Dalasone!

 

First I must address the blog title because it is a funny story! I used to work at the Wal-Mart portrait studio some time way back and while covering for a store out of town I encountered a very interesting family. A mother brought in her six kids and at that time you wrote all the names on a card. Well one of their names was Dalasone so I asked her how she pronounced it because it was so different and the way I thought it was pronounced sounded very pretty but no it was not. She told me that it was her last kid so she named her “da las one,” as in “the last one” for those of you who only speak English!:)

I didn’t hate blogging but I doubt I continue. It was a good outlet when something was stuck in my head that I wanted to get out but there just never seemed to be enough for me to get two blogs a week out of it. I barely update my facebook status more than once a week so I guess I am just not the blogging type although I know people on facebook who should blog instead!:) I did enjoy reading some of my classmate’s blogs though.

If I had it to do over I think I would try to gather ideas and maybe even notes for my blogs before the day they were due. When I pushed it off until Friday I usually didn’t have enough to write about or enough time to write it. One thing I would have liked to have seen done differently is maybe some sort of guidance for our blogs or at least one of the two. I would have liked to been told exactly what to blog about to save me some time trying to think of something. Maybe even having everyone blog a short story would have been fun.

I don’t know if the blog made a difference in my writing skills but I assume that any writing will improve your writing skills some over no writing at all. I don’t think it changed how I looked at the world although some of my classmate’s blogs were thought provoking. I guess some did give me insight into other peoples thought processes and in some cases into lives much different than my own.

I won’t keep blogging at least not while I am in college. Between school, work, hubby, two teenagers, and four dogs, I have more than enough on my plate! If I had the time I might blog on occasion but I could never see it being a regular thing. That being said I did enjoy this class. I actually love English and would love to major in it but I need to be able to find work after I graduate!:)

I hope everyone had a successful semester and that you all have a safe and happy holiday break.  I have had my tree and decorations out since about two weeks after Halloween. I love this time of year! My husband teases me that we should just leave the tree out all year and decorate it with appropriate decorations for the time of year but I know that is just tacky even if it is a little tempting…

Happy Holidays!!

I Don’t Give a Damn ‘Bout My Bad Reputation!

                When some people hear the word Doberman they think of the aggressive, snarling, fangs bared, beast of nightmares but that couldn’t be further from the truth. While Dobie’s can be a bit suspicious of strangers sometimes they are extremely friendly when you get to know them. They are extremely loyal, family dogs. They are quick to protect not only the human members of the house but also the other pets. When we adopted our male Dobie almost two years ago we knew what we were in for. We knew we liked the looks of Dobermans and when we researched them we absolutely knew it was exactly the breed for us.

                The Doberman breed originated in Germany in the late 1800’s when a man named KarlFriedrich Louis Dobermann decided he needed a special sort of guard dog for his dangerous job as a tax-collector. In addition to making his living as a tax collector, Karl Dobermann also ran the local dog pound; so when he decided to create the best dog for the job he had plenty of varied breeds to choose from.  Some of those breeds that went into the mix were German Pinschers, Beaucerons, Rottweilers, Greyhounds, Great Danes, Weimaraners, German Shorthaired Pointers, Manchester Terriers, and German Shepherds.

                The Dobermans of the 70’s horror movie are not what you find with the breed today. Although according to some information I found they had been more aggressive in the past but due to better breeding standards they are now a much less aggressive dog. That doesn’t mean a Dobie won’t stop a stranger at the door until he is told its okay, but they won’t go chasing down the neighbors or the neighbors pets. They are incredibly smart and I am not just saying that because I am a huge fan of the breed. Everything I have read about them states that they are one of the most intelligent dog breeds out there. Because of their high intelligence, they are easily trained for the amount of protectiveness you wish them to show. A Dobie bought to be a guard dog will do just that and do it well, but a Dobie bought to be a family pet will be protective but will also be a goofy, playful, gentle, loving dog.

