Char's New Experience

On Easter, Jay and I went to a picnic help by the Filipino Community at a park. We brought Charlotte with us, and there learned form one of the other party goers that the fenced area just behind where we were was a dog park. It was an amazing day outside and I had been wanting to find a good dog park for Char, so Jay and I ate and promptly walked her over.

Charlotte does not normally like dogs about her size or bigger. She's okay if they are smaller but normally freezes up a little and gets defensive with anything bigger. We were half way to the park entrance when Char was greeted with the loud, excited barking of a 10 month old Swiss Mountain Dog named Regan.

She was huge and still growing. A very friendly "little" girl. She trotted right up to Char and they smelled one another. Char did SO good with her, no growling or fur raising at all! She interacted with Regan for about five minuets and then her master went on the way she was going and we continued to the dog park. They wound up turning around and entering behind us a few minuets later.

As we approached the gate to enter a few families were leaving, with several bigger dogs. One fine, massive Mastiff of a gentleman saw Charlotte and made a bee line for her. He was even bigger than Regan, both in height and in width. If Regan was twice Char's size, this beast was 4 times. But he was well behaved, sniffed her nose and quickly went away as his dad gently tugged on his string of a leash. He was a little bigger than the dog in the picture below but he was the same coloring. His head came up to my CHEST! He was that huge. Charlotte did really good with him too. No aggression at all, no fear. She stood plastered to my leg, but bravely stretched out her neck to meet noses with him. I almost wish I could have gotten to pet him. A real gentle giant that one!

As we made it through the second gate we realize it is an off leash park, and making their way towards us? Two old, but happy St. Bernards! Once again both Charlotte and Jay are faced with quite big dogs. We were only 20 feet into the place and already been met by four different dogs all of which were twice Char's size or bigger! There were labs and a few mixed breed dogs running around, just stupid with joy.

Char behaved well the entire time, not far behind us Regan entered with her mother and another guy with a little lab/pit mix puppy named Nala. She was light tan with pale green eyes and just the cutest sweetest little thing. Jay wound up swallowed in a herd of massive dogs, It was really funny, he was just surrounded, between the big dogs and the medium dog smelling and playing around him, it was a little over whelming for him but he got over it quickly, kept his calm and moved out of the pack to me and Char. I'm so proud of him. It was a learning experience for hm as well as her and they both got A+'s that day! <3

As we walked to the far back of this field along the lake, Char got to meet a lot of other dogs, and when we rounded the corner, we saw that there were even more dogs at the back, just running and playing and being goofballs. It was overwhelming for her and she was very hesitant at first but with some love and coaxing she moved closer and closer to the group till we were on the outer edge. It was a good comfort zone for her as dogs kept approaching but she wasn't in the center. Soon her new friends Regan and Nala joined us. Regan jumped right into the center of the play, while Nala being the tiny little squirt that she is, hugged the edges just playing with the other dogs in the area. She liked Char and stuck close to her.

Charlotte did SO great with socializing, i was tempted to let her off her leash but as she was still unpredictable in such a setting I wasn't comfortable with it. Still she played and had a lot of fun. She got to meet two pure bread show line German Shepherds. This was awesome for me as they were BOTH twice her size and just beautiful! One was carrying around a small log (note it was NOT a stick) that he'd been playing fetch with. The first was black and light beige..he's the one that had the log..looked kinda like this..

Nut the other was my favorite he was almost solid black and even bigger than the first.

There was also a doberman which I about lost my mind with excitement over because he came right over and I got to pet him. I love dobermans such pretty dogs!

Next to Charlotte there was only ONE dog there that was as great as her though. After we'd been there for about 20 minuets I glanced around and coming around the corner was a big brute of a dog. One I teared up at seeing because I'd wanted one for YEARS and have never gotten to see one up close. He was a Massive Irish Setter.

