A Dog Named Blitz - Chapter Three: "Puppy Troubles" Part 1

For background on this serial, please click here. You can also start at the previous chapter.

Despite all of the reading, preparations, and purchases, my wife and I were definitely complete rookies when it came to this whole puppy thing. The first nights were filled with a lot of crying by Blitz, as she missed her momma and her littermates. This also translated into a lot of missed sleep, mostly by me. It was a long couple of days filled with waking, crying, outside, inside, pooping and peeing.

Then, with just a couple of days of this under my belt, I did what most loving husbands do: I headed out for a long weekend up north to host my brother's bachelor party. I walked my wife through the drill, kissed her on the cheek, exclaimed that "I'm just a cell phone call away," and toddled off for a weekend of golf, meat, sports, and beer.

I was hopeful of the situation I left to my wife. The dog had a good couple of days under her belt to establish comfort in the new situation. Likewise, my wife suffers from a genetic hearing loss disorder, and I was thinking that this might be another one of those situations where her loss was a good thing. In case you're wondering, for someone like me that seems to have an excess of gas that needs to be expelled (regardless of from where), having a spouse with a hearing loss provides a lot of "cover."

In all seriousness, my wife deals with her loss in a dignified and amazing way. It has never slowed her down, and I've always admired her attitude and approach. It is one of the reasons why I love her so.

Hearing loss or no, lonely puppies can really turn up the volume when necessary, and my hopes for sleep-filled nights for my spouse were dashed by the perpetually wakeful hellion in the basement. Hence, my calls home from the guys' weekend were never very fun. I was met with comments like "How much can one dog pee?" "Why do I even bother to go outside when the first thing she does when she comes in is pee?" and the most popular, "When, exactly, are you going to be home on Sunday?"

It was threatened, and I fully expected to see Blitz sitting at the end of the driveway on Sunday, with all of her little bags packed, all set to back to live with Randy Bartz and his wife. Luckily, all that I found when I arrived home was one very disheveled, sleep-deprived, and semi-angry spouse, and one very happy little yellow dog puppy. We had all passed the first true test.

The area we had for Blitz was a fairly large unfinished laundry room in the basement. It was blocked by a gate to keep her confined to that room, and we filled it with the requisite paraphernalia - a big dog bed, toys galore, and the ever present puppy-pads. The pads themselves were touted as a Godsend. They were infused with scent that would attract the puppy to eliminate on them and not on other areas. Armed with this knowledge, I set up a target area of three pads and hoped for the best. During the work day, Blitz would be confined to this area, and my hopes were that her intelligence and nose would lead her to mess in the defined target area.

Nothing could have been further from reality.

In coming home from work, I would often find that Blitz had picked out her own spot, and in her midday boredom, had moved the clean pads into her mess. She was delivering the elimination double whammy - a floor to clean up, plus soiled pads that needed to be replaced.

Knowing that dogs tend to eliminate in the same place, I'd preempt her next "movement" by placing pads in the previous scenes of the crime, and upon leaving for work, often noted that the basement floor looked like a bingo card. And, unfortunately, I would come home at the end to find that I had, yet again, lost a game of Tic-Tac-Poop to the yellow devil.

I'm quite confident that my wife and I were fully and completely responsible for the 3rd quarter 2000 sales performance of the Wee Wee Pad Company.

Despite the nice little area that we had created for Blitz, she developed an early aptitude for the JAILBREAK. The JAILBREAK is defined as any episode where a yellow dog has inappropriately escaped their confines and is on the loose. It can also serve as a warning to others that such an episode has occurred, and you can expect to have a yellow dog in your lap/garbage/bed in 4, 3, 2...

And we were soon to suffer the full impact of Blitz's first JAILBREAK.

To go to the next chapter, click here

Trigeminal Neuralgia - Thank God for Dr. Jonathan Larson

Lots going on with regard to the TN fight. Had an appointment with my regular doc on Friday, and here's the latest:

• Given my response to the Carbamazepine, he's pretty confident in his diagnosis.
  With the symptoms I've had, he's made the decision to boost the prescription. We're doubling where I'm at, which is a good thing because I had a really bad attack yesterday afternoon. It was killer. However, I'm afraid of the side effects, but we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
• He agreed to the MRI, and now we're just waiting for my insurance company to agree as well. The doc doesn't envision any problems, but we just need to wait.
• I'll be happy once the MRI is complete as it should lay out some reasons for what is causing this and will rule out any really nasty stuff. I hope to get it completed next week, and will get the results for my appointment at Mayo in October.

