He's home

Dodger got home this afternoon. I shot a video of our picking him up, but my computer refuses to recognize the camera when I plug it in, so I have no way of getting the video off of there. Actually, it probably is the camera's problem (it's a digital video camera, but it's several years old). It wasn't going to win an Oscar anyhow, so I won't worry too much about it.

Anyhow, Dodger is a hurting puppy. He has a pain patch that stays on for a couple of days (strong enough that we have to wear gloves when the time comes to take it off, so it doesn't knock us on our asses). He also has pain pills and antibiotic capsules to take.

He needs to take it easy for several weeks. When he goes out, even though he will be in the yard, he has to stay on a leash, so he doesn't exert himself (in case he should see a squirrel or cat or some other thing that needs chasing). When we got home, the first thing I did was take him for "a walk" in the back yard.

He has a cone to wear, so he doesn't mess with the big suture line on his back right leg... or the patch on his back left or the IV site on his front left.

On top of all that, the poor boy is missing a lot of his fur! They shaved the whole area around his back right leg. He looks like he is indulging in some new punk doggie hairstyle. To call him displeased would be a great understatement, but it really is for the best. I don't know if he'll ever really understand how any of this is helping him. He'll just know that his pain is going away at some point, and he'll be happy for that. Why his leg works again probably won't occur to him.

One other thing we'll need to do is carry him up the stairs. No stair climbing for him for the foreseeable future. Plus, we'll probably let him stay in the bedroom all day. If he spends his days with Mandy (his usual routine), they might wrestle around, and he could get hurt.

So that's the update. The main thing is that Dodger is home and recovering. It will take time, but I'm very happy to have our boy back with us.

Not that I'm much of a fan of the Pope, but this...

Why is someone who is supposed to represent Christ doing something that can only incite anger and hatred? Not that the Catholic Church hasn't had its moments in the past (just ask Saladin, among many, many others), but this can only be seen as a thumb in the eye of peace-loving Muslims all over the world.

Yes, anyone who wants to become a Catholic should be allowed to do so. Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of American democracy, and I think it's a valuable principle anywhere in the world. But any Catholic priest can aid someone who wants to become a Catholic.

For the Pope to personally baptize a (now former) Muslim journalist who has referred to Islam as "an ideology which legitimizes lies and dissimulation, violent death, which induces both murder and suicide, and blind submission to tyranny" and Catholicism as "the authentic religion of Truth, Life and Liberty" is to add to the world's problems.

Magdi Allam, the man the pope baptized, has shown open disrespect for all religions other than Catholicism, especially Islam, and the Pope has now tacitly endorsed his views in as public a fashion as possible. What a sad event on a day so holy to Catholics.

Magdi Allam, no doubt, has said less provocative things of which I'm unaware, but perception becomes reality. The world knows him for his more outrageous statements. The Pope, by his actions, has endorsed those statements. That's a shame.

A quotation for a friend

A friend of ours from another country recently told me of his concerns with my country. Overall, I still think the United States has done far more good in this world than bad (in fact, I think the world would be far worse off if not for this country), despite the recent efforts of people like George W. Bush. With that said, we do have some issues. So when I found this line, I thought of our friend...

"We Americans live in a nation where the medical-care system is second to none in the world, unless you count maybe 25 or 30 little scuzzball countries like Scotland that we could vaporize in seconds if we felt like it." -Dave Barry

*snicker*

Certifiable? Moi?

This morning, we made breakfast together. I made the eggs, and Marc made the toast and the coffee.

Marc told me how he wanted his eggs, and, for his part, I said, "I'd like some butter with a little toast under it."

Is that so unreasonable? :)

Okay, so he was laughing as he said it, but my honey said, "TTB, you're certifiable."

At least he was laughing!

The surgery is complete

Dodger is in recovery. The surgeon said the ACL was completely torn, as we thought, and he also had a bit of damage to his meniscus. My pup had the knee of an old football player, apparently.

It has been a very hard day. Harder for Dodgie than us, I suppose, but it still was tough. When he has had to stay somewhere in the past, like a kennel or the vet's for some tests, he went along with the kennel/vet people very willingly. Always cooperative, he would make this easy.

