I and Love and You

This was taken from the insert of the latest Avett Brothers album entitled "I and Love and You".
After reading it, I felt it was something to be shared with anyone willing to read it. I am continually amazed by the talent, heart and inspiration this band possesses.

If you have yet to check these guys out, please do yourself a favor and purchase "I and Love and You", or "Emotionalism" immediately.

Excerpt:

The words "I" and "Love" and "You" are the watermark of humanity. Strung together, they convey our deepest sense of humility, of power, of truth. It is our most common sentiment, even as the feeling of it is so infinitely uncommon; each to proclaim these three words with his or her very own heart and mindset of reason (or lack there of); a proclamation completely and perfectly new each time it is offered. Uttered daily and nightly by millions, the words are said in an unending array of circumstances: whispered to the newborn in a new mother's arms; shared between best friends on the playground; in the form of sympathy - said by a girl to a boy, as the respect continues but the relationship does not. It is said too loudly by parents to embarrassed children in the company of their friends, and by grown children - to their fading parents in hospital beds. The words are thought in the company of the photograph and said in the company of the gravestone. It is how we end our phone calls and our letters...the words at the bottom of the page that trump all those above it, a way to gracefully finish a message, however important or trivial, with the most meaningful gift of all: the communication of love. And yet the words themselves have been the victims of triviality, a ready replacement for lesser salutations among near strangers, burst forth casually as "love ya." Truly? To what degree? Why, how much, and for how long? These are questions befitting the stature of love, though not the everyday banter of vague acquaintance. The words have also been twisted by the dark nature of deceit; to say "I love you" with a dramatic measure of synthetic emotion; a snare set by those who prey upon fellow humanity, driven to whatever selfish end, to gain access to another's body, or their money, or their opportunity. In this realm, the proclamation is disgraced by one seeking to gain rather than to give. In any case, and by whatever inspiration, these words are woven deeply into the fibers of our existence. Our longing to hear them from the right place is maddeningly and simultaneously our finest strength and our most gently weakness. The album "I and Love and You" is unashamedly defined by such a dynamic of duality. As living people, we are bound by this unavoidable parallel. We are powerful yet weak, capable yet temporary. Inevitably, an attempt to place honesty within an artistic avenue will follow suit. This is a piece which shows us as we are: products of love surrounded by struggle. The music herein is, in many ways, readable as both a milestone and an arrival. A chapter in the story of young men, it bridges the space between the uncertainty of youth and the reality of its release. The record is full with the quality of question and response. As far as questions go, there are plenty - normally residing within the tone and delivery of the lyrics themselves, which, ironically, are sung with so much confidence. Among songs and thoughts so driven and purposeful, the most basic and relatable doubt comes through with a resounding clarity. Outside of the eternal theme of romantic love, the album speaks thankfully upon a landscape of light-filled rooms, word-filled pages, time machines, forgiveness, singing birds, ocean waves, art, change, confessions of shortcomings, and reasons to continue on. Hope and a cause for smiling follow naturally. In the midst of all this, there are allusions to the less-than-ideal conditions of life: the loss of memory, the inability to control temper, insecurity, indecision, jaded indifference, and the general plague of former and current weakness. "I and Love and You" is an album of obvious human creation, characterized by its best and its worst. Emotional imperfection is a reality for those who recorded the piece, just as it is for those who will hear it. The conclusion of the song from which the titles is taken admits that the words "I love you" have become "hard to say." And perhaps that difficulty is as common as its counterpart. Perhaps the inability to say these heaviest words is as much a part of life as the lighthearted candor of those who say them without any difficulty at all. And so it ends with the phrase whispered to and by those of us most defeated and most elated...I and love and you...

