a99kitten's Musings

We adopted a new doggie last Wednesday. I wasn’t really sure I was ready, and concerned how it would effect Storm, but husband was missing Angelus a lot and didn’t even have the company of Storm as he is strictly a Momma’s dog and could care less about anyone else.

The doggie we adopted is a very sweet Malamute/Siberian Husky (seemingly) mix. But I know he has something else in him. It’s either German Shepherd or wolf/wolf hybrid. But he was rescued out of the shelter as a puppy originally so it’s all a guess. I ordered a doggie DNA test but they don’t test for wolf or coyote. We’ll see.

On his first night here, he and Storm got into a tussle over what seemed to be cookie crumbs. Storm sniffed them and Shadow (his new name) growled, Storm growled and BAM they were going at it. Husband and I each grabbed a dog and I pulled Shadow’s mouth off Storm’s face. But he didn’t bite down as Storm had no injury, just some spit bu he was just very upset. Stormy wears his heart on his sleeve and has always gotten his feelings hurt when other dogs attack him. But he’s always had Angelus around to back him up and take care of things quickly.

I was very upset. I do not want Storm’s life upset. We have a set routine and it works very well for him. The loss of Angelus was very tough on him and that followed a long medical issue. But he’s doing so well now and I was unsure if a new dog would upset him or make him happy since he has had Angelus around him all of his life. So we took Storm with us to meet the potential adoptees. He got along (meaning he basically ignored or sniffed a little) pretty much all of them. A couple of the younger guys were going to be too much but Shadow (originally Rontu) seemed pretty relaxed with Storm and loving to people. But he seems to have a food aggression issue with other dogs (not us though.)

But since that first night, which was pretty much our fault since we treated him like Angelus and not like a new dog who doesn’t know us or his new house, he and Storm have kinda hung out together, gone on short walks together and gotten along. I’ve not allowed them to hang out alone together though. And he gets along great with every other dog he meets even if they (usually older ones who want no part in playing) growl at him to go away.

Yesterday afternoon we took them both out for a short walk and I brought Storm in first. He went into the laundry room, where a water bowl is, to get some water. I followed behind him to grab a light bulb. Apparently husband let Shadow in off-leash (we’ve been keeping him on leash inside as per introducing a new dog to the house) and I’m not sure what happened as it all happened so fast but as I turned around, Shadow was attacking Storm so I pushed Storm back behind me (pushing over the elevated water bowls as well) and Shadow got my right hand. Not sure anything has hurt so much ever. I kept Storm behind me and pushed Shadow back and he got my left wrist and hand as well. By then husband had run in and grabbed Shadow and got him locked into the bedroom.

By now, I sunk down to the floor and tears just started flowing from the upset and pain. And an awesome pool of blood was forming on the floor and all over me. Husband came in to ask what happened and saw the blood and ran to get towels. I was trying to stay calm but I was upset. I took a wet towel from him but told him to check Storm who turned out to be totally fine. I got him out of the way in time. Husband got him out of the laundry room, walking right through my blood and leaving little bloody paw prints CSI style, and to the deck so he could check him again and keep him out there. Storm actually seemed totally normal so I am glad I did act quickly.

By now I was getting cold and shivering which is apparently due to shock. Yes – I was pretty shocked. I have never had a family pet hurt me before. I’ve been bit my dogs at the dog park or beach a couple times as I pulled them off my dog but they have never drawn blood. And I’d rather take the bite then allow Storm to get bit (Angelus would never get bit as he would kick the ass of any dog who started anything.)

After holding a cold towel on it for awhile to stop the bleeding husband cleaned the punctures as well as I’d let him (fracking hurt.) He kept trying to get me to go to the ER but all they would do is clean it, bandage it and charge me hundreds of dollars after insurance after sitting in the waiting room in pain and bleeding for 2 hours. I would have probably gotten some good pain meds but whatever. I hate doctors and especially ERs. Meh.

Put some anti-bacterial spray on the wounds and bandaged them. Because it’s my hands, and one of them is on the inside, we put a bunch of cotton in the palm of my right hand and taped it. This kept it more straight as the fold of my hand kept opening the wound and causing more bleeding. Storm came in and hung out by my feet which is unusual for him. He really is a sweet little guy.

