it's now been 5 months that Frank has been with us, and i am a little ashamed to say that i didn't think he was going to last this long. the start of this year was hard for him, and i really think he was ready to move on even if i wasn't ready to let him go.
before he came to live with us, he had turned a corner. he had started showing interest in life again, started being more present for my sister. i kinda feel like i robbed her of time with him, but i'm still glad he's here.
every day, i do a head to toe inspection. it usually entails a rub down, so i can check his skin for rash or crusty bacterial infections. then a quick look and sniff in his ears, a little cleaning to make sure his ears aren't clogged. i give his hips a massage, check his face for signs of pain or discomfort as i do it, and then it's play time.
for his part, he suffers through the inspection, and usually i see only positive things, which leads me to feel optimistic about his longevity. sometimes, though, i find troubling things, like that weird growth on the outer hind foot pads, the patch of hair that refuses to grow back, the hitch in his step when he first wakes up etc.
he is an old dog, i know he won't last forever, and it will be the hardest day of my life when he does decide to leave me. but that knowledge is what helps me to give him the love and attention he needs and deserves on a daily basis.
and for my part, i feel lucky to have such a cool dog.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
cautious optimism
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
a day in my life
after a three hour nap, i woke up and went to work. today was the release date for Missoni for Target, and thought i've been looking at this stuff for a week and find nothing particularly trendy or even fashion forward about the design, there were 15 people waiting outside. i chatted with a few of them and found out that the online store had started selling Missoni at midnight, and in half an hour the site crashed. what? yeah. everything sold out online before i got up this morning.
i talked to a few other people, and found out about the design house, an old Italian couple who have been designing luxury goods and clothing for over half a century. it's interesting, and terribly bright, almost a visual assault really, and some of the clothes are well cut and made with materials that are soft and durable, but really? i looked deeper, shopped through high end retailers for the name Missoni, and found clothing, housewares, luggage, office supplies... the clothing is upwards of $1000 per piece, same with luggage and housewares and household textiles (sheets and comforters) and Target was selling them for just 10% of that price. holy crap, no wonder people were going crazy about it.
i was put out by the competitive shopping nature of these people who stormed the store. and i had to stand in line behind these women who were fighting over the last pillow, the last dress, the last vase. i even saw a woman take a dress out of the cart of another lady when she wasn't looking. people are insane.
and tiresome. after that long day, i came home and immediately passed out. i woke up long enough to go nose to nose with Frankie, and play squeakies with him, but then passed out again. while i was out, kelly came by, and normally that is enough to get me out off the couch, but not today.
i finally got up, made dinner and fed Frankie, and sure enough he got up and let us know it was time to go for a walk. he does this by walking into James' office, rubbing his face on James' leg, then getting himself stuck in the corner next to the desk where there is no room to turn around. James has to get up from the desk, move the chair, and help him turn around. seems a little demented on Frank's part, but it's genius! James needs a reason to get out of his chair, and Frank knows that once he's up, there is a good chance he'll get a treat or go for a walk.
if he's looking for me to take him out, he will sit in front of me. but he sits down REAL slow. and looks at me the whole time he is in the process of sitting down. almost like he's looking for a sign that i might get up before his ass hits the ground, and we can go for a walk. i'll mostly oblige him, but sometimes i just take him out to the front yard. when this happens, if he really wants to go, he will start walking down the street without me. he knows i'll follow him. if he wants to go to the park, he will wait behind my car, peeping around the bumper of my car to see if i'm coming to lift him up into the car for a ride. such a smart dog!
but back to walks. these evening walks are not just Frankie time, it's time that James and i catch up on what happened during our day. walks with Frank are leisurely, and just as in SF, people know Frank's name but not ours. We don't use a leash on him, just keep an ear on him. if i can hear his toenails on the cement, i know he is right behind us. once those nails go quiet, i stop walking, and so does James. Occasionally, people will be shy around him, so we have his leash collar on him for those instances. it's a handy contraption to have. and if we happen to see children, Frank LOVES kids, and will go right up to them and let them pet him.
tonight, while we were on our way around the block, i heard his toenails stop clicking so i turned around to see where he was. he had started walking on the lawn of one of our neighbors, so i continued my conversation with James. eventually, Frank walked off the lawn, and i saw he had something in his mouth. James saw it too, so he bent down to get it out, and when he stood back up, he opened his hand to reveal a chunk of dried rice. Frank had carried it in his mouth, not chewing, not swallowing, not eating...just...carrying :-) That's when i knew for sure that Frank was asian at heart heheheeee
and that was my day.
i talked to a few other people, and found out about the design house, an old Italian couple who have been designing luxury goods and clothing for over half a century. it's interesting, and terribly bright, almost a visual assault really, and some of the clothes are well cut and made with materials that are soft and durable, but really? i looked deeper, shopped through high end retailers for the name Missoni, and found clothing, housewares, luggage, office supplies... the clothing is upwards of $1000 per piece, same with luggage and housewares and household textiles (sheets and comforters) and Target was selling them for just 10% of that price. holy crap, no wonder people were going crazy about it.
i was put out by the competitive shopping nature of these people who stormed the store. and i had to stand in line behind these women who were fighting over the last pillow, the last dress, the last vase. i even saw a woman take a dress out of the cart of another lady when she wasn't looking. people are insane.
and tiresome. after that long day, i came home and immediately passed out. i woke up long enough to go nose to nose with Frankie, and play squeakies with him, but then passed out again. while i was out, kelly came by, and normally that is enough to get me out off the couch, but not today.
i finally got up, made dinner and fed Frankie, and sure enough he got up and let us know it was time to go for a walk. he does this by walking into James' office, rubbing his face on James' leg, then getting himself stuck in the corner next to the desk where there is no room to turn around. James has to get up from the desk, move the chair, and help him turn around. seems a little demented on Frank's part, but it's genius! James needs a reason to get out of his chair, and Frank knows that once he's up, there is a good chance he'll get a treat or go for a walk.
if he's looking for me to take him out, he will sit in front of me. but he sits down REAL slow. and looks at me the whole time he is in the process of sitting down. almost like he's looking for a sign that i might get up before his ass hits the ground, and we can go for a walk. i'll mostly oblige him, but sometimes i just take him out to the front yard. when this happens, if he really wants to go, he will start walking down the street without me. he knows i'll follow him. if he wants to go to the park, he will wait behind my car, peeping around the bumper of my car to see if i'm coming to lift him up into the car for a ride. such a smart dog!
but back to walks. these evening walks are not just Frankie time, it's time that James and i catch up on what happened during our day. walks with Frank are leisurely, and just as in SF, people know Frank's name but not ours. We don't use a leash on him, just keep an ear on him. if i can hear his toenails on the cement, i know he is right behind us. once those nails go quiet, i stop walking, and so does James. Occasionally, people will be shy around him, so we have his leash collar on him for those instances. it's a handy contraption to have. and if we happen to see children, Frank LOVES kids, and will go right up to them and let them pet him.
tonight, while we were on our way around the block, i heard his toenails stop clicking so i turned around to see where he was. he had started walking on the lawn of one of our neighbors, so i continued my conversation with James. eventually, Frank walked off the lawn, and i saw he had something in his mouth. James saw it too, so he bent down to get it out, and when he stood back up, he opened his hand to reveal a chunk of dried rice. Frank had carried it in his mouth, not chewing, not swallowing, not eating...just...carrying :-) That's when i knew for sure that Frank was asian at heart heheheeee
and that was my day.
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