father’s death.
My Daddy was one of those people who everybody loved. He was funny and kind and good and people just plain liked him. I miss him every day, I always will, I feel so lucky that he was my father, and that I got to have him until I was grown up. Also, I’m lucky that he was an actor and I get to see him on TV and hear him on radio and sometimes just turn the channel and there he is! It’s just like this little hello.
This is his radio card, like a headshot for radio actors. I love it.
Another picture in this set is my Mom holding infant me, so this was taken around September or October 1964. That was the blue jay that would come visit him when he was gardening.
This photo and the next few were from the composite side of his headshot circa 1968-69, judging from how old I think I am in this shot.
This was his main headshot in the 1980′s. When I think of him, he looks like this.
Headshot from the ’90s.
Character shot from the ’90s.
Miss you, miss you, miss you. Come home soon.
(cross-posted to livejournal)
Sunday at Costco
It takes Mom about two hours to get from nighties to out the door, it takes me about five minutes. Which is why we went to the 1p mass today instead of 11.30a. I’d prefer the 8.30a mass, generally, but Mom is not an early riser. She actually went to bed early enough last night to have actually gotten out the door in a reasonable amount of time, but I was like, “Mom, it’s 10.45a! Stop quizzing me about old radio shows (from a radio puzzle book that she got me for Christmas) and get ready!” Of course, this meant that we had to go to the 1p, because half an hour just won’t make it. She was ready at 12.30p, then I went upstairs and dressed, and we were out the door at 12.40p, and I had even brushed my teeth.
In November the mass changed; they had done a re-translation of the mass, which made me laugh at Christmas time, because the Christmas Catholics were all, “What the hell happened? Why is everything different?” but after some weeks of attempting to give the new responses, I have joined the half of the congregation who don’t even bother. We’re supposed to say “And with your spirit” now? Too bad, when I open my mouth, “And also with you” just comes flying out and frankly? It’s close enough for jazz.
After that I needed gas, which somehow turned into two and a half hours at Costco. Actually, I know how it happened, it was the Great Graze. If you get to Costco at the right time of day, they have about fifteen different little tables with samples on them, and by the time you make the whole rounds, you have eaten lunch! Soup and taquitos and more soup and peanut butter cups and salad and turkey slices and cheese and some sort of bright green blended drink that was surprisingly good for looking like it was made out of the front lawn.
Actual purchases included a new pair of jeans and a book about a dog walker who falls in love with one of her clients, which sounds completely hilarious and I can’t wait to read it. I’m sure it’s actually good, it really does look well-written, but nothing like seeing your own personal job represented completely wrong to make those laughs start a-pealin’.
Back to work tomorrow, and next week it’s just my regular week of 22 walks, nothing extra, very restful. I think I’m going to use some of the extra time to go to the YMCA, which I joined a while back but haven’t gone to yet. Maybe in the morning, or maybe Tuesday, since I also want to start re-potting some plants in the backyard. I don’t actually know how to re-pot anything, but I know what it looks like when a plant is actually bursting out of its pot like the Hulk, so I’m going to give it at shot.
(cross-posted at livejournal)
Photo of the day 1/21/12
The old Cineracama Dome and the new ArcLight.
The Artist at The ArcLight
Today I got to spend the day on my own, as Mom went gambling at an Indian casino with a group from church. I demurred, because I think gambling is completely boring. Mom is the perfect gambler, as she is good at blackjack, lucky when she needs to be, and cheap, so she decides “I’d like to win $100,” gambles until she wins that amount, then stops. There was still 45 minutes before the bus was leaving, so she sat down with her book and read! Also? She was playing with the $15 cash they gave her to gamble with, so they didn’t make a penny on her.
I went to see The Artist over at the ArcLight, aka the Cinerama Dome, which I haven’t been to since long before they built all those ArcLight theatres around the Dome. I’m going to do a review of the theatre, but I will preview it by saying that I have never been in a movie theatre as good as that in the entirety of my life and I never want to go anywhere else.
I got an ArcLight gift card from Cassie and Donnie’s owner for Christmas, which is now my favourite gift (besides cash), because I found out that it’s a $50 card, which I was not expecting. I will be attending the ArcLight a whole lot!
Also, last night Mom mentioned that she felt like seeing The African Queen, and of course I love that movie too, and when I was on the ArcLight page looking for parking info, I found out that they are playing The African Queen on 2/12 and 2/14 at the ArcLight Sherman Oaks! It’s like she brought it into being. I’m not going to tell her about it, I’m just going to take her to it and surprise her. I can’t wait to see The African Queen on the big screen! Not to mention, at the best theatre chain on earth!
(cross-posted to livejournal)