WHY WE LIKE DOGS
The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.
-Anonymous
Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
-Ann Landers
and here are more if you like!
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
-Will Rogers
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
-Ben Williams
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
-Josh Billings
The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
-Andy Rooney
We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made.
-M. Acklam
Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.
-Sigmund Freud
I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
-Rita Rudner
A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.
-Robert Benchley
Anybody who doesn’t know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.
-Franklin P. Jones
If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
-James Thurber
If your dog is fat, you aren’t getting enough exercise.
-Unknown
My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That’s almost $21.00 in dog money.
-Joe Weinstein
Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul — chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we’re the greatest hunters on earth!
-Anne Tyler
Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinleinne
Â
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain
You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, ‘Wow, you’re right! I never would’ve thought of that!’
– Dave Barry
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
-Roger Caras
If you think dogs can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them.
-Phil Pastoret
At left is a photo of Georgie taken last year and before the health issues. That cat surely loved to sit outside on the terrace and enjoy the morning Costa Rica sun. Eyes closed and as close to being in heaven as he could get yet still be alive.
He was quite old…. fourteen plus… and had terrible and incurable kidney problems, common for old cats. In addition, he was nearly blind. Â I feel terribly guilty as I probably waited too long and caused him too much suffering. Â It was just too hard to let go.
If you wish… read on!
Georgie was a many time grand champion Abyssinian and the only animal who did not join the family as a kitten. Â He was an old and experienced 2+ year old cat when my friend and Abby breeder Robin Sessler suggested that he needed a home other than her cattery. Â I accepted, and Georgie came to live with me in about 1998. Shortly thereafter, one of his many offspring, great granddaughter Charlie, joined the clan, and off we went to live in Costa Rica. A true adventure for man and cats.
Georgie loved it here… no more cold Chicago winters… easy to find a sunspot nearly any day of the year, and someone always in the house to pay him some attention. Â He could always find a welcome spot on anyone’s lap.
Helluva life I suppose and that memory makes me very happy.
Any of you who have pets know that they are so much more than just animals or birds or whatever. Â They are the essence of family. Their loss is as painful to us as the loss of a dear friend and can be equal too or greater than the loss of some family members. I think I know why.
I have given this some thought and I have concluded that this is because our pets, unlike our friends or even family, are simply incapable of hurting us, intentionally or otherwise. They demand little. Â They are, under normal circumstances, love machines, wanting so very little and giving so very much. No contracts, no expectations. Â Georgie was a most special cat. Â He loved and trusted everyone. Â Those who slept in this house could be awakened (annoyingly, I grant you) by Georgie’s cold nose literally head butting them out of their sleep… motor running at full volume.
I do not know how I will survive without that cat….
Georgie and Charlie are famous in Costa Rica, at least amongst cat lovers!
After a few years of living here, I had the honor of taking George and Charlie to be exhibited at a pet show in Coronado.  There I had the pleasure of meeting Adelita Durán, president of la Asociación Ga-Ticos. This wonderful lady puts on cat shows almost every year (TICA sponsored).
She apparently then contacted Christine Bork, publisher of the pet magazine. Pets & Mas, (pets and more) who soon came to my home with a photo crew to do an article on Abyssinians in general and George and Charlie (pictured left) in particular! Not too many pet owners have the opportunity to have their special family entered into posterity in the best pet magazine in Central America! If any of you are inclined to read that issue, it is number 47 (Vol 1, Year 5, 2004) and can be ordered here.
I wish that I could say that I feel better after writing this.  I thought I would.  I simply do not.  I miss Georgie every minute of every day.  I believe that animals, like children, go directly to heaven, (no matter how you define “heaven”).  I believe it to be automatic and instant.
Logically, I know I will survive this… Â I know that this too shall pass… But I hurt so damned much.
Rest in peace my Georgie.
]]>I, of course, DO live on another planet called Costa Rica, so forgive me please for not being totally current. I feel old and out of date. I never heard of them.
For my kindred unwashed, flash mobs are groups of artists, singers and dancers mostly, sometimes professionals and sometimes just regular ol’ folks, who want to sing or dance or do other stuff… in public. They do this as a surprise or as a gift to those around them and for no other reason than to spread some joy. Â All seem organized as they must be, but the effect is the same everywhere. Astonishment for the audience.
If this topic interests you… read on!
I remember some scenes from the movies Tap and Fame where the action moved to the street. Not sure if this is where the idea came from… likely not as I am sure some smart commenter will point out.
