Photo Updates

aldy watching the "incredible dog championship"

aldy getting belly rubs

handy

work

set-up the new board

Winter film

Here's my first film. A test.

Alden winter_test from d strong on Vimeo.

music is from Catalpa Catalpa before permission
http://opsound.org/artist/catalpacatalpa/

Bugs, Animals, Compassion

I've been seeing small praying mantises around the garden lately when I've been pulling weeds. Pretty awesome.

Besides the fact that mantises are (1) great insect control and (2) amazing in appearance, they are believed to be good omens, harbingers of luck. On that first note, I should clarify, while they will prey on unwanted insects like mosquitoes, they will also feed on beneficial garden insects too...

While I'm on the subject of "bugs," I almost stepped on this buddy today: a Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia).
I feel bad for disrupting him so much--In transit back to my office I realize I caused many of the powdery scales to fall off his wing tips (Moths are from the taxonomic order Lepidoptera--which also includes butterflies; lepido- means scales and -ptera means wings). As far as I understand, this could hinder his ability to fly. Ever again. Crap.

I guess this points me in the direction of a post I had been contemplating for a while now which is about how my dog Alden is inspiring a compassion in me towards all non-human animals that is more profound than ever before. I mean, this compassion is strongly directed toward mammals, but certainly includes those other members of the Animal Kingdom. A few weeks ago I was hiking up a steep slope in the woods, up from a stream (it's my job!), and noticed that a few feet above me a TINY fawn was curled up in a ball as if to hide from approaching danger. All you could see was a fuzzy brown ball with white spots and two pointy ears poking up from the head that was tucked into its body that was hardly hiding in the few forbs of the forest floor. I could see its ears were twitching and alert and the fawn must have been terrified and unsure about what to do. What amazed me was that this baby deer was no bigger than my 23-pound puppy. I just wanted to pick it up and let it rest in my lap like Alden does, and console it: let it know we weren't going to harm it; that it was safe.

Alden can be a huge jerk. A lot. Like, he acts out--and it's probably just play. But sometimes I get mad. But to think about him getting hurt and in the times when he is sick, I feel such pain inside--it breaks my heart. The bond I've formed with Alden is as strong as the closest ones that I've formed with any other person and it's pretty amazing. And the fact that he is a (non-human) animal has inspired me to translate that compassion, like I said, to other animals. So I get sappy over plump little songbirds that bop around on our deck; or a young calf that follows its mother through the field; or the... whatever. And I get really bummed out when I see a beautiful creature that is hurt or killed, like the Cedar Waxwing that died in front of our bank, probably because it crashed into the window thinking it was sparring with another male that was really just its own reflection.

So, what was going to be a couple sentences about praying mantises turned out to be this longer rant about compassion. Back to work!

A well-earned chill

weekend

new bike!
trip to the pet store! c is beautiful even when she's sick
cleaning broken glass on the bike path! this is one of a bunch of broken bottles on the bike path within a quarter mile of each other. punk kids need to get schooled

Alden - Birthday #1

Alden is 1 year old today! Here he is with the birthday card sent to him from my mom and Glenn. Wooha

The distance

In just a matter of time, A Day in the Good Life has shattered the 2000 mark and is plodding its way towards 2030 visitors. I feel like life has been packed full of eventful happenings and the internet has taken a backseat to more urgent matters. The most massive of these priorities has been Alden's flea problem. Fortunately, it's not a huge infestation-size problem--but it is a persistent one and we're going insane trying to find a remedy.

On a positive note, the fleas have kept our minds off the looming financial crisis. Other than our (fixed-rate) mortgage, we don't hold much (if any) debt and all our other assets are cash. I wish I understood better the pro's and con's of the governmental "bail-out." Supposedly it would be bandage the expanding wound that is the collective of our economic problems. Probably, it would be more of a tourniquet. As little as I make sense of it all, I suspect there is some irony in the whole situation. Capitalism is looking for a socialist solution; Wall Street is the new family on Welfare; stocks are the new food stamps; republican economic solutions are the new democrats' massive government. I know these formulas are over-simplified. I also understand that a lot of Republicans are opposed to the proposed bail-out--but I don't know why. The proposal doesn't appear to be a partisan issue. Why are people opposing the bail-out? Are they holding on to laissez-faires economic ideology? Or is it that they just want the bail-out restructured in some other way? What would that plan look like?

I am resisting the urge to get panicked. Carlyn's car is about to kick the bucket, as they say. I've been wondering if, in the name of simplicity, we should trade-in both of our cars for one new one, and learn to live as a one-car household. The question would be, would we get enough in trade to minimize our cost and save enough by eliminating car insurance, that we could afford a car with little to no debt and in fact save money in the long run? Thoughts?
--
In other news:
1. The glasses I ordered (pictured below) were too small so will be returned, just as I will return to search for the perfect pair of vintage frames! Wish me luck...
2. Carlyn's parents invited us to join them in Hocking Hills over the weekend. They rented a chalet with a beautiful hilltop view. We hiked the ~6 mile loop between Cedar Falls and Old Man's Cave--which is at least three times longer than the longest walk Alden has ever completed. He made it the whole way with no complaint! I was super excited and proud of him. Overall, the retreat was much needed and really appreciated.
3. This weekend, Carlyn's mom brought down another shipment of plants from her garden to get us started on our lawn-less landscape. Hopefully by this time next year, our front yard will be exploding with biomass/habitat/food/color!

