Better Call Saul is Pretty Good Too

 Okay, this is a follow-up to my post expressing how much I loved Breaking Bad. I started binging Better Call Saul about a week ago with my dad after we bonded about how much we loved Breaking Bad. Basically this series is a spin-off of the original series Breaking Bad, but while its set in the same universe it focuses on another character; Saul Goodman. In this universe Saul Goodman is a crooked lawyer in Albuquerque, New Mexico that aids criminals by laundering money, setting up meetings, establishing business connections and of course lending a legal hand if any of his clients end up in jail. Naturally, since I aspire to be a lawyer this character stood out to me.

When I found out he got his own show, one which was deemed to be on-par with Breaking Bad, I nearly lost it. I was so excited to watch, and so far it has not disappointed. I just finished the first season and it’s already got me hooked. The plotline of this is very deep, the production is well done, and the acting is brilliant. Truly this series does not feel like a spinoff in the slightest. I love being able to see this character as a lawyer being able to be so entertaining because lawyers tend to get a bad rap for being very boring people. Saul in this series is energetic, witty, and downright hilarious. I have loved watching this series so far, and cannot wait to see more.

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.

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.

Living to Eat, Not Eating to Live

I love Apollo. I really do, he’s my best friend and I’d do anything for him. However, I have to admit that he has an unhealthy relationship with food. Ever since he was small enough to fit into the palm of my hand, Apollo has shown that he lives to eat rather than eats to live. Be it the food in his bowl, treats or food that the people in the house eat, if there is food nearby that is Apollo’s only focus. He has even gone so far as to identify what certain foods’ English words are so that he can perhaps get a bite. Pizza has been his resounding favorite over the years, and as a result pizza has been the victim of many food-nappings in our house.

Take last night for example, my parents brought home two pizzas from Beer Barrel to eat and like any other family they set the pizza on the counter. Rookie mistake. As soon as they turned their back to the pizza Apollo snuck carefully into the kitchen, examined the counter for his target swiftly knocked the pizza off of the counter to eat it. I honestly believe that in the 5 years of having him this exact scenario has happened enough times to reach double digits. His sister Khloe, however, has never had this problem. She is patient in her pursuit of food. Whenever we have dinner, while Apollo is trying to get his face as close to our plates as possible Khloe sits patiently beside the table. She only looks up at us as if to say “please,” but never would venture upon taking any food for herself without the explicit permission of the people at the table. It is crazy to me just how different my dogs’
temperaments are when it comes to food.

 And this behavior carries on much further than just food. Anything that is interesting to Apollo’s eye will be eventually meet his mouth. This has included anything from toys, to leaves, to the most unfortunate of them all: pills. There was one day a long time ago when I came home from school to find that Apollo had eaten most of a bottle of ibuprofen. Needless to say I was freaking out, and immediately I made him drink peroxide in hopes to make him vomit out the toxic pills. To my delight, nearly none of the pills had disintegrated in his stomach and he actually did not have symptoms after the fact. But, this story goes to prove my point that absolutely nothing is off limits. I love Apollo, I really do, but sometimes I just wish he would eat to live, rather than live to eat.