If you don’t hear from me or my family after Wednesday night you’ll know why. I am gonna be the next Powerball winner. The people here at the office and I entered an office pool and figured at the current cash payout, that we’ll each be looking at about $12.5 mil come Wednesday.
This got me thinking about gambling, and the disappointment that comes with losing. I think I finally figured it out. My thoughts were that if I didn’t win the Powerball (but we all know that won’t happen) I probably wouldn’t be all that disappointed or surprised. You see, I don’t think any one actually expects to win the Powerball. Sure, we’d all like to. And it’s pretty fun to sit around and daydream about what the hell you would do with that much money, but when it comes down to the drawing and you don’t win, are you really that shocked? Probably not.
On the other hand, if you enter, say, a 50/50 raffle. Or if you enter a Superbowl pool or something of the like… the possibility of winning is actually pretty good. So when you have good odds and don’t win? Yeah, that sucks. It’s even worse when half the people that entered win something even if it’s not the “grand prize”. You start to get a bit smitten over the fact that you didn’t get your Chicago Bears salt and pepper shakers…
Of course, none of this applies, because it’s already in the master plan. I’ll be on a plane to Colorado first thing Thursday morning… oh, I meant on my private jet. Happy playing!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Too Complicated For An Appropriate Title
I will begin this post with a few disclaimers:
1) I am NOT an expert on this topic, nor do I claim to be, nor do I want to be. I do, however, speak from personal experience.
2) If you are usually in disagreement with me or with my opinion on "hot" topics, you should probably hit that little "back" button on your browser and find something else to do.
I'll preface with the fact that I like to give most people, on first contact, the benefit of the doubt. I know it's hard to believe, but most people really do have to earn my opinion of them. So anyway. As I was uploading pictures today from my wedding last night, I took some time and browsed through some of the posts on a photography forum that I visit occasionally. I was just glancing through the photo sharing section and clicked on the "show us your best dog shots" or something to that effect. It had 80 some pages of posts, so I thought I'd look around and look at other people's pets and the pictures they take of them (by the way, yes, that's where my FB status came from about people naming their pets stupid things like Oreo and Rusty). So I got to the end of the posts, and a few pages from the end noticed this picture:
It was from a user who titled his/her post "Turbo, my 8 month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier pup"
A cute shot, indeed. This particular user's avatar was this picture:
I thought to myself, hmm, probably not the dog I'd have chosen as a pet in a home with a young child, but that's assuming a lot I suppose so I moved on.
The next few posts were from a somewhat vocal user about his strong feelings about "bullies" aka: American bulldogs, pit bulldogs, Straffordshire bulldogs...
The exchange (edited) went something like this:
User 1: A bundle of solid muscle and jaws that can (and have been known to) tear a child to bits in seconds.
Have you warned the neighbourhood families with kids?
User 2: Yes. I also tell my children to be careful when they put their heads in his mouth. He has already savagely mauled the neighbors and everything else that moves within the neighborhood. Our Maltipoo has also tasted the sweetness of blood and awaits the kill.
User 2: He only goes after helpless children.
User 1: Pray that you never look back on those words with sorrow or regret.
User 2: OK. I'll kill him in his sleep tonight.
Annoyed, I continued to read on. I was thinking, yeah, just another opinionated person. It's the classic "nature" vs. "nurture" argument from there. This all changed when I clicked on a link posted by User 2 (the bulldog's owner), and after reading the comments posted below the "YouTube" video... watch for yourself.
And here are a few comments that followed:
"HaHaHa!!! A cloud with teeth... cute!"
"that was funny!
"Yeah, the poodle is cute and they are so cute when they start growling like ferocious attack dogs...I have a toy poodle myself and Loki is fierce! :D"
and then my comment, "Real cute till it bites your face off... are people really this ignorant of a dog's cues? Seriously."
So herein begins my commentary. In college I bought a beautiful male Akita puppy from a very reputable breeder. I raised him on campus, socializing him and doing all the things you were supposed to do with a male Akita puppy. He was everyone's friend. Never bit anyone, never even growled at anyone. He was a happy, fun loving, loyal, and intelligent pet. When I got married and kids came along, he was great. Took to my husband without even a mere challenge, sniffed the baby a time or two, and then watched him cautiously every time he was in the room. Never once (within reason and common sense) did I ever fear this dog or have any indication that he would hurt me or anyone in my family including the baby. He ended up having a genetic condition that ultimately was his demise, and at age 7, we made the decision to put him down.
Shortly thereafter, I began my quest to locate another Akita. I was in love with the breed. I found another breeder who was actually familiar with my former dogs breeding line and the problems that cropped up with a few of the dogs later than normal, which caused the spread of the problem because the dog carrying the "bad" genes was bred before anyone knew he had issues. Anyway.