I'm really thankful for my doctor, Jonathan Larson of the Lakeview Clinic. He was all over this diagnosis immediately, and is quite learned in TN. Had he not been, and had I not stated the Carbamazepine when I did, I'd hate to even think of where I'd be right now. The misdiagnosis rate on this is very common, and sufferers can find themselves in a very bad place before finally striking on their proper track of treatment. I'm lucky to have avoided all of that, and have Dr. Larson to thank.

The fight continues.

Obama Wants America to Shut Up

I have never, ever seen a sitting US President look so un-presidential. The distain he holds for over 50% of the population is remarkable, and the tactics being empolyed are approaching scary.

We're in new territory here, folks.

The White House - Thugs on Parade

I have not seen anything like the thuggery being committed by the White House on the health care initiative. Nixonian in scope an execution, it is designed to reign in dissent and, ultimately, 1st Amendment rights. A couple of points:

• If Bush had come down on war protesters or Code Pink (both organized groups) he would have been impeached. But when Obama does it, the media and a significant portion of the public look away and allow him room.
• If, like the spin that is being told, you believe that this is a small but vocal minority, especially based on the approval ratings of the proposed bill, then you will have a big surprise for you in the 2010 elections.
• Obama holds dominant positions in both houses. If this is good legislation, supported by mandate, it is a lay-down. Why won't it get through? Republicans can do nothing to stop it. Period.

Obama was ushered in on a wave that was massive, and appeared poised to have Democratic dominance of Washington for decades to come. In 8 short months, that hope is lost. People are realistically (as supported by the polls) talking about taking back the congress in 2010 and the presidency in 2012. The speed and height of Obama's fall are truly remarkable, and he now runs the risk of losing the media and splintering his party.

Incredible.

Dennis Anderson's Duck Congress: Bad for Minnesota Duck Hunting

Dennis Anderson just can't help himself. The Duck Congress, which he introduced a couple of weeks ago, turns out has NOTHING to do with what is best for the Minnesota duck hunter, and has everything to do with Dennis.

Consider the latest from his column last Sunday:

Example: Can we have ducks in Minnesota while the Department of Natural Resources continues to expand over-water goose hunting in the state in September? Debate it all you will. But the answer is no, we can't.

Can we have ducks in Minnesota -- even on opening day -- if we continue to let kids hunt these birds a couple of weeks before the regular season opens? No, we can't -- especially in light of the DNR's expansion of over-water goose hunting.

Can we have ducks in the state if we turn a blind eye to farmers and other landowners who disregard requirements for stream and river buffers, and instead plant crops to water's edge? No, we can't.

Can we have ducks in this state if the state's cities and suburbs aren't required to initiate best water management practices to slow runoff from melting snow and heavy rains, and to keep river and ditch levels from jumping, wiping out the aquatic plants ducks need? No, we can't.

Can we have ducks in this state if we continue to expand hunter opportunity in the face of a declining resource -- by changing opening-day shooting from noon to 9 a.m., from shortening the time during the season that shooting ends at 4 p.m., and by continuing a 60-day season with a six-bird limit? No, we can't.

Can we have ducks in this state if we don't establish refuges to hold them during migration, and/or stop shooting at noon most days of the week, or at least some days -- as some other states do? No, we can't.

Think what you will about these issues, but we can agree on this: What we're doing now isn't working. And absent some independent voices standing up and telling the powers that be -- the DNR, the Legislature and the duck hunting "industry" -- that something has to change, nothing will. That's what the meeting is about. Come if you care. Main Game Fair seminar tent. No whining allowed.

A couple of points:

• 4 of the 6 points he raises above REMOVE hunting opportunities in Minnesota. Sorry, but anything that is so vasty opposed to the legal harvest of game as determined by the flyway council and by the DNR is a huge issue with me
• Anyone find it interesting that he demands no whining, but in the previous 7 paragaphs he does nothing but whine?

