The Mutts
What good is having two adorable lovable furry creatures as housemates if I’m not going to show them off? I mean, if I had a hottie of a studmuffin as a roommate I’d probably show him off, right?
So here are my babes, Max (the sleeping babe) and Peanut (the freaked out looking babe).
I got Max with my [then] live-in boyfriend (now ex) back in 1998 when we so much desired a Jack Russell Terrier (JRT). You know, like Eddie on Frasier. Max won me over at the North Texas Humane Society when I saw that he was calm and had one ear that wouldn’t fold over. The ear is still stuck up but the calm factor was apparently a facade. (We had him on doggie-prozac for a while.) Max had been named “Sinatra” by the Humane Society because they found him wandering the streets the day Frank Sinatra died. Though it was kind of a cool name we weren’t huge fans of the man so it felt weird. I told my husband, “You name him.” And, Max it was. The most popular dog name in the world – or nearly.
Peanut, was sort of like a birthday gift about two years ago (?). I forget. One morning my mom and dad came up our direction to take us out to breakfast for my birthday. The restuarant happened to be in the same strip area as a PetSmart where the local Humane Society was having an adoption day. We saw this cute itty bitty little JRT named Norman or something. We hemmed and hawed and put our name down in case he wasn’t taken later. By the time we decided to go for it, he had been adopted. However, there was another JRT mix that was currently under the care of a foster mom. We decided to take him – Peanut – for a couple weeks… you know, the “trial period.” I think though we were both unsure of him we knew that once in our house he’d remain. And, he did. The Humane Society named him Peanut apparently due to the shape of his head. It stuck.
Getting to know you
Lately my life has been one huge example of Mark Twain's famous comment, "Familiarity breeds contempt."
Last summer it was my marriage that suffered those damming words. My then husband decided he just didn't want to be with me any longer. Though I had been expecting this for some years I still held out hope that we could see things through. However, it's as though the longer he was with me the less happy he was with me.
About a month ago a close friend of mine called me crying hysterically. She was driving and said she needed a friend at the moment; apparently she and her husband had just hit the skids themselves. I got her over to my apartment and let her sit and talk for a few minutes. I said all the wrong things, of course, but it worked out well because I was so focused on the big D that she denied it was going that far. They're going to do their best to work it out, and I hope they do – they're really great people – but if she's just not into it (she's like where my ex was in our relationship) then it's hard to make it desirable. Her hubby just isn't where she would like him to be and it's frustrating her to no end. Again, it's as though the longer she's gotten to know him, the less she wants to be around him.
Just yesterday my mother called me to give me an update of my older brother's situation. He's divorced twice but has been married for the last 10 years. He has two children with his current wife and a teenage son with his first wife who lives several states away. He and his wife have had some rough moments over the years – mostly financial – and within the last few weeks the ugliest has come to a head. Neither one of them is good at managing a budget; neither one of them is good at telling the other about issues. My brother hides bills from his wife; my sister-in-law demands she manages the budget but then gets irritated and drops it when she can't figure it out. He's got ADD and a gaming addiction. She likes to go out and play Sex in the City with her girlfriends, leaving him at home with the kiddos. It's just not a great situation. Yesterday was the last straw… sis-in-law demanded a divorce and threatened to take the kids. In the few times I've seen them together since they married I've rarely seen anything but demeaning behavior from her towards him (calling him stupid, etc.) while he dotes upon her – like he has with every girlfriend he's had in his life (he's truly a romantic). Why does sis-in-law hate him so?
So I wonder… how does any couple last through the decades? What makes two people stay familiar yet not grow contemptuous towards one another?
Old Fart, at Only 31
It's funny how things occur to you in an order that end up screwing you in the end. You know, like when something falls into your lap and all you can think of are the good reasons to accept it, ignoring all the glaringly obvious bad reasons to not? Case in point…
My apartment.
Of the six apartments I've rented the current one is the only one that was available with a pool view. For some reason, I've always thought, "Hey, it would be awesome to have a pool view." Actually, not for just some reason – there are a few: 1) Be closer to the pool so I might actually USE it; 2) Have a view of something other than a parking lot; 3) Enjoy a bit of people watching from the comfort of my own patio.