The breeder was great. We went to the kennel, met the sire, met the mother. Met her other dogs. Not one of them acted skittish, vicious, or mean. We waited upwards of 6 months for a puppy from her. On a happy day, we went and picked up "Patton." He instantly fit in. A cute, cuddly, sweet ball of fur. He was quick to learn, and was introduced to us and our kids immediately upon coming home. He followed the rules. I socialized him just as I did my first Akita - I thought I was doing everything right. Till he bit my husband.
At about age 1.5 he decided he no longer wanted to be at the bottom of the food chain, if you will, in our household. We dismissed the first bite and made excuses for him. This was a $600 dollar dog! He was socialized! His parents never bit anyone - he was bred for temperament, right? And then he bit Vincent, and my husband again, and then me.
Now don't get me wrong, these were not vicious "attacks." But they were intentional and well placed on his part. I knew what had to be done. I contacted a trainer, and for a short time followed some of her suggestions to remind him that he was not the "alpha", I called the breeder, I even took him to the vet to make sure it wasn't something related to his health. But at the end of the day, I knew I had a problem and my husband and I made the heart wretching decision to have him put down. He was a beautiful dog - had every physical aspect of a "perfect" Akita Inu. But he thought he was in charge and 130 pounds of nasty just doesn't work in this house.
I was always a FIRM believer of the "nurture over nature" argument about animals. Until now. This dog had no reason to turn the way he did. He was trained in obedience, socialized, and never allowed to be the "dominant" family member. Dogs were bred to do jobs - until we brought them into our homes and put costumes on them and gave them spa days and plush beds. Akitas were/are a guarding breed. They were used to hunt bears. BEARS. Takes a pretty bold dog to hunt a bear.
Bull terriers were bred to fight. It's written in their own history. And the reason they were chosen as fighting dogs is because they were built to fight and were good at it due to their structure, instinct, and host of other reasons. Didn't see too many Collies (for example) in the fighting pen, I'm sure. Not that Collies, or other herding dogs (to which I'm quite partial, now) don't hurt people. But I think without doing a lot of research, it's pretty safe to say they're probably a lot less likely. I believe one of the main reasons for this is they were bred to herd. To help man. To be obedient and follow their master's command. In other words, they were never expected to challenge a direct order.
This argument came up with a very close friend of mine and her mother. I can't find her blog post or I'd link to it. In a nut shell, her mother refused to "pen up" her dog when my friend came to visit with her small kids. The mother's argument is that the dog was lonely and sad in his pen. This is despite the fact that this particular dog has bitten people, growls at people, and has no concept of the fact that he's not the alpha in the household (to my best analysis of the situation.) This dog is "king shit" if you will at his house - a truly dangerous place for your dog to be. Point being, people can be so thick skulled about their dogs and their bad and dangerous behavior that they actually put the dogs perceived "happiness" over the core safety of young - under 4 - children. Gimmie a break people!
Let me say here that I don't trust ANY DOG fully. At the end of the day, a dog will be a dog - enough said. I think it's just hilarious to see these people who think their dog actually loves them. Loyal, maybe... but love? I doubt it. I'll give that your dog probably really LIKES you - after all you supply its food, shelter, and pretty much control every aspect of it's life (or at least you should). Are dogs loyal? SURE! Do they protect their owners? Save people's lives? Work their tails off for people? Absolutely. But when it's all said and done, when they come to lick your face, or sniff you while you're sleeping, they're probably just trying to determine if you're dead yet so that they can take over the pack.
I know it sounds harsh, but remember what my job is. As nasty as it sounds, there are stories of a person's beloved pooch eating off their face as they lie dead, undiscovered, in an easy chair. Again, it's a matter of instinct - gotta keep the den clean! Death brings parasites, and parasites bring disease, and disease brings more death. Believe me. Dogs understand this VERY WELL and no matter how much they "love" you, they're still a D O G.
So back to the forum. I found it appaling that a person with a new Straffordshire Bull puppy would find THAT YouTube video humourous. I quickly changed my opinion of this person. If I could address them in person, I think I would say just what User 1 - who I was initially so annoyed with - said. In this instance, I'm thinking he was spot on. Especially as it relates to anyone who thinks the cute little ball of fur, "cloudlike" poodle in the video is funny.
To conclude. I think "nature" does preside over "nurture." But when the person in charge of the "nurture" aspect has no brain in their head, and doesn't deal with the "nature" problems BEFORE those problems becomes someone's nightmare, the only one to blame is the person who excused the animal's behavior and let "nature" prevail. And to anyone out there thinks that poodle in the video is cute? Let me tell you that dog is trying to give you a very clear message - and I sincerely feel sorry for anyone who is subject to your stupidity.