Today, as we left him there, he turned to me and aimed his eyes pleadingly at mine. It broke my heart to have to leave him there, but he needed this surgery.

So now he recovers. He will be there until Sunday. During that time, he will get various medications and will have three one-hour physical therapy sessions. After all of that, I'm sure he'll be a tired pup when he gets home Sunday.

I'm glad his surgery went well, and I hope his recovery (which will take several weeks) is an easy one. He's a wonderful boy, and we love him.

The true enemy of this nation

Yes, the terrorists are a real threat. No question. So are criminals on our streets.

But if you really want to be scared, if you want to see a real threat to America, watch the movie Jesus Camp.

Religious radicals create suicide bombers, but religious radicals also create people who are trying to pervert the American way of life.

The Muslim radicals are a threat, but they're nothing compared to the Christian radicals who twist everything to their desires. They talk of the Founding Fathers, but they distort everything the Founding Fathers stood for. They talk of this country as a "Christian nation," when it is a nation founded for all people, of any religion or no religion at all.

This is a truly frightening movie, and you should watch it if you're at all complacent about the future of America and the importance of voting. Our very way of life is at stake.

Wounded knee

One of our pups needs surgery. Actually, that has happened before but never anything this complex.

Dodger has a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Basically, part of his right knee has to be rebuilt. Don't even ask what it will cost. We've spent less on some excellent vacations.

But this is more important than any vacation or any material possession. This is a member of the family, and we love him.

So what led to this? We think the original injury occurred months ago while he was playing with Mandy. He limped back then for a while. We took him to the vet, but surgery didn't seem vital then. Instead, he took anti-inflammatory medication and seemed to be doing better. In fact, he seemed to be doing quite well recently.

Then, a few days ago, he was heading up the stairs when he gave a cry and stopped suddenly. Since then, he has been walking on three paws. He uses both front paws and hops on his back left paw.

So Marc and Dodger went for a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon today. It appears that the existing injury was a partial tear of the ligament, and it seems that it has now torn completely. Things that should be fixed in place in his knee are moving around very freely (and painfully).

So our Dodgie is going for surgery on Friday. He goes in Friday morning to have surgery, and he will be in the hospital for two days, during which he will have various meds and three rounds of physical therapy. Then we have to take him for walks and do various other things to help his leg heal. I understand that healing can take three months. It must be quite traumatic, since, in my experience, dogs usually heal a lot faster than humans. (I remember that Mandy's spaying--basically, abdominal surgery--slowed her down for about a day. Think of how long something like that would slow down one of us.)

We love Dodger, and I hope you'll all keep him in your thoughts and prayers. To some, he may just be a dog. To us, he's a loving family member with as good a heart as can be and a love and commitment for us that is beyond compare.

I would have seen the movie anyhow

I'm not a hard-core Trekkie. I'm not the type who watches for Trek conventions coming to town. Still, I like Star Trek, and I look forward to new movies coming out. So I already planned to go see new movie, due out next year.

Today, I was watching an episode of CSI:Miami when I noticed a hot young actor and went online to find out his name.


Screenshot from the CSI episode

Looking up the episode, I found that the actor's name is Chris Pine. So then I was wondering if he's the son of Robert Pine (Sgt. Getraer on CHiPs). He is. After that, I noticed that he is going to be the young Captain Kirk in the upcoming Star Trek movie. Well, that does it. I'm going!


Look at those eyes! He'll make a yummy Starfleet officer!

A good day

This morning, we picked up my Bokey's new car. Go on over to his blog for a look at his new wheels. The car is fabulous, and he sure deserves it!

This afternoon, we went to my niece Lauren's Christening. She's cute as can be and happy as a clam, and it was a nice family gathering.

All in all, it was a good day.

--------------------

Update: Since Marc decided to use just one of the photos I took of him and his new car, I might as well post a couple of the ones he didn't use here:


The new S80 joining mine in our driveway


Marc next to his new car

A photo of Marc where you can see the whole car is over at his blog. Enjoy the car, honey! You deserve it!

