Capstone Class – I Stand Corrected

School began this week.  My mind is at ease.  There have been no freak outs which is scary.  Maybe, as time goes by this weekend, reality will sink in.  Other problems occupy my mind.  With FullEclipse still looking for a job, classes are the least of my problems.  I will put in my best effort.  The end is near.  If all my classes line up nicely, my degree is only a year away.

I have two classes this semester.  One if Computer Forensics (cue in CSI Music).  I am stoked!  The other class is a capstone course.  Well, that came out of nowhere.  A three credit/unit class for a capstone?  Not too bad!  There is a big project that takes 20% of my grade.  The assignments are spread out throughout the semester.  However, I plan on starting it as soon as I can.  FullEclipse will help me with the research.  The topic should, in theory, be easy to research.  

So, I stand corrected.  My major has a capstone.  But can I say I am even more annoyed about the must-take class of nine units…you know…the one I dropped?  That is a waste of time and money.  I still want to use those credits to take more classes. Maybe saving the money for some certifications would be nice.  

How Do I Want To Live My Life?

Since November of last year, the realization that death can come at any time.  It does not discriminate.  The fact that two young people lost their lives to cancer cemented this sad fact of life.  One of the things I have been working on is a list of songs to be played at my funeral.  Yes, it is a morbid thing to think about.  But, being a control freak, I want people to truly understand where I come from.  Music is the perfect medium to convey my message.

Oddly enough, Dr. Absolution and I were talking about my goals for therapy this year.  I gave him a list of what things I wanted to change/accomplish.  I don’t know how this happened, but he suggested I imagined how I wanted to be remembered at my funeral.  Because I don’t have a lot friends, I suggested that maybe writing an obituary would be a good idea.  He agreed.  Dr. Absolution sees it as a way to see where I picture myself in life.  With a clear vision, we can achieve my goals.

Yet, I can’t seem to put into words what I want to do with my life.  Well, I don’t know how I want to live my life.  How do I want to be remembered?  It is a question I must answer.  It is not easy at all.  I guess that is the whole point of the exercise – to focus on what I want to do instead of dreaming about it.  

With school starting this week, getting this done might be a challenge.  

I also don’t want to think about dying.

I mean, who does!???

Don’t worry, there is plenty of Queen left.  

I just don’t know how I want to live!

This Picture Says It All – Dogs!

I took this picture yesterday afternoon.

A few things come to mind.

First, the dogs look like they are about to get into a lot of trouble.  Fred will pounce at a moment’s notice.  Second, Kona is a cool dog.  With Fuego’s (Kitty) death, my love for Kona grew.  I finally saw her for who she truly is.  Finally, I get to see why Bostons get along with Boxers so well.  Despite of their small size (about a third of a Boxer when fully grown), they put up with the Boxers style of playing.  Bostons can take Boxers on.  It is so cute to see.  Fred growls and sounds like Kona when he plays.  It took a while for Fred to understand that Kona was trying not to kill him when she growled so loudly.

But, perhaps, the biggest thing from this picture is what the dogs have taught me – coping with your disabilities to make the best of your situation.  Kona has a bad back.  It is riddled with arthritis.  Getting up is a challenge.  To a little puppy like Fred, Kona is just another dog.  Kona could not keep up with the playing.  So she lays down and they play together.  Just two dogs (minus the running around).  There is no pain for Kona.  Fred doesn’t judge like humans do.  The dogs make the most of their play time.  It is so nice to see Kona enjoy Fred.

If only we could learn to be more like dogs.

And His Name is Fred XVI

A few days after the passing of Kitty, FullEclipse and I began to talk about getting a new puppy to help Paczki deal with the loss.  Her way of coping was to ask for a small dog that could live longer than a boxer.  She had ideas on what to do to track the dog’s life, etc.  It was cute yet heartbreaking in a way.  I am happy that Paczki was able to deal with the loss in a logical manner. 