1) I am NOT an expert on this topic, nor do I claim to be, nor do I want to be. I do, however, speak from personal experience.
2) If you are usually in disagreement with me or with my opinion on "hot" topics, you should probably hit that little "back" button on your browser and find something else to do.
I'll preface with the fact that I like to give most people, on first contact, the benefit of the doubt. I know it's hard to believe, but most people really do have to earn my opinion of them. So anyway. As I was uploading pictures today from my wedding last night, I took some time and browsed through some of the posts on a photography forum that I visit occasionally. I was just glancing through the photo sharing section and clicked on the "show us your best dog shots" or something to that effect. It had 80 some pages of posts, so I thought I'd look around and look at other people's pets and the pictures they take of them (by the way, yes, that's where my FB status came from about people naming their pets stupid things like Oreo and Rusty). So I got to the end of the posts, and a few pages from the end noticed this picture:
It was from a user who titled his/her post "Turbo, my 8 month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier pup"
A cute shot, indeed. This particular user's avatar was this picture:
I thought to myself, hmm, probably not the dog I'd have chosen as a pet in a home with a young child, but that's assuming a lot I suppose so I moved on.
The next few posts were from a somewhat vocal user about his strong feelings about "bullies" aka: American bulldogs, pit bulldogs, Straffordshire bulldogs...
The exchange (edited) went something like this:
User 1: A bundle of solid muscle and jaws that can (and have been known to) tear a child to bits in seconds.
Have you warned the neighbourhood families with kids?
User 2: Yes. I also tell my children to be careful when they put their heads in his mouth. He has already savagely mauled the neighbors and everything else that moves within the neighborhood. Our Maltipoo has also tasted the sweetness of blood and awaits the kill.
User 2: He only goes after helpless children.
User 1: Pray that you never look back on those words with sorrow or regret.
User 2: OK. I'll kill him in his sleep tonight.
Annoyed, I continued to read on. I was thinking, yeah, just another opinionated person. It's the classic "nature" vs. "nurture" argument from there. This all changed when I clicked on a link posted by User 2 (the bulldog's owner), and after reading the comments posted below the "YouTube" video... watch for yourself.
And here are a few comments that followed:
"HaHaHa!!! A cloud with teeth... cute!"
"that was funny!
"Yeah, the poodle is cute and they are so cute when they start growling like ferocious attack dogs...I have a toy poodle myself and Loki is fierce! :D"
and then my comment, "Real cute till it bites your face off... are people really this ignorant of a dog's cues? Seriously."
So herein begins my commentary. In college I bought a beautiful male Akita puppy from a very reputable breeder. I raised him on campus, socializing him and doing all the things you were supposed to do with a male Akita puppy. He was everyone's friend. Never bit anyone, never even growled at anyone. He was a happy, fun loving, loyal, and intelligent pet. When I got married and kids came along, he was great. Took to my husband without even a mere challenge, sniffed the baby a time or two, and then watched him cautiously every time he was in the room. Never once (within reason and common sense) did I ever fear this dog or have any indication that he would hurt me or anyone in my family including the baby. He ended up having a genetic condition that ultimately was his demise, and at age 7, we made the decision to put him down.
Shortly thereafter, I began my quest to locate another Akita. I was in love with the breed. I found another breeder who was actually familiar with my former dogs breeding line and the problems that cropped up with a few of the dogs later than normal, which caused the spread of the problem because the dog carrying the "bad" genes was bred before anyone knew he had issues. Anyway.
The breeder was great. We went to the kennel, met the sire, met the mother. Met her other dogs. Not one of them acted skittish, vicious, or mean. We waited upwards of 6 months for a puppy from her. On a happy day, we went and picked up "Patton." He instantly fit in. A cute, cuddly, sweet ball of fur. He was quick to learn, and was introduced to us and our kids immediately upon coming home. He followed the rules. I socialized him just as I did my first Akita - I thought I was doing everything right. Till he bit my husband.
At about age 1.5 he decided he no longer wanted to be at the bottom of the food chain, if you will, in our household. We dismissed the first bite and made excuses for him. This was a $600 dollar dog! He was socialized! His parents never bit anyone - he was bred for temperament, right? And then he bit Vincent, and my husband again, and then me.
Now don't get me wrong, these were not vicious "attacks." But they were intentional and well placed on his part. I knew what had to be done. I contacted a trainer, and for a short time followed some of her suggestions to remind him that he was not the "alpha", I called the breeder, I even took him to the vet to make sure it wasn't something related to his health. But at the end of the day, I knew I had a problem and my husband and I made the heart wretching decision to have him put down. He was a beautiful dog - had every physical aspect of a "perfect" Akita Inu. But he thought he was in charge and 130 pounds of nasty just doesn't work in this house.
