Clusterf... Post

First Things First

I wanted to start by thanking all of you for your support, whether you commented here, on facebook, twitter, by email, phone or in person. You guys fucking rock. Really. I love that you don't let me get away with shit because sometimes that's really what I need. And sometimes what I really need is to have a bit of a wallow and then drag myself back up & figure out what's next.

Running

Which, apparently, means spending an impressive amount of time researching races. I'm guessing late June would be the earliest I should look for another half marathon. I'm interested in the Davis Moo-nlight Half Marathon, which has a cut-off time shorter than I could run a half right now but plenty of time to improve by then, yes? I'm also looking at the Urban Cow Half Marathon and the Four Bridges Half Marathon (which would mean no Down & Dirty Mud Run for me this year). And I'm still very interested in ending the year with the California International Marathon.

To further prattle on about all things running, I have been toying with the idea of registering for the Tough Mudder in September. If the race itself isn't intimidating, the registration fee certainly is. That's not far off from the San Francisco Marathon, and one of the reasons I decided not to try for that race. But I'm still debating.

I'll probably also pick up a couple of smaller "fun runs" during the year. Because I'm insane.

And yes, Wine Dog, the Dipsea is definitely on the radar, and I'll consider getting in for 2012 a personal challenge. If I have to, I'll put SweetPea on the job. That woman can talk anybody into anything. It's a truly amazing talent.

The Big News

Obviously I'm not that big on chatting about current news & events around here and that's not about to change today. Someone on my facebook made the comment this morning that her fellow Americans remain a larger threat to her personal safety than Osama bin Laden ever was. Which is a pretty fair assessment for those of us in the LGBTQIA spectrum and something that Obama has repeatedly dropped the ball on.

And, in case anyone has forgotten, I'm getting ready to travel to a state that feels like it's ok to sue the widow of a firefighter who fell in the line of duty because she happens to have been born with a penis and, as if that weren't enough, lawmakers are trying establish a law that would, essentially, mean that whatever gender was assigned at birth is your gender for purposes of marriage, regardless of any gender reassignment you might have had. Even if you have a court order acknowledging your sex change.

So, you know. It's super that he was finally killed, but I, personally, don't feel a whole lot safer. Maybe you could repeal DOMA, pass ENDA and maybe actually repeal (and enforce the repeal of) Don't Ask, Don't Tell. These things would go a lot farther to make me feel safe.

Or just stop pandering to the religious right and start leading the country the way you promised you would. Fuel hope, Obama.

Bixby

Bixby figured out how to get out of the new, metal crate. The wall connectors are just smallish hooks which are really no match for a determined Doberman.

I ended up at Home Depot (while sick, mind you) scouring the hardware section for inspiration. I had secured the crate latches with carabiners, and he'd chewed one off (yes, really) in his quest for escape, so I knew that wasn't the answer. Finally I stumbled upon these:


Oh, yes. Quick links, indeed. I bought several of the three packs to secure the wall connections, two each of the singles, the smaller ones as extra wall reinforcement and the largest ones for the crate latches.

When I got home, I handed the bag over to SweetPea while I went about other business. SweetPea, as quickly as she could, did this:


Everything you ever needed to know about SweetPea
I got the crate walls rigged and we left for breakfast and to do the grocery shopping. When we came back, Bixby was still in his crate (success!) but he had shit in and then painted the walls of his crate and had fully unscrewed three of the quick links. Yes. Really.

Anyway, we've gotten some tips for moving forward, and I remain hopeful that, at some point, we'll get through an entire day without debating the merits of electrifying the walls of his crate.

The Kings

After months of speculation and debate, the Sacramento Kings have announced that they will be staying for at least one more season. Please can we go back to ignoring them, now?