After speaking to his owner I learned his name is Bryan, and he was 6 or 7. She'd rescued him, he was a former dog dog and stud, and his owner/breeder wanted to focus on English Setters and so gave him up. He was so big his back came up to my navel. He embodied every account of an Irish Setter's personality I've ever read about. Intelligent but big and brutish and playful. I watched him go into the water up to his chest and walk back out. I asked his owner if he ever swam and she said no. I think it must be asetter thing because Belle would only wade as well. Hmmm.... I got to pet him and he was crazy soft and the sweetest thing. :)

Soon after we left. We were there for about an hour but had to get back. It was an amazing daya nd we all had a lot of fun.

Today we took Char back there. Not nearly as many dogs. Instead of 30+ there were only 6 or 7 including Char. She played well and walked well on her leash so by the time we got to the far back area again I was comfortable with letting her free. I unhooked her and she took off to play with a handsome Brittney Spaniel, while his baby sitter's 10 week golden retriever puppy tried to keep up. Let me tell you one of the funniest things in the world is watching a little ball of fluff like that keep up with a dog that runs like a border collie! LMFAO It was amazing! Char ran and ran and ran. She came when she was called, she swam..well..she splashed...we let her run for a good hour, and when we told her to "come on" and started heading back to the entrance, she came with, going at her own pace, sometimes in front, sometimes behind. She made 2 beagle friends and about half way back, she met two of the biggest Lab's I have ever seen. She played well with them too.

We reached the entrance and she played with a pit bull that just arrived. I let her roam for a bit then out of no where a half lab/ half Newfoundland came up behind us and startled her. It was funny and i have no clue where they came from except for possibly the other side of the pack because they definitely weren't there earlier. It was clear she was pooped though as she wasn't playing as much or as hard, so we leashed her, said good bye to her new freinds and came home before the afternoon got too hot.

Charlotte is coming out of her shell more and more and Jay and I are loving every single minuet of it. We're going to go back on Thursday, and then again on Sunday hopefully. She socializes better with each new friend she meets, and this place really brought her out of her shell a lot already. I can't wait to see how she and her personality develops and possibly changes on with our next visit!

"Which way do you want to go?" "Yes, which way?" "Up or Down?"

Up or down.. that was the goal for the title of this one, but I don't know how many of you will actually get the movie reference that is the title. If you do, leave a comment I'd like to see who knows it...aside from Will and my sister lol.

Ups and downs is what I've been through these last couple of days. On Saturday night I caught Jay's cold..it hit all of the sudden at around 11 pm. My head just stopped doing whatever it was that it should have been, and I got so sleepy and so dizzy all at once I thought I was going to be physically sick. I promptly went to bed.

Sunday morning at about 4 am, and I'm up, with only a few ours of bad sleep, and crying because my throat was so fucking raw I couldn't stand it. My sinuses had drained so much and so fast in the span of the night that by 4 am my throat was so raw it hurt to even yawn. I took some meds and went back to bed till 1 pm. All day I was down, it sucked. I'm really happy that Jay was better at this point and able to take care of me. I'm pretty sure it was only through sheer force of will that I started to feel better that evening. I had to start my new job on Monday morning and I wasn't about to be sick as all hell my first day, fuck that.

Since Monday, with the pain in my throat mostly gone, I've avoided any nasal/sinus issues, and coughing. Now however I have lost my voice. It was pretty bad most of Tuesday, and wasn't until yesterday evening that it started to improve. This would have been a good thing if I hadn't woken up Wednesday morning with a splitting headache that started with pain in the upper part of my nose, and once more draining sinuses. Spent most of Wednesday resting until I had to go to work, by then I was feeling a little better, especially after Jay brought me some DayQuil Sinex. Finished out the day, came home spent a little time with Jay and went right to bed.

In two weeks the only decent sleep I'd gotten took place while I was sick Sunday night-Tuesday night. I was hoping last night would have been no different but my cold had other plans. I've developed a cough. Nothing too bad, but it's that sort of deep sudden uncontrollable cough that comes from all the mucus buildup in one's chest after a nasty cold... BACK to the cough syrup I go then.

