If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now!!!

What an awful campaign strategy for trying to lease an apartment. Basically, the landlord is saying "We have no redeemable qualities at our apartments. "

• What about amenities such as a dishwasher? Sure, if you call your hands in the sink a dishwasher.
•  Are the schools nice? Who knows and who cares.
• What about the crime rate? My guess is it's pretty bad, too.

All they can say about their place is that it is close to work at a place that has a panoramic view of a highway where commuters can look at signs for apartments available for lease.

That was my rambling thought for the day.

Tamra and Real Housewives of OC on Sunday

Tamra, last night, had some 'girl talk' with Vicki while they were vacationing in Mexico. Tamra boasted about how potent her Latin Lover was, saying "One time we did it for 5 hours . . . And he had 3 orgasms." I was thinking "Give me a fucking break!" Even Vicki seemed a little suspicious. But since she was uncomfortable with the conversation, she didn't follow up on any details.

• My first thought was this is a 37 year old guy, so did he need a little help (blue pills)?
• Did he do it for 5 hours straight without taking it out?
• Or did he do it three times in five hours with a couple of rest breaks?
• Lastly, did the sexy-time include foreplay?

Phantom Noises

I went to visit my mom this weekend. When I first walked down the hallway, for a split second, I thought I heard Andy's characteristic breathing. I stopped for a moment but quickly realized my Little Man was gone and the noises were not real.

Does This Mean the End of the T-Mobile Hot Chick? orBig Fish Eat Little Fish

I hate to sound all pinko-commie and everything, but I hope this AT&T takeover of T-Mobile falls through. The number of cell phone providers is rapidly shrinking. It will be hard to convince me this will be good for customers. I've rarely seen or heard of a monopoly/oligopoly that had the consumers' best interests at heart.




I especially don't like AT&T. I remember the good ol' days when they tightly controlled the phone industry. Service was poor and expensive. The bastards nickel-and-dimed us to death.



Lastly, I don't like AT&T cell phone service. I used someone's cell phone one day who had AT&T service. Talking on that phone was like talking on a walkie-talkie. It sucked.



Why do I care? I used to have SunCom, but they were gobbled up by T-Mobile. Now T-Mobile is about to be swallowed by AT&T. I won't have many places to run to if AT&T takes over T-Mobile.



I bet there will be some awkward moments when the T-Mobile guys meet the AT&T guys after the way T-Mobile has portrayed AT&T as a completely, clueless, obtuse oaf!

A Big "Fuck You"

(L-R) Abby & Andy

A couple of years ago when Andy's back problems first surfaced, I asked the vet if he made house visits to euthanize pets. At the time, I knew I'd be moving from Raleigh and was worried my mom would be stuck at home one day with a large, dying dog. Our vet said "Sure". He told me he had done that before for other clients. I felt relieved. I told my mom about what the vet said. She, too, felt relieved knowing that at Andy's end, she wouldn't have to fret over getting Andy to the vet.




Fast forward a couple of years. Late last week, my mom called the vet to see if he could come out in a couple of days to euthanize Andy. The receptionist told my mom she would relay the message to our vet. When the receptionist called back, the answer was "No." Frustrated and in disbelief, my mom called back to make sure the vet said what he did. It was still "No." The vet said another vet abruptly quit and he was too busy to come out.



We took him at his word, left it at that and called another vet who did come out on Monday to euthanize Andy.



Today, my cousin spoke to an old friend in Knightdale. The old friend wasn't doing well. His dog died and a vet had to put down his dog. The vet who put down his dog was our vet. Not only did our vet euthanize that dog on the same day Andy was euthanized, but the vet went to the guy's house to do the procedure.



The same fucking day as Andy! I felt like I had been kicked in the teeth. There is a part of me that wants to confront the guy to find answers. His act was a big "Fuck You" to me and my mom. We had been going to his clinic since the early 80's. Words like "sorry ass", "ass hole" , "piece of shit" and "dipshit" crossed my mind.



I'm not sure if we'll use his services again.

