Lynn Flewelling's Blog, page 50
February 17, 2011
Jackson at Two and a Third or So/Emma at Four?
Jack's a big boy now, holding steady at 85 lbs. Between his fear issues, puppy energy, and size, it's been hard for me to train him outside, so Doug has been doing most of that. However, he's been pretty good lately, so I took him with me on my morning walk and he did very well. Some pulling, and he shied once or twice, but not nearly as badly as he used to. He heels fairly well, and responds, albeit grudgingly, to whoa and sit. At the beginning of the walk there's the "I need to mark every tree" problem, but he smoothed out after a while and the second half of the walk (1 mile) went quite well.
I had him sit while I talked to someone in their driveway, which he did without panic, and we passed a lady with a pit bull on the far side of the street and Jackson didn't really react. Best-Damn-Dog-Ever Molly was still quite wild and exuberant at two, so I have hopes of Jack continuing to mellow out. He's a little better with guests, too, though crowds are just too stressful for him and he prefers his giant-size crate. When it's time to go on the dogs' weekly jaunt to Doug's office (he takes them away on sangha night), Jackson will sit to have his training collar and leash put on, and sit and stay while the door is opened. Emma, meanwhile, is rolling around on her back and jumping in the air. "I'M SO EXCITED I CAN'T SIT STILL LONG ENOUGH TO GET MY LEASH ON! WHY AREN'T WE LEAVING YET?????"
We still have the unexpected people-coming-to-the-door issue, and Emma can be quite aggressive, jumping and barking, with her back up. My not-perfect solution as been to teach them both "Out!" whereupon they race out the back door and around the corner to the side gate to bark. Like I said, not perfect, but safer for people coming to the house. I may have to enlist the Dog Whisperer. He's pretty good at that one.
With guests she calms quickly and is everyone's best friend. Jackson wanders around wuffing and snorthing, and if the guests stay long enough he'll come in for a sniff, or even bring a toy. What a weird pair of dogs we have. When they've gone to doggie heaven, years and years from now, I think I'll get another Papillon as a pup. Bosco was an adult rescue and had Issues, but was a good dog overall. Just once I'm going to go to a breeder, see the parent/s, look over the litter, and try for a Dog-Without-Major-Issues. Just once! Is that so wrong? ;-)
Jack loves to play fetch and catch, but only indoors, and to his credit, he's the only dog I've ever had who obeyed "give." He and Emma are quite useless at the beach, content to amble along and get their feet wet while the other dogs show off. Jack is much admired and asked about, thanks to his unusual conformation and stripes. Poor run-of-the-mill Chihuahua mix Emma gets quite overlooked, poor thing, and she's the friendly one.
I had him sit while I talked to someone in their driveway, which he did without panic, and we passed a lady with a pit bull on the far side of the street and Jackson didn't really react. Best-Damn-Dog-Ever Molly was still quite wild and exuberant at two, so I have hopes of Jack continuing to mellow out. He's a little better with guests, too, though crowds are just too stressful for him and he prefers his giant-size crate. When it's time to go on the dogs' weekly jaunt to Doug's office (he takes them away on sangha night), Jackson will sit to have his training collar and leash put on, and sit and stay while the door is opened. Emma, meanwhile, is rolling around on her back and jumping in the air. "I'M SO EXCITED I CAN'T SIT STILL LONG ENOUGH TO GET MY LEASH ON! WHY AREN'T WE LEAVING YET?????"
We still have the unexpected people-coming-to-the-door issue, and Emma can be quite aggressive, jumping and barking, with her back up. My not-perfect solution as been to teach them both "Out!" whereupon they race out the back door and around the corner to the side gate to bark. Like I said, not perfect, but safer for people coming to the house. I may have to enlist the Dog Whisperer. He's pretty good at that one.