I don't know what to do next, but it seems like every times one part of this wretched cold improves, I get another problem. It's starting to piss me off. I'm now working two jobs, and this is not the best way to start such a heavy schedule. I really don't know WHEN I'll be able to catch up on my rest after this. I don't get enough time during the day before I go into work. I have this weekend off, three days as a matter of fact, but I have to get through two more days of 8 hour shifts each before then. I just hope things don't get worse before Saturday when I can fully rest.

Labyrinth

So since my last update I have not really improved on the insomnia front. I continue to be unable to sleep till around 3 am or so, and even then I can't do it with out my fail safe playing in the DVD player, Labyrinth.

I love this movie so much. I've been watching it since before I can remember and I have my big sister to thank for that. After twenty-three years of having this movie played regularly in my life, I know the entire script by heart, all the songs, and it was my first comfort movie, the one that puts me to sleep when I am sick every time. Even when not attempting to pass out, when I put this movie in, I just can't help but be happy. Its like seeing my old friends all over again. Fills me with warm fuzzies every time, and I want to share it with you all!

Many people have heard of or seen it, but many more don't. I find as I grow older, the number of people I meet who know anything of Labyrinth (or even The Dark Crystal) increase, but still remain the minority. In this post I am going to acquaint you with a cover of the story, and some details about just a few of the really great, really fun characters. All filled in with some of my own thoughts and feelings on various points. So lets get started!

Warning!: There may be some spoilers here, for those who haven't see it. Also this is a nice LONG blog, but there are some YouTube clips about half way through, and a link to a site where you can watch the movie safely and for free online at the end of the blog....

Labyrinth is the story of Sarah, a young girl with her head lost in the clouds and acting. It starts off with her dressed in costume, in a park reciting lines from a small leather bound play book titled "The Labyrinth" as her dog, the English sheep dog Merlin sits on a bench as her audience. She returns home an hour late one evening to the anger of her step mother who asked her to be home by six so she could watch her baby brother while her parents get out. There is a small argument, where Sarah acts like a spoiled teenager. The scene ends with her father entering the room with the baby and seeing that she is home, warmly says, "Oh Sarah, we were worried about you." His daughter runs half way up the stairs and shouts "I can't do anything right, can I?!"

Eventually the parents leave and Sarah is along with little Toby. She tells a crying Toby a story about a goblin king falling in love with a young girl (who's life is similar yet far more over dramatized than her own) and all she need do is say the word and he'll take the baby away. At the end of the story, she turns the light off and says "I wish the goblins really would come and take you away, right now." As she moves back across the hall the crying form the child stops suddenly. She returns to the bedroom to find the child missing, the room filled with sneaking goblins running in the darkness scaring her, and finally her fist confrontation with Jareth, the Goblin King.

After refusing several times to please bring her brother back, Jareth tells her that if she can make it to his castle, at the center of his labyrinth, where her brother is located, he will return the child. At this point his magic has taken them from the bedroom to a hill outside the Labyrinth, overlooking it. A clock then appears numbered 1-13 where he tells her "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your bay brother becomes one of us forever." Then he fades away, his laughter hanging in the air only a moment longer than him.

Determined Sarah starts her journey through the labyrinth, She meets several friends, and makes a few enemies along the way, all the while having Jareth watch her from his crystal ball, and working against her, to slow her down, or stop her altogether. Eventually she reaches the Goblin city (which surrounds the castle) with her small group of all the usual motley crew characters. They enter the city where Jareth has ordered them stopped. After a battle where the Goblins are laid to waste by a most unlikely ally, they reach the castle. Sarah moves in for the final confrontation alone, telling her friends she will call for help should she need it.

Enter the infamous stair room. Sarah races up the steps that lead out of Jareth's throne room into a massive chamber that can only have been inspired by M.C. Escher.

M.C. Escher

Labyrinth

You can see what I mean :)

Sarah must try to get Toby, as he crawls and walks his way around the room, unaware of gravity, the child is able to crawl upside down, just as jareth walks on the underside of the stairs and platforms. This is an advantage over Sarah who cannot move past basic logic and is forced to utilize only the top side of everything, eventually leading to the final confrontation between Sarah and Jareth, where the best scene of the movie take place.

