Politics

Not people politics--dog politics.

I've been thinking recently about how different a dog's sense of personal space is than ours.

Dogs that are total strangers will sniff and lick each others a holes and other private parts.
but if I call one of my mutts to come to me--and the other is in the way, she will just whine, wag her tail, and look at me--but will not bother the other one. I guess there's no "excuse me" in dog language.

My dog, Rizo, is obsessed with the frisbee--she brings it with her everywhere she goes. She often pees on it or lets my other dog, Jeckyll pee on it. She'll still pick it up--sometimes like a bowl of pee--and bring it to me to throw. Eeeewww.
yet if another dog comes near her dog dish--forget it

I find this fascinating.

Parking

I noticed this phenomenon this morning and wonder if anyone else has noticed the same.

Men are obsessed with backing into parking spots. Women just seem to be fine pulling in and then backing out--but men, perhaps with the notion that they will have to escape in a hurry, want to reverse into the spot so they can pull straight out.

I've noticed it with Isaac and I've noticed it at work. The small building in which I work houses our office, a male contractor, a male lawyer, a female CPA, and a group of female consultants of some type. My boss and the contractor both will go to great lengths to back into their parking spots. All of the women pull in forward as does the lawyer.

Is it a male ego thing? A "manly man" thing? The lawyer doesn't seem to mind being lumped in with us women--hell he's probably making more money than the rest of us combined. I think its a mystery that should be explored.

Happy Anniversary

Twenty years ago today, a drunk sailor crashed his oil tanker in the Prince William Sound spilling 10.8 million gallons of oil ruining and ending the lives of native man and beast. Recent scientific studies conducted by the Exxon Valdez trust indicate that the oil is still present--an estimated 16,000 gallons are still buried--and the herring, a keystone species for the Sound, have not recovered.

Last year, the supreme court cut the damages due the local fisherman from the massive corporation. Original punitive damages amounted to approximately 1-year's profit for the behemoth--the new amount doesn't even cover the costs of bankruptcy lawyers for the fisherman who lost their livelihood.

Happy Anniversary Exxon--you thoroughly screwed us on that one!