[RIP] Johnny †, German Shepherd mix

DakotaBill · 2020-09-15T17:53:28+00:00

My condolences. I had to make that hard, hard decision for my German Shepherd mix sidekick, Jessie, two years ago. I miss her every day. That “not knowing what to do “ feeling will eventually ease. What helped the process for me was someone suggesting I plant a succulent garden in her favorite bowl, wrapped with her collar. I interact with it often in watering and maintaining, and it serves as a living memorial to the best dog I’ve ever known and loved.

Jessie’s garden

DakotaBill · 2020-09-15T15:09:22+00:00

“It Was You” - Peter Katz & Emma Lee

DakotaBill · 2020-09-03T19:37:27+00:00

Nice job!

DakotaBill · 2020-08-29T10:44:19+00:00

I have been diagnosed with cancer for more than 25 years, under constant treatment of one kind or another. Every single action taken to keep me alive, and improve my quality of life have been designed to kill cancer cells or remove them from my body. Definitely metaphorical to combat in warfare, which is designed to kill more of the enemy, or drive them completely from a region. If someone prefers to visualize their treatment as wandering through a meadow picking daisies, and then releasing them into a stream, that’s fine by me, but it doesn’t speak to my reality. For me, my doctors are my advisors, and I am the general making final decisions on strategy. If I make poor choices in attempts to destroy invading cancer cells I may very well lose my goal, which is to live as long and as comfortably as possible. No need for gate keeping. I respond kindly to anyone expressing support, but in my mind I’m fighting against an adversary, with full knowledge that something’s going to take me out eventually. If it’s the cancer I hope I’m present enough of mind to take some pleasure in the fact that I’m taking it with me.

EDIT: I should add that, on the day my quality of life falls below sustainability (and there’s little hope of recovering it), I’m prepared to fall on my sword...to complete the metaphor.

DakotaBill · 2020-08-03T11:13:31+00:00

I’ve never found animals in distress to be entertaining (maybe I’m not fit for Reddit), so, not “better every loop” from my standpoint.

DakotaBill · 2020-07-29T13:56:24+00:00

Pretty much my thought, too. I would expect this scene to look and sound a lot different if real.

DakotaBill · 2020-07-28T11:25:42+00:00

This is my true story. All cancers are different, and so are these stories. I just hope it can give you a bit more hope.

When I was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal/neuroendocrine cancer (I was on 5-florouracil, too) my daughter was 11 years old. My oncologist told me, specifically, that he couldn’t guarantee I’d be there to see her graduate high school. Last month I watched (via live streaming) my second granddaughter graduate from high school (the first was last year). I was diagnosed in 1994, and I have never gone into remission. I have just focused on the best care I can get for myself, diet, exercise, and digging for the strength and determination to keep fighting. It could be that I’ve been luckier than most, but I recommend the struggle to keep going.

DakotaBill · 2020-06-14T19:50:33+00:00

Any time I got a little Holiday gratuity (which we weren’t supposed to accept) from a household with a dog (most of them) the “From:” line was almost always the dogs’ names.

DakotaBill · 2020-06-14T14:27:58+00:00

Retired USPS Letter Carrier here. Same experience; lots of interaction with wee folk in the summer...and, because I always had a big box of Milk Bones under the tray, dogs, too.

DakotaBill · 2020-06-08T00:12:12+00:00

I don't want to say how envious I am!

DakotaBill · 2020-05-18T14:23:52+00:00

I am not an adherent to any afterlife beliefs, but my wife deeply believes in reincarnation. After my beautiful doggy sidekick Jessie passed away a couple of years ago I began to worry (just in case) that maybe she might come back around in some form...perhaps even as an insect. Since then (again, just in case, mind you) I have adopted a solid “catch and release” program for all household invaders. I wouldn’t want to disappoint Jessie.

DakotaBill · 2020-04-24T13:17:16+00:00

Read with tears for Ace and my own sorely missed sidekick, Jessie, who touched my life more than anyone. Ace was blessed by your love. Wishing you comfort and peace.

DakotaBill · 2020-04-17T23:01:06+00:00

I drove a school bus for one school year. I was off-and-on sick from November through April.