When the apartment came available – two bedroom, 2nd story, attached garage, POOL VIEW – it's like I was in heaven. How could I – the queen of never getting to be part of the IN crowd – possibly be awarded an apartment with everything I wanted – including a POOL VIEW?
Six months into my lease – if you do the math you'll note my move-in date around early FALL – I've realized that the gods were not in fact awarding me anything. Instead, it was the devil of societal stereotypes infringing on my weakness for all things good. "Think good thoughts – all the FUN you'll have with that pool. Laying out… a quick sit in the hot tub… gardens of lush unkempt greenery to stare at… yeaaah, that's the stuff, aint it?"
F that.
What's wrong with a pool view? By asking that question, you've either a) never lived in an apartment with a pool view, or b) are the type of person that I'm about to complain about.
With a pool view on a warm spring or summer evening you quickly learn whether you give a shit about sleeping. See, the types of buildings apartments are – at least in North Texas – are not exactly the variety that absorb sound. No, they are built of some wonderful material that actually CONDUCTS sound right into the homes of those who work normal hours. Like, say, ME.
It's not fun at 2 a.m. on a Thursday morning to be awoken by giggling coeds and their volleyballs. No, not fun. NOT FUN AT ALL. It's not fun to feel intimidated by said partygoers and have to call the "Courtesy Officer" – TWICE – to get them kicked out.
I ask, why? Why can't I think of all the BAD things that balance out the GOOD when they come around? Why must I be sucked into a utopian image of what greatness may come of my arrival into the cool crowd? Why must I be made to feel, at only 31 that I am an old fart who just can't let it go?
Guilty Pleasure: #1
Where was the WB show, Supernatural when I was eighteen? Oh, that's right, it was called The X-Files. Only that didn't have two hot college-age-ish studmuffins. And they don't spend half the show arguing whether something exists. Instead they just exude rugged manliness as they kick ghosts' asses.
Back to the hotties… Jensen Ackles plays the older of two brothers, Dean Winchester. For a couple reasons I find him oh-so-delectably-delicious: 1) He's older, so I have a better chance with him, 2) He's from Dallas, so I have a better chance with him, and 3) He's just plain my type of hotness.
The way to get results…
The other day I was at a BBQ at a friend's house, one of only two in attendance that didn't go to high-school or college together. The grill had been fired up and the host had offered it up to anyone who wanted to grill their own items.
Best Buddy X decided to take on grilling the Portabello mushroom caps for those who were vegetarians; however, he was a carnivore and had never grilled these before. "I've never cooked these before," he shouted to the slightly inebriated group, "what do I do?"
Because I have a sick need to prove I have some form of knowledge stored in my gray matter, I answered, "They're supposed to cook up just like hamburgers. Throw them on and let 'em cook." I followed up that assured comment with, "However, I've only READ that – I've never DONE it. Don't take my word for it."
Best Buddy X started laying the caps on the grill when I realized that perhaps there's a test case to be made. I shouted, "Maybe just cook one for now to see if it works before you do them all?" To which I received the following response:
"To get results, you need to repeat the experiment. I'm repeating the experiment… just all at once."
Latest Clever (?) Quotes
"The way I figure it is, we've put so much into it and come so far… just give up."
"I wish I could have accidents like that happen without me having to think about them."
Greatness: “Thank You for Smoking”
"When someone tries to act like some sort of expert, you can respond, 'who says?'" (Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor in "Thank You for Smoking") I'm no expert, but that is one of the many great lines in the film.
Last night I nearly succombed to the comfort of my oh-so-supple leather recliner; it was a fight to convince myself that I needed to keep my plans to head to Uptown Dallas to catch the flick and not just fall asleep in front of the television.
I couldn't be happier with my decision. "Thank You for Smoking" is among the funniest, wittiest, and most clever films I have ever seen. What struck me is… though the topic is to satirically portray big tobacco and their interests it actually has a deeper message.
Nick Naylor is the spokesperson – Spin Doctor – for the "American Institute for Tobacco Studies" (or something like that). He is a master at argument and spin; but he's also divorced with a pre-teen son and wants to be a better father. Hint: that's there the core message lies. I won't give too much away since the movie is still fresh in theatres. What I will do is recommend this movie highly – HIGHLY – to anyone who wants to laugh at some clever 'spin' for 90 minutes and come away with some great quotes with which you can impress your friends.
