I hate watching Cesar and I don't mind the guy from End of my Leash, but yeah. What are your dog training techniques?
I'd tried virtually everything with my mutt, from tying him to me, to clicking, to snapping, to absolutely zero results. Then I met a wonderful lady who has a Pit Bull crossed with something else. He's an absolutely brilliant dog, I adore him.
She told me that she sometimes still 'pins' her dog, to assert dominance. She says it works wonders.
So I tried it on Spencer. This was months ago by the way, but this post actually has a point. So, I tried it on Spencer. Lo and behold, it works. I 'pin' him down, on his back, and he becomes a whimpering mass of goo. No yelling, no swatting, no frustration. Just pin him down, and he stops what he's at.
I love dogs, and I love being able to cuddle and call them my best friends. But when you get down to it, a dog is a dog is a dog. They can be the worlds seventh smartest animal, the worlds dumbest animal, whatever. They're still dogs and first and foremost, they're still animals. Animals survive on instinct.
We all have that shiny fight or flight reflex, because we too are animals. A more technologically advanced species, but animals none the less.
Doing what an alpha dog would do (although I dislike the term alpha, as it reminds me of Cesar) works for me. It might not for all people, but showing my teeth at Spencer, eating before him - because as the alpha, I am higher on the pecking order - and even sometimes pinning him down works for me. Some people say I'm mean, but I don't particularly care. Your toy poodle dressed in frilly clothes is mean. Oh, what, he's like a son to you? He's still a dog, and as far as I know, historically, biologically, dogs do not wear clothes. That is a people-thing, not a puppy-thing. You may think your little booties and hats look cute, and while I can see the purpose for the booties, especially in harsh conditions, still. It's a little bit ridiculous.
My grandma has annoying beeping things, has tried clickers, an irritating beeping collar, and various other types of training methods to get her dogs to behave. Her male Italian Mastiff, the same one that stepped on me in a post below, has a dominance problem.
About an hour ago, he was stretched out on the kitchen floor, and I decided I was tired of him getting nippy with me. He's too big for me to pin with my arms, so my next course of action was to straddle his back. Of course I did not put weight onto him. I don't want to hurt him. But I did straddle his back, and lean my chest along his back and neck - yes, he's that big, he weighs almost one hundred and fifty.
Sam growled, and snapped at me, which is usual. He snaps a lot, actually. I proceeded to clamp his mouth shut and push his head down. After about fifteen tries, he dropped his head to the floor and keened at me, wagging his tail.
As stated above, I didn't put weight onto him, because I don't want to hurt him. Sam rolled over, completely lax, and gave me the tender underbelly and throat of his body. I lightly grabbed his saggy neck skin, and gave it a playful shake. All was forgiven, and he flopped down onto his side, waggling all over as I gave him a good pat and scratch.
When I stood and moved to the couch, he followed at my heel. He sat obediently at my feet on the second time I told him to sit, where it takes my grandparens both two dozen times to sit him. He followed me around for the remainder of the hour, doing as instructed - within limits, he only knows what he's been taught of course - and was more than content to let me lay across him.
Everytime he put my hand in his mouth, even if it was just to hold onto me, I yelped "ow!" and showed him my teeth. After only fifteen minutes of his two years of living he stopped putting my hand in his mouth entirely. Now, he brushes his "upper lips" along my fingers, just lipping at them. No teeth involved, just flopping his hangy face on my hands until I tell him he's good and give him a scratch.
So let's see:
I used an unconventional - as far as I've heard, anyway - method of training, on an untrainable dog, and accomplished this;
1. He now sits faster than he ever has before, in two years of owning him.
2. He has ceased all biting of me.
3. He now follows at my heel, waiting for orders.
Is it really that unconventional? It seems barbaric, I can see where people get that thought from, but it's instinctual and it works. I'm not hurting the dog, I'm using positive reinforcement - petting, scratching, loving - and instinctual reinforcement. I do what I see him do to the other dogs, what makes him alpha male.
I wish I could send my grandparents away with the little dogs for two weeks, and just leave me with the Mastiff's. I wonder if I'd have them trained by then? Probably not to perfection, but they'd be way better than they are now.
I'm not going to stop my 'barbaric', 'inhumane', or 'strange' ways. They work for me.
About Me
- Erika
- I love to write, and I love the computer. Why wouldn't I be on Blogspot? Recently I've been at home a lot, thinking of ways to entertain myself, so here I am!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Ouchies and booboos.