I guess the foot's on the other hand now, isn't it, Kramer?

For years, I have told associates that they shouldn't take legal cases personally. In particular, when a decision was made to settle a lawsuit over "but we didn't do anything wrong" protests, I'd explain the costs of litigation, etc.

So late this afternoon, I heard from a colleague at my old place that they were paying to settle a case I was involved in. They never even asked for a deposition from me. Instead, they folded and handed over some cash. The hospital's lawyers didn't have the balls to call me about the settlement, because they didn't want to hear my opinion.

When they first told me the asshole in question had the nerve to sue, I gave them my opinion, one lawyer to another. I told them if I still were in my role there, he would get a penny over my dead body.

Let me tell you the background. A couple of years ago, some union reps came to my office to "ask a favor." Someone we had fired the year before for being late and ditching work on more occasions than we could count later told the union that he had a problem with the bottle. So they were asking if I could give him another chance.

I am a big believer in second chances. It's hard for someone to kick a problem like that, so I said yes. There were two conditions: he had to stay on probation longer than usual (we settled on 9 months as a reasonable period), so we could make sure he didn't go back to his old ways, and he had to work with Employee Health so they could monitor his compliance with his program.

The people who did our hiring (in our uptown offices) screwed up. They had instructions from me (and I am so glad I put it in writing) not to rehire him until he had signed off on those conditions. Instead, they put him back to work. I told him he still had to agree to the conditions (which, by the way, are standard for anyone in such a situation), and the union had the complete fucking lack of integrity to defend him and say he shouldn't have to agree. They claimed he was clean, but the key part they didn't like was Employee Health being able to check with his program that he was sticking with it. Gee, seems like something doesn't make sense, or is it just me?

In the end, after I entertained way too much bullshit from this guy and the people who asked me for a favor, because I had absolutely no obligation to do a fucking thing for this guy, I was forced to utter the following: "You have no choice. You got a second chance on the condition that we can take steps to make sure you're fit for duty and no risk to the patients. Either sign the documents or you're going to be fired." He agreed to sign the one extending his probation but not the one that would let us confirm he was staying clean. So I fired him.

He then filed a complaint, saying he was discriminated against because of his disability (being an alcoholic). Now, if I were inclined to discriminate against alcoholics, HE NEVER WOULD HAVE GOTTEN REHIRED IN THE FIRST PLACE!

The icing on the cake? A few weeks ago, this same guy was in the news. He drove drunk and smacked into 15 parked cars. When the cops arrested him, he also had marijuana in his possession. I made sure the hospital's counsel was aware of this, so they realized the kind of guy they were dealing with.

If they didn't have the strength to tell this guy and his lawyer to go fuck themselves, then they should have farmed the case out. I was a trial lawyer. There are some cases you don't settle on principle. This was one of them! Yes, I know. I started out saying it's a business decision, and I should take it as calmly as some folks I've explained that to (and my thanks to the writers of Airplane for the title of this post). Even so, I never would have settled this case. I would have taken it to trial. I take some comfort in the fact that this money and quite a bit more will be needed to pay for the damage he did while driving drunk (plus, he'll probably go to prison), but this is just wrong.

Apparently, "steamroller" was the adjective. Who knew?

When New York Governor Eliot Spitzer took office and quickly declared that he was a "fucking steamroller," we all took that as a political statement. Little did we know it actually was a sexual brag! (Does that mean he's so vigorous that he leaves his partners flattened? Okay, that's a mental picture I didn't need. Never mind!)

Well, nice implosion, Eliot. I'd feel sorry for you, but you took our enthusiastic votes and made us feel bad with your rapid descent into a level of behavior that made Rudy Giuliani look like Mahatma Gandhi. Funny how the world works sometimes.

One truly sad note: this was a governor who was fully in support of gay marriage. Perhaps his successor (presumably Lt. Governor David Paterson--who must be trying not to seem too gleeful), if Spitzer resigns, will still push for gay marriage. We shall see.

As seen in The New York Times

Wow, I'm famous! Published in The New York Times!

Okay, not quite.

