Thursday, April 16, 2009

Wiped. Out.

Plenty going on in the life of Emily right now. Most of it heavy and emotional, so I'll stick to the lighter fun topics. They're easier to write about.

I went home last weekend for Easter to see that Blue is settling into his new home nicely. I think part of him still misses me, since he LEPT off the couch when he saw me and pretty much didn't leave my side. But he's also got his routine at my parent's house where he watches movies with them and puts his head on my mom's lap. It's the cutest thing. They love him. He loves them. And after seeing the stark contrast between Blue and Casey, my parents have once again determined that Casey is not allowed in their house.*

On the homefront, I can't TELL you how different it is. Both the boy and I have commented that we miss Blue - a LOT. But on the other hand, Casey is suddenly an absolute angel. With no one to compete with, she's back to "remembering" how to behave. Even when zlionsfan came over, Casey didn't jump on him once. (And if you ask him, before the subtraction of Blue the dogs would practically pull him down like a pack of wolves when he entered the door.) It was like an Easter miracle. Other benefits to the one-dog household include being able to put your shoes on the floor without fear that they will be eaten, and not having to worry about gigantic drool spots appearing on your jeans. And have I mentioned that Casey is an angel now? Because she is. Seriously. It's completely unexpected and appreciated.** This whole thing has opened up an entirely new range of emotions for me. One the one hand - so happy that my parents love Blue and that he's got such a good home. On the other hand - I miss my buddy. One the one hand - so proud that I placed this dog in the perfect home and that Casey is so much better as an "only dog." On the other hand - I miss my buddy. It's definitely been a learning experience.

A bright spot in my life is the addition of "new" electronics. Now, since I'm a poor student, I have accepted that new electronics are just a part of my life that I have to do without until I graduate and become a DVM.*** But then I realized that I have this friend who likes to upgrade HIS electronics, and is willing to sell his old electronics at a below-market-Emily-feels-like-she's-ripping-him-off price. (I have other friends who also know the joy of "inheriting" old electronics. Best. Thing. Ever.) I guess I should just be glad that he let me buy this one instead of gifting old electronics as has happened in the past. So, internet, please meet my "new-to-me" laptop. This isn't the best picture, since it doesn't show the pretty pretty blue color that is the top of my laptop, but it'll do. It's pretty pretty pretty and probably hasn't left my sight since I got it. It also has a wireless card (did I say that right?) so I can surf online at school. And, apparently, at home since it picked up a wireless network in my living room that is not password protected. It asked me if I wanted to connect. Um, yes please. I wonder if I should feel guilty about this?

I would also like to note that this laptop has confirmed to me one of the fundamental differences between men and women. My first impression of the laptop was the pretty blue color. The first comment from my brother and my boss was, "The screen is HUGE! How big is that anyway?"

In other news, there was yet another physics test last night that I feel reasonably confident about.***** That was the day after my second chemistry formal report was due, so I'm ready for my glass of wine tonight. I would normally want to pair that wine with some meat and cheese, but I guess that since it's spring, and since I told certain guilt inducing people that I would join in, I should start watching what I eat. (she says grudgingly.) Sigh. It's time for the yearly weight loss struggle to begin. Maybe this year I'll keep it off. (And maybe I'll be elected president of my own country too.)

Finally, I directed my parents to watch the fabulous video that I posted last week. (Have you watched it yet? You should watch it. Seriously. Go. Now. I'll wait....) When in church for Easter (I know, right?) I saw a little girl wearing a fabulous yellow shirt paired with a beautiful sparkly turquoise scarf. I loved the outfit, and when I got a chance, I leaned forward and told her so. My mother watched this exhange, then leaned over to me, pantomimed stamping her hand and said, "Validated." That one comment made my day.

*What they really mean is that I have to be present at all times that Casey is in their house. No more leaving her under their supervision because things have a way of, um, getting broken.

**My father said it's because she thinks I took Blue off and killed him or something. So she behaves because she's afraid the same fate will happen to her if she's not careful. You know what? If that's what it is, I'm still grateful. She's being SO good.

***Note the confidence. It's a new thing I'm trying.****

****It's taking all of my willpower not to delete that sentence and put in something that's a bit more, um, open to other possibilities.

*****The lack of crowing about my previous test indicates that perhaps I did not perform as well as I would have liked. I'm hoping to rectify that with this exam.

7 comments:

zlionsfan said...

I think we have different baselines for dog behavior. However, her behavior certainly did improve.

I suppose I could have tested it further by actually sitting down.

ems said...

You are correct. I do not want a dog who stares apathetically at people who enter my home. The fact that she walked over to you and sniffed you is not unacceptable in my book.

Had you sat down, she would have ignored you. Unless you sat in her spot. Then she would have sat on top of you.

zlionsfan said...

You don't want a well-behaved dog. That's cool. We're not getting married anyway, so it's not like you need to have a dog that meets my standards, especially now that you have a laptop so we can go study at Starbucks.

Which reminds me, I need to go get a gold card. We're going back to Starbucks again. The Borders on 116th stops serving at 8. Between that, the clearance on CDs (I understand that they may be closing out the entire music collection; it's 40% off now and may get even cheaper, to the point it's actually a decent buy), and the general economy, I wouldn't be surprised if they start closing stores soon.

And I'm supposed to say that ems got that laptop because I upgraded to this one. We get discounts through work, so if you're a regular reader of ems' blog and I like you, maybe we can work something out.

Candace said...

I agree Emily...I think my cat has MUCH more character than a cat who actually behaves all of the time. He is only bad sometime's....and he is super cute!

Anyway...good job on the test. School will be out soon right...soon...soon...soon.

Moore said...

Wow, your computer is the same brand and has an appearance similar to mine. One of my friends ended up selling it to me.....after it had been in my possession for awhile.

ems said...

Ahem, zlionsfan. A dog that meets your standards would be stuffed. Even then it probably wouldn't be allowed in your house. Casey is remarkably well trained. You just want her to ignore you when you come over. Sorry Charlie. Not gonna happen.

I've thought about a Starbucks Gold Card. I'm just not willing to make the commitment yet. I don't spend near what I used to at Starbucks, and if I'm watching my spending anyway...

Candace said...

What is a gold card?