For Genna

She had a cute little under bite, and sometimes I swear she'd smile, when given a dog treat. And I found it endearing when she acted shy--placing her paws on top of her head--as if to say, I'm so ashamed. She could be stubborn though-- for a little terrier-- and it was easy to envision the indifferent flick of a cat's tail, when she ignored a whistle and simply walked away. Yet, she was a constant companion, who followed us around the yard, chasing my daughter on whatever adventure she was on. So, it was with great sorrow, that I learned my dog, Genna, passed on today.

So today's blog is dedicated to my pet Genna, and a big thank you, to her. This is also an acknowledgement to other great dogs out there, for each dog, in whatever way they're there for us, show: unconditional love, loyalty, and an eager need to please, and give companionship that lasts until their dying breath.

I tried to decide what other kind of dogs to talk about, but I had such a hard time deciding, as there are so many great dogs out there. So I narrowed it down to just four types of dogs, that have helped us, in some way, throughout history. First, I think I'll mention the dog that would have helped my mom so much--if we could have afforded it-- as she lost her independence, two years before her death, due to blindness.

This, first dog--so helpful to man-- is a Seeing Eye, or Guide Dog. http://www.seeingeye.org/ .  So often, since moms death, I've observed the guide dogs and have seen their kindness, calmness, and have been comforted by their unending concern for the visually impaired person they're helping. And I know, such a gentle dog would have been so much comfort to my mom.

Second, I want to mention some dogs I saw on  a TV, awhile back. The dogs really touched my heart. They were, Australian Shepherds--or working dogs--who demonstrated great loyalty, patience, and persistence.  www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_dog . I've rarely seen dogs as loyal as these dogs can be. They risk their own lives, to guard and protect the livestock, of their owners.

Next, these wonderful dogs helped during the war: History: The Dogs Of War. www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ccab/war.html . These brave dogs--like the K-9 units of the police--work alongside man, putting their lives on the line, in the call of duty,and as such should be celebrated, and honored for the dedication they give to their jobs.

And this last site-- from it's first paragraph-- showed what was most important about our dogs--before anything else, they are first, and foremost, our friends. In this way, my friend Genna, through her love, showed me how to give unconditional love. This site: What our pets teach us--click link to dogs on left side-- is: www.thepetwiki.com/wiki/What_Pets_Can  shows a history of what dogs have meant to us, and how they've always been by our side, in some way.

But now, it's time to say my final goodbye to Genna. I acknowledge that my life will never be the same. For the loss of Genna, as with my other pets, over the years, is a pain, that's never forgotten. A tiny missing limb, that will never grow back. May Genna know, in some way, how much I loved her. For a little piece of my heart is gone, and will never be replaced.

John Carter--Of Mars

I've been a huge fan of movies since I was a teen--so I guess you could say I'm a connoisseur of movies. I’ve seen all genres of movies, watching even the worst one’s to their tortuous end. And I think, of all the movies I've seen, John Carter Of Mars http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401729/  is one of my all time favorite movies.

John Carter--Of Mars-- played by actor Taylor Kitsch was a fast paced movie with inner conflict for several of the characters. You had John Carter--whose past was shown in flashback-- showing bits of sorrow that left him unwilling to help others. You also had actress Lynn Collins--playing Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium and her need to save her people. And we had the struggle of actor Willem Dafoe's character--Tars Tarkas, and his fight to remain leader of his green, four armed humanoid race, as well as keeping his headstrong daughter, played by Samantha Morton--as Sola, safe.

I had planned on writing more about this, but I decided to tell the reasons I loved the movie, and let the movie trailer speak of it's merits too, after seeing the movie shredded by movie critics. They found problems with everything from: the characters' wardrobe, to Edward Rice Burroughs' dialogue being all over the place, to them--actors/actresses, etc.-- wanting us to believe that the things in the movie could really happen, as something to find fault with.

