Little Dogs vs. Big Dogs

I have always been a fan of big dogs, never liking little dogs at all, until recently. I always considered little dogs to be nothing more than cats in disguise. In fact, it wouldn't have surprised me if a scientist somewhere had discovered that little dogs were not even part of the canine family, but were actually their own species, or maybe even closer related to felines.

When I first got my dog, Washington, 11 years ago, I wanted a bog dog. A friend told me his dog, a German Shepard-Wolf hybrid, had just had puppies. He said he thought the father of the pups was a Saint Bernard. I thought wonderful, you can't get much bigger than a St. Bernard-German Shepard-Wolf mix. So I told him I'd gladly take one of the puppies. Later he told me he was wrong about the father, that it was a Golden Retriever. By this time I had already had my heart set on the puppy, so it did not disuade me.

Washington, as I found out on the day I moved into my first house, ended up being the largest of the litter, and also the gentlest. She was the only pup that crawled up into my lap when I went to pick her up. She has been a true blessing to me, a companion and friend, ever since. I was married 4 years ago and my wife and stepson joined my family, meaning myself and Washy. Washington is a 95-pound bear of a creature, who has never growled at a single person, and only barks when extremely excited.

This past June, we added another dog to the family. My wife wanted a lap-dog. Now this took some convincing in arder for me to accept a little dog into the family. But finally, I agreed. Washington was nearly 11 at that time, and had long wanted another dog for companionship, plus I knew she would not be around for too many more years.

After considering pugs and Jack Russells and cairn terriors and several other breeds, we settled on a miniature pincher. After answering an ad in Uncle Henry's magazine, we purchased Harrison. Harry, as he quickly became know, was 2.9 pounds when we picked him up. And he quickly became a joy to us, and by us I mean my wife, myself, and Washington.

Harry is both the lap-dog my wife wanted and the companion Washy has wanted. He is now six months old, closer to 10 pounds, and he rules the house. He'll go from chasing Washington (and vice-versa) around the house to sleeping in your lap, from barking at the slightest sound to crawling on top of you while you are laying on the bed or couch and licking your face. He is a joy and has quickly become a valuable member of the family. Washington loves him and he has helped Washington find the puppy inside herself once again.

I know I never thought I would like a little dog, but I was wrong. They can definitely be as loving and fun, and as much work, as a bog dog. I'm not sure which type I prefer. It is really a toss-up. Dogs are dogs, whether they weight 95 pounds or 10 pounds. They are truely man's best friend and I am truely glad to have both Washington and Harry.

Stunned by Theo Epstein's Decision with Red Sox

I was absolutely stunned by Theo Epstein's decision not to accept the Red Sox's offer of $4.5 million over 3 years to continue as their general manager. He did an absolutely incredible job in his previous 3 years, and I have heard it said several times that this was considered his dream job. Why would he walk away? He has denied it had anything to do with a conflict with Larry Luchino, as was rumored. He said he just could no longer put his heart and soul into the job. I just can't imagine that could be all there is to the story.

I'm sure the hours are horrible, it is probably a 24-7 job. But come on. It's the Boston Red Sox. And he was in charge. He made all the decisions. It's every true diehard Red Sox fan's dream job. All of us who play fantasy baseball, or online or computer baseball games, its what we dream of doing. How could anyone who is that much a fan of the game of baseball, in particular the Boston Red Sox, walk away from their dream?

I'm also worried that the timing on this is horrible. The Sox have free agents to try to re-sign. Spots to fill, both on tthe field and in the coaching ranks. The timing could not be worse. And the Sox's assistant GM was just signed by another team. This has me worried. They need to find someone fast, for a position that they should not rush trying to fill. With this dilemna, I'd say the only choice is to get an experienced interim general manager. One with experience, but who might or might not be interested in the position beyond temporary. They need someone with a lot of experience to come on board fast, knowing it might be temporary, but knowing there is a lot of work to do in the weeks ahead.

Maybe Theo would available?

Going to Conferences

As a teacher, one of the things I hate the most is going to a conference. For one thing, I hate being away from my kids. (This is how I refer to my students.) All I do all day long is think of all the things I could be accomplishing if I was back at school teaching my kids. I watch the clock and think, "Oh, right now I'd be in the middle of first block math," or "Now I'd be walking the kids to exploratries."

Besides that, there is the hassle of making sub plans. This takes a long time to put together, first of all. Second, it's always busy work, because you can't expect even the best subs to teach a lesson and not end up doing it over again after you get back. So instead you give them something to keep them busy, so they won't give the substitute a hard time. Then, after you get back, you have all the correcting to do, the follow up on misbehaving kids, the room to clean up, etc.

All in all, I would much rather be at school. It makes my life easier and, besides, I rarely get much out of the conferences, anyway.