This is a long article. But, it's a super interesting topic that is in the middle of an increasingly heated ethical debate. What can I say?* I am fascinated by whales, and fascinated by training. What I'm not sure I care for is theme parks putting the two together to make a fortune.
*Apparently I cannot say much, as I am being a total blog cheater and letting the article do the talking rather than doing any myself. But seriously. Read it.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
In the past several weeks...
...Gabe has:
1. Eaten an entire chocolate cake (yes, the entire thing), resulting in a trip to the emergency vet, which then resulted in two shaved front legs (for where they had to use IV's on him).
2. Gashed his eyebrow open on a picnic table at the dog park while he was rallying every single other dog to chase him (read: showing off. Typical). Just another hairless spot to match his poor leggies.
3. Gotten sick in the middle of the night, causing me to rush him to the bathroom (since I didn't know if we could make it upstairs and outside in time), and watch him puke in the shower, then PASS OUT. Literally. He stiffened up and fell into the shower wall. I was freaking out.
I recently read that an intelligent dog can learn about 250 words. That's about the same as a 2-year-old child. I think it is safe to say that Gabe qualifies as the equivalent of a human toddler in more ways than one. Just thought you should know.
1. Eaten an entire chocolate cake (yes, the entire thing), resulting in a trip to the emergency vet, which then resulted in two shaved front legs (for where they had to use IV's on him).
2. Gashed his eyebrow open on a picnic table at the dog park while he was rallying every single other dog to chase him (read: showing off. Typical). Just another hairless spot to match his poor leggies.
3. Gotten sick in the middle of the night, causing me to rush him to the bathroom (since I didn't know if we could make it upstairs and outside in time), and watch him puke in the shower, then PASS OUT. Literally. He stiffened up and fell into the shower wall. I was freaking out.
I recently read that an intelligent dog can learn about 250 words. That's about the same as a 2-year-old child. I think it is safe to say that Gabe qualifies as the equivalent of a human toddler in more ways than one. Just thought you should know.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Lately I Have Wondered...
...how to weigh out what is most important.
How important is place? Or maybe, how important should we let it be?
If I have some of my most steadfast, deep relationships in one place, but a vocational calling in another place, how do I decide what is most important?
I'm inclined to put the relationships first. But, when I do, I still have a yearning to find my 'calling' in life. My own personal story. To find out how I can be fulfilled and use the gifts and/or education God has blessed me with. We are called to invest in others and love well while we have time on this Earth. And yet, we are also called to respond to God's orchestrating in our lives and to acknowledge the individuality he has created in each of us. This looks different for every person...how should it look for me?
No matter what, I lose something.
No matter what, I will slip and fall.
No matter what, I will grow.
I don't know if I should feel more comforted or more uneasy that there may not be a black and white right or wrong choice in this situation. But, change is inevitable, one way or the other. And, maybe because every season is fleeting, I just need to get 100% better at living in the moment.
How important is place? Or maybe, how important should we let it be?
If I have some of my most steadfast, deep relationships in one place, but a vocational calling in another place, how do I decide what is most important?
I'm inclined to put the relationships first. But, when I do, I still have a yearning to find my 'calling' in life. My own personal story. To find out how I can be fulfilled and use the gifts and/or education God has blessed me with. We are called to invest in others and love well while we have time on this Earth. And yet, we are also called to respond to God's orchestrating in our lives and to acknowledge the individuality he has created in each of us. This looks different for every person...how should it look for me?
No matter what, I lose something.
No matter what, I will slip and fall.
No matter what, I will grow.
I don't know if I should feel more comforted or more uneasy that there may not be a black and white right or wrong choice in this situation. But, change is inevitable, one way or the other. And, maybe because every season is fleeting, I just need to get 100% better at living in the moment.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
My Quirks
1. I follow certain high-profile cases on the news really closely. One time, I read an entire book about the JonBenet Ramsey case. Lately, I have been anxious to learn more about the case of Dawn Brancheau.
2. I hate soggy paper. It just grosses me out. If you drop a napkin in a glass of water, I will squirm.
3. Ke$Ha's voice might as well be nails on a chalkboard. I cannot stand her 'music', and if you don't believe how bad she is, you need to watch this.
4. I dislike over-matching.
5. There may not be a bigger baby than me in the world when it comes to hot, humid weather. God didn't create me with that DNA.
