free fun

One of my favorite places to go is the dog park. It's the best form of free entertainment, hands down. Let a bunch of dogs with pent up energy frolic freely in a fenced space and hilarity ensues. Stella, my little monster, loves to create chaos whenever she's there. Besides from the usual wrestling/rough housing, she regularly knocks over the water buckets which creates a mud bath for her to splash and roll around in. Unfortunately she also indulges in even less acceptable behaviors. Today she stole a little girl's doll.

Bad dog.

But the best thing about the dog park? It completely zaps her energy. So when we get home, she passes out, and I can finally relax.

Good dog.

Sorry Suze

A day off work is detremental to my bank account. I spend way too much time online. Which leads to online shopping. Today I bought a transmitter for my ipod so I can finally listen to all the music I download in the car. Also bought Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meaning of Life from Amazon. And then I was browsing through bikes for sale on Craig's List (which I do daily), and finally found one that sounded promising. A Schwinn Ladies Cruiser for a mere $40. I went to check it out, loved it, and bought it (while four other hopeful buyers were on the way).

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to take my year-old weimaraner on a bike ride. This will be interesting if not life-threatening...

wasted time

Finally finished reading I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max. I usually breeze through books much more quickly, but it was almost a chore getting through this one. The stories were the same. How many different ways can you say you got drunk and had sex? And he acts as if he invented black out drunk (aka "Tucker Max Drunk") and having sex every day of the week. Most of the guys I know do the same thing. They just don't write about it. He's just like any other drunk idiot at the bar. But with halfway decent writing skills and too much time. Yawn.

Without Slingblade (the only interesting person in the book), I would have quit reading halfway through. And I've never not finished a book.

Next up... Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey. I really need to read a real book soon...

What's he waiting for?

I just watched Religulous, a documentary by Bill Maher. It's BRILLIANT. Every doubt and every little thing I find funny about religion was addressed. My favorite is when he discusses the story about the whale. A guy lives in a fish for THREE days and people actually believe the story to be truth. Why? Because it's in the Bible. If you step back and actually think about it, it's absolutely ridiculous. Maher gets this. I get this. The majority of America, sadly, does not get this. Why did we ever stop believing in Santa Claus if we continue to believe stories like this? Santa was more fun anyway.

Some of my favorite quotes from the documentary...

Bill Maher: Why doesn't he just obliterate the devil and therefor get rid of evil in the world. Fake Jesus: "He will." Bill Maher: "He will?" Fake Jesus: Yeah, it's coming." Bill Maher: "What's he waiting for?"

Bill Maher: “You're a senator. It worries me that people are running my country who believe in a talking snake.” Senator:“You don't have to pass an IQ test to be in the senate though. He he!” 

Bill Maher: “If Santa Claus can hit every house in the world.” Steve Berg: “No, we don't believe in Santa Claus.” Bill Maher:“Of course not, that's one man flying all around the world and dropping presents down a chimney. One man hearing everybody murmer at him at the same time, that I get.” 

George W. Bush: “I believe that God wants everybody to be free. That's what I believe. And that's uh, been part of my... foreign policy.”

Bill Maher: Faith means making a virtue out of not thinking. It's nothing to brag about. And those who preach faith and enable and elevate it are intellectual slave holders, keeping mankind in a bondage to fantasy and nonsense that has spawned and justified so much lunacy and destruction. 

Bill Maher: Religion is dangerous because it allows human beings who don't have all the answers to think that they do. Most people would think it's wonderful when someone says, 'I'm willing Lord, I'll do whatever you want me to do.' Except that since there are no gods actually talking to us, that void is filled in by people with their own corruptions and limitations and agendas. 

Bill Maher: The only appropriate attitude for man to have about the big questions, is not the arrogant certitude that is the hallmark of religion, but doubt. Doubt is humble and that is what man needs to be, considering that human history is just a litany of getting shit dead wrong. 

So I'm staying at home on a Saturday night. I've spend all of my last paycheck and have about $20 to last me until Friday. So while my friends are out having dinner and a night out on the town, I'm stuck here eating a peanut butter sandwich and popcorn while watching Good Will Hunting (i DVR'd it a few a days ago). You know things are bad when you cannot even afford a Red Box rental. 

Once I do have extra $$$, I want to buy a Nikon. My digital camera broke and although I'm not good with cameras/photography, the Nikon just looks so chic and sophisticated. I want I want I want. And it really sucks having to resort to mac photobooth when needing to take a picture of something. 

Oh the joys of being a 20something in the current economy. 

becoming alpha

This book was one of my Valentine's Day presents from my mom. It's not a dog training book but a dog psychology book. I've learned that my dear Stella thinks she is the pack leader. I'm trying take over the leadership role but it's proving to be more difficult that I thought it would be. I've gone too long thinking of her as a 4-legged human, my baby girl. A big No-No in Cesar's Way. I don't like to tell her "NO" 193854387 times a day. It comes to a point when I'm just like, ok, fine, do whatever you want. So now I'm trying to break that habit. So even if I've had a 12+ hour day and just want to relax on the couch and unwind, I still have to have a "calm-assertive energy" and make sure she's behaving at all times. EXHAUSTING.

i can't help it; i love beginnings

So I've had an online journal for many, many years. More than a decade, actually.  I've tried a few times to become more blog-esque and less journal-esqe but nothing has ever stuck. I need a theme. And spending your days/nights in retail hell is enough without having to also blog about it. "Another Life of a 20something" is too broad and was resembling my online journal. So here's my next attempt. What's the theme? I don't really know. Maybe I don't need one. There's going to be pictures. Life updates. My fashion inspirations. More information than a Twitter but less than a journal entry. Sound good? Well whatever. This is for me and my insatiable need to document my life.