This I had a hard time understanding. First off, fiction is after all fiction. Why could this movie, like any other fictional movie, not be seen for it's entertainment value? And why was the fact--their opinions-- that it was not believable, important?  Are not all movies far-fetched? Or TV? The point is, we watch them for their pure entertainment, first and foremost.  And as such, it delivered. It entertained, it took away from our problems and gave us an enjoyable escape, as it were, for awhile. And it had all the important ingredients a movie needs: action, a hero, a love story, and an ending with a twist, giving us all the qualities of good fictional entertainment.

I think any movie, should be seen for the value that it has. That value, is that, for a moment, we live in another world besides our own. Where we can leave our problems behind; be rich, be a spy, or ride horses along the beach with our true love beside us. So not only was this a great movie with awesome 3D effects and action, it also took us to a wonderful world, where we dreamed, left our worldly problems behind, and entered the land of entertainment.

"FREE", A Must Have

I think the greatest thing about the Internet is that it offers endless possibilities and a lot of those things--can oftentimes, be found for free. So today I'm going to put three links to some sites that offered free services--which caught my eye. Because, if your anything like me, the word "FREE", especially in today's economy, is a definite eye-catcher.

As I'm such a fan of movies I'll start with a cool site I found last night. This site, which shows free movies is: http://www.crackle.com/ . I was pleased with the great color, and the nice sized window you could watch the movie in. And the fact that the commercials--by the paid advertisers--were only a few seconds each. And I really liked the fact that you didn't have to sign up for anything, if you didn't want to. I only had to put my birth date, to confirm I was an adult, before watching an R rated movie. Which was cool as Hollow Man was a little intense and I can understand their concern and not wanting minors to see that.

Secondly, I thought I'd add a link on here to something else close to my heart, which is music. I can't think of anything that's lifted me up when I'm blue, gave me energy when I was tired, or just brought back memories faster than music. Fun, engaging, and free music, which is of course the best kind. That free music link is: www.music.aol.com/radioguide/bb .

And lastly, especially with the way the economy is going and people being out of work, I thought I'd add a couple of links to sites that offered free, online printable coupons. Those sites were: www.printable-coupons.blogspot.com/ and www.mysavings.com/ .

I've always appreciated those that have given me advice or shared sites on the Internet. So, I plan to occasionally put free or cool sites on here that I find. Come check back often, as I hope to come across many free goodies. Because I really believe that, "FREE" is a must have, for anyone.

When My Time Comes

Sometimes, I catch Hoarders www.aetv.com/hoarders/ and Hoarders, Buried Alive, www.tlc.discovery.com/videos/hoarding-buried-alive-tv/  on TV and I think how can it be possible to not notice how bad things are and that stuff is piling up? And what could make a person a hoarder--in some way-- to begin with? But then I realized, I do understand, in a way.

Because it was sometime after I watched the show that I realized I was having trouble letting go of my moms "stuff", as well. And I now understood how a hoarder could start hoarding after a death, or divorce as I could not give up a couple of boxes-- of things-- after my moms death in 2010. And I realized I'd been keeping her "stuff", as a way to hold on to things she'd cherished, to in some way keep her memory alive.

But at some point, I had to acknowledge she would never be before me again--in this lifetime--, therefore this "stuff" was just "stuff, excluding, of course, pictures, or family jewlery. And I don't want my daughter to have to make the painful decisions of what to do with all my things. So I've slowly begun to get rid of things that just sit around. Moms "stuff" as well as my graphic design, writing, and art books, and things that haven't been used in awhile. 

I really think that being honest about each thing, and whether I will use it or not, makes each decision easier, when deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. It's then I'm able to get rid of clothes just sitting on the hanger or shoes that haven't been worn in a bit. It actually makes me happy because these things are finding a new home and I know my own daughter won't have to face so many painful decisions of what to do with my "stuff", like I had to do with my own mom, when my time comes. So that makes it all worthwhile in the end.