hey guys-
as a note of tact, don’t email your girlfriend to tell her you just got stitches.
FOR ANY REASON.
A phone call is much more personal, and will be be easier on her psyche if she can hear that you’re okay.
*sighs*
I don’t care if Rudy has stitches, I’m gonna kick his ass tonight.
Since almost everyone that reads this goes to X-E, you know the results.
If you don’t- well, to be simple, I lost the Die-O-Rama Contest.
Pretty badly, if I do say so myself.
I’d talk about it- but I’m not feeling very happy, or good about myself- and it involves lots of cursing.
So.
I’ll just leave it at that.
Stopped by the shelter today to see if Honey was still there. Part of me was so angry that I put her life in danger- our shelter only allows rescues to adopt pit bulls and Honey only had 8 days to be claimed before she was put down. I could only think of the misery and suffering she must be enduring in that lonely, cold cell. I figured if she was there, I’d say hello and let her know that she’s not alone.
So I stopped in, and one of the Animal Control officers recognized me. She knew that we had brought in a dog yesterday and informed me that Candy (her name is Candy! how cyoot!) was picked up yesterday. So she wasn’t even at the shelter very long before her owner got her!
Also turns out that Candy doesn’t live too far away.
Not sure where, but ACO told me that they live only a block or so away.
So I can rest and breathe easy again. I did exactly what i should have, and it panned out.
Sigh.
As if my life wasn’t busy enough with halloween on its way and assistant coaching a team of nine year old girls and my Dog group…
God (or whoever it is up there that runs this show) has decided that throwing the most beautiful stray dog into the mix is just the right amount of crazy for me.
It started last light, around 6 pm. I had stayed home from work because I blew out my throat at the county fair. Rudy and I were coming back from the store and we stomped hard on teh brakes right around teh corner from our house.
There was a dog- a beautiful blue dog, rolling in the lawn of our neighbor’s house. Rudy and I gasped- it looked just like Cash!
We freaked out. I jumped out of the car and rudy went to park it. I called Cash- but the dog got up and I realized it wasn’t Cash.
It looked just like him- it was a blue brindle Pit Bull- a girl.
Part of my stomach flipped- if I didn’t get her and rein her in, she’d be a goner quick. Who knows who would pick her up and what kind of life she would have.
She could get hit by a car. Someone could be missing her.
So we corraled her in- some treats, a looped leash… and I got her bagged. SHe was such a good girl.
I walked her around the neighborhood, hopign someone would recognize her.
As I asked, people kept asking- That’s not your dog?! People thought she was Cash.
Eventually I got directed down thE backside of my block, where a gentleman was conviced that she was his neighbor’s dog. The dog didn’t respind to her name, which was “Socks”.
We put her in her backyard and left our number with the neighbor to let us know how it pans out.
Fifteen minutes later, we got a call- The dog wasn’t Socks. We had to go back and get her.
So my friend Kim and I went to get her. By this point, I was calling her Honey, cause she was just so amazingly sweet.
She hopped into Kim’s car and we cruised the neighborhood for a bit hoping we would see soemone looking around for a dog.
Eventually we realized she’s going to have to go SOMEWHERE. Since we didn’t know her temperment we were reluctant to take her to our own homes- so we decided to put her in teh overnight boxes at the shelter.
God threw another wrench in our works- Of the 6 overnight pens at the shelter, two were big-dog sized and four were small dog/cat sized.
And Both big dog pens were full- one with a very sick looking teacup poodle, and another with a young mother cat and 6 kittens.
We couldn’t leave her at the shelter.
With some string pulling, we were able to find a place to put Honey for the night- the side of our yard away from Cash’s kennel. She had to stay outside becuase She is NOT GOOD WITH CATS and the cats take the garage for the night.
Rudy is taking Honey to the Shelter today.
We hope her owners are looking for her and the Shelter is the first place I would look.
However, Our shelter only adopts Pit Bulls to Rescues- so if Honey doesn’t get claimed in Seven Days, she’s gone.