I am embarrassed to say that I never heard the word flash mob until today. My sister told me about some singers who “spontaneously” broke into song… Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus… at a mall in Florida. Â So, I You-Tubed it… and found not only what I was looking for, but a large number of other flash mob videos. The earliest one that I found (I did not look too hard), was a 2007 video of about fifty people who simply did a freeze frame in a super market. Bizarre.
The Handel flash mob videos (see below) are in the spirit of Christmas but others are just entertainment like the Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah flash mob (from the movie Shrek) or the exceptionally good one, Queen’s  I want to Ride my Bicycle, performed in a Brussels train station. That was a traffic stopper!
Anyway, it is Christmas in the world, and below are two beautiful renditions of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus – flash mob style!
The first is in that food court in a Florida mall. Â The second was filmed in a Macy’s department store in Philadelphia with a group of singers from many local groups – 650 people strong. Check out the faces in the crowd on both videos… especially the kids! Perhaps there is hope yet….
Enjoy!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU[/youtube]
Comments of course are welcome… except from that asinine group of idiots who want to get rid of the word Christmas and all references to Jesus Christ. Â I am not a religious nut… but I do believe in free speech and in religious freedom, so don’t even try to rain on my Christmas parade. Â The music is beautiful and ageless, and I believe everyone needs to believe in something/someone larger than themselves.
Enjoy!
]]>Enjoy the video. You need high speed to enjoy it. More tomorrow!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mStE-iLR0w0[/youtube]
]]>If you are age 23 or under… this should be required viewing.
Click the video to view.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY[/youtube]
]]>Seems there are issues in the USA? The luster surrounding Sr. Obama seems to be diminishing? Here are a some videos that you might enjoy! This might help distract you from the real issues up there.
NOTE: These may have “R” ratings (depending on what you consider to be “R”.
Here, our president tries again to get in touch with the common man by visiting Dennys. He then does an “Oh Oh!” and lowers his goals a bit.
To view these, just click in the center of the video.
Obama Drastically Scales Back Goals For America After Visiting Denny’s
Everyone knows how Sr Obama always maintains close contact with the people. Of course not everyone is equal in the colonies!
Poll: Happy, Healthy Obamas Out Of Touch With Miserable Americans
Finally! Always interesting to take a peek at a presidents personal life. Here, we share dinner with the pres, wifey and kiddies!
Obama’s Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner
I met my wife almost 5 years ago. My friends Ray and Patricia invited me over to meet this great woman who, I was told, speaks English fluently. Wonderful, sez I, and off I go!
Well… she was great, but the “speaks English fluently” thing was horsepucky. However, chemistry being what it is… we started dating and the rest is history. Left out of this history is the fact that I spoke maybe 50 words of Spanish when I met her. This was good and bad! As she had no desire to learn any English, it was incumbant on ME to learn Spanish, something I had promised myself and others that I woould do… but didn’t. I was immersed… and when she moved in six months later, I was really immersed! My housekeeper spoke only Spanish and my wife spoke only Spanish, and most of my customers speak/spoke only Spanish… so I learned…fast!
One of the cool things I discovered and have written about before, is that I have long felt that when a couple fights, it is very often because the guy says something stupid or thoughtless.  Not always, of course. The other reason couples fight is when the woman is just being bitchy! Either way, if one person cannot understand the other, there is no fight!
So, for the first year, we never had an argument!
Now of course, I speak Spanish pretty well. We also now fight on occasion! I am just thrilled to think that if ML is successful, we can then fight in two languages.
The big day was January 1, but we both forgot, so the learning began on the 2nd. The new rule is, “No Spanish in the house!” and though it is hard to believe, she is keeping to it. The only time we revert to Spanish is when she is either really emotional or really PO’d. When either of those events occur, she reverts to Spanish, Ricky Ricardo style! Sadly, when she does the Ricky thing, she speaks so damned fast I don’t understand much anyway. Have I ever mentioned that Costa Rican women tend to the emotional?
I must say though, after almost four weeks, she is doing amazingly well. Of course like most people learning new language, she speaks a lot in the present tense, and sorta sounds like a Pakistani 711 owner, “Yes, I am owning this store four years now!” but without the funny accent.
We speak English for maybe one or two hours daily and more on weekends. So far, her patience has been quite unbelievable and as regular readers know… my wifey is not known for her patience.
We shall see! If I suddenly stop blogging and do not answer emails, you will know she has killed me.
]]>As my readers know, I am not overly fond of spiders, but I DO admire their work. I have had a couple of bad experiences with spiders in the house, one of which I documented in this Blog.