Beyoncé Has Better Grammar Than Clay Aiken

American Idol is on tonight. I was thinking about past contestants which led me to Clay Aiken. He, too, is from Raleigh. Then I thought about how Beyoncé has better grammar than Aiken.




In Beyoncé's song, "If I Were a Girl", she is singing as if she were a guy. As such, she correctly used the subjunctive mood of to be "were." Since she is singing as if she were a dude, she didn't use "If I was a girl."



However, Clay sang "If I was invisible." This is wrong. He can't be invisible, so he should have used the subjunctive mood and sang instead "If I were invisible."



That is my rambling thought for the day.

The Bluebook Exam Is the Wonderland for the Anal Retentive

Not this one . . .

And not this one either . . .



BUT This ONE!!!

That is all I have to say about that.

Andy4/28/1998-3/21/2011

Andy's Last Photo:  Even when he was old and dying, he was cute!

My Little Man died today. He fell down hard on late Wednesday night and wasn't able to get up for a couple of days. When he did get up, he was very wobbly and could only take a few steps before falling.




Finally, we called a vet who came in this morning and euthanized him. There was no doubt it was his time. We hung on to him as long as we could. Keeping him longer would have been torture for my Baby Boy.



The vet said Andy may have had a blood clot. Sometimes it can take a while for those things to dislodge after surgery to cause harm even though Andy's last surgery was two years ago.



He's in pain no longer.

I Think The End Is Near for Andy

My mom said he fell down late Wednesday night and has not gotten up since. He's got a healthy appetite and drinks his usual amount of water. He doesn't appear to be in pain. I've come down for the weekend on the outside hope I can help him get better. I don't think he will. I have to try.

Peggy from Real Housewives OC

She sort of looks like Ann Coulter

RHW OC introduced the new cast member on Sunday. Her name is Peggy. She's almost a caricature of a stereotypical Southern Californian woman. She's attractive in a Stepford-esque way. She married a younger guy, how much younger, I don't know. I have no idea what her occupation is or what her husband's is. I don't even know if she has kids.




She is apparently pro-2nd Amendment. They showed her whooping it up at a shooting range with her wearing heels.



The casting directors picked out a lively one. Peggy should fit right in this crowd. I'm sure she will be a good source of drama and discord.

The Party Is Over

My Pitiful Little Man

The party is over. Spring Break ended and classes have started back. I accomplished some of the things I wanted but there were a couple of things that need to be done, and right soon.




When Andy saw me pack away my laptop, he knew I was about to leave. He showed me the most long and pitiful face he possibly could. He knows how to give me a guilt trip. As I bent down to kiss him, he resisted me pulling his head to me. He gets so upset when I leave that he tenses up. Fortunately, Andy doesn't pine over anyone who is not around. Once that person is gone, they are out of sight and out of mind.

Specialists in Animal Care

Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Cary

Looking at the pets in a lobby at a veterinary specialist's office can be depressing (the clinic we went to was Veterinary Specialists Hospital). The pets tend to be older. They have gray faces; they are weak and feeble. Their eyes do not have the bright and clear appearance younger animals have. Instead, their eyes will be dull and cloudy. Some dogs will have shaved patches where they had had surgery. Sometimes, the owners are as old and forlorn as their pets.




When I was waiting in the lobby the other day waiting for our checkout papers to be processed, I saw big German Shepherd. My first thought was about Dodo's safety. A big dog like that could have chewed up Dodo. And German Shepherd's can be head strong. I worried if the owner would keep control of the thing. I realized the dog only had three legs. I later heard the vet discuss chemo, so the german shepherd must have had cancer and or a tumor. This dog was bouncing off the walls and was quite the handful. What the hell was this dog like when she had all four legs?



A few years ago, I took Andy to the same clinic I took Dodo the other day. I forget what exactly was wrong with Andy. He had some clouding of the eye the specialist could not fix. Other than that, Andy was in very good shape. Watching Andy in comparison to the other pets in that clinic was like watching an Olympian stroll the lobby at a nursing home. A few years have gone by. Andy's bad back has limited his mobility. The arthritis has hobbled him, too. Now, Andy would fit right in with the rest of the typical clients at the clinic.

