For some reason, I’ve been thinking of my dad more often lately. Maybe it’s the talk of upcoming holidays and being reminded once again that he won’t be there this year. I miss him. It makes me think of this quote I found on Pinterest. I’m thankful for the people in my life right now.
These are a few of my favorite things (today. for which I’m grateful.)
an un-rushed morning
no typical Monday complainers
afternoon cappuccino
student workers pitching in
completing my midterm exam
a warmer than expected evening
chicken mole and apple pie
hugs
The new season of the Walking Dead started tonight. It was probably as gory and violent and horrible as it has ever been. I had to cover my face during some of it. For someone who doesn’t like horror and slasher movies, it’s shocking that I like this show. I’ve written about it before, and it’s the same now for me: it’s because it’s such an interesting show in human behavior and adaptation. It’s a world of survival. It’s intense because anything can and does happen. Nothing in this tv program is as predicable as in most shows. And every time I watch it, I wonder how I would react if I were there. Whether or not I’d survive. If I could kill to live. If I could stand the stench of rotting flesh. If I would be able to hold on to some hope of a different future. I don’t know. I’d hope so, but I’m pretty thankful I don’t have to find out. And I’m thankful to have the season back on.
I spent a good portion of my day out in the yard, mowing and eliminating weeds. I didn’t get everything cleaned up, but enough to make a difference. I know soon it will be cold enough that we won’t need to mow or even worry about weeds. After all, there was frost on the ground this morning. I’m so not ready for the cold. I know I keep saying that, but it’s true. I’m still way too aware of how miserable it was last winter. So I’m just going to say I’m thankful that today was lovely enough to be outside working in the yard. Without a coat, even. I’m good with that.
Today went by too quickly. I had intentions of getting my last homework assignment done as well as getting some things done at home. But the end of my work day brought with it a desire to do nothing more that required thought or energy. So I’m thankful tonight that I was actually able to slack off a little and enjoy an evening of dinner out, TV watching, and not much else.
I’m thankful for laughter and inside jokes. For friends who check up on each other. For long walks through my neighborhood that end with puppy play time. For soft jackets to warm my hands. I’m grateful for being almost caught up with homework, for still decent weather, for math dinner, and for students who make the rough days worth it.
Unlike the craziness of yesterday (I blame the blood moon for all the strange behaviors, including crying and arguing students) today was a bit more mild. I’m thankful for that. I’m also thankful for the DNA results from my puppy. He was described as a pit bull/lab mix at the shelter where I got him, apparently a very common mix. Given the bad rap of pit bulls, I was a bit hesitant to adopt him. So I did some research before I took him home, and found, not surprisingly, how much the traits of pit bulls are exploited by the crappy owners who train them for malicious purposes. Pit bull terriers are extremely loyal to their families and tend to dislike other dogs. Add that to their strength and hence the propensity to train them to fight. In fact, in many articles I read, some of the most common breeds to bite people are small dogs, like the Dachshund, Chihuahua and Jack Russell. I know my parents always warned people that their Chihuahua’s may bite them, so they never let people get too close. Granted, small dogs’ strength isn’t quite the same, but their aggression tends to be downplayed because of their small size. In addition to research, I also had some conversations with other owners and people who work with dogs on a regular basis, which helped alleviate my fears. After all, he’s not a full-on pit, especially given the fact that he has a curly tail, the one thing that’s been the question mark. Even my vet was puzzled by what that would mean for his mutt mix. So, the DNA results confirmed that one of his parents was American Staffordshire Terrier and Labrador Retriever, along with some mixed breeding and his other parent was Boxer along with some mixed breeding. The mixed breeding isn’t guaranteed in the test, but the breed most likely is Shiba Inu, which would account for his curly tail. I’m glad to have my curiosity appeased on that and to know the likelihood of traits Chance has as far as temperament and size. I’ve already begun to see his personality and am glad to see he actually gets along with other dogs as well as people. Maybe the lab is more dominant there. He’s also proven to be quite intelligent, although a bit stubborn. He’s quite a sweetheart though. And as with kids, training is key, regardless of his DNA.
As usual, I felt a mixture of frustration, disgust, and sadness while looking at the news headline online today. There is so much wrong with our world. I have been saying for years that what we need is a good news channel. One that highlights all the good or humorous things going on in the world today. That is something I’d watch or read. I did stumble across one story that made me laugh. The headline: A Man Is Trying To Trade His Detroit Home For An IPhone 6. My initial reaction was, really? This is what it’s come to–someone desperate for the latest gadget that he’d sell his house? I read the story, fully expecting to find some sort of desperate times scenario. Or a misleading headline. No. I guess it’s the real thing. The homeowner has been having trouble selling the property (on which there is $6,000 of back taxes owed) for the current price of $3,000. So the guy, who isn’t living in the area anyway, wants to trade. It does seem a bit sad that the market is so lousy that even a fixer upper can’t sell for three grand. But the part that got to me was the final comment from the realtor. The homeowner would even be open to trading the house for a 32 GB iPad. He may be willing to take anything, maybe an Android, I don’t know. Even his realtor is confused. And apparently, the homeowner is so desperate, he may lower his standards and go with an Android. People today. There really are so many things screwed up. But I’m thankful for the laugh.
I goofed off tonight. I admit it. Instead of reading and studying all night like I planned to and should have done, I kept finding distractions: tv, text messaging, internet surfing, snap chats. I even sang to the dog for a while. Then finally, I buckled down and started to read. It’s not that the information is uninteresting. In one class, diffusion theory, it reads a lot like marketing principles. I have some background in marketing, so much of it makes sense to me. The chapters I’m in for the other class (on research) is statistical testing and analysis, which is also familiar since I took a stats class. Thank God. I can’t imagine how confused I’d be if I hadn’t since I’m still finding it a bit difficult to follow and it’s not completely foreign material. At any rate, I’m plugging along, thankful I’m a fast reader. Thankful I know how to dissect what I’m reading in order to answer my homework questions fairly quickly. And thankful I have 8 more days until midterm to get caught up. Tonight I won’t be going to bed early.
My gratitude list for this Sunday:
Being able to spend an extra few minutes in my warm bed this morning
Making it to church just in time and relating to the message
Sitting in the sunshine and feeling warm, despite the cool breeze
Taking a trip to a brewery to sample the special October pumpkin beer
Enjoying the visit, despite the sold-out pumpkin beer
Having dessert before dinner
Getting to bed early
melissagratitude 