Final Blog

 

My freshman year at Ohio Northern is essentially concluded at this point, and let me tell you it was a confusing time for ol’ Caiden A. Bush. This was a year marked by decent grades and being very confused at what I want to do with my life. I’ve changed majors three times already. I changed my major from music education to writing and multimedia and then to communication after that. I think I’ve found my home with communication though. I find it bodes well with my goals to become a lawyer in that it teaches me how to argue well, teaches me the basics of American communication law, and many other helpful tools. I’m happy with how I’ve done this year, and I’m very excited for next year. Next year I’ll be taking a large amount of pre-law courses that will give me a jump in my career plan, as well as a ton of my general education requirements. Truly I think that Northern is going to be home for the next few years, and I’m very excited for the future.

 This year has been a success. I’ve discovered more about myself than ever before, and I feel I’ve set a foundation to succeed upon in the future. I’ve had wonderful professors who have been very supportive of me in my endeavors and I am thankful for each and every one of them. This will conclude my blogs unfortunately, but it was fun while it lasted. This is Caiden A. Bush signing off.

 Go Bears!

My Experience With Youtube

 

I can’t imagine that anybody has gone to YouTube specifically to watch their top-of-the-line advertisements, and I am definitely part of that “anybody.” I grew up on YouTube, it was the best form of entertainment for me by fair. I was raised in the advent of Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, Pewdiepie, and other gaming YouTube channels that brought joy to my adolescent day-to-day. I loved theses creators, and honestly still do, but never did I truly understand the untouchable wealth they made from the platform until my young adulthood. Markiplier, my favorite YouTuber, has a net worth of thirty-five million dollars as of 2023. That is from making videos on a social media platform of him playing video games. This wealth is largely due to the way YouTube’s advertising works. YouTube allows creators to monetize their videos by allowing ads to play during them, creating a significant revenue stream for large creators. Creators like Markiplier who have an average of 2-3 million viewers per video can make some absolute bank by including just one advertisement per video. When I was young, I never realized it but I contributed to their advertising strategy just by being a devoted fan to their channel. This is a very unique way of advertising using social media, being very similar to watching television. Television shows have commercial breaks just like YouTube videos do. I think it’s very effective and engaging, and I’m excited to learn more about it.

Paper Popper Panic

 

I was bored this past weekend and so were my dogs so I decided I wanted to expose them to some sort of new experience, that way they’re seeing something new and interesting. So I dug through the internet until I found something that caught my eye, and eventually I found what I thought would be perfect. I found a tutorial on how to make a paper popper. Now, if you don’t know what a paper popper is, it’s essentially a piece of origami you can swing that creates a loud noise when you do.

So, I got to work. I spent twenty whole minutes of my life watching a YouTube video on how to create this popper and I did it with relative ease. By the end I had a solid product, the folds looked great and there was only one thing left to do: test the product. So, without any second thought I brought my dogs into the kitchen with me and let it rip. With a thunderous crack, I swung the popper through the air. I expected the dogs to be bewildered, perhaps even a little nervous but I was wrong in that assumption. They went ballistic. It was as if I was holding a live squirrel in my hand after the paper made that noise. They chased me all around the house, barking, begging, doing anything within their power to get the paper away from me. Eventually I ran back to the kitchen table and had my arm over it to prevent the dogs from getting to the paper when Khloe jumped 4 feet into the air onto the table and snatched it from my hand. She then ran away, and I had to chase her down to retrieve the paper.

 I have never seen my dogs so feral for an inanimate object before. I was happy I was able to entertain them, but I did not expect this degree of success in doing so. What is worrisome, however, is that I think I have now conditioned my dogs into having a significant prey drive for paper. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it I guess.

Khloe.

 One thing that is a little odd about having a formally abused dog is how they display their affection. It varies from dog to dog and their respective situations, but Khloe in particular displays her affection in a way that is very endearing but at times annoying. She loves kisses. The word “loves” may even be an understatement here. Khloe would love nothing more than to shower our faces in kisses at all times; and when I say “all times,” I mean it.