The Rubber MatchUNC v. Duke, ACC Championship Game

Carolina got into the ACC championship game by luck and determination. I am glad they made it this far. However, if UNC is going to lose in the ACC Tourny, please don't let them lose to Duke. I could see the silver lining in other years when UNC had an early exit in the ACC tourny. At least then, I didn't have to see them lost to Duke. I especially didn't have to see the pasty faced ugly Dookies scream and cheer as Rat Face won yet another ACC championship.




I was at Duke's pool during a swim meet when I fucked up my shoulder in high school. This gives me that much more reason to hate them.



Go to hell Duke.



GO TAR HEELS!!!!!

Dodo Is Going to Be OKButHe's Old!

It looks like Dodo won't need surgery after all! The vet said the growth on his eye was eosinophilic keratitis. The inflammation is an autoimmune disease common to cats, dogs and horses. The disease is not painful but if it advances too far, then it could lead to vision problems.




Dodo had a particularly rough trip. Within a mile into the trip, I heard water falling. "Crap, please don't let Dodo have peed in his cage," I thought. He did. Even worse, I didn't put a towel down to sop up any pee such as in events like this. When the vet tech pulled Dodo out, he was soaking in pee on his underside. We got in and out of the vet pretty quickly. I didn't even have to introduce myself when I walked in the lobby. The person behind the counter asked "Is this Dodo?"



The vet pulled out some Buck Rogers hi-tech equipment. He took a look around, took some pics of Dodo's eyes. He explained to me what was going on. I was relieved Dodo didn't need surgery. The vet gave us two ointments. One will be administered for a month, and the other for 2 months.



The vet asked me how old Dodo was. I said he must be at least 5 years old. I didn't know Dodo's real age and explained to the vet how Dodo first appeared at our house in 2008. Dodo was a stray. The vet said that given the thickness of Dodo's lens, Dodo is about 10 years old! Poor Dodo is getting to be an old man. He's almost as old as Pandy Please! When the vet gave his estimate of Dodo's age, I felt like something had been stolen from me. I felt like time with Dodo had been taken from me.

Conscientious Objectors Still Exist???

Should the Writers Have Made Pyle Go to Vietnam?

After I saw the title of the article (see below), I thought "Who in the hell is a conscientious objector in today's time?" After all, there is no draft. If you don't want to go to war, then don't join the military (at least if you're in the U.S.).



http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/thewrongstuff/




It reminds me of an episode of MASH where an injured lieutenant tried to get out of the service. The lieutenant signed up for the ROTC in his college days. The lieutenant used the ROTC as a scholarship fund without thinking of what his duties would be or could be when he got his commission. Alan Alda was beside himself when he heard of the lieutenant's scheme to get out of his obligations. Alda was especially livid when the lieutenant said "I didn't think there would be a war."



Pierce excoriated the lieutenant by saying 'By god, didn't you think of reading the fine print before you signed up for the ROTC that says 'in case of war you may have to go fight in it'?"



The article wasn't really about conscientious objectors. Slate just used a conscientious objector's plight as a pretext to bash Bush. It was nice to have some corn-fed All-American boy doing the bashing.

Pure Innocence

I just took the above photo today. He's the picture of innocence. He has less than 50 days until his 13th birthday.

Look at all the rugs and runners. We have them so Andy won't fall on the slippery hardwoods. So far, our efforts to keep him from falling have worked.

That Was Painless

NC DMV HQ (courtesy of Google)

Yesterday, I turned in the tags to my dad's car. Even though he died over 6 months ago, I finally got around to doing this. I admit I did dread doing this. However, I was pleasantly surprised about the speed of service. It took me longer to park my car and walk to the building than for the DMV to accomplish the task.




When I walked into the room for 'tags & titles', the line extended beyond the velvet ropes all the way to the door. I braced myself for a long wait. However, as DMV worker walked by and asked me if I was there to drop off my tags. When I said yes, she said all I had to do is go to the desk up front and someone behind the counter would take care of me. And just like that, I was done at the DMV.