They say the bathroom is the place in the home where most accidents occur. I have to disagree. I believe that the kitchen is the place in the home where most accidents occur.
Today I dropped a knife on my foot, and thankfully it didn't stick in. It just gave me a nice little slice, then bounced harmlessly to the floor. Again, thankfully the dog and cats were not in the kitchen, because they like shiny sparkly pointy things. Especially the cats. They rub their faces on everything. I've also burnt myself many a time. Kitchen = accidents.
My gramma picked me up today, as we're going on a mini road trip tomorrow to visit my severely disabled uncle.
My gramma's dog body slammed me, and stomped down on my cut foot. It is now purple and black, after only an hour or two. It hurts badly. A hundred and fifty pounds of purebred Italian Mastiff, does not a good foot make.
Today I dropped a knife on my foot, and thankfully it didn't stick in. It just gave me a nice little slice, then bounced harmlessly to the floor. Again, thankfully the dog and cats were not in the kitchen, because they like shiny sparkly pointy things. Especially the cats. They rub their faces on everything. I've also burnt myself many a time. Kitchen = accidents.
My gramma picked me up today, as we're going on a mini road trip tomorrow to visit my severely disabled uncle.
My gramma's dog body slammed me, and stomped down on my cut foot. It is now purple and black, after only an hour or two. It hurts badly. A hundred and fifty pounds of purebred Italian Mastiff, does not a good foot make.
Internet Shopping
And by internet shopping I mean places like www.kijiji.com and www.craigslist.com
What do you guys think?
We found my mutt on Kijiji, and he's been fantastic so far, but the guy that brought him wasn't. Of course, that doesn't have anything to do with the website, but our own poor judgement and the guys weird personality.
My darling niece's mother often buys/sells baby things on Kijiji, and she's had an okay time so far. Although she's had a few run in's with scammers, she still goes back thanks to the ease of access.
I personally find Craigslist to be a giant waste of my time. The website is poorly put together in my opinion and hard to read, as well as navigate.
My question though, is what do you guys think? Taking a step back and looking at the websites, I'm a bit shocked that I ever went on them in the first place.
Now, let's think about this slowly. For this point I'm trying to make, we can toss in www.ebay.com and www.etsy.com (of course, I love etsy like nobodies business, but for the sake of being fair, I'll put it in there.)
For ebay and etsy you give people your address so they can mail you things. I've never had any bad experiences with either, nor has anyone I know, but think about it. You're giving people your address on the internet.
We were always taught to not talk to strangers, never give out personal information, and here we all are; sitting in front of the computers, sending our addresses out to people we've never talked to, let alone met. These aren't friends we've met online, and have known for years. These are complete and total strangers, who we're trusting with our addresses. I suppose for those two websites, it's not so bad. Most of us don't have picture of ourselves posted up, or our ages. Keeping the creepers away seems fairly easy.
Now let's talk about Kijiji and Craigslist, as well as any website out there even remotely like them.
When we bought our mutt, we text a man our address and phone number, so he could plug it into his GPS. Just because he had puppies doesn't mean he was a cool guy. This man proceeded to drive to our house, meet myself, Mom and my sister. He stayed around and chatted. He was an idiot, but not a creep, and that's fine. But what if he had been a creep?
He knew our address, who lived at the house, that it was a houseful of young women, and their mother. And that we had a dog. He knew where our front door was, where our side door was, and he knew we had a field behind our house.
Niece's mommy tends to get her Hub to drive her to pick up things, which is okay. There's two people, they're going and getting the stuff, great. But what about mothers who don't drive, or single fathers even? Someone's selling baby products online, you get them to deliver it to you. These strange people end up knowing where you live, how old your baby is, and basically they know your schedule, or at least when you're going to be home on that one day of the week.
I guess you could call me paranoid, but really. We've grown really lax in our safety precautions. Everyone is paranoid to give out their credit card numbers, but we're all tossing our addresses out willy-nilly. I'd rather have a bunch of garbage and false charges on my credit card, than give a creeper online my address. I think I'll be doing pick ups from now on, and never alone.
Just some thoughts.
What do you guys think?
We found my mutt on Kijiji, and he's been fantastic so far, but the guy that brought him wasn't. Of course, that doesn't have anything to do with the website, but our own poor judgement and the guys weird personality.
