Saturday, October 26, 2013

Doggin' It

Disclaimer:  Dog Photos

That being said...it’s been a busy couple of months, with exercise, school, Dodger-bashing (sorry guys), and a new dog (duh).  I find that because of my size and the energy I’m putting into what I’m doing, I need more down time to recover, which cuts into my time on the computer (non-study time).  After putting it off, I’m happy to report that I have some time to blog. 

"Needs a Home" picture of Buster, posted on Instagram
The weight battle is at a stalemate right now.  For some reason, it’s not coming off as it was during the summer.  I been diligent about avoiding fast food and other foods that aren't good for me; however, it could be stress, poor sleep patterns, inconsistent eating and/or exercise patterns may have something to do with it.  But I haven’t worried about it, mostly because I don’t want to have something new to discourage me.  I have plenty of things out there that are working hard to keep me discouraged, and it’s a daily battle to deflect the fiery arrows that come from the actions and attitudes of others who are in a constant state of “what can I do today to discourage John?” mode, in addition to the circumstances that throw themselves in front of me.  It’s that way for a lot of people, so I’m not feeling sorry for myself.  That’s just the way it is.
Buster coming home with Kellie two hours later...

The good news is that college (with the new dog) are great distractions.  College has been a lot of work, but the results show my effort.  It’s nice to see something pay off for once.  Over the years, I've poured myself into things that failed to yield any real fruitful result and this has been a good thing for me to see in my life.  It doesn't pay the bills (well, it does a little…I was able to get some stipend this year for school), but I've determined that I no longer want to go through life spending my time on activities that yield little to nothing like I've done in the past.  That’s why school and exercise are great investments.

I also have to say that exercising and chasing the dog have been helping me in building my endurance from the parking lot to the classroom.  I had a lot of difficulty (really an impossibility) walking from the parking lot to the classroom earlier this year.  I walked like Steve Martin in that scene from “The Jerk” and instead of carrying a chair and an ashtray, I was carrying me and my books.  I'm not skipping through campus, but I can now actually make it to class without stopping and without looking like I’m having a heart attack, although I am on first name basis with the guy who drives the shuttle from the parking lot, and I will gladly flag Isaac down if I’m feeling lazy.     

The face that wakes me up
in the morning...
The best thing, though, has to be the addition of Buster, our dog.  He’s my big galoot.  If there is a breed to label him with, it would be that of an Australian cattle dog.  Or a dingo.  He has a floppy ear, so his ears angle at a perfect 45 degree angle.  We figure that he is probably six months old.  We’re not sure.  He chews a lot, and he has big feet, has an issue with coordination, and is really the biggest klutz, so that’s why we think he’s still a puppy.  We got him six weeks ago, when his picture popped up on my daughter’s friend’s Instagram account, with the caption “dog available.”  My daughter sent me a picture of the post, and I noticed that she commented “Let me ask my dad” below.  My kid is smart.  She knows who the sucker is.  He got into the trash, peed on the floor, chew up tissue, barked when he was put outside, jumped all over me, and wanted to play fetch forever.

We fell in love with him.  Now we’re doomed.
Yes, I love my dog.

So, exercise, school, dog, and who knows what’s next?  We shall see. 

Go me.