With guests she calms quickly and is everyone's best friend. Jackson wanders around wuffing and snorthing, and if the guests stay long enough he'll come in for a sniff, or even bring a toy. What a weird pair of dogs we have. When they've gone to doggie heaven, years and years from now, I think I'll get another Papillon as a pup. Bosco was an adult rescue and had Issues, but was a good dog overall. Just once I'm going to go to a breeder, see the parent/s, look over the litter, and try for a Dog-Without-Major-Issues. Just once! Is that so wrong? ;-)
Jack loves to play fetch and catch, but only indoors, and to his credit, he's the only dog I've ever had who obeyed "give." He and Emma are quite useless at the beach, content to amble along and get their feet wet while the other dogs show off. Jack is much admired and asked about, thanks to his unusual conformation and stripes. Poor run-of-the-mill Chihuahua mix Emma gets quite overlooked, poor thing, and she's the friendly one.
February 16, 2011
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
I missed the first few seconds, so I'm not sure where this one is set. The team's bullpen looks like they're set up in a middle school. And why can't they afford decent overhead lighting, like the CM.1 team has? Government cutbacks?
Glad to see Jeanine Garafalo! I've always liked her, and Forrest Whittaker.
I really question whether the FBI would take on a foreign national as an agent.
Garcia!! OK, now I'm really confused, but Yay Garcia!
If we really want to cut the national deficit, then why are all G-men (people) riding around in gas guzzling, brand new SUVs? Why are they always black? The cars, not the G-men (people) Well, some of them obviously . . .
Bald Guy is the Loose Canon. OK, I get it.
Forrest Whittaker (Sorry, I don't know anyone's name yet) is a lot more emotive than Hotch. His sermon at the dump site was a bit over the top.
When did the FBI start running in packs? Mulder and Scully got by ok. I miss them, except for that last season. Has anyone heard from Chris Carter since the last movie bombed?
Iasha is afraid of dolls. I was, too. They creeped me out. I preferred stuffed animals and guns.
The unsub is almost always a white male. It's like saying the sky is blue. Unless the bodies are found in water according to the previous CM.1. If I had to get rid of a body, I'd probably dump it in a river, too. Digging is too hard. Of course, there's always a wood chipper . . . Hmmm
Why do carmakers even build windowless vans? They are proven nesting places for serial killers and pedophiles.
According to an FBI Behavioral Unit study (really, I looked it up) 85% of the world's serial killers are in America. At any given time 20 - 50 unidentified active serial killers are at work continually changing their targets and methods. You'd think the BAU would have had them all cleaned up by now, given the number of episodes and seasons.
Yep, that grave digging sure looks like hard work. That wood chipper is looking better all the time.
Does the FBI accept ex-cons? Bald Guy did time for killing a man. But he was only a pedophile, so maybe that makes it ok? And he gives confessional speeches in the middle of fields at night to serial killers, which drives them to blow their own heads off. I was starting to empathize with the killer.
How do little girl actors fake crying so well? Do people pinch them? Stick them with needles? Pull their hair? How does one apply for such a job? What? I'm just sayin'
And they come home to what appears to be a garage bay/dojo. Where the hell are these people located??
Bald Guy gets a promotion for not shooting the serial killer. That's fair. But word certainly travelled fast. Faster than an expensive, gas guzzling SUV. Maybe if they had a jet, like the CM.1 team.
Well, it was OKish, if you can get past the cliched plot line and scenery chewing. I'll leave it on auto record for another week.
Glad to see Jeanine Garafalo! I've always liked her, and Forrest Whittaker.
I really question whether the FBI would take on a foreign national as an agent.
Garcia!! OK, now I'm really confused, but Yay Garcia!
If we really want to cut the national deficit, then why are all G-men (people) riding around in gas guzzling, brand new SUVs? Why are they always black? The cars, not the G-men (people) Well, some of them obviously . . .
Bald Guy is the Loose Canon. OK, I get it.
Forrest Whittaker (Sorry, I don't know anyone's name yet) is a lot more emotive than Hotch. His sermon at the dump site was a bit over the top.
When did the FBI start running in packs? Mulder and Scully got by ok. I miss them, except for that last season. Has anyone heard from Chris Carter since the last movie bombed?
Iasha is afraid of dolls. I was, too. They creeped me out. I preferred stuffed animals and guns.
The unsub is almost always a white male. It's like saying the sky is blue. Unless the bodies are found in water according to the previous CM.1. If I had to get rid of a body, I'd probably dump it in a river, too. Digging is too hard. Of course, there's always a wood chipper . . . Hmmm
Why do carmakers even build windowless vans? They are proven nesting places for serial killers and pedophiles.