My darling niece's mother often buys/sells baby things on Kijiji, and she's had an okay time so far. Although she's had a few run in's with scammers, she still goes back thanks to the ease of access.
I personally find Craigslist to be a giant waste of my time. The website is poorly put together in my opinion and hard to read, as well as navigate.
My question though, is what do you guys think? Taking a step back and looking at the websites, I'm a bit shocked that I ever went on them in the first place.
Now, let's think about this slowly. For this point I'm trying to make, we can toss in www.ebay.com and www.etsy.com (of course, I love etsy like nobodies business, but for the sake of being fair, I'll put it in there.)
For ebay and etsy you give people your address so they can mail you things. I've never had any bad experiences with either, nor has anyone I know, but think about it. You're giving people your address on the internet.
We were always taught to not talk to strangers, never give out personal information, and here we all are; sitting in front of the computers, sending our addresses out to people we've never talked to, let alone met. These aren't friends we've met online, and have known for years. These are complete and total strangers, who we're trusting with our addresses. I suppose for those two websites, it's not so bad. Most of us don't have picture of ourselves posted up, or our ages. Keeping the creepers away seems fairly easy.
Now let's talk about Kijiji and Craigslist, as well as any website out there even remotely like them.
When we bought our mutt, we text a man our address and phone number, so he could plug it into his GPS. Just because he had puppies doesn't mean he was a cool guy. This man proceeded to drive to our house, meet myself, Mom and my sister. He stayed around and chatted. He was an idiot, but not a creep, and that's fine. But what if he had been a creep?
He knew our address, who lived at the house, that it was a houseful of young women, and their mother. And that we had a dog. He knew where our front door was, where our side door was, and he knew we had a field behind our house.
Niece's mommy tends to get her Hub to drive her to pick up things, which is okay. There's two people, they're going and getting the stuff, great. But what about mothers who don't drive, or single fathers even? Someone's selling baby products online, you get them to deliver it to you. These strange people end up knowing where you live, how old your baby is, and basically they know your schedule, or at least when you're going to be home on that one day of the week.
I guess you could call me paranoid, but really. We've grown really lax in our safety precautions. Everyone is paranoid to give out their credit card numbers, but we're all tossing our addresses out willy-nilly. I'd rather have a bunch of garbage and false charges on my credit card, than give a creeper online my address. I think I'll be doing pick ups from now on, and never alone.
Just some thoughts.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Oldies
Does anyone out here get/watch Teletoon Retro? I know on my TV (I'm with Rogers) it's channel 284...
I love it so much!
The old Beetlejuice cartoon is on all the time, as well as the Chipmunks! Smurfs plays, but I never really watched it when I was little.
G.I. Joe is on right now, and the animation is so horrible, the voices are so crap, and I haven't been happier in weeks!
What are your favorite childhood shows? I'm not afraid to admit I wached Barney and Elmo. To be honest, if I stumbled across an old Barney movie...I'd watch it.
Sailor Moon was one of those shows I rushed home for in Junior K, because I could not miss it.
Retro brings back so many memories, I'm glad they made it. The old Scooby Doo still sucks, and I still watch it.
As a side note, the Inspector Gadget movies are fail in comparison to the show.
I love it so much!
The old Beetlejuice cartoon is on all the time, as well as the Chipmunks! Smurfs plays, but I never really watched it when I was little.
G.I. Joe is on right now, and the animation is so horrible, the voices are so crap, and I haven't been happier in weeks!
What are your favorite childhood shows? I'm not afraid to admit I wached Barney and Elmo. To be honest, if I stumbled across an old Barney movie...I'd watch it.
Sailor Moon was one of those shows I rushed home for in Junior K, because I could not miss it.
Retro brings back so many memories, I'm glad they made it. The old Scooby Doo still sucks, and I still watch it.
As a side note, the Inspector Gadget movies are fail in comparison to the show.
BFF's
How long have you guys known your best friends?
M: I've known her for fifteen years
A: Also fifteen years! Almost sixteen, actually. And I've known her sweet baby girl since she was but a thought, nothing more ;D
N: We met in middle school, we've known each other for seven or eight years, and we're awesome.
K: Six or seven years.
N was over last night, and we had an awesome time making art :) Sadly, I don't have anything saved on this computer, it's all on hers. Perhaps one day I'll upload it for your amusement.
How long have you known your best friend(s), and are you still friends with your very first bestie? I am! I'm also the proud Auntie Eri, and Godmother to her daughter now.