We have a beautiful patio covered with a roof. Around the patio runs a small hedge at a height of maybe 2 feet.
The other evening, I was out enjoying the beautiful evening. Twilight and early evening are just spectacular here. I know for a fact that the web was not there.
Early the next morning, I walked out on the patio and see this web. I took several pictures, but they do not seem to convey the sheer size of this overnight work. The web is attached to the top of the hedge at the bottom and to the eave of the roof at the top. That is a distance of about six feet. This ambitious little critter constructed the whole thing betweem about 8 PM in the evening and 6 AM in the morning. Figuring it not to last, I took the pictures, and in fact, by mid-day, it had disappeared. December and January in Costa Rica are very windy months, and between the constant movement of the hedge and the pressure of the wind, the web succumbed.
Oddly, I never did see the spider who created this web. After all the work and spinning a web that should have made for a nice home and steady food supply… she apparently abandoned in before daylight, or was hiding somewhere in the eaves.
Click on the photo the the right to see an enlarged version showing the detail. Incredible!
]]>I am not sure how many North Americans realize just how ridiculous they look to people in other countries always trying to be Politically Correct (PC). Free speech is no longer an option in the US as there is always some joker looking over your shoulder and telling you how to think, act, and what to say… or what not to say.
Like so many things in the US, PC seemed like such a good idea at the time, but then morphed into idiocy. It just got carried too far… kinda like trade unions, women’s lib and so many other truly good ideas gone bad. Good concepts… overdone.
Of all of them, one of the dumbest (in my opinion) is one of the more popular phrases spoken by young couples regarding a woman’s pregnancy. The PC thing to say is, “We are pregnant”.
Unless it is two women speaking these words, this is perhaps the most ridiculous statement one could utter. I have news for you. WE (the men) are NOT pregnant. YOU (the women) are! I have done pregnancies and it is not the man who has to pee every 11 minutes and who knows the location and condition of every bathroom within 50 miles of his home. It is not the man who cannot sleep at night because getting comfortable just ain’t a happenin’. It is not the man with sore feet, back pain and hemorrhoids. Now I suppose an argument could be made that a woman may not suffer the above issues in silence… but that is not always the case and in fact the many pregnant women I have known tended not to make their partners miserable with constant and ongoing commentary.
This is NOT the case with menopause. Menopause is interactive!
If you men really want to share an experience with your partner, I suggest menopause! I can testify to this! When that female person in your life is entering or is in menopause (which, by the way lasts years… not nine months of which only few are nasty), you may safely say to anyone “We are in menopause” and be dead on the money! You, my man, WILL be in menopause and I can assure you that any semblance between the women you married and the women living with you now and wearing your ring is purely coincidental.
I have had the pleasure of having three such women in my life, including the normally sweet and loving women to whom I am married. With the first two, I was hit, was screamed at, had one chase me in the kitchen with a knife… the list goes on.
ML is in menopause and I can assure you with no political correctness intended that WE are in menopause. It is a truly amazing experience. One moment ML is this sweet cuddly woman who then transforms, without notice, into this…. ummmm… thing. I say “thing” because all my training and education forsake me. I feel as if Rod Serling is somehow taking me in and out of my own personal Twilight Zone. I can I see my wife clearly, then she changes and sadly, I have no idea what is coming. This does not happen in the privacy of our home. Ohhh no! This happens in restaurants, grocery stores, the car and it never seems to be the same. No action is correct. If I keep still waiting for it to pass, I get the “you’re not listening” thing. If I speak, I am being rude. Nights are the best. There is no correct temperature in the house and I am informed of this between 3 and 142 times each night. Fan ON Fan OFF Blanket ON Blanket OFF Husband Sleeping Husband UP! Hold Me! Get Away! Any semblance between this and a pregnant wife is… well… there is none.
So WE change/try medicines. We try pills and dosages (Yes, I take them all as I hope one will make me sleep until she is out of menopause. In fact I wonder if the true story was that Rip Van Winkle had a menopausal wife!).
We try natural medicines that other women say will work like magic, They lie!
We are now trying this jelly stuff that she spreads on her arm! It smells exactly like that antiseptic hand gel you can buy. Supposedly, it absorbs. It does… after an hour. It also does not work. We change dosages. We increase… we decrease. She visits her doctor who commiserates, changes medicine and dosages, then checks her mutual fund to make sure she is heavily bought in to pharmaceuticals.
I think my average reader is perhaps not at the We Are Pregnant stage but maybe more in the We Are in Menopause stage… the Autumn of life.
