Occupation of Independence

Was it back in the 1970s that Steven Spielberg came out with the spooky truck movie, "Duel"? I guess that was considered his first success. What made me want to rewatch that movie?   I wonder if Trudeau has seen it?   

Overall, getting a new dog is a great experience. But it can certainly turn your life upside-down at the beginning. I had given up on F#^Ck#@ng rescue organizations. But county or city animal shelters were still a possibility. If only they would practice "ethnic" cleansing on their inventory. [eyes rolling]  The new push was in the direction of phoenix craigslist>community>pets. Its selection of pets was weird. I was determined not to get sucked into any scam artist who wanted a deposit from me to hold my dog, since of course "they would be having lots of other calls." So, I took the plunge. She was 70% of what I thought would be perfect. When does the world give you 100%? Almost instantly she got on my lap in the driver's seat and gave me a kiss. Hey, we were in the big city and there were pet-store big-boxes around, so why not take her shopping?   Yes, she is a miniature poodle, about 17 pounds, and 4 years old. And she ain't no stinkin' doodle o

  The woman in the animal control office of a small town absolutely made my day. And she brought it up! I was moaning a bit about how frustrating it was to find a small, low-shedding dog to adopt, and she offered her opinion about "doodles" and other half-poodles, usually called "XYZ-a-poo". "Those dawgs are just mutts, but they call them 'designer dogs'," she said. Indeed. There is a genetic health argument for mixed breeds, but that isn't why half-poodles are so popular. The buzzword, Designer Dog, makes them sell for more $$$ to an aspirational consumer. Once, before I die, I would like to encounter something connected with money that is actually true.

Blogs like to list links to other websites. I have no way of knowing how important this is. But the list of links tends to get out of date. That is too bad, because potentially it is a good way to spread the word about good websites. Recently I had the pleasure of updating my own list of links. You find them by clicking on the three horizontal bars in the upper right of the blog. I am proud of the list I have accumulated and put my money where my mouth is, by donating to these sites in one way or another.