Jareth proceeds to try and talk Sarah into staying with him, and loving him. he tells her he has been generous up until now, but that he can be cruel. She is astonished at this and asks him what he's done that's so generous. He replies, "Everything! Everything that you wanted I have done! You asked that the child be taken, I took him. You coward before me, I was frightening. I have reordered time! I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted of living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"

With no hesitation, Sarah begins to recite the lines we heard her speak in the opening scene, "Through dangers untold, and hard ships unnumbered. I have fought my way here to the castle, beyond the Goblin city. For my will is as strong as your's, and my.."

Jareth stops her here, asking she wait and shows her one of his crystal balls, telling her to look at it, at what he's is offering her, her dreams. Unmoved Sarah continues.

"And my kingdom as great" She pauses, once more she cannot remember the final line. jareth uses this time to his advantage as he appears to be in a bit of a panic. He says, "I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything you want. Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave!" (This sounds like an equal partnership to me..just on..unorthodox terms lol.) it's pretty obvious that Sarah hasn't heard a word he's said as she's so focused on remember her next line. Then it comes to her, she looks up at him, her confidence growing as she comes to a simple realization...

"You have no power over me."

This ends it, Jareth is defeated as his hold on Sarah was based on her allowing all he's done so far. He transforms into the form of a white barn owl, and Sarah finds herself in the front entrance of her home. She races upstairs to find Toby tucked away in bed, and she return to her own room as we think it has all been her play acting with imagined characters. Even when her friends appear in the mirror of her room and speak to her, and even when it turns out they really are behind her, we think it is still her imagination, as even the bad guys from the movie are there to party with her. Then we see an own take flight from the tree outside and we're left to second guess out theories.

Thus ends my rundown of the story. The movie is filled with a wonderful score of music which I will not touch on too much, other than to say that David Bowie (Jareth) sings several of the songs, including the ever amazing "Dance Magic, Dance." Tied with this, the Firey song is my favorite, though I love all the music. You can see both songs in the following videos.

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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kiUt5HuW3xc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Alright, I want to share a little bit about all of the great characters in the movie..

 Jareth is the Goblin King (Played by David Bowie) Pretty much nothing is known about him, or the extent to which his power may go. What we do know is that he, for whatever reason, loves Sarah and wants her for his own. The fact that he can reorder time, and much else besides, leads me to think that if he REALLY wanted to stop Sarah, he could have done it without employing all the tricks he uses in the movie. he wanted her to reach the castle, I'm pretty sure.

 Sarah, the main character is the shining example of the typical drama queen teen girl. Fighting with her step-mother (who really doesn't seem so bad to me) about stupid things, and then taking that anger out on her father and brother (who have done nothing wrong) makes her the poster child for "Stereotypical Teen Girls". Sara is very young at heart yet, obviously not having grown up, as her room is filled with stuffed animals and books (many of which become characters later in the movie). At the end of the movie there is little to tell us if she has learned any sort of lesson. We see her starting to put away a few things, but no real proof of any significant change in her.

 

Hoggle is a dwarf who works for Jareth. He is first seen hitting fairies with bug spray outside the entrance to the labyrinth, and starts off working as an obstacle to Sarah, first giving her a run around on where the door is, and then confusing her further more, once she's inside by asking if she will go left or right, and then when Sarah says she doesn't know and asks him he simple replies "I wouldn't go either way." We find out a few minuets later what he means by this. As the story progresses, Sarah gets to know Hoggle better and they become freinds We also learn that nobody can ever get this poor guy's name right, one gag that takes place is Jareth, surprising Hoggle and Sarah and after a few words Jareth calls him Hedgewart, Sarah corrects him, calling him, Hogwart, and a frustrated Hoggle grumbles his name for them both. This gag continues throughout the movie, mostly with Jareth, but Sarah does it a few times as well.

