random observationisms

Watching the Foosball
My track record in football games over the past few weeks is not good; I keep backing the wrong horses. I was hoping the Baltimore Ravens would lose in the first round of the playoffs. They did not. Then, I was hoping the Indianapolis Colts would win. They did not. I was rooting for Ohio State, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, and Ball State in various bowl games. They all lost. Surely the New York Giants can buck this trend and beat the Philadelphia Eagles, right? Nope. Oh, well. Maybe I'll break my age-old rule and actually root for the Pittsburgh Steelers, even though that's a cardinal sin for someone from Northeast Ohio.

Kid Genes
I've never been able to explain why I'm missing the kid genenome. I'm an uncle to over 10 nieces and nephews, and we live next door to a house full of pre-teen girls. But as far as having any interest in my own kids, there is less than zero. Never had any interest whatsoever in having kids. And part of me actually feels slightly guilty about this. We know people that can't have children and would give anything to be parents. When I'm around them and I make a comment about not wanting kids, you can see the disappointment on their faces. I wish only the best for them and I'm sympathetic to their reproductive struggles, but I decided a long, long time ago kids were not in my cards.

Puppy vs. Treadmill
All in all, Traz has been an easy foster dog. Other than the initial snapping from the other dogs on Day One, we've had no aggression from anyone. To-date, Traz has eaten a hole through a blanket, dug up and eaten some lanscape lights, likes to chew on towels and throw rugs, and loves to eat frozen clumps of dirt and mulch (but, you know, who doesn't?!). Otherwise, he hasn't done anything overly destructive. Yesterday, however, he told us what he thought of the treadmill by standing on it and peeing. He has not peed in the house before or since, but -- for whatever reason -- he decided the treadmill was dirty and needed hosed off. Maybe that's why Mason tried to pee on RanDee in the shower...?!

What's in a Name?
Speaking of Traz, how many nicknames does a foster dog need to have before he ceases to be a "foster" and you start referring to him as "your new dog"? So far, he is known as Alcatraz, Alka Selzter, Traz, Traz Man, Trazzy, Trazmanian Devil, Traz-continental, Traz-Siberia, Trazlator, Trazformer, Trazmission, Trazzador, Traztastic Man......or just Puppeh.

Alert Level: Orange (High)
After losing two dogs in five weeks towards the end of last year, I've found I'm still on high alert. Yesterday, Darcy got sick and threw up across three throw rugs (never mind the rest of the floor is tile, of course...she HAD to throw up on the rugs, because that is Canine Law). For the rest of the day, I was trying to watch her every move and make sure she didn't throw up again. If she had, I probably would have taken her to the emergency vet clinic. Thankfully, she ate her dinner without incident and she seems her normal self today. We went to the dog park and she did her normal Basset-Spaniel behavior: wander, sniff, wander, pee, wander, bake tarts, wander, attack dog five times her size... Since then, she has eaten a bull penis and is now chewing on a bone. Life is good!