According to an FBI Behavioral Unit study (really, I looked it up) 85% of the world's serial killers are in America. At any given time 20 - 50 unidentified active serial killers are at work continually changing their targets and methods. You'd think the BAU would have had them all cleaned up by now, given the number of episodes and seasons.
Yep, that grave digging sure looks like hard work. That wood chipper is looking better all the time.
Does the FBI accept ex-cons? Bald Guy did time for killing a man. But he was only a pedophile, so maybe that makes it ok? And he gives confessional speeches in the middle of fields at night to serial killers, which drives them to blow their own heads off. I was starting to empathize with the killer.
How do little girl actors fake crying so well? Do people pinch them? Stick them with needles? Pull their hair? How does one apply for such a job? What? I'm just sayin'
And they come home to what appears to be a garage bay/dojo. Where the hell are these people located??
Bald Guy gets a promotion for not shooting the serial killer. That's fair. But word certainly travelled fast. Faster than an expensive, gas guzzling SUV. Maybe if they had a jet, like the CM.1 team.
Well, it was OKish, if you can get past the cliched plot line and scenery chewing. I'll leave it on auto record for another week.
Progress
1. Going to nicely exceed the contracted word count, but in a good way.
2. Beka and Klia have decided to talk to me, after all.
3. Seregil and Alec are sulking in the wings, paused in mid caper.
4. Thero fans will be pleased.
5. The body count is rising.
6. I really, really like my bad guy.
7. It's fun, running around Rhíminee at night.
8. Alec is really coming into his own, says Doug.
9. Seregil likes to have some nookie at inappropriate moments.
10. Patch and Cyrnil aren't getting much exercise in this one.
2. Beka and Klia have decided to talk to me, after all.
3. Seregil and Alec are sulking in the wings, paused in mid caper.
4. Thero fans will be pleased.
5. The body count is rising.
6. I really, really like my bad guy.
7. It's fun, running around Rhíminee at night.
8. Alec is really coming into his own, says Doug.
9. Seregil likes to have some nookie at inappropriate moments.
10. Patch and Cyrnil aren't getting much exercise in this one.
February 15, 2011
Today's Buddhist Thought
I almost always start my day with coffee, email, and CNN. It's become a habit, something I do automatically with one eye open. I do realize that my CNN habit is a holdover from 9/11. That morning I had been sick, got up late, and switched on the computer to check my mail. I noticed a small icon of something smoking on the home page news site, and when I checked it out, I discovered what was happening. I spent the rest of the day huddled on the couch, crying, watching CNN. I watched the second tower go down and all the other horror, and reading the posts from friends in NYC who were watching it happen. I spent at least the next month in a haze, watching it over and over, trying to make sense of what was happening.
So there's some part of me that needs to make sure something like that isn't happening again while I slept. But there's also something called "habit energy," something our minds do without making a conscious choice. Habit energy can control us if we remain unaware of it, and it can take many forms, dictating what we watch, eat, do, and all the rest. My CNN habit is at least partly habit energy, and my email habit, too.
So this morning was no different. I staggered out, grabbed my coffee, switched on the TV, and proceeded to check my mail, listening with half an ear to the President's press conference. Total immersion in habit energy and giving full focus to nothing.
Fortunately, a recent meeting with Tibetan flute player Nawang Khechog and reading his book, Awakening Kindness, had inspired me to write a new meditation for my sangha, and so I started to open a document to do it. And realized that the TV was still on, pouring in distraction, bad news, and stress. In a moment of clarity, I turned it off and put on Nawang's music instead. Suddenly I heard loud birdsong. I didn't think it was part of the music. It was the birds in my own backyard, singing and chirping at the feeders. Practicing kindness to the birds, I was gifted with something pure and sweet and light on the heart. I literally felt a space open in my chest as some stress dissolved, allowing me to touch the Buddha nature in myself, the birds, the musician, everything. A little crumb of enlightenment. And I thought all of what I have written here, listening to the duet of a Tibetan flute player and the Redlands Bird Chorus.
