Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

I hate my neighbors for a variety of reasons. But the latest one completely proves that they are huge jagoffs and that they suck like a Hoover.

You read about the cardinals that live in their rosebush. So, a little bit of information about that rosebush. I moved here almost 20 years ago. The original owner of the house was still alive then, and the rosebush had obviously been there for quite a long while, maybe even being original to the property. There is also another bush of some sort that has intertwined with the rosebush. It doesn’t seem parasitical as it’s been there a while and the rosebush is still going strong.

In the past few years, very little maintenance has been done to the rosebush. Every summer, the branches on our side of the fence grow to the point where my husband ends up cutting them back so they don’t whack us in the face when we walk by. I should say so they don’t whack me in the face. He usually watches where he is going. I am often doing mini-obedience drills with one of the dogs, and get whacked in the face when I’m paying attention to the dog instead of the bush. You would think by now I’d know where the bush is and call a right or left turn just before it.

Enough about my lack of dog training skills, and getting back to the point, which is that the bush doesn’t get trimmed very often. Not on our side, and certainly not on the jagoff owner’s side either.

So why then, at this time of all times when the cardinals are nesting, do those stupid jagoffs decide to cut away the non-parasitic whatever-the-hell plant, and trim the rosebush, too? The only saving grace is that they didn’t knock the nest down. The cardinals haven’t abandoned the nest yet, but it’s much less sheltered, at least as viewed from our side of the fence (which means that it may be even more open on the other side), and the branches that gave cover and shade are gone.

The nest is just high enough that we can’t see if there are eggs or babies or if they are safe. We just assume there are eggs, at least, because the female is there daily. All we can see for sure is that the nest is not as protected as it was before those jagoffs trimmed the bush.

Add them to the list of jagoffs that need punched in the face. Hard. And think good thoughts for the cardinals.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 18 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 175 of 274)

Not that jagoff spammers would have any clue about etiquette, but honestly, why would this subject line make me do anything other than delete the email immediately:

Hell, if an email with that rude-ass subject line came from someone in my address book, I’d still delete it unread for being jagoff-ish.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 17 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 174 of 274)

I know I have ranted in the past about free Flash website introductions and the so-called webmasters who think these non-unique creations are making their websites better. That does not mean I am against all free stuff, though.

If you can customize it enough to make it your own without violating someone else’s intellectual property rights, I’m fine with it. If you are trying to get started learning by analyzing someone else’s work, I’m fine with it if they are.

FlashDen, along with the other Envato Marketplace sites, is now offering a free file of the month. July’s file is a nice photo gallery with quite a few customization options. I am a fan of FlashDen in general. As someone who is very weak in Flash but who needs to use it for projects now and then, I really appreciate having a good source of affordable and customizable Flash files like FlashDen. Not every file is a master work, but the buyer ratings and comments help in selecting something that is worth the price.

I also try to remember to log in to iStockPhoto weekly to grab the Free Image of the Week. It’s not always something I can use right away, or maybe ever, but I’ve definitely grabbed a few images that fit into themes that will come up in time. Again, I am a fan of the site for its reasonably priced royalty-free stock photography. I am not a great photographer, so when I can’t provide my own photo illustration for a project, it’s good to have an affordable source with quality images to choose from.

Some free stuff is definitely worth a lot more than the asking price!

Quick Rottweiler update: Freya is now in the stopped-up phase of her current IBS digestive upset episode. I always worry about a blockage at this point, even if she seems like she is feeling better. She is usually back to normal about 24 hours after the stopped-up phase so hopefully I can stop worrying tomorrow evening. Axel has some tummy troubles of his own today, but probably related to either grazing (most all of our dogs have been like black and tan cows and I wish I knew what kind of grass might taste bad to Rottweilers) or heat. Since we have had almost no actual warmth this summer, the heat seems to be affecting both dogs a little quicker than usual.

Quick jagoff update: Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, but a few jagoffs still have firecrackers left over from last weekend. Guess where I would like to shove those firecrackers (hint: like Butt Rocket, only with higher-powered explosives).