M: I've known her for fifteen years
A: Also fifteen years! Almost sixteen, actually. And I've known her sweet baby girl since she was but a thought, nothing more ;D
N: We met in middle school, we've known each other for seven or eight years, and we're awesome.
K: Six or seven years.
N was over last night, and we had an awesome time making art :) Sadly, I don't have anything saved on this computer, it's all on hers. Perhaps one day I'll upload it for your amusement.
How long have you known your best friend(s), and are you still friends with your very first bestie? I am! I'm also the proud Auntie Eri, and Godmother to her daughter now.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Lucky Number Sle-, 22
Heh, I'm at twenty two page views now. It doesn't seem like a lot, but this is honestly the longest I've stayed with a blog...and while page views might not mean much, it makes me proud.
I love wolves. What's everyone's opinion on Twilight? Personally, I hated it so bad I used to beat people with the Twi books. Then I forced myself to read it, and ended up enjoying it. Don't get me wrong, it'll never be my favorite series, not even close. SMeyer could have been a good author, had she have grown with the books, but she didn't. The movies make me ill, but I found the books an enjoyable, albeit very easy read.
Hated the "vampires", think the Cullen's suck, but I love the wolf pack. Random thoughts are random?
That Benadryl I took finally kicked in. No more allergies here! Although now I'm a drowsy sleepyfacepanda. Rambling post is rambling.
I love wolves. What's everyone's opinion on Twilight? Personally, I hated it so bad I used to beat people with the Twi books. Then I forced myself to read it, and ended up enjoying it. Don't get me wrong, it'll never be my favorite series, not even close. SMeyer could have been a good author, had she have grown with the books, but she didn't. The movies make me ill, but I found the books an enjoyable, albeit very easy read.
Hated the "vampires", think the Cullen's suck, but I love the wolf pack. Random thoughts are random?
That Benadryl I took finally kicked in. No more allergies here! Although now I'm a drowsy sleepyfacepanda. Rambling post is rambling.
Okay, calm down typing hands
I always hate spamming, but I keep thinking of new things to post and don't particularly feel like making one giant boring post that no one is going to read through.
Therefore, I spam.
So. Valentine's Day. Like it or lump it?
Personally, I think it's pointless. I know a lot of people view most holidays as pointless, but really.
Valentine's Day tends to make people who are single, or who are having crappy relationship times feel like trash. All this lovey dovey stuff makes it look like...I don't know. Sort of like if you don't have someone to spend the day with, you fail. Which isn't the case.
One of my oldest friends is my Valentine this year, I just asked her. We both hate the day, and we're content to mock it together. We were Valentine's last year, and the year before as well, I believe.
Oh, news flash. My other super best friend is Valentine's with my first oldest friend, and myself. So now we're participating in a three way homosexual Valentine's day Valentine relationship. Thoughts?
(you guys have no idea how many horrible looks we all get when we go out together, claiming to be Valentine's. Aside from the fact that's we're just fooling around and having fun and not being serious or couple-y at all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with homosexuality. My two friends are straight as boards, and while I'm not, it still bugs all three of us the way people tend to act. If you don't like it, don't look. We don't complain about your PDA's. Really, if a few girls hugging and sharing candy is going to cause you to flip out, I should be able to pull apart teenage heterosexual couples snogging in the middle of the mall.)
Therefore, I spam.
So. Valentine's Day. Like it or lump it?
Personally, I think it's pointless. I know a lot of people view most holidays as pointless, but really.
Valentine's Day tends to make people who are single, or who are having crappy relationship times feel like trash. All this lovey dovey stuff makes it look like...I don't know. Sort of like if you don't have someone to spend the day with, you fail. Which isn't the case.
One of my oldest friends is my Valentine this year, I just asked her. We both hate the day, and we're content to mock it together. We were Valentine's last year, and the year before as well, I believe.
Oh, news flash. My other super best friend is Valentine's with my first oldest friend, and myself. So now we're participating in a three way homosexual Valentine's day Valentine relationship. Thoughts?
(you guys have no idea how many horrible looks we all get when we go out together, claiming to be Valentine's. Aside from the fact that's we're just fooling around and having fun and not being serious or couple-y at all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with homosexuality. My two friends are straight as boards, and while I'm not, it still bugs all three of us the way people tend to act. If you don't like it, don't look. We don't complain about your PDA's. Really, if a few girls hugging and sharing candy is going to cause you to flip out, I should be able to pull apart teenage heterosexual couples snogging in the middle of the mall.)