The Worm, is a cute little blue guy that we only meet for a few minuets before fading off into obscurity for the rest of the movie. He's one of the more notable characters though, as everyone remembers him. His first two lines consist of him being silly by first saying " 'Ello." to Sarah, and then when she asks if he just said hello he replies with "No, I said 'ello' but that's close enough." Worm tries to tell a frustrated Sarah that there are lots of turns and corners but she hasn't seen them. He teaches her to find the hidden entrances/gaps in the walls, which is was Hoggle was talking about previously. Before he teaches her this he continues to invite Sarah to come into his home (the entrance being a small hole between some bricks) and meet his wife and have a cup of tea. It's a silly thing and you wanna think he's a nut job until you learn about the wall trick, and realize he means for Sarah to get into his home the same way.

Next Sarah meets the Door Guards, also known as Ralph, Alph, Jim, and Time. These boys guard two doors, which are the only way out of a dead end Sarah is trapped in. One door leads to the castle, the other to "certian death BuBuBuBUUUM! OOohhhhhHHhh." There are rules to their guard duty as well.Only the two on the top knows which, and also "You can't as US, you can only ask one of us!" "Its in the rules" "And I should warn you, one of us always tells the truth, and one of us always lies." "That's a rule too! HE always lies." The two bicker on who is the liar and who isn't, and they make it clear they don't really understand much of it either way. They're nice enough, and great comedic relief. Sarah's logic in questioning the one, to discover the liar and the door she needs, is perfect sound but her over confidence gets her into trouble once more in the end of the scene.

Sarah next meets Ludo. A loveable giant who is caught up in a rope and being tortured by goblins guards. She saves him, and frees him from the rope only to have him try to hug her all the while crying out, "SARAH FRIEND!" After they introduce themselves. Ludo plays a pivital role in being the muscle in Sarah's little group. He finghts Sir Didymus before he joins their cause, and his sheer size really intimidates the goblins that attack in the city battle. He also open the large heavy doors in the city and castle that none of them could open without him. His attachment to Sarah is strong and steadfast from the start and we learn that he has no friends other than the rocks and herself. He can call on the rocks whenever need be, by howling (we figure out that how Sarah got the rocks to save him in the first place) and he uses this call several times throughout the movie. 

The Fireys are a group of bird like humanoids that can dismember and reattach any part of themselves at will, And they do it for fun. Their song is one of the best and most fun of the movie, and they're really just a blast to watch. I would LOVE to hang with these guys, to be honest! They take it a little far when they try to remove Sarah's head like they do their own, but I also think that Sarah could have reacted better to these boys. She takes their heads off one by one and throws them so she can get away. They proceed to get their heads back and chase her through the forest calling out various sports fouls on her and saying, "It's against the rules to throw other people's heads!" Followed by another one shouting that you're only allowed to throw your own head. One of the funniest lines, in my opinion, takes place at the end of a scene where Hoggle rescues her with a rope and she's climbing up a wall. As she climbs the Fireys are using their ears as wings to make their heads fly up, tyring to get her to play some more with them, telling her to take off smaller body parts instead of her head, and one of them says, "Your ear! Take off your ear!" followed by the line from another "You don't need TWO ears!" I crack up every time I hear that line. Mostly because of the delivery of it, but the whole thing, in general, is hilarious.

Sir Didymus is a fox, a knight, and a gentlemen, though not in that order. He is the guardian to a bridge that crosses over the Bog of Eternal Stench. Non may pass without his permission. He puts a stop to the progress of Sarah, Ludo and Hoggle, and there is a small fight scene between him and Ludo, where Hoggle takes the advantage of shoving his way across the bridge. Didymus ends the fight by telling Ludo he is gallant and wants to call a tie, and hence forth "we shall be brothers, and fight for the right as one!" He call Sarah My Lady, and is stumped when Sarah actually asks for his permission to cross the bridge, which clearly no one has ever actually done. He permits it, and she begins to cross leading to more mishaps. He ends up joining her little group, and he rides upon an English sheep dog named Ambrosious This is "supposed" to be the very same dog that belongs to Sarah named Merlin. Note: For those who don't know, in the stories of King Arthur, Merlin was known as Merlin Ambrosious. His "noble steed" wears a small saddle, and is clearly a coward as we see at various times in the movie. Sir Didymus, however is completely loyal to those on the side if right and himself is no coward, stating he will fight "Anyone! Anywhere! Anyplace! Anytime!" 