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 11 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 168 of 274)

Freya is having another bout of IBS-related digestive upset. Since her last episode was only a month ago, I’m a little concerned. Her diet hasn’t changed and although we are trying to prepare for a trial on July 25, I didn’t think that we were training hard enough to raise her stress level in any significant way. Mine, yes: maybe she’s picking up on that? I’ve read a lot about the effects of diet and supplements on IBS. I know that stress can worsen IBS, but I don’t really know much about it. Time to do some research.

Axel almost gave me heart failure by escaping the yard to visit another dog. Across the street. Since we live on a busy street, and he is not always great with other dogs, this was a high stress situation indeed. He did not get hit by a car, he and the other dog sniffed each other and did not fight, and he was kind of oblivious to the other dog’s people. Yes, I am thanking God profusely for the non-dramatic outcome.

What bothers me the most, though, is that someone apparently unclipped the front gate sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., which is why Axel was able to get out so easily. This is the front gate to our back yard, which is set back quite a distance from the sidewalk. The meter reader, the UPS delivery person, or our lawn service might leave it unclipped after exiting the back yard. None of them would have been there at that late hour. There is pretty much no reason for anyone uninvited to be near that gate in the evening.

There are a number of jagoffs in the neighborhood, but I hope this was just a one-time thing with some kid messing around. I don’t want to think that someone nearby is that big of a jagoff to purposely unclip our gate to create a potential problem. I really don’t want to have to put a padlock on the gate, and inconvenience ourselves, the meter reader and the lawn service guys just because of the existence of jagoffs.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 10 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 167 of 274)

Since I’ve complained often enough about jagoffs in the neighborhood, it might be a surprise to hear that we consider our latest new neighbors a welcome addition. They are welcome indeed, since they are not jagoff humans. They are pretty birds, and in fact, our Illinois state bird.

photo credit: MsPixie

A pair of cardinals has built a nest in the neighbor’s rose bush. It sits up against our fence, and the nest is only about five feet off the ground. Last year, a pair of cardinals abandoned a partially-built nest in that bush. We blamed Axel, because he was always up on his hind legs, paws up on the fence, peering into the bush.

Hopefully, he won’t scare away this pair. We’ve seen the female sitting in the nest, so we’re trying to keep Axel’s attention away from the bush and the birds. I haven’t tried to get any photos yet, and if I do, it will be with a long lens and no flash. I don’t want to be the one to scare them away this year! (Those are not “our” birds in the photo above; I’m sure most of you figured that out from the credit line though.)

Speaking of Axel, he caught the frisbee twice today. Good boy, Axe! Rottweilers are not good candidates for frisbee dogs, and it’s a bad idea to throw the frisbee the same way you would for a border collie. But a low, straight throw is Rottweiler-safe, and he still looked cool hopping up just a little bit to pluck the frisbee out of the air just slightly above his head level.

I mentioned Freya’s upcoming rally obedience trial yesterday, and the need to get a training routine in order. Today’s task was to familiarize myself with UKC rules, since we’ve been practicing using AKC rules and signs so far. I’ve identified two exercises which are used in UKC Rally Obedience 1 that we’ve not practiced yet, as they are not part of AKC Rally Novice. One is Halt and Stand, and the other is Halt-90° Pivot Right-Halt. So we practiced those two exercises indoors today. If you know of any other exercises that differ between AKC and UKC, please let me know!

I didn’t want to train outside today, although it was a nice day. As I also mentioned yesterday, I expected the neighborhood jagoffs to finish off their fireworks today, and they did. I suppose I could have used it as an exercise in working through distractions, but I really don’t think we’re going to have to deal with fireworks or gunfire in a trial situation. At least I hope we won’t, or else I’m finding a safer sport.

Weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow, and after tonight I expect the jagoffs to be out of fireworks, so I’ll set up a practice course in the yard.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 5 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 162 of 274)

The July 2009 NaBloPoMo theme is “routine”

The new target date for Freya’s first Rally Obedience trial is now set in stone. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but I did mail in our entry last week for a UKC trial on July 25. So I definitely need to take a little time tomorrow to set up a training routine for the next three weeks. I’ll be trying to fit in any available run-throughs, fun matches, and drop-in classes. With the freakish weather that we’ve had lately, I also want to have both an outdoor plan and an indoor plan each day for home practice sessions. There’s not much space to practice in the house, but there are still a number of exercises that don’t need much space to practice: call front and finish, 270° and 360° left and right turns, spirals, sits, and downs.

I was going to start today, but the Fourth of July caused a huge disruption in our routine. I complained the other day about jagoffs who insisted on starting the holiday fireworks days ahead of time. I am not un-American, and I usually do not get overly bent out of shape about noisy celebrations until midnight or later. But my normally quiet neighborhood sounds like a war zone tonight. People are blowing off fireworks that are loud enough to set off car alarms, which they have, a half dozen times since nightfall. I’ve heard quarter-stick and maybe even half-stick sized “booms” tonight. Nothing that loud is legal in Chicago.

It’s almost midnight and there are still fireworks going off. The air is still thick with smoke. I am asthmatic, although it barely bothers me these days: except on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July. I really don’t want to go out there and breathe that stuff, and I wouldn’t, except that the dogs have to go out before bedtime. I don’t really want them breathing that stuff either, but they definitely need a potty break. Neither of the dogs is actively fearful of fireworks, but Axel feels he needs to protect me from whoever is shooting at us. That gets a little stressful for both of us.

Needless to say, the early evening hours when we would normally train outside were not particularly conducive to learning or practicing today. I really hope the neighborhood jagoffs have used up all of their fireworks. Since it’s still the weekend, I’m concerned that their inconsiderate jagoff selves will choose to continue blowing off fireworks for one more day. None of them seems to have blown off a finger or set their own garages on fire, so karma hasn’t come around yet either.

I’m doing something I never do, and am hoping for rain and lots of it. I didn’t get my wish tonight, and it’s not looking good for tomorrow.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 4 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 161 of 274)

I grew up in a time and place where fireworks were completely legal, and considered essential to many ethnic and non-ethnic celebrations. My paternal grandfather supposedly knew pyrotechnics, how to make the fireworks and how to get the different colors and effects, but it was not something any of his sons picked up on.

As an adult, I still enjoy a quality aerial display. One memory that sticks with me (good thing, too, it’s something I could never have photographed) was of a July 4 many years ago. I was riding my motorcycle, heading home from the Chain o’ Lakes to the north side of Chicago. I left as darkness was falling, which was not the safest time to leave, but it turned out to be the most spectacular time that day as I saw part of just about every fireworks display in every town between Fox Lake and Chicago as I headed home.

What I do not like is the jagoffs who insist on blowing off fireworks starting three or four days before, and continuing to three or four days after New Year’s Day or the Fourth of July. What I hate even more is the even bigger jagoffs who try to scare kids or animals with said fireworks. It’s been 15 years, and I still get mad when I think of one of our neighbors who purposely lit off a firecracker to scare our 4-month old Rottweiler puppy. His life really hasn’t gone well in the years since then, and you know what, karma is a bitch, isn’t it?

I feel lucky that none of our past or present dogs or cats are seriously frightened of fireworks. Even that puppy got over it quickly and she grew up to be one of the most rock-steady dogs I’ve ever had. The ones who are slightly afraid are fine as long as we don’t make them come out from under the bed against their will. Freya and Axel are convinced we are at war and that they must defend our home and yard from incoming attacks. Needless to say, they spend a lot of time indoors until the “war” is over. Thanks, guys, but I wish you would listen to the part about “there is no war here.”

It’s still only the second, and some of the neighborhood jagoffs are already blowing stuff up. I know it’s wrong, but I really am hoping something bad happens to them. I will not feel sorry for any of them who get burned or blow off one or two digits, and I just hope no innocent bystanders get hurt in the process.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 2 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 159 of 274)