Lonely? Open A Dog Book in Public...

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My writing buddy Bernie is out of town for the week so today in place of our meeting I went to Barnes & Nobles to conduct research for a new project.

 It's a dog project where I need to research different breeds and write...stuff. (Sorry, confidentiality agreement).  But the important part is I have to select a certain combination of breeds. So I pulled out "The Encyclopedia of the Dog" and several breed specific books, grabbed a mocha (mmm... mocha) and planted myself at a table in the Barnes & Noble cafe.

People kept slowing as they passed by my table. The books were big ones and big glossy pictures of different breeds were spread across the table as I scribbled in a notebook. After about 2 passes, people would stop to ask what I was doing. When I mentioned it was a dog-writing related project, most were eager to recommend their breed.  One man stopped by and asked if I was researching what sort of dog I wanted. He seemed disappointed that it was merely an assignment. But he cheered up and told me why Dobermans or Irish Setters would be an excellent choice for my piece.

I'm telling you--there is NO better ice-breaker than a discussion about pets. I had some short but really nice conversations today. When I packed up and left, half of the cafe waved goodbye to me.

Some days I just can't help but think... I have the coolest job. 

How I Almost Ate Meat

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While on our anniversary weekend, Blair and I stopped for lunch at a cute little corner diner called "The Starving Artists" cafe.  Big bang for the buck, as the sandwiches were huge and they weren't stingy with the side items. Looking over their surprisingly extensive menu, I saw a smoked turkey sandwich on honey rye, with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, granny smith apple slices and herbed cream cheese.

It was the granny smith apple slices that caught my eye. It was the only sandwich on the menu that had them and my taste buds salivated at the thought of tart apples, cream cheese and rye bread. Once I saw that, nothing else sounded good.

One small problem--I don't eat turkey. I thought of my friend, also a vegetarian, who declares vacations off limits and eats a burger and steak every time she travels. Hmm....

"What are you getting?" asked Blair.

"I kind of want the turkey," I half-whispered, eyes sliding around the room to make sure no tape recorder was in sight.

His eyes widened and God love him, he tried not to show his excitement. (Blair's dream in life is for me to start eating meat again).

"Well," he said, "I think you should get what you want."

I hesitated. "I don't know..." I looked at him. "Would you promise not to tell?"

He nodded. "Absolutely."

So I did it. I ordered the turkey sandwich.

When it came to the table, it was huge, piled high with slice after slice of smoked turkey. I sniffed the sandwich. Yuck. Meat--any meat--has a distinct smell. I fingered the meat. Yuck again--slimy.  Across the table, Blair was digging into his burger.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I stared doubtfully at the sandwich. "It smells bad and the meat is slimy."

He looked over. "That meat is not slimy."

"It is very slimy. I'd forgotten how slimy turkey is." I sniffed again. "Forget it. I'm not eating this." Blair sighed as his dream crumpled before him.

I took the meat off, piled it to the side, and enjoyed a delicious rye sandwich without it. And frankly, I'm grateful for slimy, smelly turkey meat. Otherwise, I would have caved and felt guilty about doing so.

After the waitress cleared our plates, I kicked myself for not getting the meat in a to-go bag for Consuela. I may not eat it myself, but I'm not above using slimy, smelly turkey meat to bribe an Akita to love me.

Happy Tuesday. - Dena

Anniversary Weekend

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Apologies for going so long between posts, but I was swept away by Blair on Friday for a romantic anniversary weekend (Sunday was 12 years). I knew we were going to the mountains but I didn't know where. Turns out it was a delightful cabin at the top of Raven Ridge mountain in Virginia, near the Tennessee border. Stunning vistas and the promotional material said when you stand on the mountain you can see into 5 states - Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and North Carolina, I think.  Sounds impressive but when you're looking it's not like the state lines are mapped out on the ground so you have an awareness of it being 5 states. It's all just beautiful scenery.

consuela.jpgWe arrived at the cabin about 8 PM Friday and as Blair got out of the car I heard him say, "Well, hello there!" I questioned his tone for greeting the owner, as it sounded a little condescending, but I understood when I got out and was greeted by a huge and beautiful off-white Akita. It was Consuela the-wonder-dog. Such a sweetheart. She camped out on our front porch for half our visit and would take your hand in her huge mouth and gently tug every time you came outside as if to say, "C'mon! Let's go play!" Big curling tail constantly in motion. I was ready to take her home.  

It took both of us awhile to relax. Saturday we drove 30 minutes to a cute little town filled with antique shops and such. We looked around but neither of us were really into it. At lunch, Blair asked what I wanted to do. "Go back to the cabin, read, take a nap," I said. "Sounds good," he replied. So that's what we did. Read and slept away the afternoon on Saturday. It was wonderful.

The cabin had a...shoot, I'm blanking on the name. Not a fireplace but a stove hooked up to a fireplace that you feed wood into. You know what I mean. Anyway, that's how the entire cabin was heated. Luckily there was a space heater for the bedroom. But after running it at night, we blew a fuse and couldn't get the socket to come back on. The fuse connected to the bathroom which meant we showered by candlelight, which was amusing. Also spent some time in the hot tub which was heavenly. To have it be 39 degrees and be outside, looking up at a twinkling star-filled sky while in a hot tub on top of a mountain---nice.

We arrived home around 2 on Sunday. Blair watched football and I went back to work. But it was good. The panicked feeling was gone and I tied up a number of loose ends.  It's another mind-blowing busy week but I'm enjoying all my work so that makes it fun. 

I had a little "come to reality" moment on the mountain.  Blair and I were discussing how we could lessen the stress in our lives and agreed that stressful situations would never just go away. It's our personalities. I could be working the fryer at McDonalds (nothing wrong with that) and I would be stressed if there were a long line and my fries weren't ready. It doesn't matter if a project is big or little - I stress the same about it.  So the solution might not be to downgrade work but rather to learn how to compartmentalize the stress and not let it become too much a part of life.  I want to deliver as much as the next person but if I had to turn in an article on dogs a few days late, this is not a crisis in the greater scheme of life. No one gets hurt, the world doesn't fall apart. My ego will be a little bruised but it could probably use some bruising so there you go. Everything always works out. So the rest of the year will be a lesson on putting work into perspective.

Meanwhile, I miss Consuela. Such a big bundle of furry love. I'd love to have a BIG dog someday. I can just see introducing the cats to it. "Lucy, this is Consuela. Consuela, this is--No! Bad dog! We do NOT eat the cats. Put her down!" 

Maybe someday...