I Eventually Talk About Animals [Sadly]
9/12/1

I felt the need to put a real entry here rather than that lame All About Me thing I did. They are always targeted at teens.

The disaster finally sunk in. I�m sad, but not in a dazed funk. No more staring out windows and sighing. No more staring at nothing until I realize I�m staring at nothing. No more confusion and, really, borderline inability to read.

I�m trying to think of a topic to write about. ... ... ... ...

Pets I�ve Owned

Photographic records indicate that when I was a little over a year old, my parents got Susie. Susie was allegedly the runt of the litter but I really think she just had lighter fur than the rest. She was a dachshund, or at least mostly. She was considerably larger than a miniature dachshund but much smaller than a standard dachshund.

She was really good and fun to play with. I remember making the drive from Dallas to Huntsville in the big bronze Pontiac with Dad and Susie. Susie and I would play in the back yard, but unfortunately I don�t remember very much about her. When we lived on Versailles, she would steal this one blanked from the Pints up the street.

That�s their last name: Pint, pronounced Pent.

Well, if they�d just keep that blanket out of their garage or keep their garage closed, we wouldn�t have had to give Susie away to my Grandpa Cook who lived in Orlando.

[My parents are both Floridians. My sister was born in Florida too, but I�m a Texan.]

We�d see Grandpa about once a year and I�d make sure to rush into the back yard. Most of my memory of Susie comes from this time. She remembered me and would get so excited for her old self sometimes I thought she was going to croak over.

The last time I visited her she wasn�t able to run around and had trouble walking with me. Her face was nearly all white at that time and she couldn�t really see anymore.

Hey, this is making me sad. Grrr.

Well, considering I�m about to turn 33 and you haven�t heard about Susie in the Guiness Book of World Records, you know that Susie isn�t around anymore.

Buffy was a miniature poodle mix that my mom got us when we wanted a dog when I was around 10 or so. There may have actually been a time when Buffy and Susie were still alive at the same time, but since Susie lived in Florida, it didn�t really matter.

Buffy was a good dog too. I remember he playing with that huge rope we gave her and looking all crazy in the winter. Most of the memories of my father are from us walking Buffy around the block.

When we built the house on Bluewood, mom decided that she�d keep the stairs leading upstairs uncovered, just stained oak. They were very pretty, but this meant that Buffy would have to go. At the time it was because she could have fallen down the stairs and hurt herself, but I�m older now and I realize that with the $2000 custom front door and the nice stairs and the hardwood flooring, Buffy would have just messed up the house.

In addition to that, there was no access to the ground floor from the main level, and we sure couldn�t put a fence up with that grade and all those rocks. I�m sure the parents knew that Buffy wouldn�t make the move long before I did.

But I�ve gotten rid of a pet also because of material things, but the opposite way. I had Dakota for three years when I had to give her up since Aisai and I were so poor we couldn�t figure out how to live. Aisai was working around 60 hours a week and I was working around 35 and going to college full time, but we couldn�t afford the rent on our apartment.

The dorms had a three bedroom unfurnished dorm suite for $400 a month utilities paid. But no pets. Dakota went to a family out near Woodville. I think it was Woodville.

When we got Zap and Mouse, we decided that we�d keep them until they died. See, I�ve never had a pet until it died, spent it�s whole life with me. Now we have Velvet too.

Sometimes, when I really hate my job, which is about once a month, I remember that the Navy has CEC jobs which pay crap but would get me into a busy, overworked job which would actually have room for promotion. And they don�t top out as quickly. I top out not at the end of this month, but next October. However, the Navy only allows you two animals.

Mouse is brain damaged and we�d never find anyone who would take her since she�s, really, no fun and just responsibility. Zapato, I could never leave. And Velvet, ooh, I love my little kittens so much.

Hmm, maybe I�m still overly emotional. I need sleep. I�m running on adrenaline due to the stress and eating the exact things I always eat in the same amounts and I�m starving.

I�ll try to write something happy tomorrow. Make sure to see if I�ve written anything since you last checked in by looking at the last five thing below. I always just bookmark the archive pages of diaryland people, that is, if I don�t have them in my favorite list [a diaryland thing].

Echt, I feel like crap. [I typed carp first. I wish I felt like a carp, full of life and dumb as a rock.]