Man's Best Friend

The challenge today (01.29.12) is to post five positive things after having lost something or someone. Last night I lost my dog of 4 years, Big Mac.  I adopted Big Mac from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. They offer a great service to the area.  Big Mac was an amazingly loving dog. Affectionate, protective, obedient, funny, and one of the few dogs that you can see a smile on his face.  He will be missed.

By starting the list in order of the day, I can make the best effort to find all the great things in the day.

1. I went to Cafe Rio today after a long hiatus - their salads are the bomb!  The tomatillo salad dressing is amazing. 
2. Chatting with some friends about the events of Saturday night allowed me to vent.  I am grateful for that. 
3. It's always nice to hang out with Myra - we went to Cracker Barrel and to the movies to see "The Gray". I love how we can plan something impromptu.
4. I am so grateful for the friends I've made in the area.  The ones who were nearby came over while I was grieving the loss of Big Mac.  I always knew this could happen but you never know how you will deal with it when it does. I love that the experiences of all of my friends helped me to cope with it and to pull it together to take him into the veterinarian to be cremated.  Anton, Don, Alan, and Myra - y'all are awesome!
5. I have never had a pet die that I was the sole caretaker for. When I took him into the vet, they offered to make a paw print of him. At first I didn't want any memories of him but I'm glad I told them that I did want it done.  While I haven't brought myself to even look at it, I am glad that I have it for the time I am ready.

Let's Get Physical, Physical.. I Wanna Get Physical...

It ain't the type of physical you might be thinkin'!  I was doing some work around the house.  I bought the parts to stack my washer and dryer and my roommate helped me with the install. Man that was a heavy piece of machinery!  It's up there now. WHEW! My right shoulder is now sore and it's 12:04 AM.. I hope it's not worse tomorrow.  My next challenge is to install this new power cord to the dryer - the current one is now not long enough to reach the outlet.  The physical work is never done because I'm also supposed to go to the gym tomorrow.  Oh well - I'm thankful for being able to be physical. Things could always be worse - but this blog is all about positivity, right? LOLOLOL Let's get to it!

1. I ventured out to the stores - well, Old Navy that is.  I got a great deal on a couple of sweaters and a pair of jeans.  I finally have a sweater that's not navy or black. It's green!!
2. My neighborly neighbor, Don came by to invite me over to drinks. That was really nice of him.
3. While at my neighbor's, Don's partner's parents were over visiting as well. I love talking to them. They are so laid back and open to topics of conversation.  I have always gravitated to talking to the parents of friends of mine. It was a very enjoyable conversation. 
4. That chicken I made in the crock pot yesterday - um, yes, it is STILL delicious.  I love a crock potted chicken.  
5. Tonight Big Mac (my dog) moseyed on outside the front door as I was talking with my neighbor on the porch. He went a few houses down until I called his name and he came running back into the house with no complications to get him inside.  This dog is TRAINED!  I love that and I love that he is such a good boy.  When we both got in the house I praised him and gave him two treats. 

The Honey Badger Don't Care!

This morning I discovered "Randall".  He's a narrator of nature videos and other random fun clips.  It reminds me of the game we played in the fraternity house when we were bored called, "Mute TV".  At any rate, it was a great way to start my day - laughing!

1. If you didn't know anything about the honey badger - know this. The honey badger don't care.  He don't give a shit. hahaha The videos (some of them) from Randall are hilarious. Check out these two:  The Nastyass Honey Badger, Jem and Crown Eagles are Nasty Bwahahaha!
2. While walking the dog late this afternoon on a new path, an older man walked by, smiled and said, "hi." Now I know that's not anything unusual to some but I think it's really nice.  It's nice to have a stranger smile and say hi to you acknowledges your presence in the world.
3. I haven't watched X Factor much this season but I did watch the finale.  I'm so happy that Melanie won.  She sings this song like the champ she is!  CHECK IT OUT!
4. Sara surprised me with some delicious cookies she made for me as a Christmas gift. This is a good thing and bad thing. The bad thing is that I've eaten most of the cookies already. hahahaha
5. The Governor told us all to have a Merry Christmas and allowed us to leave work at 3PM today. That's one good reason to like him. That's all I'll say about that since I try to keep this blog uplifting and positive. hahahaha