Malignancy Ignorancy

So just a quick note. I've been thinking about this dog that came into work the other week. Before even going into the appointment, I was warned by the receptionist that the owner could be a 'real handful'. Great. Grand. Wonderful. It sounded like something to make my awesome day at work top off the charts. In I go. As I open the door, before me I see two Huskies connected by leash to a mother-daughter owner duo. Basically the first paragraphs out of the woman's mouth are that she's already spent $1500 on her dog to find out what is wrong and blah blah blah. I just smile and say I understand.

So to spare a bunch of details, the woman's dog has a mass in it's chest that needs to be surgically removed. The mass has already been biopsied and came back as cancer. The dog needs a CT scan before surgery so the surgeon knows exactly to what and where the mass is connected. This is a major surgery involving chest tubes and such, and is potentially high risk. It also cost a ballpark of 6 grand.

So the woman is in sticker shock at first, but decides she wants surgery. But wait! No! We're not going to do surgery now, but in a few months, because she wants to use the dog as a stud dog to produce a litter of pups. Well here you go lady, take a handful of the oncologist's cards and pass them out with each puppy that finds its new home, so when that puppy get's cancer, it knows where to go.

On the catwalk...

So I have recently acquired a new kitteh after my beloved Cassandra ceased to find her way back to me. I still miss her dearly, but I do love the new kitteh all the same. Her name is Kharma and she is wonderful. I nearly lost her at only 9 weeks of age due to some complications, but thankfully she is making a remarkable recovery (which in turn has saved me from jerking my car into a god-damn bridge embankment!)

I have owned a few kittehs in my day but never have I taken the time to do any kitteh training outside of litterbox and don't scratch that. So I have decided that Kharma is going to learn how to walk on a leash. I have purchased her a harness and thus far things are going great. Once she grows into it a little more and grows more accustomed to wearing it I'll start leash training. I'm looking forward to taking my little kitteh for walks down the street. She's going to be the talk of the town! Here are some pics to show you how nimbly bimbly she is in her new harness!

Dry Spell

Sorry no bloggies in awhile. I'll try to get to that soon. Gotta get my shit together.

Sad

My kitty is missing and I'm very depressed about it. I hope she comes back. :(

Nomadic Tendencies

As some of you know I recently moved to Indianapolis, IN from the Erie area of Pennsylvania. Originally a friend/coworker at that time, was going to move with me, but in the end decided to stay back in PA. Well, recently she has decided that she would very much like to move out here after all. So I made arrangements and we are going to move into a 2 bedroom townhouse within the same complex where I currently rent a 1 bedroom flat. To spare some details, my leasing people got dates screwed up and I was told last minute that I need to be out of my current apartment about a week earlier (within the next 4 days) than suspected. Perfect. I'm done stressing out about it, but it had me thinking about how much I have moved since I left Corry, PA for college at Kent State University. I remember a conversation with my greatly adored manfriend (who has ever so kindly put up with my ranting and raving and stressing out over the current and many other wearing situations)and I recall him saying "moving is exciting." I replied, "Not when you've done it as much as I have." So I really started to think about it, and below I have jotted down all the moves I have made since I graduated High School in 03. I speculate if the wandering gypsy thing I've got going is a result of the many moves I made even as a wee babe. I was born in Denver CO, went to PA at a few months of age to live with my Grandma while my mom finished out art school. Before a year old moved to Virginia. 12 days after I turned a year old, moved back to PA (consequently on the day of Corry's famous tornado. And between then and when I graduated high school, lived in 4 different houses within the Corry area. And now, since I'm sure I've got you all on the edge of your seat with my life map, here is why I am not exactly overzealous to pack up all my crap one more time.