2. I hate soggy paper. It just grosses me out. If you drop a napkin in a glass of water, I will squirm.
3. Ke$Ha's voice might as well be nails on a chalkboard. I cannot stand her 'music', and if you don't believe how bad she is, you need to watch this.
4. I dislike over-matching.
5. There may not be a bigger baby than me in the world when it comes to hot, humid weather. God didn't create me with that DNA.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A Confession
I have a confession to make.
A lot of times, when people talk about 'right-wing' or 'left-wing' in regards to politics, I have to scramble to remember which one is which. Maybe because I, to this day, remain unaffiliated from any one party.
But never fear.
A fad of the past known as Beanie Babies has helped me avoid complete forgetfulness. As a kid, a good friend of mine bought Lefty the Donkey, even though it made her a little uneasy that he was the symbol of Democrats. But, he was just a lot cuter than the Elephant, Righty.
Ladies and gentleman, I give you Righty and Lefty:
Because what could be a better mnemonic device than a stuffed animal?
And they said this fad would die out. Not quite. Not quite yet.
A lot of times, when people talk about 'right-wing' or 'left-wing' in regards to politics, I have to scramble to remember which one is which. Maybe because I, to this day, remain unaffiliated from any one party.
But never fear.
A fad of the past known as Beanie Babies has helped me avoid complete forgetfulness. As a kid, a good friend of mine bought Lefty the Donkey, even though it made her a little uneasy that he was the symbol of Democrats. But, he was just a lot cuter than the Elephant, Righty.
Ladies and gentleman, I give you Righty and Lefty:
Because what could be a better mnemonic device than a stuffed animal?
And they said this fad would die out. Not quite. Not quite yet.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
My True Talent: Dragging My Feet.
Hey.
I kind of miss this blog. I've been doting more on this one lately, but maybe this one still could serve a purpose too.
You probably don't bother checking it any more. Neither do you. Or you.
But, that's ok. I sort of want to nurse blog back to health, audience or no audience.
Instead of summarizing the entire year of 2010 so far, I will just tell you a little about this current moment.
My degree has proved to be pretty non-helpful. I'm supposed to find a career. There are so few careers that will have me.
My vocation is working with dogs. There is no way I can deny that. But, I have to figure out if my vocation will be the same thing as my occupation or not. Would I love to own my own business? Yes. And no. I think the answer would be yes if I knew a single thing about business. Or if I had money to start one.
And, do I have something relevant and helpful to offer the dog-owning/loving world? It's possible...but I like to tell myself otherwise. God didn't craft me to be a very natural risk-taker. Or a person who has a ton of confidence to try things and make mistakes and keep going. There is a battle raging on inside of my soul; one side beating my little, weak, dim hopes into submission, and the other daring me to fight back by just doing something.
Emo maybe? Hopefully not. It's actually the truth. And, if there is one crucial thing I have learned this year, it's that being transparent with others may be uncomfortable, but it's so necessary. Ew, I don't even like admitting to admit that. There I go, being honest again.
In conclusion, I hope nobody reads this. Just kidding. But seriously.
I kind of miss this blog. I've been doting more on this one lately, but maybe this one still could serve a purpose too.
You probably don't bother checking it any more. Neither do you. Or you.
But, that's ok. I sort of want to nurse blog back to health, audience or no audience.
Instead of summarizing the entire year of 2010 so far, I will just tell you a little about this current moment.
My degree has proved to be pretty non-helpful. I'm supposed to find a career. There are so few careers that will have me.
My vocation is working with dogs. There is no way I can deny that. But, I have to figure out if my vocation will be the same thing as my occupation or not. Would I love to own my own business? Yes. And no. I think the answer would be yes if I knew a single thing about business. Or if I had money to start one.
And, do I have something relevant and helpful to offer the dog-owning/loving world? It's possible...but I like to tell myself otherwise. God didn't craft me to be a very natural risk-taker. Or a person who has a ton of confidence to try things and make mistakes and keep going. There is a battle raging on inside of my soul; one side beating my little, weak, dim hopes into submission, and the other daring me to fight back by just doing something.
Emo maybe? Hopefully not. It's actually the truth. And, if there is one crucial thing I have learned this year, it's that being transparent with others may be uncomfortable, but it's so necessary. Ew, I don't even like admitting to admit that. There I go, being honest again.
In conclusion, I hope nobody reads this. Just kidding. But seriously.
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