four legged best friend.

it began as a night not unlike every other for georgie and i- i read a book while he snored from beneath a body pillow before he decided to stake out new real estate at the end of the bed. when i got tired of reading, i put my book aside and i coaxed him to take his spot under the blanket beside me. while looking at his weird little mug looking at me looking at him, i was struck with a thought- this little creature i have become so used to having around all the time has an expiry date just like milk or pills or those condoms from sex ed in highschool. this thought could have been planted by a woman who decided she wanted to spend the entire street car ride (and i don’t say this in an exaggerated manner, either. she started jabbering on from the time i got on until i got off, which is PRECISELY how i want to spend my first time alone in 6 hours) talking about dogs- her dogs, my dog, my dogs hair, her dogs boots, pitbulls and lockjaw, rottweilers ripping off her exes calf… you know, usual dog related conversation. at one point she asked how old he was and i replied by saying ‘5 or 6’ and she quickly replied with ‘oh yeah, interbred dogs don’t tend to live very long. it’s a shame.’

what is a shame is the fact that looking at my dog right before turning out the lights resulted in me petting him while crying like a recently divorced man in a seedy bar after last call.

i love george like other people might love their children or their significant others- two things i lack. don’t misinterpret what i just said there, though- our love is completely platonic- i assure you. george spends literally every waking hour with me- he gets out of bed when i get out of bed (though he’s notoriously less of a morning ‘person’ than i am and he usually saunters into the livingroom about 15 minutes after i do), he eats when and what i eat, he comes to work with me and he goes to bed whenever i do. hell, he even hangs out with my friends as much as i do and shares a bed with whoever i happen to have over. we’re pretty much inseperable- if you’re not down with george, you’re not down with me.

there have been very few days since may that george hasn’t spent my shifts in his bed behind the cash, and on those few occassions, i’d look over expecting to see him but get an eyeful of garbage bags and a blanket covered in as much hair as george has on his body, instead. (his bed is a box of garbage bags). and as lame as this is going to sound, i get pretty stricken for a moment before i become overwhelmed by how much i miss him.

we’ve learned to read each other by this point, as well. i now know the difference between his ‘i have to pee’ and his ‘i’ve got to number two and i’m giving you the chance to take me out before i do it right here on the floor in front of you’ dances. and he’s learned to walk pretty well sans leash, go to his bed, take food nicely and to get into bed for the night. sure, he can’t shake paw, lay down or sit, but he can sing songs with you and play fetch like it’s his job.

on the occassions that i do have to go somewhere that doesn’t offer kibbles and bits on the menu and i leave george at home, i come home to a dog that is SO happy to see me i expect him to do a back flip or something. i honestly think that every time i walk out the door without him, he thinks i am never coming back. having another living creature that is SO excited just to have you around is a really awesome feeling.

so now i am going to attempt to get back into bed without the dramatics this time. george doesn’t seem to be too concerned with how much time we’ve got together, just as long as i share my cheeseburgers and let him sleep on my stuff.

greedy guts.

i have always been what you might call territorial. you might also call it jealous or possessive, however, i feel those terms are a bit harsh. when it comes to the people that i hold closest to my most vital organ, i’d crack skulls in a heartbeat.

it began when i was a very young baby-  it was the mid 80s  and my mother was pregnant again within 2 months of squeezing me out. when she had to stay in the hospital for longer than anticipated because timmy was born with a cleft lip and palate, i was as pissed off as any 11 month old could possibly be. she left me! how COULD she?! instead of greeting her with obligatory kisses, she received the full extent of my cold baby shoulder, something i’d perfect in the years to come. but as much as i hated my mother for abandoning me, i hated my new brother even more. the first few months of his helpless little life saw many bite marks and bruises revealed only after he’d be undressed. i hated him with every fiber of my 11 month old body… i might have even used what few teeth i had to bite the words ‘I HATE YOU, VARMINT’ into his doughy little arm.

years passed, bruises faded and by and large, i grew to love my little brother with the same ferocity that i felt for my mother. but you get the point- whats yours is mine, and whats mine is mine and you better stay the hell away from it or i’ll rip your arms off.

i feel the same way with my close friends- i’m terrified to lose anybody that i really, truly love. i tend to have friends drift in and out of my life with varying degrees of intensity,  i think it’s mainly because i can’t be bothered to put out too much effort most of the time. i am the type of person who prefers a few very close friends who i can tell my deepest, darkest secrets to without fear of them calling the police on me.  i mean, i have 2 friends i know i could rely on to help me dispose of a body if need be, and i figure that is just enough to help carry the dead weight. (har har har) but for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, we’re going to remain friends the same way people remain married while living with new lovers in opposite towns because they can’t afford a divorce- we’re stuck with each other for LIFE.

maybe it’s the weather, maybe i’m just high on life- but lately i have been feeling incredibly lucky for the best folks i have in my life right now. having really solid friends makes you feel like you’ve got all the companionship you could possibly need..  now if only they put out… 😉

 

here is a very tacky picture to commemorate the mad love i have for my friends.