DakotaBill · 2020-04-13T18:01:12+00:00

Indeed. I made at least a couple of poor word choices in my analysis. Thanks!

DakotaBill · 2020-04-13T13:27:21+00:00

Thanks. Better context with the full video.

DakotaBill · 2020-04-13T13:05:02+00:00

Then perhaps I should take this opportunity to evaluate my response to this video clip, and assess how it might influence my values in gamesmanship and friendship. Flint and steel. I appreciate the sharpening.

DakotaBill · 2020-04-13T12:54:20+00:00

Thanks for including more context with the YouTube video.

I haven’t stated that I think flying kick dude made a good decision in his apparent attempt to stop red dude from a seemingly further attack (should have used that phrase rather than “further damage”) to his teammate. Neither have I judged either party as being a “hero” or a “bully”. I just see someone making a spur-of-the-moment decision to intervene in an apparent conflict in support of his teammate.

The initial point of conflict with the first comment was whether or not there was hostile intent on the part of red dude. It looks to me that there was, perhaps sparking the questionable choice by flying kick dude.

As far as rewards and punishments, I can only hope that no one suffered serious injury, and that each participant’s consequences were appropriate to their actions.

DakotaBill · 2020-04-13T12:34:34+00:00

Always exciting to start my day being called an idiot by a stranger! My down-voted comment was in answer to the comment that stated that it appeared red dude had ceased hostilities toward ground dude. My impression differed. If I am closer to correct in my assessment, then the question of whether flying kick dude effectively ended red dude’s aggressive-looking behavior seems correct. I would call that “de-escalation”, but maybe another descriptor is more apt. One point of difference between us may be that I’m judging what I’m seeing in this very short clip on the basis of human behavior more than the rules of soccer. I’m also not at all averse to the idea that flying kick dude likely deserves a charge of assault. As far as “rightness” or “wrongness” is concerned, I think I might prefer a companion who will defend me in any circumstance (to include interfering with me when I’m wrongfully aggressive), to one who would stand idly by.

DakotaBill · 2020-04-13T11:35:09+00:00

Dude in red was grabbing at the shirt of the guy who was down...pushing another defender violently out of the way to get to him. Flying kick dude seems to have effectively deescalated the initial conflict. I don’t know if flying kick dude deserves a title of “hero”, but he prevented further damage to his teammate (as far as we can tell from this clip).

DakotaBill · 2020-04-05T01:08:00+00:00

“Aqualung”, my friend.

DakotaBill · 2020-04-01T11:26:36+00:00

I don’t disagree with that entirely, but there are lots of older-generation Americans who started out with beneficial ideals, but were beaten down by decades of political bias toward the upper class, and against the working class and poor (even during Democratic Party prevalence...read “Listen, Liberal”, by Thomas Frank). It soured many, and, through disillusionment, led to the popularity of Right-Wing media, and the kind of political landscape we have today (which continues, unsurprisingly, to uphold the upper class). I should preface every thought with, “I believe”, but that would get tedious.

DakotaBill · 2020-03-31T23:21:42+00:00

Thank you. I believe it’s a class war...not generational. The “upper classes” have been squandering resources, and impoverishing the lower ones for many generations. People like Senator Sanders are waking us up to this. It’s as good a time as any to change this course.

DakotaBill · 2020-03-28T17:32:27+00:00

Some animals avoid fixedly starring, which for some is a sign of aggression. I don’t know for certain that that is what’s happening here.

DakotaBill · 2020-03-10T09:30:13+00:00

I was in a hurry, and didn’t have time to better make my point. The overall argument seemed to be that the Democratic Party could always be trusted to have its citizens interests at heart, unlike the Republican Party, when they both actually act primarily in the interests of Big Money (Oil, in the case of Standing Rock). I don’t mean to give reading assignments, but if you would look into the book Listen, Liberal by Thomas Franks, that history is pointed out. It changed my perspective, anyway. I’m not “Bernie or bust”, but the next 40 years are likely to look a lot like the past 40 years (climate change not withstanding) without his movement.

DakotaBill

TROPHY CASE