What the dizzle?

Do you know what is a "bull pizzle"? Well we didn't either until after we bought one for Aldy--his reward for walking to the pet store to get a new type of leash. This "pizzle" smells as gross as it probably should, so tonight it's going in the trash! Sorry pup. But you should've seen him; he carried the thing all the way home from the store and was walking with the proudest gait I've seen.

I think C is gonna puke.

(Enviro)mental breakdown

This weekend I finally replaced the bent wheel on my bicycle! I've not been bike-less since my accident--I was riding my mountain bike this past week, but it really didn't offer the same satisfaction as sprinting down the road on my Fuji. On Saturday, I bungee-corded my bent wheel to my back and mountain-biked my way over to Westerville Bike Shop. I am very pleased to say that the owner, Kurt, hooked me up with a used, complete wheel for $20! I was expecting to spend around $60 on a rim alone. The new wheel included a black rim from a company called Alex Rims, and a black tire with blue stripes from Continental. Together, the wheel is not only better than what I was riding before, it looks great too. I will also announce that I am now a regular helmet wearer. Before too long I expect I might not feel so dorky, but I must admit that I am very self conscious about it. This weekend I was able to run a few errands on it: to pick up Panera for breakfast earlier, and a grocery/Chipotle run this evening.

C and I are walking Alden a TON and we've become quite creative with how we are picking up the unmentionables that he [drops off] in our neighbors' yards. We've been using bits of trash that would otherwise only be used once then be discarded. For example, yesterday I picked up a McDonald's cinnamon bun box from the side of the road and scooped Aldy's poop. Tonight I used the plastic that originally encased a couple rolls of toilet paper... The more we bike and walk and re-use things or the less we drive or shower, I wonder: why is this important?

It is becoming harder for me to explain why I am interested or motivated to be environmentally "friendly." Biking is fun. Period. Fuel is expensive period. Water costs money. Done. Air-conditioning costs money. Zip. I suppose it has everything to do with my new perspective as a home-owning, tax-paying, citizen. I've become thrifty (a term recently used to describe C and I as we shared a soda on a lunch date, which we commonly do when we're out to eat). Lucky for us, frugality is coincidentally a cornerstone of environmentalism. But why do I HATE Styrofoam cups? Why do I loathe hyper-hygienic/over-sterile things that are so antipathetic to the outdoor, non-human world? Maybe it has nothing to do with the increasingly mainstream trend marketed and eagerly consumed as "Environmentalism." Recently I've had thoughts about wanting to keep driving, alongside everyone else, to help deplete the world's resources of fuel. I want to just run this machine into the ground and then say, "See? I told you so." The world will recover and do much better when people are gone. I think my actions have more to do with a personal desire to be close to that outdoor, non-human world. I want to be immersed in it. I want to sleep outside and eat food that I pick from plants. I want the soil to stain my hands and clothes. I want the rain to wash me and feed those plants. At the same time I am bitter towards the gadgets that pollute and the people that use them without concern. Don't get me wrong: agriculture and controlled burning of wood for heat and cooking are all very human, and humans (and their actions) are inherently "natural." Why should be people be concerned about the rate at which the Earth is destroyed? Justice? Economically-depressed people around the globe, including those in our country, will be the first to fall as the climate changes, as weather becomes increasingly catastrophic, natural resources are depleted, agriculture fails, and prices increase. That sucks, eh? This area of concern is part of a larger sphere known as "Environmental Justice" which isn't usually given a seat in most conversations about being "Green" or "Sustainable."

You are probably thinking to yourself, "David needs to wrap this up." So let me arrive at a conclusion: the reason why it seems I am "environmentally friendly" is because I am frugal, I like being dirty like a forest animal, and I feel compassion towards economically-depressed people (as opposed to the wealthy, power-wielding minority). My head is empty for now. So, as they say, "Stay up." - D

The Great Near-Blizzard of '08

Fun times during a Level 2 Snow Emergency.

Pupster

--Edit: "Meet Alden Paczki, born November 22 (Thanksgiving Day), 2007 and destined for greatness. "Paczki" (pronounced "ponchky") is a type of Polish donut--C and I learned about these on the CBS Sunday morning show the day we adopted little Alden. This was the name we almost settled on, but couldn't stop laughing everytime we used it--so we decided to find a more serious name for him. Alden means "old friend," and we know he will live a long and joyful life with us and always be a friend.--

C and I are trying to be patient with puppy training, but it's rough. Actually, the first 3 days were smooth, with minimal accidents inside and mostly gentle play. We're trying to learn all we can to teach him how to be an obedient dog. I also hope that puppy socialization will help "Aldo" learn how to play well with others.