This was my morning meditation. A lotus for all of you, and birdsong. In the words of Nawang Khechog, "May all be kind to each other." And yourself.
So there's some part of me that needs to make sure something like that isn't happening again while I slept. But there's also something called "habit energy," something our minds do without making a conscious choice. Habit energy can control us if we remain unaware of it, and it can take many forms, dictating what we watch, eat, do, and all the rest. My CNN habit is at least partly habit energy, and my email habit, too.
So this morning was no different. I staggered out, grabbed my coffee, switched on the TV, and proceeded to check my mail, listening with half an ear to the President's press conference. Total immersion in habit energy and giving full focus to nothing.
Fortunately, a recent meeting with Tibetan flute player Nawang Khechog and reading his book, Awakening Kindness, had inspired me to write a new meditation for my sangha, and so I started to open a document to do it. And realized that the TV was still on, pouring in distraction, bad news, and stress. In a moment of clarity, I turned it off and put on Nawang's music instead. Suddenly I heard loud birdsong. I didn't think it was part of the music. It was the birds in my own backyard, singing and chirping at the feeders. Practicing kindness to the birds, I was gifted with something pure and sweet and light on the heart. I literally felt a space open in my chest as some stress dissolved, allowing me to touch the Buddha nature in myself, the birds, the musician, everything. A little crumb of enlightenment. And I thought all of what I have written here, listening to the duet of a Tibetan flute player and the Redlands Bird Chorus.
This was my morning meditation. A lotus for all of you, and birdsong. In the words of Nawang Khechog, "May all be kind to each other." And yourself.
February 14, 2011
Guest Blogging at Charlie Cochrane's LJ
Charlie Cochrane was kind enough to interview me over on her LJ. We had fun!
http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/101171.html
http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/101171.html
Just in Time For Armed Putto Day!
The wonderful artist Ovsanna sent me this lovely "White Road" artwork, titled "Snow Birds"
LOL moment
Just saw a commercial for ChristianMingle.com, a Christian online dating service. Their tagline is "Find God's match for you."
God: Adam, this is Eve. Trust me, bubbi, you two are made for each other! And look! You're already naked! I'll just leave you two alone . . ."
God: Adam, this is Eve. Trust me, bubbi, you two are made for each other! And look! You're already naked! I'll just leave you two alone . . ."
Armed Putto Day Winners!
Wow, 283 posts! Some of those were mine, or repeats, of course, but I weeded those out, rolled the random number generator, and here are our winners!
![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380442897i/1319734.gif)
raeraesama
carlaviii
jufin
Please email me your mailing address asap to lbflewelling@roadrunner.com
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all who played!
raeraesama
carlaviii
jufin
Please email me your mailing address asap to lbflewelling@roadrunner.com
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all who played!
February 13, 2011
A Fortuitous Meeting
Doug asked me what I wanted to do for Valentines Day this year and I said on a whim that I'd like to get away for the weekend, but not too far. So we went to Pasadena, which is a pretty cool town. Before we went I Googled things to see and we ended up, among other things, visiting the Gamble House, a famous Arts & Crafts era house designed by Greene & Greene, ate at our favorite Tibetan restaurant (great yak momos!) and the Pacific Asian Museum. While the museum was a bit of a disappointment as far as their collection went, there was a poster up for a book signing by famous Tibetan flutist Nawong Khechog. I am a great fan of his and often listen to his music when I meditate or rest. Very spiritual. He's a former monk who studied with the Dalai Lama, and a delightful person. We went to the concert/talk/signing today and I spoke with him briefly about my sangha and got a picture with him. It was so neat to be on the other side of the signing table, being a fan girl.
I highly recommend his book, Awakening Kindness: Finding Joy Through Compassion for Others, which is based on kindness workshops he's been teaching. He is a former monk and studied under the Dalai Lama. A very sweet man.
And here's a sample of his beautiful music.
I highly recommend his book, Awakening Kindness: Finding Joy Through Compassion for Others, which is based on kindness workshops he's been teaching. He is a former monk and studied under the Dalai Lama. A very sweet man.
And here's a sample of his beautiful music.
February 11, 2011
Holiday Signed Book Giveaway
Don't forget to sign up for the Armed Putto Day book giveaway!