As much as I hated the idea of getting a new puppy, especially since I had not grieved Kitty, I knew it was the right thing to do for the K Family.  FullEclipse and I had talked before about which kind of dog we would after our Boxers died.  We settled for a Boston Terrier.  One of my best friends has a Boxer (one passed away) and two Bostons.  The personalities mesh really well.  Bostons are a smaller version of Boxers.  With Kona being an older dog, she needs a smaller dog to be able to keep up with the playing, etc.  We also wanted a boy because two Boxer girls are bound to fight.  Kona will only hurt herself since she is the dominant dog.

After many phone calls and ads, we found the perfect breeder.  She asked the right questions and had no problem answering ours.  You would be surprised to see how many backyard breeders pose as reputable/caring.  The breeder and I emailed each other often.  She sent us pictures.  There was a guy who stood out right away.  He was the bigger puppy of the picture.  A cute brindle boy.  I always want a solid color dog, but life sends me brindled dogs!  We made plans to visit the breeder.  My issue was the travel.  At 50 miles away from home, the idea of making a few trips out there seemed so daunting.  On a Saturday morning, we got the kids.  Paczki whined because she wanted to stay home.  Once she realized where we were going, things got much better.

So, we met our guy.  I had a name picked out but it didn’t seem right.  The breeder had an Ethel, Lucy (loved her!), and Fred.  I looked at the puppy.  He looked like a Fred to me.  The name stuck.  It is a great name.  When we registered him for the AKC, he was given the name Fred  XVI – fancy! 

Here is a picture of the day we brought Sir Fred Stink Eye K XVI home:

He was smaller than Kona’s tongue.

Fred is getting used to being around us.  One of his ears is goofy.  We decided not to tape it as it was suggested.  That only makes him more unique.  The tie adds to his personality.

I miss Kitty like crazy, but I know he is finally at rest.

Fred has helped a lot.

First Grade for My First Born

Today Paczki started first grade.

As much as this summer sucked for all of us in terms of spending too much time together in close quarters, it was sad to see my first kid go back to school.  Long gone is the shy little girl who was hesitant about going to school.  FullEclipse, K2, and I dropped her off and waiting until Packzi walked to her classroom.  We will pick her up as well.  This is a tradition I hope to keep for many years. 

It is very surprising to see how much time has passed.  If there is a regret to have, is the fact that I did not hold Paczki as much as I should have when she was a baby.  But I am making it up with lots of kisses and silly games. 

Can we slow time down?  Paczki keeps growing and growing.  Pretty soon, My Little Pony will give way to something else.  My baby needs to enjoy her childhood.  Who needs homework at 6 1/2?  Right?

Today Paczki gets her favorite meal as a way to start the new school year.  One of many many many meals to come with our kids.

Despite of the fact that FullEclipse lost his job, I cannot be bitter.  Money comes and goes, but our family stays the same.  I am truly blessed even if at times I lose hope. 

Enjoy your day love of my life.  You will kick major ass in First Grade!

A Setback In Life

FullEclipse lost his job last Thursday.  Because of what might happen next with his union, I can’t really go into specifics.  Even if I could, I wouldn’t do it.  Let’s just say it was an underhanded move.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were hectic.  My mind  went into worst case scenario thinking.  Part of it is true.  We are losing our health insurance along with a nice pay.  My worry is and will always be my mental health.  So much work has gone into making me somewhat normal.  Today I went into Dr. Absolution’s office with the idea of weaning off my medications.  Thankfully, I can go see him once a month as a cash patient.  Crisis averted.

The question is, where to go from here?  Obviously, FullEclipse is looking for a new job.  He is not sitting down waiting for things to happen even if the lay off made him really upset.  He wants to move on.

This setback will drain our savings account.  Let’s hope we have enough to get us through the rough patch.  We are lucky because we don’t pay rent.

I don’t know what the next month will be like, especially with K2 and my birthday coming up.  The trip in December is now on hold even though the tickets are paid.  So much is up in the air.  I hate not being in control.

One thing is for sure, we are “Ks” and we will get through it.