 There are no limits to when, how, why or where, if she sees a face it is getting licked. Last night was a great example of this phenomenon. I allow my dogs to sleep in my bed with me because they’re good and they also deserve the comfort of my sheets and blankets. I wrangled them into my bedroom and got under my covers when suddenly above me there is the shadow of a dog staring down at me. Not even a second went by before she started licking my face. I pushed her away because I wanted to sleep but there’s one minute detail about Khloe that I have not yet mentioned: she abhors rejection. So, in retaliation to my rejection of her licking, she decided to jump onto my body WWE style and continue her licking. I once again pushed her off and I was victorious as she went to sleep, but I still petted her to ensure that she felt loved. Either way, it just goes to show some of the difficulties of having a formally abused dog, because in my case personal space no longer exists.

A More Chaotic Walk

 Walks with my dogs have been going well as of late. They’ve kept their composure and I’ve not had to discipline them much on our walks as a result. Honestly it’s been relaxing and makes me feel better as a dog owner knowing they can have this privilege that seems rudimentary to owning a dog. It has all been going increasingly well and it came to a head on yesterday’s walk.

 For starters, the reason I am so nervous about them going on walks is because they were attacked by another dog once while we were on a walk and they fought back and their owner called the warden on us. If we had another “incident,” they would assuredly be put down, despite it not being our faults the first time. My family has been stressed out about this for a long time, and I’ve been always of the opinion that regardless of what happened we should still let them do dog things and enjoy standard luxuries of pets.

 So yesterday I took them on yet another walk up and down our block, when suddenly a labradoodle came storming down the street at my dogs. This has always been what my family has been scared of. So naturally, I tighten down on my dogs’ leashes to keep them near me and away from the dog. The ‘doodle approached and sniffed my dogs and they sniffed back, but nothing aggressive happened. My dogs were scared at first, but they quickly realized there were no ill intentions by this lil’ guy. So what was once a gigantic fear ended up being a gigantic opportunity yesterday, and I think my dogs may be becoming less temperamental.

Fun Ride in the Car WOOHOO!

 My dogs are very big fans of car rides. They always have been and always will be. Hearing the words "bye-bye in the car” immediately triggers a state of upmost bliss in them, and Sunday was no different. My day started off very lazily, I woke up and watched a couple episodes of Breaking Bad while cuddling the dogs and then began to clean the house. The process of cleaning my house is one that takes several hours as well as vacuuming expertise. So while I was cleaning the dogs took advantage of the two hours of sleep that were readily available to them. After I was done, I woke them up and that is when the fun began.

 My dad and I wanted pizza Sunday, but not just any pizza. We wanted Cassano’s Pizza in Sidney, Ohio. This is my family’s favorite pizza and the margin of likability between this pizza and the next is not close. This is a treasure to behold, and whenever we bring home one of these pies it’s cause for celebration. So, before me and my dad embarked on our pizza pilgrimage, I had the idea of taking the dogs with us so they could go for a fun ride. Begrudgingly, he agreed and I got the opportunity to tell the dogs and watch literal smiles grow on their faces. They hopped in the car and we hit the road.

 Being honest, the ride wasn’t anything special but seeing Apollo happy was. I turned
around in my seat about halfway to Sidney and I sincerely do not think I have ever seen Apollo as happy as I saw him in that moment. I even took a picture, which is in this post. It was the brightest smile I have ever seen on that little guy’s face. It made my day. After about an hour we arrived home with the pizza and feasted, and the dogs had their share was well.

These Crazy Dogs!

Today was a wacky day to say the least. Apollo and Khloe got into some mischief that had my hair falling out in clumps! Today started off like any other day in my existence. I woke up, I took them out to go potty, and then I allowed them to stay outside to play while I got ready for my exciting classes at Ohio Northern University. After getting ready, I took them back inside and said my goodbyes to them as I embarked upon my educational journey. Classes were going well today, I love my Interpersonal Communications class and my rehearsals for University Singers got cancelled so I was having a fantastic day. It was when I arrived home that my world flipped upside down.