I wasn't sore when I woke up yesterday. However, as the day progressed, I started getting sore. Today, I'm sore from the swimming on Monday.

That Was Painful

Pullen Park Pool

Yesterday, I went lap swimming for the first time since 2008. Believe me, it was not a pretty site. I suck at swimming almost as much as I suck at running now. At least with running, I have an excuse because of my compartment syndrome. I took things nice and slow. I did 1500 yards in about 40 minutes. All I did was freestyle. I swam some and used the pull buoys. I also did some kicks with flippers.




The last time I swam laps, I was a little too aggressive. I shouldn't have swam butterfly. My shoulder paid the price for it. This is the same shoulder I pulled out of socket during a race when I was 16. That damn thing hasn't been the same ever since.



Twenty years ago when I was swimming in this very pool, I never thought I'd a) be this out of shape and b) be a law student. Who knows what the next 20 years have in store for me.



I wonder if I'll be sore tomorrow, you know the whole DOMS, things. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. I feel OK right now but I am a little tight.

Real Housewives OC Is Off to a Good Start

I may have to change my mind about RHW ATL being the most dramatic in the RHW series. Bravo was showing the previews for the rest of the season for RHW OC. Considering how things went on this season's premiere and what was on the previews for the rest of the season, the OC ladies may take the mantle of most volatile and crazy cast.




I used to feel sorry for Gretchen, but after the stunt she pulled last night, I'm starting to think she's mean as hell. She said Tamra was a crazy, evil bitch. Gretchen was a sloppy drunk. As the party went on she became more loud and obnoxious.



Meanwhile, Lynn has left the show. I didn't know she was dropping out. Bravo has brought in a new cast member. Her name is Peggy. Of course she has blonde hair. And Peggy likes to shoot guns. We didn't get to see Peggy last night. I guess Bravo wanted to keep us in suspense.

Edit:

I forgot to mention that former Big Brother winner, Will Kirby, made a cameo appearance last night on RHW OC. Tamra was in his office getting her tattoos removed.

HELL TO THE YESSS!!!!!!!! A New Season of Real Housewives OC, Tonight!

Mark your calendars, reality TV lovers. Bravo. Sunday nights. 10 pm.

This should be fun. I like RHW ATL the best, but I think RHW OC has the prettiest cast. I wonder if that dipshit, Slade, will be on this season.

Anyway, a new season starts tonight. I don't have school tomorrow. That makes me very happy!

Dodo May Need Surgery

I took Dodo to the vet because something is wrong with his left eye. A growth had appeared a few weeks ago and has become noticeably bigger in the last week. I hope it's not cancer. I also hope it's not FIV related. Dodo is FIV positive.

On the trip to the vet, he cried all the way there. He hates being in that cage. Fortunately, I was able to record his cries by calling home and leaving a message on the answering machine. I know it's a kooky way to record something, but I had to improvise. What the hell. It worked.

Dodo weighed 14 pounds and 9 ounces. He has gained a tad, but otherwise he's at a good weight. About Dodo's eye, the vet said it was a 'growth'. He didn't elaborate. The vet said an eye specialist should look at Dodo. The eye specialist was not in today, so a follow-up visit is necessary. Dodo will most likely need surgery.



I hope he doesn't lose his eye. He has such pretty blue eyes. Maybe we'll put a patch over his eye. That way he'll look like a pirate or Moshe Dayan.

No More Mister Nice GuyorAmerican Idol Has a New Villain?

The ground has shifted beneath Randy Jackson's feet. No longer is he the nice guy on the panel of judges on American Idol. When Simon left American Idol, a void was created. It looks like Randy is starting to play the role of the villain.




Last night, there was one performance in particular that I thought sucked. Steven and Jennifer were all nice and supportive. But Randy kept it real. The audience responded with displeasure and booing. I'm glad Randy said what he did. If the show gets any softer, it may as well be put on Lifetime Network.