Aug 03 - Corry, PA - Kent State, OH to Verder Hall - click here to see KSU Campus Map.
May 04 - Kent to Corry for the summer.
Aug 04 - Corry to Kent to Centennial Court D
Nov 04 - Centennial Court to Lake Hall
May 05 - Lake Hall, off campus in Kent
August 05 - Kent to Corry, Corry to Sewickley (Pittsburgh) PA
Oct 05 - In Sewickley moved to apartment across the hall and acquired a roomate.
Jan 06 - Sewickley, PA to Canonsburg PA
June 07 - Canonsburg to Waterford, PA (Biggest mistake of my life thus far)
July 08 - Waterford PA back to Corry PA
Sept 08 - Corry, PA to Indianapolis, IN (Biggest and best move thus far)
April 09 - Moving 150 yards east to a different Apt within the same complex and acquiring a lovely roommate.
Sept 09 - Chicago IL??? We shall see. If so, hopefully I will have found my niche for at least a few years.

Man's Best Friend

This topic has been in the back of my mind for awhile now. I've been mulling it over thinking about if I really wanted to blarg about it, or keep it in my overflowing filing cabinet of thoughts. But, I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to share my thoughts. After all, that's what blogging is for. I'm also most likely writing about this now because I should be up cleaning and being a responsible adult. But instead, I'm parked in front of my computer drinking wine and wasting time. It's sort of my specialty.

So as many of you know, I work at a veterinary hospital. Now to the layperson a 'vet hospital' has one envisioning a little clinic where you take your puppy or kitten to get it's 'shots' or 'fixed'. And while I have worked at this type of vet clinic, my current employer is far from such. Let me elaborate a bit for you. The vet hospital I work at is a 'Specialty Practice'. We do the things your regular Vet can't or won't do: major surgeries (ie: fractures, ACL repair and other knee problems, spinal discs, and foreign bodies [your dog ate your underwear and now we need to remove them]. My job is to prepare for and assist with these surgeries. That is about it. I rarely deal with owners (clients), never answer the phone, but unfortunately still have to clean up dog poop if Brandon hasn't already taken care of that. If someone were to ask me what I liked about this job opposed to a 'regular' clinic, most likely the first thing out of my mouth would be, "I don't have to deal with clients". Now as awful as this may sound, it is true. I in NO way miss talking with the obnoxious clients out there: the know-it-all breeder, the my-dog-is-a-human person, the people with 20 dogs and no money to care for them, the woman that drags her 40 screaming brats into the clinic to get her dog vaccinated, and the list goes on. I also don't miss answering the phone. "Hi my dog just ate my whole bottle of Xanax, is that bad?" or "My dog got hit by a car a week ago and his leg is rotten and dangling, should I bring him in?" I'm sorry, but people are dumb. It's unfortunate that humans look at pet ownership as a right and not a privilege.

Now that you have read that, let me share the other side of my feelings.

Working with animals without their owners by their side definitely has its benefits. But it also starts to make one look at the animals as just a patient, and you forget about the bond that some person out there has with this dog or cat. This all sort of hit me a few weeks ago when I was taking a dog down to ICU after a surgery. In ICU there was a guy laying in the kennel with his very sick dog. The man came everyday for hours to see his dog, who I believe we sadly had to euthanize eventually . It made me really sad. I was almost mad at myself for becoming so immune to the emotional side of my job. Because I barely work with the owners of the animals, I forget how good it feels when you're returning that 3 month old puppy who broke his leg to the owner who hasn't gotten any sleep since they dropped the dog off. Their eyes watering with overwhelming joy and thanks that you were able to fix their beloved pet. That is what makes my job worth it, and how I wish I were reminded of that more often. So to my dismay, my job is not 'playing with puppies and kittens all day'. It is slowly becoming more physically and emotionally wearing.

I apologize for the melancholy undertones of this blog. It was just something I felt I needed to share, as many people have no idea what I even do for a living.

A Little Reminder

It's good to catch up with friends you haven't talked to in a long time. Recently I was talking with my fellow CAHS graduate, Brody, who I haven't been in contact with in quite awhile. His birthday was yesterday, so I IM'd him to ask how his day had gone and to bring the friendship up to speed. I had forgotten that Brody also has a blog, which I used to read quite regularly. So I updated myself with the blog, and with the help of Brody, stumbled upon a post that I myself was featured on. Oh how this little note had slipped my mind. I had completely forgot about it, and was completely reminded of what a raging dork I am. However, I did enjoy a good chuckle at myself. So have a look. Laugh at my retardedness. But also read Brody's blog. I find it quite enjoyable.