This brings an end to the characters I felt worthy of mentioning here. I can name several more I actually cut from this list as the blog is long enough already! I wish I could add them all lol

As it is, this is a movie I really love, and I just really wanted to share it with you all. If you would like to see it yourself..be it because you have never seen it, or because you just feel like watching it again, you can find it here...

http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/movies/1980's/labyrinth_(1986).html

Just click one of the two links with the movie title in blue, and on the video page click "close ad and watch as free viewer." This is a trustworthy site I use it all the time myself. I hope you enjoyed the blog and i hope you enjoy the movie! If you've never seen it before and watch it, let me know what you think of it. If you are familiar with it, lets have a discussion about it!

Thank you all for reading this one, Love you all!

~Alex~

Insomnia

I don't really know what is wrong at this point. Last night I only got about 4-4 1/2 hours of sleep, and that wasn't until around 5 am. What sleep I did get was light and not restful at all. When I got to work at 11, I stood in front of the lockers and just stared at them, zoning out, forgetting what I was actually doing there for about a minuet before I remembered to pick one and open it, and go about my day. That was just the start of a long long long day.

Tonight, tired, exhausted and just wanting to sleep, Jay and I both went to bed. Both being exhausted we didn't even lay together and talk like we usually do, we were in one another's arms for only a minuet or two before breaking apart and snuggling in for sleep...which for me at least, has yet to arrive. After going to bed at 11:30 I lay there for an hour and a half. Wanting sleep, trying all my usual tricks to try and fall asleep when I normally can't and nothing works.

Despite being so sleepy and tired, no matter what I try or do, I just can't seem to keep my eyes closed. So, I got up, and over the last hour watched some T.V. and did a little bit of late night cleaning, and now I've gotten a start on this entry. I'm wondering if I should just pull an all nighter, stay up all day tomorrow and crash at like 9 or 10 tomorrow night.

Actually I probably wouldn't even last that long, but my eyes aren't heavy, they don't want to close, so don't really know what else to do.

On another note, Charlotte is learning. She fights it a little still, but she now knows what "Bed Time" means and once I can get her up after resisting, she quickly trots down the hall to the bedroom and goes right t HER bed instead of ours. She knows that at night she's not allowed on our bed with us. After Jay lets her out in the morning and leaves, she gets to sleep with me. And if we're snuggling during the day, she knows she's more than welcome to jump up there and join us, and if she chooses she can sleep on the bed during the day though she prefers to be with one of us so that doesn't really matter. I'm happy she's learned when she's supposed to be on her bed as compared to ours. :)

She's eating so much better and is getting really playful now too, especially when we come home after leaving her alone for a bit. She likes to jump up on us, and we're working on breaking her of that. We don't mind if she runs around like the psycho she is when we come home but she just throws herself on us, so she's getting a crash course in "DOWN". She is going to have to learn there is a time for "Up" and that is only when she is called up.

still haven't gotten the thing Mom sent me, back on the 21st. She sent it priority, but didn't get delivery confirmation, which means no tracking number. Normal mail only takes about 3 days to get from Minnesota to Missouri. It should have been here no later than this past Monday. Since there is no tracking number we have no clue where it is. There was a book from mom and 2 DVD's in the manila envelope. The DVD's were supposed to be a gift form my sister for Jay and I for Christmas. But the most important thing was there Belle's "no tug" walking harness was in there. I asked her for it, so that Charlotte didn't choke herself.

I know it probably sounds stupid to you, but I do have a lot of sentimental attachment to that harness. Its something we've had for Belle since she was about a year old or so. She wore it for every walk and while hunting. When I think of Belle that is one of the first things I think of, and I'm really upset to have lost it.

It's just after 3 now, and Jay has come out looking for me, he's not feeling well, my poor love. I just took care of his need and I'm going back to bed with him in hopes of sleep. Good night all.

Charlotte

Don't nag me about posting, I've had nothing to talk about. Until now.