I’m hoping that if Honey doesn’t get home, we may be able to get my friend Ann- who runs a rescue- to get Honey sprung.
If worse comes to worst, we may foster Honey- but I just want Honey to go home.
said I would, so I am.
My dog Cash is a great goober of a dog.
One could say I’m biased.
But you would be hard pressed to find a dog willing to do many of the things Cash does for nothing more than a small nibble of a treat and a bum scratch.
Especially since many of his stunts involve wearing a variety of mildy functional attire.
I tell you, this dog puts up with anything i dish out at him. It’s a testament to his breed- the American Pit Bull Terrier is known for being able to be manhandled by his owner with nary a whine or complaint.
Well, Cash will sometimes let me know he’s not happy by pawing or attempting to back out- but a treat will cause him to stand stock still and take the “abuse”.
Some of my bully-owning friends say that dressing up a Pit Bull perpetuates the breed poorly- people may get the idea that they are easy to take care of and are good dogs for average people.
Other people say that dressing them up makes them less macho.
And I say- If dressing my dog up causes strangers to have a GOOD REACTION to a pit bull, how is that BAD?
If People feel more comfortable asking me questions if my dog is in a dinosaur costume than bare skin- that’s fine with me.
He doesn’t care- he gets pets and cookies- so he’s happy as a clam, despite the goofy getup.
It’s about EDUCATION, not about image.
Talking about the breed, teaching people how to act around dogs, teaching them NOT TO FEAR.
Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that no, this breed isn’t easy.
Owning a dog isn’t easy. If you think it is- then you’re doing something wrong.
Dogs have the mental capacity of a two-year old.
Now add the heft of 80 lbs to that and a stubborn streak- and you got yourself Cash here.
How can THAT be easy?
So, off my high horse.
And on to the photos!
* * *
Cash has a variety of functional items that he wears.
Raincoat for a wet day- no one likes the smell of wet dog, and not giving Cash his daily walk is the equivalent of a fuzzy wrecking ball.
His Doggy backpack. When we go hiking, we carry backpacks. Why not let cash do the same? That way he can carry his own water, his own snacks instead of us breakign our back for him. He also really likes his pack- it means ADVENTURE!
A couple I pass off as functional, but are more for my amusement.
This dog sweater makes him look like a tough guy- like that bruiser bulldog from the Looney Tunes cartoons.
The doggles are my newest acquisition. I claim that they are to protect his eyes from teh sun and the gravel- he likes to stick his head out of the truck and that’s dangerous!
But honestly, how can you be afraid of a dog wearing goggles?! YOU CANT!
And A couple are just to see what he will take- how far he will let me go.
His halloween costume last year. He was a shark. Freekin’ hilarious. I thought the blue would match better, but whatever, eveyone was drunk.
For the Christmas Prade, I made Cash a Jingle Collar and bought a matching hat. I thoguth he was going to try and eat that hat, but no! He would rather eat ham chunks I had in my treat bag.
I am still begging for photos of Cash from the Saddle Horse parade… I hand made Cash a vinyl Saddle! He had no problem wearing it and people thought it was great.
I feel so left out not showing off my camera phone pix. While when I got my phone it was really important that I have one- I rarely use it. However, when I do need it, it’s so sweet that it’s right there. Besides, me writing shit down? WITH MY HANDWRITING? Shit. Just take a pic.
So a lot of these photos are ancient. That’s cool, right?
Anyway- off we go!
This one… uhm. Yeah, looks like exactly what it is. Me taking a pic of the store hours of a place we simply can’t seem to get the hours right on. Every time we go, the damn place is closed. It’s actually a pretty neat picture- the mirrored tinting makes for an interesting composition.
Ohman. Uhm. I had to go to a Motivation Seminar. There were some interesting moments, and it was a day out of the office, but everything else was lame. Even my lunch was lackadaisical (I love that word). So yah. I doodled. A picture of Cash, asking for more turkey necks. He likes turkey necks.