But for you young men who truly want to “share” your wife’s experiences… just wait a while, like maybe twenty years or so, and remember my words. Only then will you truly understand the concept of sharing.
Me? I am still experimenting with her drugs. The good news is that I no longer have to shave as much. The bad news is that none of her prescriptions make me sleep. I think five years would be enough after which WE will no longer be in menopause!
]]>Lately, however, I see people who are just so unhappy living in the USA that their questions are not so much asking about my views as asking about if things will be better living here. Recently I wrote something about how I felt the USA was broken and needed repair. That was less a political statement than my observations from afar. Saying that, I guess if readers really want to know about life here, will it be better than living in the USA, will their life issues resolve themselves by moving here, maybe it is not a bad idea to address this.
So… if my personal opinions and politics are of interest, read on!
First, let me say I dearly love the USA. Not everything of course… but I have traveled this world and I have not yet seen a better country. Second, let me say in no uncertain terms, that moving to any country because you do not like the current administration, politics, social environment etc. will not change anything in your life. You cannot run away from yourself. It is the dumbest reason to pack up and leave. Moving here because you are seeking a “more simple lifestyle” is the number two stupid reason for leaving your country. Nothing is simple here as many come to find. Costa Rica is not better. It is just different. Whomever you blame for your current situation, I can assure you it is not George Bush, Bill Clinton nor any other US leader and leaving your country because of any politician is just silly.
So why move at all? There are many good reasons. Although Costa Rica is getting more and more expensive every day, it is still cheaper to live here than just about anywhere in the USA. A lot of 55-65 years olds are now discovering that they will not be able to sustain a post retirement lifestyle if all they have is their social security. This is sad, but when FDR set up social security and ever since, it was NEVER intended to be the sole source of income after retirement. So moving here because of financial necessity is certainly a valid reason for considering an expat lifestyle.
Another good reason is, I guess, the desire to live and learn a different culture.
Me? I made the mistake of reading a lot of Hemmingway when I was in my teens, and ever since, I had this desire to live like the characters in his novels, all expats living in France or Spain… drinking coffee in cool Bohemian haunts… you get the idea. Well it is NOT like that I promise… but for me, it is fun!
Regardless of your reasons for wanting to live elsewhere, I would urge you not to just sell the farm and move here. One of the largest movers of people from the USA to Costa Rica said the other day that he is now moving more than half of his customers back to the USA within a year. It seems to be a lot harder for women to adjust to the expat life… especially those with children and grandkids. They think they can adjust to not being there for graduations, proms, and the zillion daily events in the lives of their families, but many simply cannot live without family and friends.
Politics
To explain how I feel about the coming presidential election, it is best just to write about my thought processes. I am sure some will concur an others will not agree. I do not care. I have voted both Democrat and Republican over the years and I find no one party capable of producing anything special. For many years now, my choice was based on who I thought would do the least damage while in office. Sad.
One of my pet peeves is those boneheads who vote for a person based solely on one issue e.g. abortion, immigration, death penalty… whatever. The job of president entails so much more and to eliminate a good person from consideration because of his belief on one issue is just not intelligent. I am personally for gun control, against abortion, for tough (but fair) immigration, strongly against the death penalty (not in principle but because there are just too many screwups in the system sending innocent persons to death row), and for most environmental issues. Those are just a few and of course there are others.
Now saying that, for the first time, I will be voting almost entirely based on one issue. Guess that makes me a hypocrite! So be it.
Here is how I view this years offerings:
Obama
I think he is generally a decent man. His push for change hits a chord in many people. I question seriously his general experience, his total lack of knowledge on international affairs, and most importantly, his judgment. His recent difficuties relating to the racist hate monger, Jeremiah Wright, a man he states was and is one of the leading persons of influence in his life. He continued and continues to maintain a relationship with the good pastor. As a sitting US senator, his should have done everything in his power to confront this animal and failing that, completely disassociate himself from him and his hate mongering. Can you imagine if any white presidential candidate (or for that matter any white person with a modicum of moral and ethical beliefs) attended services where attacks against the US were supported and racism against Blacks was preached regularly? I can not. Most people would instantly stand up and leave! Obama should have done that. As a senator, he simply can NOT tolerate racism, regardless of the source.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ38N8OUg3Q[/youtube]
I can now see why Obama’s wife made her recent comments about forever being ashamed of the USA. She and Obama have been exposed to racial hatred (both Black AND White) for years, and neither, despite the obvious blessings both received from “white America” can have escaped the lessons taught my this “most influential figure in my life”.