                When we pulled up to the Doberman breeders home to pick out our pup we knew we were going to get a fantastic family pet. Our Dobie’s mother was incredibly friendly and a total attention hog. His father was a nut! He shot through the breeder’s house while we were filling out paper work and grabbed their young son’s stuffed animal and took off with it. It was hilarious but it is nothing compared to the times we have spent laughing so hard we cried at our own Dobie. We named him Dillinger after the outlaw of course, who was also of German descent, and he has lived up to his name. He has stolen many a stuffed toy himself but thankfully our kids are old enough to not really care too much. I guess that would be one thing I would warn people about, they need to keep a supply of toys, bones, or toy bones on hand! Luckily we have nieces who sold us all of their old ones, two trash bags full, in a yard sale for next to nothing. 

                Dobermans are large and muscular. They have a lot of force behind them when they are sprinting through the yard and if they jump on you, you know it! They are often referred to as “Velcro dogs” because they don’t stray too far from their owners. They are also notorious lap dogs which might not suit everyone because they are so big, but I think it’s sweet and Dillinger has his head in my lap as I am writing this. They might not be perfect for everyone but I cannot imagine I will ever not have a Doberman or two. I think they need buddies to keep them entertained but right now mine has Rupert, a stray we took in when we bought our house. Our vet thinks Rupert is a Pitbull mix which sounds a lot scarier than he is. Rupert is basically a snuggle bug who also acts as a makeup tester for my daughters. He is all white and extremely calm so it is not uncommon for him to come downstairs with blue eye shadow, rouge, and black eyebrows drawn on. He has even had “all you need is love” written down his side in multi colored magic marker. Not sure if that’s dog abuse so no one turn me in okay! Teen girls have to find some ways to entertain themselves I guess:)

What's the Deal with Black Friday... No Pun Intended

I had two and a half days to spend visiting with my family back home and it was nowhere near enough but I am thankful for what time I did have. My mom spent all 3 days in the kitchen and by the time I left her house we had enough leftovers to feed an army. It is insane how much food she prepares. We always have ham and turkey with tons of sides to choose from and this year practically all the sides and desserts were made twice, once for most of us and again without glucose for my aunt. I swear if my mother didn’t have to work she could feed all the hungry within a 50 mile radius! It was fantastic as usual and over entirely too soon. Especially since I had to head home after we ate to prepare for my Black Friday shift at work.

Which brings me to Black Friday and my question to everyone, what is the appeal? I cannot imagine fighting the crowds to shop in general much less camping out days ahead of time? Some of the sales this year didn’t even wait until Friday; Wal-Mart started at 10 pm on Thanksgiving Day. By the time I got to work at my part time retail job at 5 am Friday most of the crowds were gone. Targets’ parking lot was practically empty. Apparently by 5 am the masses had already wrapped it up and headed home to finally sleep. My shift was 5 am to 10 am and we were so slow I ended up leaving an hour early. So having those sales increasingly early every year doesn’t seem to be doing any favors to the non-big box stores or for that matter probably not so good for the local restaurants either. Maybe it is just me and my lack of enthusiasm for competitive shopping but I just don’t understand it. 

The hordes of people grabbing at the same few $3 toasters, after trampling everyone around them, just doesn’t scream Holiday Spirit to me. There are already reports of violent outbreaks around the nation this Black Friday. A woman in California used pepper spray on her fellow shoppers so she could cut to the head of the line. Her bad behavior was rewarded when she was able to pay for her purchases and leave the store before the police had even arrived. I cannot even imagine. It is sad when you rank the success of your event by the lack of casualties but so far Wal-Mart is happy with the outcome because although there have been numerous shootings, tasing, and pepper spray incidents no one has yet to die. Well hallelujah! So between people being attacked inside the store over an x-box sale or in the parking lot while being robbed I think it might be in the best interest of rational people to stay home and take advantage of Cyber Monday instead!