Rudy gave his brothers Raiders tickets for Christmas. They went and tailgated for three hours before the game. His younger brother took this picture of him. I really quite like it. And uhm… yeah, that flag hangs in front of our house, seriously. It makes it look like I live with a houseful of goddamn pirates. Well, cause I do. Anyway.
This one- wow. That is old. Okay. Back when I worked at BevMo, we were working Christmas eve, and it was dead slow. My assistant manager is a prankster, and to play a joke on our receiver, he stacked all the empty kegs in front of the receiving door. And… well, it kinda grew. There’s a lot of crap there- lots of empty kegs, keg buckets, packing peanuts and we somehow wound up with a bunch of tinsel. It was probably the best day of work EVER. And then I walked out after closing to find my tires were slashed.
When a moment comes up like this, you can’t pass it up. Edgar- Rudy’s cousin, and my honorary brother- is a mechanic. He got a contract with the Sheriff’s department to work on their cars… and somehow, a Santa Cruz County Sheriff lost his driver’s side door.
And this last one… We pass by a full-scale Stonehenge replica every time we drive to Washington State. This last time we drove, we stopped and finally checked it out. Simply awe-inspiring. There also seems to be a monument erected to Sam Hill there…
There ay go kidlets. Hope the stories were interesting, enjoy das piccies!
So!
Last Saturday I went to my first ever Lucha Libre Mexicana match. And from the amount of fun I had, it will not be my last. The language barrier wasn’t an issue- my rudimentary knowledge of the language, combined with my boyfriend/translator made it really easy to understand. While I show you pictures, I figured I would tell you guys things that I was told while I watched that made it easy for me to understand.
El Rayo De Jalisco!
Lucha Libre Is Entertainment.
First and foremost- The luchadores seek to amuse you. Whether that is with silly antics or high-flying off the top ropes, or even as far as spending time to sign autographs and gladhanding the fans- that’s what they’ll do, and they’ll do it with a smile.
There’s no denying that they are athletic. But they recognize that what they do is NOT a sport- its entertainment. And people love it- Fully grown spectators were dressed up like their favorite wrestlers, right next to their kids. And The Luchadores feed off the crowd too. They find what the crowd wants, and cater to them. It’s like improv combined with ridiculous costumes and fighting.
Cassandro- a cross-dressing Luchador... and really good!
Matches are Best 2 of 3.
Called “Mexican Rules”, the winner is the winner of the majority of three matches. That way, everyone wrestling gets a chance in the limelight, a chance to pin and win or lose and be pinned. It really seems to help you identify with the characters, too. It’s also tag team- it’s rare when wrestlers go one-on-one.
Blue Demon Jr. ! Used to be a Rudo... now A Technico (good guy!)
You always know who the bad guys are.
The Bad guys in Lucha Libre are called Rudos or singularly, a Rudo. They always introduce the Rudos second, and you’re supposed to hate them. They cheat, they scheme, and they tend to be cowardly and not as physically impressive. It’s great fun to hate on someone like that- when you know who you’re supposed to dislike it makes it easy.
El Rayo and Partner celebrate the removal of Opponent's mascaras.
Losing your Mascara is akin to death.
Your mask is your identity in Lucha Libre. Not everyone wears masks, though. But if you do… YOU DO. That mask is who you are. When you are in public, you wear your mask. Whether it is doing laundry or going to get dinner at a fine restaurant- you are your persona, and you wear your mask. Sometimes people will threaten to take your mask- and you fight it with all your might. And when that mask is lost, that mask can never be worn again. Not by you, not by anyone. And you can never wear any mask again. So losing your mask means either you wrestle without a mask for the rest of your days- forever shamed for losing your mask- or you retire.
El Ultimo Tigre Poses for Pictures after his Match.
There is very little security.