I was definitely in shock as I felt nauseous and was like ice. So I sat on the couch the rest of the night under a blanket with my bandaged hands elevated on pillows. I’m sure it looked amusing. The bleeding eventually stopped but not the pain. I could not use my hands at all without hurting a LOT. I had some Vicodin leftover from my pinched nerve last year so put 2 on my nightstand in case the pain was that bad during the night (didn’t take though.) Went to bed and slept about 4 hours. The rest of the night I was awake and in pain.

Finally got out of bed at 5:30am to take Storm out really quick. I was pretty woozy and in pain so took 4 Advil. Figured that’d help with any swelling too. Fed Storm, very slowly, and have been on the couch ever since. I can’t really use my hands although my 2 forefingers work without pain so I can type slowly. And made some trades :)

I’m not sure what we are going to do now. I know Shadow was not attacking me and I essentially put my hands near/in his mouth. But that’s still not acceptable. He can’t be ready to attack Storm at any second. We will research food aggression and see what we can do. But I can honestly say I will never, ever leave Storm along with Shadow ever. Not ever. And that sucks.

We think it might be because the food container is in the laundry room so maybe Shadow felt he was protecting his food. But that’s not acceptable. At all. Storm was simply drinking water out of the bowls he has always used for water. And since it happened so fast, and my back was to them as I was reaching into a cabinet, I don;t know who growled at who first. But I don’t care. Giving a little growl is saying hey back off. That’s dog speak. Does not justify a full blown attack.

Obviously with rescues you don’t know what their history is, what happened to them. But the foster mom had other dogs in the house, so why is he so aggressive towards to Storm?

I think what makes me the saddest, even more sad than the pain and getting bit by a family pet and sitting here not able to do anything, is that it made me miss Angelus even more. And truly realize what an incredible personality he had. He would never bite me. Never growled at me. I never even worried about ever being bit by him no matter what I did. When he was a puppy we would take away his food and then give it back, same with treats and toys, so that he got used to us and never felt threatened. And he would give Storm a little lip if he came over when Angelus was eating but never, ever snapped at or tried to bite him. No matter what Storm did. He truly was a remarkable friend. To both me and Storm.

Tomorrow it will be 2 months since I lost my big guy. I’m still not really any closer to being “over it” or much better.

I still think about him all the time, and think how unfair it is that he is missing out on more Mom time, Tahoe time, beach time. Our new house is on 5 acres which I basically wanted for him and Storm. He would have really loved to patrol his forest. He visited a few times during the remodel and had so much fun there and I was so excited to have the land for them.

I still cry almost every day. Although I don’t just break down and bawl every day or start tearing up when someone asks where he is so maybe that is getting “better”. But I still can’t look through his pictures. I still have his collar and tags in my purse from when we left the vet. It’s supposed to help to talk about it. But I still cry. Writing about it makes me cry a little less.

I still blame myself for not figuring it out. Maybe he did have more tumors or was riddled with cancer and maybe he would have not made it past a month or I would have had some horrible choice to make. But it all happened so quick and never got that far. And I’ll never know. And maybe that was better for him and me. He would have hated to be sick. His life was about having fun. And he would have been miserable sitting around. And having to make a choice regarding euthanasia was truly not something I could have handled. But I can’t stop thinking maybe he could have had his surgery and been OK. And here with us now.

He died from a hemoabdomen. A tumor on his spleen that ruptured and bled out. These tumors are likely due to hemangiosarcoma. According to the doctors and everything I read afterwards, there are no symptoms to watch for until it’s basically too late. All the doctors described it as the dog equivalent of a heart attack. You can be totally fine, no symptoms of anything, playing on the beach and bam. You get weak from the blood loss which is the first sign and unless it gets operated on right then, it’s probably too late.

They told me there was no way I would have ever known unless he got regular ultrasounds on his spleen and no one would ever do that unless their dog has had tumor issues in the past (like Storm has and does get ultrasounds.) His latest physical just 2 months prior showed once again he was perfectly healthy. His heart, ears, eyes, gums, all blood tests = perfect. No one could ever believe was 11 1/2 as he looked and acted so young. Even when they ran blood tests at the ER they were all perfect except that he was anemic due to the blood loss into his abdomen.