As of this past Monday, the 13th of February, Jay and I have had a wonderful new addition to our little family. A beautiful little girl of 2 years and four months. Charlotte is our new dog. We rescued her at the humane society. Jay agreed that as my valentine's gift we could use my tax return for the $300 dollar down payment our apartment building requires for pets. We went to the human society several times and after the first visit we had a few dogs in mind, one in particular named Lilly.

Each time we went back to visit and make sure Lilly was still available (they don't hold dogs after all) we would visit and play with a few of the others. We wanted to have at least one backup in case we couldn't get Lilly when the money came in. Each time I was always drawn back to Charlotte.

On Monday, when the money arrived, Jay and I went right there, as soon as they opened. Lilly was away for her spaying but the woman put our names on her stuff so that we could take her when she came back. She then asked us if we'd like to go look at other dogs while we were there. Having nothing to do, we said yes. Once more we walked the two long rows of kennels, looking at all the beautiful creatures people willing gave up. Once more I was pulled back to Charlotte's kennel. She recognized us, got up from her bed and excitedly ran to the door.

Right then and there I started to cry. Openly weeping. I had had doubt about Lilly for a few weeks. I loved her a lot I wanted her but my heart wanted Charlotte more. Every since the first time we got to play and visit with her I wanted Charlotte. Jay pulled me close and asked me what was wrong. I told him. He said we could get Charlotte if I wanted, but I said he'd really wanted Lilly. Jay insisted that he liked Charlotte too and that the dog was supposed to be my gift, and I could have whatever dog I wanted, the one that would make me the happiest. I said I wanted Charlotte and that I needed her, and felt she needed me.

The entire time we'd been looking and waiting, over the weeks I kept bringing up the belief that when you see the dog for you, you just know. And I did know. Charlotte was it. We went back up front and told the lady we changed our mind. She was very happy to hear this because one of the vet students that spay and neuter the dogs for free had said she wanted Lilly too so now both dogs would get a home.

We'd already been told about Charlotte's past before Monday. She had been returned to the Humane Society twice, the poor baby girl! They didn't have info for the reason the first time, but the last time she was brought back, she was only there for 3 days, and they said she was aggressive towards women. Apparently whenever she was alone with the guy's wife she would just growl at her... woman either lied for Charlotte just knew she was a fucking bitch because this dog has NO aggression in her at all. She actually prefers my company over Jay's despite being very attached to him already too. On top of that, she doesn't make any noise. An occasional groan in her sleep or a growl at our friend's puppy when the thing climbs on her. She doesn't bark and she doesn't growl not even when we're playing.

Since she was brought back twice Charlotte was apart of their Lonely Hearts club. her adoption fee was reduced $25, in hopes someone would take her and love her. Poor girl's heart had been broken a few times already, it was time for her to have a good home where she is safe and I knew Jay and I could give that to her.

Since she'd already been spayed and had a microchip, we were allowed to bring our girl home right then. Thinking about how we got her brings a tear to my eye. She's the sweetest dog I've ever met aside from my aunt's border collie, Maggie. Charlotte lets you do anything you want to her, she just puts up with it. She is a German Shepard mix... we think her other half may be border collie but we have no proof either way. She's black and brown with floppy ears that are like velvet. She knows how to entertain herself and play with her own toys. Little by little she's relaxing and settling in with us and coming our of her shell. She's very shy at first but as long as she is with Jay or I she's willing to go up to other people and be social and try to ask for love from them as well as give it in return.

She's so smart, and learns quickly. She knows her manners but needs a little structure to be sure she'll obey. She's not a beggar at all doesn't care about human food, and walks wonderfully on a leash. She is great with children and other dogs, as long as puppies don't climb all over her. And she loves car rides...she's not a fan of an open window but she hops right in and lays down and just watches the world as we drive by, shes so good. She doesn't even get her nose into food or the trash <3 Charlotte has a great deal of love to give and a great deal of heartbreak that needs to be mended. Jay and I are good at both, and Charlotte has been a wonderful change in our lives. A huge change for both of us but wonderful none the less. She saved us as much as we saved her, and I love her all the more for it. I've only had her in my life for 6 days and already I don't know what I'd do with out her.

