2004-2011. Adieu Piper, aka Varmint, Piper T. Beastie, Piperty-puppitty, Pipes, Beastly Dog, Red Mutt. You were definitely a character. One I'll never forget. Goodbye, sweet pup. And thanks to the kind vet and technicians at Elk Lake Veterinary Clinic. Your compassion was much appreciated. Goodbye, Piper sweetness.
 
Posted by Hane2SO4 at 4:40 PM | Link
 

Well, what a surprise. Over the past three days I've encountered two people who irritated me profoundly. The first was a young know-it-all who was attending the same seminar I was. She was the classic keener, always breaking into the discussion to show off how much she knew. Of course, she didn't really know much -- one of her pronouncements was that " 'Ego' is Latin for 'mask'." Um, no, it is not. "Ego" is Latin for "I." As in "I am very tired of you constantly sounding off."
 
The second was someone I had met nearly a dozen years ago, and who had been on the annoying side back then. This time she had an opinion on everything, even when she confessed to knowing very little about a subject. Also, her opinions were almost always negative. Example: she asked how long I had spent in teacher training for Bikram yoga. "Nine weeks," I replied. "ONLY nine weeks? How can you possibly learn enough in so short a time?" Was she a yoga teacher? No, but she had practiced yoga 20 or so years ago. I started to explain that the Bikram training is one of the most in-depth courses available, then caught myself in time. Explaining anything to such a person is a waste of goddamned time. To this add almost constant interruption -- obviously it's an unconscious habit with her, but it's the kind of behaviour that makes me livid.
 
And if you're about to tell me that I found these two females vexing because they displayed my own most aggravating characteristics, you can hold off. Yes, I'm still kind of a know-it-all, but I can occasionally refrain from sharing my unbelievable genius with others. But I really, really don't interrupt others all the time. And if I don't know anything about a subject, I try to keep my fat mouth shut.
 
Hardest of all was the decision. The decision I've been dreading for the last two months. But after an episode yesterday I realized I had merely postponed the inevitable. Compared to it, the ending of my longest friendship, the move, the current uncertainty . . . all trivial. Another difficult choice on a related matter was also made, but again, it's minor when set against the first. I'm thankful to have L. and B., who know how hard this decision is, on my side. Bless you both.
 
Posted by Hane2SO4 at 10:36 PM | Link