Dinosaur's say what?
WHAT!I am a huge dino lover, always have been. Anything I can read or what about dino's, I do.
My personal favorite is the Triceratops, and the Jurassic Park trilogy is probably my most favorite movie series of all times. The dino's weren't all properly portrayed, but what can I say? The movies were brilliantly done.
What's your favorite dinos? Do you even have favorites?
Puppies and allergies and coffee, oh my!
So readers, what's your favorite kind of dog? Right now, my "doggy family" (this includes aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins...so don't go callin' animal services on me!) consists of the following:
Italian Mastiffs
Toy Yorkshire Terriers
Miniature Daschunds
Miniature Doberman
My own Husky/Retriever mutt
Shi-poo (which is a cross between a shitzu and a toy poodle. They're ridiculously funny looking!)
I have to say, as much as I love my mutt, Spence, I do in fact love mini weiners. I have no idea why. Maybe it's because they're so long and funky looking? Perhaps it has something to do with my childhood.
Growing up, Gramma had a mini weiner named Roni. As in, Macaroni and Cheese. Originally he was named The Duke, but when we went to register him at the vet, he would have to be named The Duke The Seventeeth. While a very 'prestigous' sounding name, he ended up being named Roni after he got into a bowl of someone's dinner and devoured it. Weiner dogs are slobs!
Roni was there before I was born, and once I was born, he was the best nanny I ever did have. He was a loving, mothering dog who nurtured everything that seemed helpless or defenseless. The point is, Daschund's are my fave - mini or standard. They're cute, cuddly, and internet research told me that they make the best dogs for single women. It's due to their protective nature, and the fact that they have a deeper bark then most small dogs.
They're small dogs, with big barks and even bigger barks.
Unfortunately, I am desperately allergic to both cats and dogs, despite owning both. As I'm typing this, my right hand is swollen and scratchy, red, with nasty white hives. I took a Benadryl, which is supposed to have fast acting relief, but no luck yet! Thankfully my love for the dogs and cats overpowers my own comfort, haha.
Do you guys have anything you love to death, food or critter or hobby, that you can't be around due to allergies? I don't mind being with the dogs, but I have issues if I'm around them too long.
Ah, the end of this post. It's nice to have them end, I think. I love typing, but finding a way to close it all up is amazing.
So I'm closing with this;
Tim Hortons coffee is the best coffee in existence. It's so delicious. I take it as double double, but yeah.
Italian Mastiffs
Toy Yorkshire Terriers
Miniature Daschunds
Miniature Doberman
My own Husky/Retriever mutt
Shi-poo (which is a cross between a shitzu and a toy poodle. They're ridiculously funny looking!)
I have to say, as much as I love my mutt, Spence, I do in fact love mini weiners. I have no idea why. Maybe it's because they're so long and funky looking? Perhaps it has something to do with my childhood.
Growing up, Gramma had a mini weiner named Roni. As in, Macaroni and Cheese. Originally he was named The Duke, but when we went to register him at the vet, he would have to be named The Duke The Seventeeth. While a very 'prestigous' sounding name, he ended up being named Roni after he got into a bowl of someone's dinner and devoured it. Weiner dogs are slobs!
Roni was there before I was born, and once I was born, he was the best nanny I ever did have. He was a loving, mothering dog who nurtured everything that seemed helpless or defenseless. The point is, Daschund's are my fave - mini or standard. They're cute, cuddly, and internet research told me that they make the best dogs for single women. It's due to their protective nature, and the fact that they have a deeper bark then most small dogs.
They're small dogs, with big barks and even bigger barks.
Unfortunately, I am desperately allergic to both cats and dogs, despite owning both. As I'm typing this, my right hand is swollen and scratchy, red, with nasty white hives. I took a Benadryl, which is supposed to have fast acting relief, but no luck yet! Thankfully my love for the dogs and cats overpowers my own comfort, haha.
Do you guys have anything you love to death, food or critter or hobby, that you can't be around due to allergies? I don't mind being with the dogs, but I have issues if I'm around them too long.
Ah, the end of this post. It's nice to have them end, I think. I love typing, but finding a way to close it all up is amazing.
So I'm closing with this;
Tim Hortons coffee is the best coffee in existence. It's so delicious. I take it as double double, but yeah.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Totally awesome, still~
Me: My back is sore...