I recently noticed that, among the meager number of hits on my blog, a handful had found their way over from the website of The New York Times.

Huh? What was that about?

So I took a look. It seems they came from here. You'll notice that the headline for this page matches the 7th link in the list. Yes, that's my little blog there.

I guess it's not that big of a deal. Still, it's neat to find that Mr. LaForge apparently was amused by my little observation.

Hmmm, think he might be cute and on our team? :) Oh yeah, I have a partner already. Forgot for a second! (Just kidding, hon!)

It sounded like... ?

As you may have heard, there was a small explosion early this morning in Times Square. Yes, a bomb went off.

While some witnesses, including one in the article I linked to above, said it sounded like a bomb, there were many others on TV today who had a variety of descriptions for the sound. I'll spare you the descriptions, but all of those interviewed this morning had interesting ways of describing it. It got to the point of my talking back to the TV, saying things like, "oh, come on!!!"

A tornado hits a house, and the survivors say, "it sounded like a bomb going off!"

A car crashes into a truck, and... "it sounded like a bomb going off!"

A big tree falls over in heavy winds, and... "it sounded like a bomb going off!"

An actual bomb goes off, and what's the one thing I didn't hear this morning? Of course... that it sounded like a bomb going off. :)

Come on, people. Am I really asking that much?

Sunlight is nice

Not to be confused with Moonlight Feels Right.

As I left work this evening, a little before 6pm, I enjoyed the remaining light in the sky. Spring is near, the days have been growing longer since the winter solstice, and I am a happy man!

With the earlier start of Daylight Saving Time this year, we need only wait until this Sunday for sunsets that suddenly are a full hour later. That's a very good thing in my book!

Another fun weekend with friends

Friday night after work, I picked up Jeff at the train station. He helped us spruce up the house a bit and assisted Marc in some important liquor consumption. (Those boys do know how to mix some fine drinks, and a visit from Jeff is enough of a reason to make a couple.)

On Saturday, we were joined by Patrick and, a couple of hours later, by David and Robert. Before they arrived, I had a fire going in the fireplace. I also had purchased 3.565 pounds (hey, that's what the scale said! *g*) of salmon. That evening, as everyone enjoyed drinks, I prepared the salmon while Marc prepared a fabulous dijon cream sauce to go over it. He also prepared a terrific green bean dish (I'm not a big fan of green beans, but these were terrific), garlic bread and a homemade cheesecake for dessert. He made the cheesecake without sugar, so I could stick to my low-carb diet, and, at least to me, it tasted like a wonderful sugar-laden cheesecake. Isn't he a good boy?

We had a great time with everyone, and the evening flew by. Around 11pm, David and Robert went home. Then we watched MadTV. After that, Jeff and Patrick headed to their rooms. Yes, Cooper, he was in his own room! We didn't drug him and drag him into ours! ;)

This morning, Marc made a quiche for Jeff, Patrick and himself, and he made a crustless quiche for me. Then we went to Robert Moses State Park on the western end of Fire Island. It was chilly today, but I thought it would be nice to go for a drive in the sun and a stroll on the boardwalk. It turned out to be too cold and windy to really enjoy it, but I'm still glad we went.

After that, we came back to the house for a little more quality time with the pups before taking the boys to the train.

Here are some photos from the weekend:


Mandy decided that Patrick looked lonely in the chair


When Robert was leaving, Mandy had to give him an appropriate goodbye


The boys enjoy quiche this morning


Mandy is very subtle. Also, note Dodger sneaking in from below!


Some of the native wildlife at the park paid us a visit


Aren't they pretty?


The four of us on the boardwalk. The ocean was pretty, of course, but it was so cold out!


A shot of the park from a prior visit, with the Fire Island lighthouse visible. Even though I didn't shoot this today, it gives you a better view of where we went.

All in all, an excellent weekend with wonderful people!

A pet peeve

I like books. I like bookstores. I like the nice, new books I find in bookstores.

Not too long ago, I was in a bookstore looking for a particular book. There was only one copy left... and some putz had broken the spine of the book!