There's Always One

And there it is. In a manner of about 60 seconds I went from feeling moderately secure in my new home and apartment building to being more than just a little paranoid now.

Everybody has at least one. That odd neighbor who's just a little too friendly, and says odd things at first meeting that makes them seem instantly sketchy. Mine, I met a few minuets ago.

On our side of the apartment building, there are only 6 apartments, two on each of the three floors. On the lowest one the laundry room entrance sits between the two apartment doors. Up until now there have only been 3 residents on our side, both apartments on our floor, and the people above us. Now someone has moved into one of the units on the first floor.

I'm sure he's a very nice guy, and I am probably going to hell for making an assumption about somebody I know absolutely nothing about, and I'm not really assuming anything, but I have instantly been put on my guard. He fits that stereotypical creeper. A larger, balding man in his 40's, glasses and an accent that sounds like it's mixed and he could be from the Russian area of the world and from Europe all at once. He was chatty and pleasant but said things and asked questions that's seemed to be just a little too nosy for a simple passing in the laundry greeting chat. And it was those questions, as well as how he presented himself that put me immediately on my guard.

The stereotype description I could care less about, as I know very very well, nobody can judge a book y it's cover. But when he asked if I lived alone (he saw me with a only an hour before), or if I had children, when we weren't even getting that chatty int he first place it just made me uncomfortable. I instantly went from feeling perfectly ok with leaving my apt door unlocked when I'm home alone (like I can do back home in Minnesota) to locking it as soon as I got back into the apartment where Jay was waiting for me. And you can ask him, I would rather leave it unlocked out of habits from growing up, yanno? It takes a lot to make me THAT uncomfortable.

I really really hope he was just trying to get to know his neighbors, and that I really have nothing to worry about but for an overly friendly down stair's neighbor. I am going to keep an open mind here, without ignoring my own safety. I will still stay on my guard more than normal for a while... even if I wanted to, I couldn't stop myself from doing that I don't think.

I know that's not a byproduct of my upbringing in a bad location. When I was little I lived in a very safe place where my dad could call for me out the back door and from a block and a half away he could hear me call back that I was coming, very Leave it to Beaver esque. We only locked our doors at night back then...except for Christmas Eve. We left the back door unlocked for Santa. There aren't very many places like that now days. When I eventually have kids, I really do want to be able to move to a place much like the location I grew up in. It's a far hope with how our society is but I can still, in fact, hope.

I'm getting off topic here though. The being on my guard, I think, is still part of my upbringing. My daddy, and my momma, my grandfather's and grandmothers taught me, and all of us in my family... the boys as much as the women...we can't be too careful. We are to never think or say "Oh it can't happen to me." Because the chances are it can and will. It's something that lies dormant in me, waiting to spring to the forefront to help protect me. It's always there in my subconscious, I'm always looking around myself when I'm alone in public. In my purse I keep a knife that once belonged to my grandfather, still as sharp now as the day my Daddy passed it on to me. When I leave work alone at night, my keys remain firmly between my fingers as makeshift self defense weapons, as told to me by my father.

I don't want to assume anybody is a creeper or worse, but at the same time, you really can't be too safe. There are so many untrustworthy people in this world, and its really a shame that I have to feel as though I need that knife in my purse or that one extra glance around the parking lot. I should be able to feel safe in my own apartment building when we have a locked and key code controlled front and back door in the general access. *sighs*

Those days are gone I suppose, but I hope that's only for now. I hope that one day, things will get better, even if it's just better to the degree it was when I was a kid. I guess there isn't much more to say on this subject. I'm going to continue watching my back and locking my door, until I can get to know our new neighbor better. I sincerely hope my first impression was just off due to an over eagerness to get to know a new neighbor. :)

Silly Things

I am bored, so here are some cute, funny, and generally amusing images I stole from my sister and other random places on the net :) Apologies for bad sizing it wouldn't let me re-size it all properly, but bah, whatever. I hope these still make you smile.