Him: -back rubs- that or a heating pad?
Me: I'm sorry but only I'm awesome enough to give virtual back rubs, and actually make someone feel better.
Him: Darn...well, do I at least get points for trying?
Me: Woohoo! I just swallowed a piece of food without drinking any water!
Him: Awesome!
Me: And yes, you get points for trying.
--- I have very bad acid reflux, and the three cans of V8 juice I had tonight made my throat swell up, to the point where I was unable to eat.
Despite my various health issues...I am awesome.
Him: -back rubs- that or a heating pad?
Me: I'm sorry but only I'm awesome enough to give virtual back rubs, and actually make someone feel better.
Him: Darn...well, do I at least get points for trying?
Me: Woohoo! I just swallowed a piece of food without drinking any water!
Him: Awesome!
Me: And yes, you get points for trying.
--- I have very bad acid reflux, and the three cans of V8 juice I had tonight made my throat swell up, to the point where I was unable to eat.
Despite my various health issues...I am awesome.
don't cry for me - no really.
I grew up in a mostly single parent household. Mom had boyfriends over the years, and eventually I had a little sister.
Most of my friends and cousins, whatever, have two parent households. Which is fine - but as a child, it always made me feel like the odd man out. I was the only one who didn't do fathers day and all that nonsense. Now that I'm older, it doesn't bug me. Especially since my mom's last boyfriend was around for eleven years.
They're not together now, but he still acts like the dad I wish I had growing up. He's still there for emotional support, and he takes my sister and I out whenever we need it, sometimes even when we just want it. Which is awesome, it really is.
However, I have to say that I absolutely cannot stand when my biological father calls me. You see, it wasn't that him and Mom broke up. They didn't have a fight. No one was cheating.
One day he went to the store and just never came back. I was still incredibly small, and after three days, he called Mom and said it was over.
So, wow. I saw him maybe four or five times over the years, until it just...stopped. Around the time I turned twelve. Which again, was fine. I don't want him to call. Whenever he did, I ended up being disapointed weeks later. Mom got tired of watching me wait at the window, sitting for hours, hoping my dad would actually show up.
She got tired of making excuses for him, and I got tired of listening to excuses. He was basically forgotten.
Then last year - in 2010 - he started calling. He talks to me for maybe five minutes, then wants to talk to Mom...for hours. Clearly he wants nothing to do with me.
After a drunken phone call a few weeks back, I began calling him in a desperate attempt to get my brothers phone number. We're related via Father Dearest, and haven't seen each other in a few years. Fantastic. Well, Father Dearest doesn't answer his phone.
He calls last night, and gives me three numbers after making me feel like garbage (because, as we all know, fifty five year old alcoholics who don't have high schools diploma's let alone college degrees, are so much better than their educatee year old, trying to find a job daughters.)
1. My brother
2. My brother's mother
3. My aunt, who doesn't know who I am.
One and Two did not work. Number three called me back today. Three says she will email One and Two my phone number and other information, so they can get ahold of me.
So dear readers, my questions of today are as follow:
- Do you have any "dead beat parents", or did you grow up in a single parents house hold?
- Was it with Mom or Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Gramma, Grampa?
- Reasons?
- Any long lost relative you'd like to get ahold of?
- Any idea how?
Most of my friends and cousins, whatever, have two parent households. Which is fine - but as a child, it always made me feel like the odd man out. I was the only one who didn't do fathers day and all that nonsense. Now that I'm older, it doesn't bug me. Especially since my mom's last boyfriend was around for eleven years.
They're not together now, but he still acts like the dad I wish I had growing up. He's still there for emotional support, and he takes my sister and I out whenever we need it, sometimes even when we just want it. Which is awesome, it really is.
However, I have to say that I absolutely cannot stand when my biological father calls me. You see, it wasn't that him and Mom broke up. They didn't have a fight. No one was cheating.
One day he went to the store and just never came back. I was still incredibly small, and after three days, he called Mom and said it was over.
So, wow. I saw him maybe four or five times over the years, until it just...stopped. Around the time I turned twelve. Which again, was fine. I don't want him to call. Whenever he did, I ended up being disapointed weeks later. Mom got tired of watching me wait at the window, sitting for hours, hoping my dad would actually show up.
She got tired of making excuses for him, and I got tired of listening to excuses. He was basically forgotten.