BE. It's Your World - as featured on http://brodythejet.blogspot.com

Serial about Cereal

I made a trip to my local Marsh grocer last evening to pick up a few essentials: toothpaste, cereal, and impulse candy bars. My initial intentions were to purchase but one box of breakfast grains; Lucky Charms for my gentleman friend who is an occasional inhabitant of my zoo. The downfall to purchasing Lucky Charms, is that I tend to be the one to finish off the box of sugary goodness, and quite quickly might I add. So, in an attempt to prevent this from happening I decided to additionally purchase a cereal with a healthier twist. Looking at the vast array of cereals spread before me, I decided to go with some Special K (vanilla almond to be precise). I've had it before, I like it, and it's healthy...that's what I thought anyways. I get home and as I pulled the two boxes out of the bag I took notice of the nutritional info, and low and behold; they're damn near identical (considering calories, fat and carbs). WTF? Who hasn't seen the ridiculous Special K commercials about eating the cereal and losing weight and blah blah blah? Well F that! If I'm going to get serial about cereal as part of a healthy diet, I may as well enjoy a substantial bowl of magical deliciousness. So what have I learned here? Advertising is stupid (although obviously effective), and I might not feel quite as guilty about polishing off a bowl of LC.

Can't Touch This (Ne Toucher Pas)

While casually chatting with a friend today (using my newly utilized blackberry messenger), the word 'touché' arose. While I have heard the french term used many times throughout my years, I do not feel as if I've had a complete understanding of its true meaning and history. Taking a few years of the French language in high school as well as in college, I am aware that the world 'toucher', means "to touch". But, I wanted to dig a little deeper into this schmancy little word, so of course, I turned to wikipedia. Here it is for all of you. Consider yourselves a bit more cultured for the day.

In fencing, touché (French: touched, Pronounced Too-shay) is used as an acknowledgement of a hit, called out by the fencer who is hit. A referee can call out touché to refer to a touch being called - for example, the French call for "no point" is "pas de touché" (English: no touch).

It is from the infinitive verb 'toucher' which means to touch and is changed to the past participle by removing the -er ending and adding the appropriate ending (-é).

The word touché is often used in "popular culture" and general conversation—for example, in an argument or debate. If one person presents an argument and another delivers a clever or apt response, the first person may respond with "touché" as a way of acknowledging a good response. A synonym of this word would be "Good point".

It is considered orthographically incorrect to express the feminine form of the past participle, "touchée," when speaking to a woman.

And if you were already well versed in the history of this term...I don't care. Thank youuuuu.

Blarg

So I feel like I need to post another post because my blog looks a bit lonely. I also just realized I start a lot of sentences with 'so'. I do this in verbal communication as well. I've been contemplating all day on what the subject of this post should be. Earlier I had some good leads, but now, after a 12 hour work day, I am exhausted and my brain is fried. I'm feeling very blarg now, at 7:53 p.m., drinking my chocolate milk and eating peanut butter off a spoon. More to come when I'm not feeling so consumed.

My First Blog

So, here it is, my first blog. Not quite sure how I feel about it yet. It's like a new pair of underwear (or jerps if you will). At first it's constrictive, but after a while it becomes a part of you.

Inspiration for creating a blog came from several sources:
1. Myself: hoping that in writing about random, most likely useless crap and venting on a semi-daily basis, may help relieve some stress. 2. Dr. H (a coworker of mine) who has a super cool blog of his own. He felt that creating a blog was definitely something I needed to do.
3. All the cool kids seem to be blogging these days.

So we shall see where this fresh idea takes me. Everyone is welcome, and encouraged to dive in and take a look. But reader beware: blog most likely contains purposeless and stray thoughts, ideas and personal views.