Best case scenario was they got in there and got the tumor and spleen out after stabilizing him. Then hope for finding no other tumors while they are in there. Apparently that is highly unlikely.

The ER doc and our regular vet said up to 85% of these cases end up being a super aggressive cancer (hemangiosarcoma) and that he would have 1-3 months at most and most of that recovering from his surgery. But that leaves at least a 15% chance that he would have been OK. Stormy wasn’t supposed to make it after his surgery and he’s here 1 1/2 years later still happily ah-rooing. So why not Angelus?

But they never got him stabilized. He started doing a little better after fluids and a blood transfusion but they said he was losing it too fast. And he just stopped breathing.

I know I am supposed to take some comfort that he did not suffer. Was not in pain. Played and had fun right up to his last few hours. And I am glad of that. He was the best dog in the world who brought so many people smiles and joy. He certainly deserved all the happiness and pain-free life he could have.

I took him to work pretty every day all of his life and there were some people who weren’t too happy with the idea of dogs in the workplace at first. But Angelus won them over. He was such a great ambassador for both his breed and dogs in general. So many people that met him at work (employees, guests, partners, etc.) would comment on how awesome the huskies were. How well behaved, sweet, etc. Everyone he met on walks or at the beach loved him.

Angelus only ever wanted to have fun. He was such a happy dog. But not in that slobbery lab kind of way. He was very chill. But could also be a spaz. His presence in my life was very calming. And I always had so much fun with him. Every day, every walk, all the time. Even when making me take him for a walk in the rain he would make me smile at his desire to sniff and want to see the world. He just wanted to walk and run and play on the beach and meet new buddies and walk and sniff and walk and pee on every tall stalk of grass he could find so every dog knew that Angelus was here.

He was never sick a day in his life which was why this was so sudden and painful. He had surgery for a torn ACL but never, ever sick. He was the one who was always there for me. When my mom died, when I had a miscarriage, when Stormy got sick and we almost lost him, when my little brother died. Angelus was the one always there to get me outside, get me out of my own head. And to just sit right next to me with his head on my feet while I cried.

I miss him staring at me when I wake up in the mornings saying with his eyes “get up!” Or sitting at my feet while I work. Or hanging out in the front yard staring out into the world waiting for his next adventure. Stormy and I still haven’t gone into the yard actually. Stormy is still sad, you can tell. He was with his brother every single day all of his life except the first 7.5 weeks.

Angelus taught me that the mornings are quiet, beautiful and awesome so sleeping in is for suckers.

He taught me to take every chance to get outside and enjoy it, even if it’s raining but especially if it’s snowing.

I miss him. And his handsome face and happy smile. And his presence. And hugging his big fluffiness.

I just miss him.

Yes, I am one of those annoying CA drivers with a personalized plate. Before I had my doggies, I had a plate that, because I am a bit naive sometimes, I thought was cute but later found out could be construed to mean something else. Doh. Oh well! As soon as I got Angelus, I changed my plate to…

Simple. It was even more self-explanatory on my previous car when the huskies would hang their heads out the windows as they had the entire back seat and back (Jeep Grand Cherokee.)

So last week I was at the beach about to load Storm in the car. Guy parked next to me asks “What does your license plate mean?” As I am about to pick up Storm, my SIBErian husky into the car.  I say it’s for Love. My. SIBErian Husky. He still looked confuzzled. OK….

Today, walking to the car with Storm (in same parking lot) and a guy asks me what a sibby (as he pronounced it) is. I say it’s SIBE (ya know – long IIIIII or even SYBE I suppose) for Siberian Husky.

He looked a bit confused. Is it that hard to get?

But then another guy sitting on the edge of his truck asks “Who Shot First?” I say “Han” without hesitation. He cracks up laughing and says “you are awesome – no hesitation whatsoever.” I add “There should never even be a discussion.” He keeps chuckling as Storm and I pull away in our Falcon. At least the plate frame is translatable.

You meet some interesting people at the beach…

This is gross.