Then last year - in 2010 - he started calling. He talks to me for maybe five minutes, then wants to talk to Mom...for hours. Clearly he wants nothing to do with me.
After a drunken phone call a few weeks back, I began calling him in a desperate attempt to get my brothers phone number. We're related via Father Dearest, and haven't seen each other in a few years. Fantastic. Well, Father Dearest doesn't answer his phone.
He calls last night, and gives me three numbers after making me feel like garbage (because, as we all know, fifty five year old alcoholics who don't have high schools diploma's let alone college degrees, are so much better than their educatee year old, trying to find a job daughters.)
1. My brother
2. My brother's mother
3. My aunt, who doesn't know who I am.
One and Two did not work. Number three called me back today. Three says she will email One and Two my phone number and other information, so they can get ahold of me.
So dear readers, my questions of today are as follow:
- Do you have any "dead beat parents", or did you grow up in a single parents house hold?
- Was it with Mom or Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Gramma, Grampa?
- Reasons?
- Any long lost relative you'd like to get ahold of?
- Any idea how?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Featured
Word! So today's featured place is an etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/GiRLStreetVintageGiRLStreetVintage sells an amazing list of items, all of them gorgeous and unique. The 'owner' of this shop is also incredibly lovely and friendly, with 100% positive feedback. Go there for all your vintage or cool needs!
From wallets to pot holders to gloves to housewares, GiRLStreetVintage has it all.
I "bread" it a while ago, actually.
I made this bread the other week. I was trying to recreat Jack Astors pan bread. I made a whole loaf, and next time I'm going to make balls and stick them together. Or maybe personal bread :) It was cheesy and delicious, and actually did taste like pan bread from Jack Astors!~
It was my very first time making anything from scratch, and the first time I made bread. I had to knead it, let it rise, knead it, let it rise, and then leave it over night before baking it. I was very proud of myself! Do any of you have favorite recipes you want to share?
I'm totally awesome, I swear
No, seriously. I'm made of epic freaking win. I'm so awesome that Wolverine and Gambit wear Erika patterned boxers. I say this, because I have a pair of X-Men PJ pants...and we all know Wolverine and Gambit don't wear PJ pants, they wear tights. And boxers. Because they're men. Manly men! In tights!
Sososo, I stole something from a friend of mine. It's a link.
Do not click it, if you're easily upset by animal cruelty. For those of you who are, the gist of the story is this:
Lady in Texas kills Pit Bull after the dog eats her Gospel...which she left out on the porch, with the chained up dog.
So let me ask these next two questions: Would a super religous person really leave their religious books in places where they could be destroyed by the weather, let alone chewy pups? And really...whose the mean one? Humans, or Pit Bulls?
Stupid people make mean dogs. Dogs don't make mean dogs. Dogs make creatures that need and want structure/love in their lives.
http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2011/01/which-one-is-the-killer.html
Sososo, I stole something from a friend of mine. It's a link.
Do not click it, if you're easily upset by animal cruelty. For those of you who are, the gist of the story is this:
Lady in Texas kills Pit Bull after the dog eats her Gospel...which she left out on the porch, with the chained up dog.
So let me ask these next two questions: Would a super religous person really leave their religious books in places where they could be destroyed by the weather, let alone chewy pups? And really...whose the mean one? Humans, or Pit Bulls?
Stupid people make mean dogs. Dogs don't make mean dogs. Dogs make creatures that need and want structure/love in their lives.
http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2011/01/which-one-is-the-killer.html
A little bit of LOL
I really should become a comedian. My best friend could be the helper for my act.
Me: Pray that I get a job, oy?
Her: Huuuuuuyababa goobidy goo blah blah lolol - that's my prayer :)
Me: That's very...unique!
Her: Do ya love me?
Me: Are you playing your loooooove games with me?
Her: Yes! ... I have to pee!
Okay, maybe we're not comedian worthy, but I find us hilarious. Also, the "do ya love me" thang comes from an amazing little tiddlybit of hilarity, called Old Gregg. If you have never ever seen Old Gregg (first, shame on you, I can't believe you haven't seen it. Do you live under a rock?) go to youtube and search it up. Watch both parts, it's hilarious.
And Bailey's rocks, amirite?
Me: Pray that I get a job, oy?
Her: Huuuuuuyababa goobidy goo blah blah lolol - that's my prayer :)
Me: That's very...unique!
Her: Do ya love me?
Me: Are you playing your loooooove games with me?