Maybe it was just our event, but it seemed that the crowd could walk up to their favorite stars and take pictures and get autographs. They could crowd the wrestlers as they go to and from the stage. It made it very intimate. The wrestlers also interacted with the crowds- stealing their beers, heckling them back, and throwing each other into the seats. It was hilarious.
So I recommend, if you ever get the chance- go!
It’s so worth it. And because it’s mostly physical, there’s not much of a need to understand what’s being said.
So, like I said, I went camping this past weekend. It was a little damper than I prefer, making Camp generally a bit less comfortable than I would have liked. But I didn’t complain. Go me!
Our big event of the weekend was our Hike trip. I was ambitious and selected a relatively long and challenging hike. It was a 4-mile hike that rises in elevation almost 600 feet in the first 1.5 miles.
The highlight of the hike was at our turnaround point. There was a small hike that was the furthest away from our entry point called the Old Mine Loop. Mines, huh? Sounds promising, right? The long hike combined with a looping old trail piqued my curiosity. So that was our goal of the whole crazy hike. To do the Old Mine loop and maybe see an old mine.
We were pretty bummed when we reached the end of the Old mine Loop. No mine. No rest spot, no ANYTHING. Not even a decent view. So we were ready to give up on our fruitless hike when I saw a patch of gray out in a valley beyond the barbed wire fence that was the boundary of the park. A bit of head bobbing and nosing about revealed it was a LAKE!
We consulted the map.
The map said it was “Land Not Open To The Public.”
Not “Private Property”, as that was coded differently.
That led us to believe that it was park property- but because it was so far back into the middle of nowhere, that they didn’t want gooney folks drowning in it, dirtying it up and doing bad thing way back in there.
Imagine also, if the word of a small swimming hole so close to home got out.
The place would turn into a trash dump.
Dying for a sense of adventure, I poked around the fence line, and found a well-worn path through the fence and in the general direction of the lake. I was amped, and yet really nervous.
When we reached the general area, we realized it wasn’t just a lake, but a lake with a boat-house like structure and a dock.
From the architecture style and its wood quality, it looks like it was built in the 80’s and had been maintained until about 15-20 years ago. All the rubbish we saw- which wasn’t much- was old, at least a few years old. And it was strangely devoid of graffiti. There was some, but nothing too big. There were glass panes in the building, and the fact they weren’t broken was a bit of a testament to the place. Whoever came here was respectful enough to keep the place intact.
We had to be careful of our step- every single step sounded so loud, and the wood groaned under our weight. I advised Rudy to walk on the nail lines- those would be the beams and would support our weight better than the straight deck planking.
It was really quite nice- quiet, secluded. I bet the lake had some decent fishing options in it- as someone used to give a crap about this place and probably stocked the lake a long time ago. I imagine duck hunting could be an option too, as we heard coots screaming at us from deep in the reeds.
We didn’t stay long, there wasn’t much to do but look and technically, we weren’t supposed to be there. But it’s been in my head for days. I want to know more about it. Who owns the land, what that place was used for. Stuff like this always haunts me.
I did find a guy who saw the lake and wrote about it, but didn’t get as close as I did.
But that’s all I have been able to find.
I’ll let you know more when I find out more.
Like my own little Advent mystery- only it’s not Advent.
Cool, huh?
I am going camping for the weekend.
Strangely enough, this is the third time I have gone camping this year.
Normally we’ve been pretty moderate with our camping. Once, maybe twice in the season. This year, we camped in Mid march (froze our asses off) and then again in May- as I told you the tale of the Shitty Winds.
Our desire to aggressively camp comes from our desire to be prepared. If shit ever hits the fan, we want to be sure that we can get up and go.
Rudy is worried about the end of the B’ak’tun and thinks it would be better to be prepared and ready to go out into the wilderness, than to be unprepared and wait for the inevitable if we stay in the cities. Cities are always the epicenter for major civil disruptions; so the further you are from a city, the less you will be affected.