I know that people will thumb through books sometimes, but if you open it enough to crack the spine of the book, you should buy it. If that equation doesn't work, go to the library!

For anyone looking for a new copy of a book, the book should be pristine. Cracks running down the spine just don't cut it. How about the old "if you break it, you buy it" rule? Shouldn't that apply?

Since he won't post it

I took a picture of Patrick playing with Mandy last week. To be clear, not Patrick or Patrick. Rather, Patrick.

Patrick doesn't want to post the photo of his handsome self, but he said I could feel free to do so. So I shall...



He's a handsome man! Another one who wasn't around when I was single! :)

One other thing

Patrick brought flowers when he came to visit us last Monday. We didn't expect it--and he didn't have to bring a thing--but it was a sweet gesture from a sweet man. While they still look nice, I want to share them with you...



Thanks again, Patrick, for the flowers and, more importantly, the wonderful visit!

This and that

A brief note on politics: by the time November comes, I will be so nauseated by the candidates that I will wind up voting for the lesser of the evils. I remember a time, years ago, when I found such things interesting and exciting. Now, seeing the self-serving hypocrisy of most of the players with greater clarity (and/or greater cynicism) than I possessed in my youth, I find the prospect of happily and wholeheartedly supporting a candidate on the national stage an exceedingly unlikely one. No doubt, I'll hold my nose and pull the lever for the person least likely to trample our rights (read: the Democratic candidate), but I won't bring the same enthusiasm to the process that I once did.

On a happier note, one of our stops today was the mall. I continue to be amazed at what type of man may be called "dad" these days. None of the dads looked like that when I was a kid! Nowadays, it's like a DILF smörgasbord. Not that I'm complaining!

By the way, you may recall from my last post that I mentioned our having a lovely time when Patrick visited us. I kept the description brief, but I hope that didn't make the event seem anything less than wonderful, because it really was wonderful spending time with him. With that said, he has put me to shame with the recounting he posted. Feel free to wander over for a look, complete with a spooky picture of Mandy. :) And Patrick, please come back soon! You're a wonderful guest, and I'm happy that our friendship is growing!

The weekend of three Patricks (and a Greg)

We've had a nice long weekend. From Friday night until Sunday afternoon, we were in Vermont with Patrick (a/k/a PatCH) and Greg. In this case, "we" included Bernice, Mandy and Dodger. It was our first time traveling with them. We had some difficult moments, especially on the drive up, but it went well in the end.

On Monday, we had a visit from this Patrick. It was our first time meeting him, and he's as charming, bright and entertaining as his blog and e-mails had suggested, if not more so. We had a wonderful time, and I think he had a decent time with us and the kids. I sure hope so! We can't wait to see him again!

Then we met this Patrick last night to see the new Broadway show Passing Strange. Let me take a moment to urge everyone to go see Passing Strange. I'm not much of a fan of musicals, but this one was great. It's a sort of rock musical, but I don't want you to confuse it with Rent. It's different. Someone better versed in such things could give a better explanation of its genre and strengths. I'll just say that we all were blown away. By the time we walked out of the theater after the show, my hands hurt from clapping!

Now back to the Vermont part of our weekend. Patrick was working on his portrait photography. He gave us a CD of photos he had taken, and I may share some of those eventually. In the meantime, I had photos on my camera.

Here are ones I took of Patrick and Greg...


PatCH


Greg

I took the ones of Marc and the kids. Marc took the ones of me. (And thanks to PatCH for the extra lights on Marc and me.) So here is a sampling of the ones Marc and I shot...


Dodger in a serious moment


Dodger laying a claim to the hot tub


A view from the deck


I LOVE this shot of Marc


As mentioned above, Marc took this one of me, as well as the next two




I like my smile in this, but I could live without the scarf (a prop Patrick put on me--he was shooting at the same time as Marc)


Patrick & Greg had some dog toys on hand, and Mandy fell in love with the one she's offering to Patrick in this photo


Bernice found one soft piece of furniture very suitable for her evening relaxation

So there you have it. A fun-filled long weekend and some photos, and you even got a few of me. That's unusual around here! I just hope I didn't scare anyone! :)