I was always a FIRM believer of the "nurture over nature" argument about animals. Until now. This dog had no reason to turn the way he did. He was trained in obedience, socialized, and never allowed to be the "dominant" family member. Dogs were bred to do jobs - until we brought them into our homes and put costumes on them and gave them spa days and plush beds. Akitas were/are a guarding breed. They were used to hunt bears. BEARS. Takes a pretty bold dog to hunt a bear.
Bull terriers were bred to fight. It's written in their own history. And the reason they were chosen as fighting dogs is because they were built to fight and were good at it due to their structure, instinct, and host of other reasons. Didn't see too many Collies (for example) in the fighting pen, I'm sure. Not that Collies, or other herding dogs (to which I'm quite partial, now) don't hurt people. But I think without doing a lot of research, it's pretty safe to say they're probably a lot less likely. I believe one of the main reasons for this is they were bred to herd. To help man. To be obedient and follow their master's command. In other words, they were never expected to challenge a direct order.
This argument came up with a very close friend of mine and her mother. I can't find her blog post or I'd link to it. In a nut shell, her mother refused to "pen up" her dog when my friend came to visit with her small kids. The mother's argument is that the dog was lonely and sad in his pen. This is despite the fact that this particular dog has bitten people, growls at people, and has no concept of the fact that he's not the alpha in the household (to my best analysis of the situation.) This dog is "king shit" if you will at his house - a truly dangerous place for your dog to be. Point being, people can be so thick skulled about their dogs and their bad and dangerous behavior that they actually put the dogs perceived "happiness" over the core safety of young - under 4 - children. Gimmie a break people!
Let me say here that I don't trust ANY DOG fully. At the end of the day, a dog will be a dog - enough said. I think it's just hilarious to see these people who think their dog actually loves them. Loyal, maybe... but love? I doubt it. I'll give that your dog probably really LIKES you - after all you supply its food, shelter, and pretty much control every aspect of it's life (or at least you should). Are dogs loyal? SURE! Do they protect their owners? Save people's lives? Work their tails off for people? Absolutely. But when it's all said and done, when they come to lick your face, or sniff you while you're sleeping, they're probably just trying to determine if you're dead yet so that they can take over the pack.
I know it sounds harsh, but remember what my job is. As nasty as it sounds, there are stories of a person's beloved pooch eating off their face as they lie dead, undiscovered, in an easy chair. Again, it's a matter of instinct - gotta keep the den clean! Death brings parasites, and parasites bring disease, and disease brings more death. Believe me. Dogs understand this VERY WELL and no matter how much they "love" you, they're still a D O G.
So back to the forum. I found it appaling that a person with a new Straffordshire Bull puppy would find THAT YouTube video humourous. I quickly changed my opinion of this person. If I could address them in person, I think I would say just what User 1 - who I was initially so annoyed with - said. In this instance, I'm thinking he was spot on. Especially as it relates to anyone who thinks the cute little ball of fur, "cloudlike" poodle in the video is funny.
To conclude. I think "nature" does preside over "nurture." But when the person in charge of the "nurture" aspect has no brain in their head, and doesn't deal with the "nature" problems BEFORE those problems becomes someone's nightmare, the only one to blame is the person who excused the animal's behavior and let "nature" prevail. And to anyone out there thinks that poodle in the video is cute? Let me tell you that dog is trying to give you a very clear message - and I sincerely feel sorry for anyone who is subject to your stupidity.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Too Cute
I think I posted a few years ago about what pleasure I get out of looking at the drawings that kids make. I just love the stage where everyone is just a big head with arms and legs, eyes, and a smiley face. Jade's totally in that stage right now, and she just loves to fill up the page with pictures of people. I guess only she knows who it is she's drawing, because they all look the same to me. Here's one of her most recent creations, titled "Family Portrait".
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This is one of Vincent's recent school assignments, which I found particularly amusing because of ALL the things he's said he's going to be, the one thing he's never mentioned (or at least hasn't mentioned very much) is that he's going to be a police officer. Translated, it says, "When I grow up I want to be a policeman and catch bad guys and take them to jail." Just love the drawing with the little red and blue "lights" on top...
.jpg)
.jpg)
This is one of Vincent's recent school assignments, which I found particularly amusing because of ALL the things he's said he's going to be, the one thing he's never mentioned (or at least hasn't mentioned very much) is that he's going to be a police officer. Translated, it says, "When I grow up I want to be a policeman and catch bad guys and take them to jail." Just love the drawing with the little red and blue "lights" on top...
.jpg)
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