“Some 25% of the people who lost jobs since 2008 have applied for and received government disability checks. As an aside, we normally think of disability as something physical (back pain, etc.), but since 2008 43% of those getting approved for disability cited psychological reasons like stress.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/where-will-all-the-jobs-come-from-to-get-us-back-to-full-employment-2012-3

Stress? Really? Guess what losers – that’s called life. If you can’t handle it, or change your life to address it, feel free to go away. But the government (AKA the taxpayers) do NOT owe you a living. There is a reason in nature the weak ones get culled from the herd. Because then you don’t pass on the weak genes. Not a bad system really. Has worked for millions of years.

Watched Margin Call last weekend. It was kinda meh. OK, but didn’t love it. No Wall Street. Not even Money Never Sleeps. But I like Paul Bettany and his character. And he has a small dialogue towards the end that, IMHO, rings quite true:

“If you really want to do this with your life you have to believe that you’re necessary. And you are. People want to live like this in their cars and their big fucking houses that they can’t even pay for? Then you’re necessary. The only reason they all get to continue living like kings is because we’ve got our fingers on the scales in their favor. I take my hand off and the whole world gets really fucking fair really fucking quickly and nobody actually wants that. They say they do but they don’t. They want what we have to give them, but they also want to play innocent and pretend they have no idea where it came from. That’s more hypocrisy than I’m willing to swallow. Fuck them. Fuck normal people.”

Many would probably see it as a greedy bastard banker speech. And it is. But I also see it as relatively factual view point that the average person doesn’t want to admit to being part of. Gordon Gekko touched on that in Money Never Sleeps too. Although I much preferred his Teldar Paper speech :)

*According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, the words “stupid” and “stupidity” entered the English language in 1541. Since then, stupidity has taken place along with “fool,” “idiot,” “dumb,” “moron,” and related concepts as a pejorative appellation for human misdeeds, whether purposeful or accidental, due to absence of mental capacity.*

Yesterday once again proved to me that the work ethic and personal responsibility level of the average person is crap. Now, I feel this way pretty much all the time but sometimes things happen that make is SO glaringly obvious, it makes me sad for mankind’s future.

Yesterday I received our FSA  accounting for the new plan year from the company that handles our COBRA and FSA administration. I’ve had issues with them in the past but I complained about the account manager and told the CEO that the idiot needed to be removed from our account and never deal with me or our account ever again. Anyway, yesterday I was going through the data they sent over and I found 2 people missing from the spreadsheet and not showing any contributions for the 2012 Plan Year (which there were in January.) No big deal, I send our account rep an email saying “Hey, you forgot to add these 2 people. Please correct it and send me the updated info.”

I get back an email, in a rather terse tone, saying I never sent the enrollment forms for those 2 people nor were they on the spreadsheet I sent her so it all had to be re-done and to please send over the missing information ASAP. Umm. OK. So, I’m pretty anal retentive about making sure people’s benefits are correct. I pulled up the email I sent her on January 17 and oh look – there are not only the 2 “missing” enrollment forms attached along with all the others but the spreadsheet attached has them listed with all of their data as well (so even IF I hadn’t sent the enrollment forms, you’d think she would see the names on the spreadsheet and ask me about them?) So I forward that email to her with a simple note “Here is the email/data you were sent on 1/17/12.”  I get back “Oh, sorry. You are right. I missed the scroll. Sometime I am too blond.”

Now, I wasn’t upset by the initial mistake. They happen. Whatever. And you could have avoided looking SO stupid on this one by first searching for the data I sent you to make sure you didn’t leave it off and then, seeing that you did, fixing the error and letting me know it’s all fixed. No big deal. But no. You felt it more fitting to get pissy with me and say how I must have not sent it to you. And then your response to being wrong is Oops you are too blond? Really? That’s how you handle clients?

Happened a couple weeks ago with our old 401k vendor. They insisted we hadn’t paid for a Final Plan Report (we switched vendors after our acquisition) and were quite rude in their assertion. Really? So I dig through my old file and emails and find copies of all the emails where we discussed the costs, the reports needed and finally my signed form requesting the report along with a copy of the check we sent with the fed-ex airbill. The check that was cashed by them in August of 2010. The email I get back is “Oh. right.”  So there was no way for you to look for that data before being a jerk with me and me having to spend time getting it out and sending it to you again?