I don’t want to believe that 2012 will be TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it), but I want to at least put up a fight if it is. My larger concern is population and our own sustainability. This earth can’t sustain us for much longer if we keep up our rate of consumption, so we should find ways to take care of ourselves on our own- without having to fight for resources.
Our goal of saving our asses is simple. We load up our gear, and Cash in the truck. We drive as far as we can into the local valleys and find a place to call our own. If we need to, we will ditch the truck and hike in further. Our gear isn’t light; by we’ve determined we can manage it. Besides, we live in California- our winters are moderate. Snow clothes will keep us more than warm in the just-above-freezing chill. Considering San Benito County is less than 100,000 people- many who are already able to take care of themselves- we shouldn’t have a problem finding a gully or creek we can hide out in. The lands just south of us are rough and rugged, and the home of ancient volcanoes- so the land is rich and rife with wilderness. Wild pig are plentiful, ground squirrel are easy pickings. We could always eat vegetation.
Cash has a decent prey drive; an empty belly will easily increase it- he can hunt his own food. He can also serve as sentry and guard. Pit Bulls are also known for being great pig dogs; he can help with taking down a variety of animals. If our ancestors used dogs, we can definitely benefit by his inclusion in our party.
Our preparation is far from complete. But by simply getting started, we are father along than a large portion of the population.
Are you prepared?
Wow, so this weekend was just… wow!
I had my huge HDOG event, which totally blew my mind- it was so much better than I had imagined. We had over 20 vendors, a dozen rescues. We had 7 dogs pass their CGC tests ( awesome!) and almost 500 people attended the event in its first year! We only had one dog squabble and it was between two dogs who knew each other in a high energy area.
Cash fell in love with lure coursing. I know he’ll never be competition level, but he enjoys it so much that I want to make it a regular habit for him. He was also an amazing breed ambassador- he kept his wits and manners about him and generally enjoyed himself.
The event did fatigue me hardcore, though. I’m still sore from all the EZ-ups, the tables, the mopping, the setting up and taking down of everything. But it was so worth it. So much more than what I expected it to be. The final monies aren’t in, but it was a success nevertheless.
I think what amped me the most was that my Dog Days design was featured everywhere! It was on Tshirts, bags, magnets and keychains. It made me all giddy and mushy- and I couldn’t stop smiling. They even had to order a second batch of t’s due to demand! It feels good to see that my work is so admired.
Not only that, but the City has finally given the go-ahead to start making a Dog park out at our Airport. That’s got us psyched. All of our hard work has finally given us a place to begin calling our own! I feel so proud to be a part of something big like this.
And even moreso since they offered me the position of Treasurer since the VP stepped down and all the other positions moved up. Right now being the treasurer doesn’t mean much- there’s no true Cash flow, but as things begin moving they’ll be needing my help to manage things- we’re actually all in this together and I’m glad to be a part of it as well as have the support.
And being the only Committee member with a full blood Pittie kid, I feel like I am going to only help the Bully community with such a high profile position and such an amazing beast under my control.
So that’s been my week so far… just reeling!
Here’s some pix for you guys to enjoy.
Ooh, don’t those cookies look good enough to eat? Well, you can, but they are fer Doggies! The Girl Scouts outdid themselves, no?
This is what it’s all about- doggies from all different walks of life being doggies. This here is a red/fawn Dobie and a Dogue de Bordeaux. Both are 5 months old.
Here’s a pic of Beasley- Cash’s buddy. Bees is half pit/ half dane… and all submissive effeminate goober. I think that’s why Cash loves him.
Irish Wolfhounds. Just… amazing dogs. They are so elegant but goofy with all that hair. Someday I’ll have one. Maybe.
This was a part of the Search and Rescue Demo. I had an idea that dogs could climb ladders, but have never seen it before. What a trip!
Here is a pic of Cash taking off for lure-coursing. I had never seen him throw himself into a run like he did that day- he looked like a lion tearing after an antelope! It wasn’t elegance- it was the power in his stride that amazed me.
Enjoy, y’all!