You're on the wrong end of this, Dennis, and frankly I hope you fail, and fail gloriously.

For additional information on the Duck Action Congress, click here

Sitting with the Twins’ Wives: Great Seats, Better Jewelry

My brother and I attended last Saturday’s Twins game, and since going to a game has become such a rarity with me, I decided to employ Craigslist and find some really good seats. Thanks to my newfound friend “Jon,” my brother and I landed some sweet seats about 15 rows up, right behind home plate.


As the game started, an extremely attractive woman and her two kids took their seats directly in front of us, and my brother immediately noticed the diamond wedding ring the woman was sporting. I tried to surreptitiously snap a photo of it, because folks, you would not have believed it. Unfortunately, this is all I got:

In comparing notes after the game, my brother and I estimated the top of the rock to be about the size of a penny, which would put it at around 6 carats. No lie.

I figured with a ring like that she had to be somebody special, and as Orlando Cabrera took the field for his first game at shortstop for the Twins, he looked up at the woman and the two kids that were waving feverously at him and acknowledged them with a head tilt to the right shoulder, which was immediately returned with the same head tilt by the three ladies.

In looking around further, we noticed a multitude of massive wedding rings, and quickly surmised we were sitting in the players’ wives section.

Since the Twins were getting killed, I spent my time watching the wives, as there was some very interesting dynamics going on. Observations from the wives’ section:

• I expected them to be prettier. I’ve seen how women act in bars around pro athletes, and even the ugliest guy on the team can command the attention of the hottest girls in the bar. Maybe hot girls ultimately figure out that pro athlete or not, waking up next to Nicky Punto is not all it’s cracked up to be.
• That being said, Joe Crede’s wife was stunning. She was one of those people that you just watch because she was that striking.
• The wives all talked during the entire game. They watched very little and did not cheer. All they did was talk. The whole game…
• The exception was Cabrera’s wife, who watched, cheered, and knew her hardball. In a tricky scoring situation, she knew Orlando would be credited with just one RBI. My brother also got her to high five him after a sweet Cabrera hit. None of the other wives cared.
• Wives don’t stand for the 7th Inning Stretch, don’t sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and don’t do the wave (bless them on that wave thing). They just continue to talk.
• I guarantee that section consumed 50% or more of all salads sold in the Metrodome that night. No dogs and peanuts for this crew.
• In the 8th inning, they all got up and cleared out – evidently headed to a room where the players can be with their families. While she was invited, Cabrera’s wife didn’t go – she wanted to watch the game. God love her.
  

I’m sure being a player’s wife is a hard life, and it doesn’t help when you have a yahoo like me writing about it. However, it was a pretty unique experience, and certainly not one you have every day, hence the report.

Post Vacation Trigeminal Neuralgia Update

Here's the latest from Trigeminal Neuralgia land:

• "The Knife" has been kept pretty dull. Only had a couple of quick stabs the past week, and notably my stress level was nil. We'll see what happens this week as we get back into it.
• I got into Mayo, and will be seeing a brilliant neurologist, a man that has done quite a bit of work with my dad and his Pick's Disease. That is the good news. The bad news is that I'm not going to be able to get in until mid October.
• In the mean time, Mayo has requested a head MRI, and I will request that from my regular doctor when I have a follow up meeting with him on Friday. If he refuses (because he feels it is unnecessary) I will book one at Mayo the day before my neurology appointment.
• I received a well-recommended book called "Striking Back," which is a great resource, in layman's terms, of all things Trigeminal Neuralgia, and even some things beyond TN that manifest themselves akin to TN. I read it in one day, and got some really great information from it. This will arm me well when I go and see my doctor later this week.
• Overall, I'm trying to keep my stress level as low as I can, and make sure I get some daily exercise. Things at work and outside of work won't make that as quiet as I'd like, but life will continue to roll on, TN or no TN.

Leech Lake Vacation Complete and In Photos

The entire clan got together this year for a vacation up at Leech

Artie and Ben on the troll for the elusive Walleye

Caitlin made a good Captain to allow yours truly to focus on his trolling

Barb showed she still had game

My sweetie was on fire, and shows off the biggest fish of vacation – a beautiful 25" fish

Despite the fun, it was good to be home