Her: Yes! ... I have to pee!
Okay, maybe we're not comedian worthy, but I find us hilarious. Also, the "do ya love me" thang comes from an amazing little tiddlybit of hilarity, called Old Gregg. If you have never ever seen Old Gregg (first, shame on you, I can't believe you haven't seen it. Do you live under a rock?) go to youtube and search it up. Watch both parts, it's hilarious.
And Bailey's rocks, amirite?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Fears
I have a fear of clowns. And moths...and most definately ants. What are your fears readers? Have you ever tried facing them head on?
Did not work for me, let me tell ya.
Did not work for me, let me tell ya.
Have some more USELESS
As a second thought, here's some pictures of my totally useless origami. At least it's pretty, right? :) - Congratulations Tsuru - it's a type of crane, that apparently means congrats! For weddings mostly (or at least, that's what I've gathered from my readings)
- A phoenix, that I fudged up on. I still think it looks kind of neat. Especially love the totally useless snowman and snowflake paper I used for him.
- It's a lily~ Double sided paper - purple in the front, grey in the back. Makes it look hardcore, am I right?
- A parrot. Generally made out of 30x30 paper, I used paper half the size of that, so...he's tiny, and a bit distorted. And why yes lovelies, he is resting on a Puckup. A Puckup is my giant plastic cup with Noah Puckerman's face on it. He's from Glee, he's awesome, thou shall not judge me for the fact I enjoy Glee.
Useless
It's a word we hear a lot, and one I use frequently in an offhanded sort of way. The dictionary describes useless as "of no practical good".
As of late, my family's been commenting about how useless my most frequent hobby - paper folding or rather, origami - is. And yeah, I can kind of see it. Adorable little paper bunnies, kittens, flowers and stars are littering the tables, and they aren't doing anything. They sit there. Silent. Motionless. Useless.
But is it really useless? I've seen multiple people selling their hand folded paper craft goods on stores like etsy (found at http://www.etsy.com/ it really is an amazing website, I spend a lot of time there) so it does have a bit of value. Monetary value aside, though, origami makes me happy.
There's nothing like buying a new pack of origami paper, cracking it open, and pulling out a pure, crease less sheet. You get to ooh and aah over the pretty colors, or if you're like me, the awesomely patterned paper. And then...then you get to decide what you want to make. I use youtube to find tutorials, and halfway through getting a project done it's like woah, this actually looks like something.
Some people can draw, or sculpt, or paint. I have my useless craft of origami, where I can turn a piece of paper into virtually anything I want. So: useless or not?
One mans garbage is another mans treasure, as they say.
Do you guys have anything your friends, family, spouses, or partners find useless? My fairy collection and extensive hoard of jewelry have been deemed that way. Again, they make me happy. Useless? Or useful?
Tell me about your weird collections, hobbies, or habits. The person with the most unique one will have their 'quirk' featured in a poll that I'm going to affectionately call "Useless or Useful", so we can figure it out for sure. After all, voting solves everything, right?
As of late, my family's been commenting about how useless my most frequent hobby - paper folding or rather, origami - is. And yeah, I can kind of see it. Adorable little paper bunnies, kittens, flowers and stars are littering the tables, and they aren't doing anything. They sit there. Silent. Motionless. Useless.
But is it really useless? I've seen multiple people selling their hand folded paper craft goods on stores like etsy (found at http://www.etsy.com/ it really is an amazing website, I spend a lot of time there) so it does have a bit of value. Monetary value aside, though, origami makes me happy.
There's nothing like buying a new pack of origami paper, cracking it open, and pulling out a pure, crease less sheet. You get to ooh and aah over the pretty colors, or if you're like me, the awesomely patterned paper. And then...then you get to decide what you want to make. I use youtube to find tutorials, and halfway through getting a project done it's like woah, this actually looks like something.
Some people can draw, or sculpt, or paint. I have my useless craft of origami, where I can turn a piece of paper into virtually anything I want. So: useless or not?
One mans garbage is another mans treasure, as they say.
Do you guys have anything your friends, family, spouses, or partners find useless? My fairy collection and extensive hoard of jewelry have been deemed that way. Again, they make me happy. Useless? Or useful?
Tell me about your weird collections, hobbies, or habits. The person with the most unique one will have their 'quirk' featured in a poll that I'm going to affectionately call "Useless or Useful", so we can figure it out for sure. After all, voting solves everything, right?
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