In my job, I see this kind of stuff fairly often (again…sad) from employees doing things incorrectly. I don’t understand that since it directly effects you – so shouldn’t you understand insurance, 401k, payroll, payroll taxes, etc??? A little bit?? The basics? You’ve been in the workforce for how long now? BUT, from companies whose sole jobs it is to manage these things, I expect you do to your job very well. Silly wabbit.

Maybe I’m the odd one because I will make sure I have the back-up data before calling someone out on something. Stupidity bothers me. Mistakes don’t bother me so much (unless they are mine) when they are identified, easily fixable and fixed without much fuss (as long as you don’t keep making them.)

But stupidity? Or laziness No, there is no excuse for that.  I wonder quite frequently how people manage to get through life if they typically handle things with such (non) care and (non) attention to detail. I would assume your job is a place you DID pay attention and want to do well. But I know that assumption is making an ass out of u and me.

And rudeness? Well, you sure as hell better be right if you are going to play that card with me. And that doesn’t excuse it – just makes you appear not necessarily stupid and instead simply like the ass you are.

Just ranting examples of why I want my own island. And why I prefer dogs. And now I think I should have a glass of wine…

I just made a year-end donation to The California Wolf Center. I make monthly donations to Defenders of Wildlife but I think the smaller places need a lot of help since they don’t typically get big, corporate sponsorship money like Defenders, World Wildlife Fund, etc do. Plus after visiting the Wolf Center this past summer for the first time, I LOVE it. And what to do more to help them whenever I can. Plus, they are the feral cousins to the huskies :)

I only donate to animal charities. At Thanksgiving and Christmas I will donate food to the food banks, etc (I’m not entirely heartless) but I’ve always felt human charities get a LOT of corporate dough and general donations versus animal charities. And frankly, I just prefer animals.  I know…sounds mean. Meh. My general opinion is that people (other than kids) are generally responsible for their own conditions. Animals have been put in bad conditions BECAUSE of humans. Plus, they are fluffy (well, most of them anyway.)

I was just reading articles yesterday about the first wolf who has crossed into California last week since like 1934. You know…when humans wiped them out. #wonderful And reading the “plight of the rancher” makes me want to beat their heads in with sticks. It’s not like California is being taken over by a rabid wolf packs roaming the countryside.  Reading the comments from ranchers make me SO angry. There ARE ways to protect your livestock. And 1 or 2 wolves DO not hunt down cattle. And guess what? They do NOT attack humans. That is a vicious lie aka fairy tale created by stupid humans. Gah! It’s a PROVEN fact that when the top level predators (not humans who destroy everything in their path, but nature’s predators), the eco-system is balanced and is healthy. I kinda wish they wouldn’t have even put that story out there because I can totally see some assclown wanting to hunt the wolf as “sport”. A better sport would be hunting hunters. I’m all for that. They need to make THAT video game and sell it at Cabela’s. And then stuff THAT and put it on display.

I was going to use that money to buy a new Jimmy Choo purse. It’s a great purse! But really…I don’t need it. And if I do well in the market this quarter, maybe I’ll take some cash out and buy it anyway. But I think the wolfies need it more.They need all the help they can get….

http://www.californiawolfcenter.org/  (if you can spare a few bucks!)

I got a good workout this afternoon/evening. Around 4pm, I was on my way downstairs to grab something off the printer. I stop at the entry way because both huskies are standing there staring out at something. I look and see a big German Shepherd (not really any other kind is there?) following around this little teeny chihuahua. I look around and see no people with them. Great.

So I throw on my UGGs and grab the buddy leashes and collars in case I need them. With both huskies watching me saying with their eyes “wait?? you aren’t taking us??”  As I was walking up to them, the German would paw the chihuahua, and push him around with his nose. It was clear they were friends. I was able to get the German very easily and quickly. He had a collar but no tags. Sigh. I see the chihuahua does have tags. But he has NO intention of letting me catch him. And the German has no intention of letting his little buddy out of his sight.

So, German Shepherds are strong. Let’s be clear. And he was on a mission to not lose sight of his friend. We were basically jogging trying to keep with the little Chihuahua who would stop if he ever got too far ahead and wait for us. I finally figured out if I just stop and stand there, he would come closer but never close enough. And if I moved at all towards him, he would take off. Great.

