My First Old Man...

My husband was not a huge fan of this nickname, but it was with the utmost affection and love that I referred to our late, great, shepard as "the old man." Our dog, McConnell, lost the battle with some internal awfulness on Friday, February 6. He was 14, and had been part of my husband Blair's life since birth. They had a bucketload of good times (check out his blog to see pics and read all about it).

Although I came on the scene only 6 years ago, I developed a great bond with this dog, and always considered him secretly mine, too. We went running. He loved to swim, and desperately wanted into Brush Creek (nasty!) when we walked past it. He loved peanut butter and ice cream, all the tastier when combined. He was a truly special member of our developing family, and was the commander-and-chief when we broght home a cat, and then a puppy, with whom to share our affections.

McConnell will surely be missed by many. None more so than Blair, and myself. We are so grateful for all the years we had with him...

My Letter to the Editor

Passing this bill is crucial. I am a 29 year-old graduate student, and I've been married less than two years. During that time my husband has been unemployed twice; a total of 7 months. His graduate loans came due 3 months prior to being fired, and then he totaled his car. Meanwhile, my car died. In these approximate 20 months of marriage, we have had 5 types of insurance, each of which barely covers us for previous conditions, including 'mental health illness', and birth control.

We are educated, hard-working, determined individuals. Our parents worked to provide us with the means for a successful future. Why has that slipped from the realm of reality? I will be fortunate to find a job in May, when I receive my MA in Counseling and Guidance, despite this being a field in constant need of clinicians.

I seriously doubt our ability to have a 'better' life than our parents', and isn't that what we want for younger generations? That does not bode well for the children of the future.

We cannot afford more unemployment, fewer teachers, inaccessible healthcare, or inefficient energy. This bill simply has to pass.

The Stuff That Stresses...

... Not in any particular order

1. the staggering prevalence of child sexual abuse
2. a show on mtv that has a title something along the lines of 'bisexual twins looking for love'
3. not fitting into pants i could a year ago
4. cat puke
5. unsuccessful searches on my university library account and the nat geo website for an article on why neanderthals didn't survive: in short, because they ate one another and had no real sense of community... get with the program republicans, or this could be you!