 When I walked in the door of my lovely home the dogs immediately rushed past my feet to a nearby tree in the front yard while the door was open. There, atop the tree, sat a fat squirrel that was the bane of my dogs’ existences in that moment. I tried to corral them, but it was already too late. They made a break for the squirrel. I rushed out after them but then they immediately thought that we were playing a game and dashed down the street as fast as they could. Needless to say, I was not amused. I chased after them as fast as my feet could carry, but alas it proved fruitless. The dogs were D1, 6’4” wide receivers for the University of Washington in that moment, while I was still a 5’10” scrawny white boy from Ohio. I was in pursuit for many minutes that seemed like hours, hoping that they would not get hit by any oncoming vehicles. Eventually they ran to Shawnee High School, which is just down the road from me, and they quickly found the school’s track and field which was full of, believe or not, high schoolers. When I saw that they were running for the track my heart nearly stopped. What if they bit someone? What if someone bit them? What if biting occurred in general? Lots of biting was running through my head when one of them stopped to go number two right before they got to the field. Now was my chance! Like a lion stalking prey, I bounded over to who I could now see was Apollo and grabbed onto him by his collar while I had the chance. I had one now, but the problem that came about was how could I get Khloe while still hanging onto Apollo. This problem was solved by the middle-aged man (approximately 39 years old) across the street. He must’ve seen my plight through his window. I had my back turned to his house wrangling Apollo when I heard his heroic voice boom, “I’ll save you, stranger!” He sprinted across his front yard and safely yet swiftly grabbed Khloe by her collar. I thanked this man for his courage in the face of two pitbulls, and took my dogs back to my house.

 When we got home, I finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the dogs were panting like they had run a marathon; because in all reality, it felt like we did. As they were getting a drink of water, I did as well. Then I lied down and contemplated my life choices that lead to this experience, and as the day died I fell softly asleep.

Intro to Dogs 1021.01

 

I’d like to welcome you all to an educational virtual course on the history, temperament, activities, demeanor, and overall existence of my dogs Apollo and Khloe. It does not feel like long ago that I adopted them, though it was nearly four years ago. Yet here they are, ten times bigger than they were when I first saw them. Apollo and Khloe are biological siblings, and it shows! They’re both boxers so they’re full of energy constantly, and that leads to some rather interesting days to say the least. They’re both in constant need of attention, be it play time, cuddles, treats or whatever the case may be. I love them and they’ve been my best friends for the past 5 years.

Now that you all know them just a little bit more, let’s dive into today’s story with the two gremlins. Today was Thursday so that means I spend a majority of my day on campus rather than at home with my dogs. So I woke up early this morning at 6 AM, grabbed myself a cup of coffee and made them breakfast. We all ate together and then I gave them some play time before I left for class. That playtime consists of playing fetch, chasing them around the house, playing hide and seek, and really giving them that attention that they so love. It makes me happy to make them so happy. It really doesn’t take a whole lot out of my day to make theirs significantly better, and that is something I wish all dog owners would consider more often. But alas, as the time of play diminished my 8 AM drew closer and I had to depart. I always leave by telling them to “Have fun, be safe, and wash your hands!” I hope they heed my warning, hygiene is important after all.

After class, I arrived home at around 6:30 to the best part of every single day in my life. I walk in the door, they hear my entry and I am immediately met with the task of catching two 80-pound cannonballs of love hurtling at me at the fastest speed possible for them. After today’s joyous reception of treats, pets, and fetch, I sat down and ate some pizza while Apollo stared at my plate in hopes that I might give him a slice, which in this house is not an unrealistic expectation. We treat our dogs like family here, in every sense of the word. They deserve the best this life has to offer them, after all they only have it for so long. Yet today he did not receive any pizza, because I was rather hungry. Then I got comfy and started writing this, thus leading us to the present moment of me writing this. That’s all I’ve got for today, stick around to find out more about Apollo, Khloe, and the various shenanigans that they will undoubtably partake in!