He almost got down to Highway 1 and I was getting stressed because too many cars was not going to end well. I just stood in the middle of the street so any cars coming would have to slow down. The little bastard…I mean chihuahua…was zig-zagging across every street, up and down streets, stopping and sniffing. The poor german (and me) were getting hot from all the running.  And he was dragging me along. It’s funny that the huskies pull way less and they were bred for pulling. Then again, if they were on a mission like this, they probably would pull more.

After going up and down every. single. street in my general neighborhood, without any exaggeration, we started north.  I asked two kids, a boy and a girl, if they had ever seen these dogs before. The little girl said she saw them running up and down the streets about 2 hours ago but never before that. Wonderful.  The boy asked if I needed help and he grabbed his bike and we were off trying to keep track of the chihuahua.

Finally, after about 4 more blocks, the chihuahua darts into a yard and disappears. We were all looking all around the yard and no sight of him. We knock on the door. No one home. Of course.  By now, it’s getting dark, and the mom of the kids drove by and took them home.  I go in the the driveway of this same house with the yard and the cat in the driveway comes right up to the german. OK, unless it’s a **really** trusting cat, they have to know each other, right? But no one was home. And neither of the next door neighbors were home either.

I see that the side gate is swinging open. It’s been fairly windy today. I push it open and see the chihuahua. At least, I think it’s him. All look same. But he comes over barking and the German is trying to nose his way in. OK, it’s starting to look like a good bet. But I can’t just leave the German in the yard if it’s not theirs. Can you imagine coming home to that? You have 2 small dogs (there was another little dog back there barking too) and a cat and now a HUGE dog just appears!? I try latching the gate and it’s clear it’s about as gerry-rigged as it can be. By now it’s dark so I am thinking I just take the german home with me and drive back later and hopefully someone will be home?

I see a lady come home across the street, so I go and ask the lady if she has seen the dog or knows what kind of dogs her neighbors have. She said she has never seen the big dog. But she knows several of the people on the street have little dogs. She remembers that a house down the street has a small and big dog. She doesn’t know what kind as they are always inside barking. So she points out the house and I go and knock. The lady there says her dogs are home and she has never seen the German Shepherd.  Sorry. Sigh.

I walk back to the corner house where the chihuahua went. The across the street lady is talking to a woman at the “target” house. Yay! Please be the mom. As I walk up she comes out to the sidewalk and says “Oh, was he being mean to you?” Umm…hardly.  He was a sweetheart who didn’t want to leave his little buddy to the streets and cars I tell her. She thanks me and unhooks my leash and takes him by the collar. I tell her that her little dog is in the backyard. As she is walking away she says she will go look. Ok…she was definitely hiding her worry and concern very well….. I say, oh I looked and it seemed that the latch probably wasn’t working so she should look at that. Ok she says. *Shake my head*

The neighbor lady says how sweet it was of me to take so much time and effort to help the dogs.  I said “Well, I would just want someone to take care of my dogs if they needed it.” She said she was so glad to know someone like me was in the neighborhood and that people like me existed. Well…I’d like to think there are more of us.

The sad thing was that out of all the neighbors I spoke with, none of them had ever seen that German Shepherd before. So he must not get out much. That makes me very sad. I can tell you, every person within a few block area knows where the huskies live. They may not know my name, but they know me as the husky lady and always see them on their walks and in our yard. And I recognize that not everyone gets as much time to spend with their dogs as I do but I think it’s weird that your neighbors have never even seen him?? But I guess not for me to judge. The dog seemed happy and he was very sweet.

The funny thing about it all was that about 5-6 years ago I was walking the huskies down in that neighborhood and a little chihuahua was running all around. Now, trying to corral a little dog with 2 huskies – not going to happen. But I was able to chase him into THE SAME YARD. And no one was home then either. But a neighbor was outside and I asked him and he said yes, that was their dog and that he got out a lot. He said he would go and look at the gate. Clearly, these people have learned no lessons.

I walked home and the huskies were in the yard both looking out and waiting for me.  And then gave me kisses when I came in. Awww… Who am I kidding – it was dark, that meant dinnertime and I was late! :) I was gone about 1.5 hours!

I think I can skip my stepper tonight. That was a lot of jogging. I think a glass of wine after I make the buds dinner (cooking right now!) and take a shower (got so sweaty!) and hope that the lady fixes her gate.