Wright preaches racial hatred and separation to Black adults and children, and now comes Obama looking to make change and bring the country together. Huh? I see no way a man who supports an anti-white hate monger can possibly have the ability to resolve the many racial issues still facing the US. He should have years ago dealt with this man. He did not. Silence to me, is a form of support or concurrence.
Clinton
So now comes Hillary Clinton telling all who will listen that SHE has the experience to run the country. As far as I have ever been able to see, her experience is pretty much limited to sleeping with Bill (at times) while HE was president. Other than that, her only attempt at accomplishing anything while passing the years in the White House, related to her dismal attempt to establish a national health care plan, a total fiasco, even though Clinton’s popularity was at a high. As a matter of fact, she pissed off everyone! Even her personal staff hated her. So she is the one to pull the country together? She does not get along with people. Can you imagine Hillary as president working hand-in-hand with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another person who alienates a LOT of people?? Oh yeah, I can imagine getting a LOT done.
Both of these people make enemies more often than my wife makes coffee.
The Clinton’s usual process is to change position on everything. Bill did it. Now Hillary is too. I recall early in the campaign her comments that she did not really care about the Michigan and Florida primary votes not counting. I HEARD the interview. She was most clear. Of course, at the time, she was far ahead of Obama and I suppose in her mind, there was just no way she could lose the nomination.
Well now, Obama has waxed her beans and HE has the lead! Now she want the Michigan and Florida votes. Says she always did! She does not want all those poor Dems to be disenfranchised! I bet she doesn’t! Oddly, she was the only candidate to campaign in Michigan as the other candidates honored the Democratic Nacional Committee’s warning about the early primary. Cool huh? So Hillary, knowing Obama did not even campaign in Michigan, now wants those votes for herself. How typically 100% Clinton. Nothing changes. The Clintons are good at this stuff, and I do not like it. I guess I also figure Bill had his presidency, and I cannot imagine what he would be doing if Hillary wins. Somehow, I do not see him on the golf course every day. I picture him spending a LOT of time hanging around the Oval Office and one time, for any president, is enough. No replays.
McCain
What an odd duck is John McCain.
He sure is not a Republican, at least not in the sense many have defined Republicans. He crosses party lines whenever he choses. He pisses off the “real” conservatives which may be his undoing. He is like the Republican version of Joe Lieberman, (one of my favorite politicians! I would have voted for him in 2000.). He makes enormously unpopular statements like “We’ll be in Iraq for 100 years”. Inflammatory surely, but probably 100% correct as we NEVER leave a country after a conflict. Hell, we are STILL in South Korea after 50+ years!
McCain seems to me to at least take a position even though unpopular. He supports our position in Iraq. NOT a popular position. I personally hate that we are there and wish we had not invaded, but we did. SO now, Obama and Clinton want us out NOW. Looks right on paper. Sorta like communism looks good but does not work in reality. However, neither Obama nor Clinton EVER address the major issue of what happens if we just pull out! Can you imagine the massacres? It would certainly rival the 600,000 South Vietnamese killed after we left Saigon. Further, can you imagine Osama and Al-Qaeda with those oil revenues that they would most certainly receive should we leave? Just what I want! A well-funded Al-Qaeda!
As Pakistan is very unstable and chuck full of Al-Qaeda (and Pakistan has the bomb, BTW), I now see Al-Qaeda with a ton of money and the bomb. Swell!
McCain is older than dirt… hell – he is older than ME. While not a huge issue, it certainly will be important who McCain selects as his running mate. How interesting would be a McCain/Lieberman ticket! Lieberman endorsed McCain last year and that to me meant something because of my respect for Lieberman. Never happen I suppose, but fun to think about.
So have you figured out MY one issue? National Security.
Hate or love Bush, the one thing most important to me is that there has not been a repeat of 9-11 in 7 years.
I have children and grandkids living in Chicago, certainly a potential target city for Al-Qaeda and other terrorists groups, so this year, I will vote for the person who I feel will keep them safest. My only concern.
Trying to placate Osama and his crew would be about as useful as was placating Hitler before WW2. Didn’t work. Won’t work. Whoever is in the Oval Office has got to be ruthless on defense of the United States. At this point, Obama and Clinton want nothing more than to pander to those who want out of Iraq, but fail to present solutions to what happens if we depart. In fact, over the years, the Democrats have generally NOT been strong on military issues (except another favorite, Harry Truman), choosing instead to place more money in social programs, a generally good idea, but that, like Communism, seldom works in reality (unless you live in Costa Rica, a non-target for everyone!).
At this point, it will likely be McCain.
Intelligent comments welcome!
]]>