You Like Me, You Really Like Me

A great big thank you to all of you who have shared your opinions and other feedback with me. I really appreciate it and it's nice to know that someone besides myself and my roommate are reading this.

Space: The Final Frontier

Unless you've been living under a rock you know that last week NASA launched its first space shuttle since the Columbia disaster 2 1/2 years ago and that there are some concerns about Discovery's re-entry into earth's atmosphere. Today one astronaut will attempt to remove and/or shear off the gap filler that is protruding from between the shuttle's ceramic tiles. And what you might ask is the "hi-tec" tool that they are going to use for this extremely delicate operation? A makeshift hacksaw, rigged out of a blad, plastic ties, Velcro and various other items found on the shuttle, held together with (this is for you Lee Ann) duct tape.

Just under $50 and a trip to your local hardware store and you can have your very own replica of this important NASA device.

ETA: The mission was accomplished with something even simpler - the human hand.

Miracles Do Happen

309 people survived a plane crash in Toronto yesterday. Apparently they were all able to escape using the planes emergency exits and inflatable slides before the plane was consumed by explosions and fire. Think about that twice before you tune out the emergency evacuation procedures the next time you fly. It pays to know what to do in case of an emergency.

The Other Half

We've had to wait for nearly six months but Jennifer Aniston has finally done her first interview since filing for divorce from Brad Pitt. In an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair Jennifer talks about being "shocked," "angry," "hurt," and "embarrassed." Her pain is tangible. Yet, she does not once attack her ex or speak poorly of him or his maybe/maybe not relationship with Angelina Jolie. You have to give her kudos for that, it would have been so easy to place the blame elsewhere.

A Dog Eat Dog World

One of the e-mails that I've received suggested that I tell you about my pet. And since it fits in with my "life in NYC" theme I will be more than happy to do just that.

Having a dog in NYC is almost mandatory. In fact it should probably go in the handbook they need to give you. "Be advised that everyone in NY owns at least one dog. Seeing as how most of NY resides in apartment buildings this means that you will encounter them on the street at any given time, day or night. Some are quite small and some are quite large. Do not be alarmed, do not scream when you see them coming out of their front doors, and please do not antagonize them by barking, growling, etc. If you can't handle being around dogs maybe New York isn't the place for you."

I have a 1 1/2 year old, male, Shih-Tzu, named D'Artagnan (think The Three Musketeers and you'll get it). I do not think it's a stretch to say that he is quite possibly the most intelligent animal that I've ever encountered. You can be in one room of the house and tell him to go get a specific toy and he will go and search for it until he finds it and brings it back to you. When he starts whining and crying to go out in the morning and we all know how much I love mornings (sorry doggie but 5:15 is WAY TOO EARLY), I can tell him to go lay down until my alarm goes off and he does. If he starts bothering me for some unknown reason if I list off the things that he might want - outside, hungry, play, night-night - and he'll bark when I reach the right one. I kid you not, you can ask my roommate. It's scary.

He is also inordinately stubborn. When he truly wants something he will not give up until he gets it; even if it means barking at me and trying to chew on my hands until I will finally take him outside (never mind that we were just outside five minutes ago). This must be something like having a child that just keeps whining about what they want. I can't help it, even though I love him it drives me insane. I've actually considered sending the dog to live with my parents in Albuquerque just so that I can have some peace and quiet. Guess I'm not ready for kids yet.

Anyway, because I have a dog and live in an apartment my day goes something like this. D'Artagnan wakes me up, I shower, walk the dog, come home get dressed, go to work, come home, walk the dog, eat dinner, walk the dog, do some sort of evening activity (watch a movie, read a book, etc), walk the dog and go to bed. As you can see a disproportionate amount of my life is taken up by walking the dog. I don't care where I live this cannot be considered normal. One thing is for sure, my next apartment will have either a front or back yard.

I have lots of stories about my "demon dog" (trust me, he's earned the name) but I'll save those for another time. In the meantime, enjoy your nice suburban living with your big fenced in yards and know that I'm jealous.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!