I love that :)

This year I am in 2 fantasy leagues – my standard work one ($25 buy-in) and then a free one with some fellow FF lovers on twitter. I am the only girl in that league so I need to do well! I also think I am the only person a) on the West Coast and b) not working in finance (and probably running spreadsheets and charts on player stats!) I do however bring awesome huskies and Star Wars to the league – “Never Tell Me Odds! :)

I am the Commish of my work league even though I said I would not do it again. My excitement for football overtook the frustration of being the Commish. I banned Michael Vick from our league so no one was allowed to draft him unless they wanted to give me $100 per week to donate to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Last year I made the mistake of only charging $5 per week thinking people would GET THE POINT and be smart enough to not use him. Wrong. Well, most people figured it out. Just not 1. That person was not invited back to the league this year. Extreme dog lover is the Commish. Michael Vick she hates and said not to use. Michael Vick you pick-up off the bench. Simple that math is.

My work team draft went OK. I really didn’t do enough football research this year. I think I say that every year though. But I basically went after people I already knew. I didn’t look for the “hot new rookie”. My team is the “Running Huskies”:)

QB: Tom Brady (Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees were already taken…I don’t think I can buy his jersey tho…cannot root for the PATS! ARGH! But maybe if he cuts his hair…)
WRs: DeSean Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, Stevie Johnson, Malcolm Floyd and Plaxico Burress. Yes, I can totally give Plax another chance since he only shot himself and hasn’t yet displayed sociopathic tendencies.
RBs: Arian Foster, Matt Forte, Pierre Thomas and Jonathan Stewart. Arian Foster was my 1st round draft pick. And he’s injured. Awesome. GAH!
TE: Dallas Clark (this is the jersey I should buy since I try and get him every year!)
K: Adam Vinatieri
DEF: Baltimore

My twitter team was an auction-style draft which I had never done before. That was a bit crazy and I am definitely not so sure about my team – yikes. Team name “Let the Wookiee Win”:

QBs (you use 2 each game! Wha??): Matt Schaub and Alex Smith (yeah…that’s what was left in my budget)
WRs: Larry Fitzgerald, Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, Johnny Knox and Robert Meachem. So 1 super star anyway.
RBs: Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore, Beanie Wells and Pierre Thomas
TE: Dallas Clark (yes again!) and Brandon Pettigrew
K: David Akers
DEF: PIT and STL.

I need a back-up QB to play during the BYE weeks but I have a few weeks. I need to monitor the BYE weeks on that league for sure. Plus the scoring on that team is totally different than my league that I am used to so I hope I do OK there!!

Stressed about Arian Foster being injured, Matt Forte is grumpy about his contract and Dallas Clark will not have Peyton Manning throwing to him. Great. Sonof^%$&@^%#$@#$

I also have a 3rd team to manage. We needed a 10th in our work league and I had to fill the spot. So I am in for double I guess. I seriously need more football lovin’ friends. Maybe I’ll play that team like a “take lots of crazy chances” team. I named it Shadowtrooper. I had to create another email address and login for yahoo which is a PITA since I will now have to log out of Yahoo with my normal login to check and change that team.

PLUS, I took over the Survivor commish job since last year’s commish apparently forgot? But we have 6 people in that – winner take all. I took CLE for the 1st week. I hope that wasn’t stupid. First week is always supposed to be the safe “sure thing” pick which would have probably been NE (2 people took them) although I think SD had the biggest point spread. But SD never seems to be a sure thing. And NE playing MIA is a big rivalry so got crazy and picked CLE (playing CIN so…)

And this year I did not create a weekly picks pool. Being the commish of that sucks frankly. Too much work collecting and paying out and reminding people. A friend of mine in Florida invited me to join his and you pay the full amount for the year up front and then each week there is a pay out along with a final payout at the end of the year. So all I have to do is pay once and make my picks weekly. Done! Yay! Although this pool is a spread pool which I have never done so that is way, way harder!

So yay!! Football season is now here and I have a lot of games to play! I would really love having enough football friends where we do the draft together, order pizza, yell at our picks getting taken by each other – like they show on the ESPN commercials! I think that would be way more fun. But oh well.

My Sundays are officially booked! And no, I do not have a gambling problem… ;)