T.I. hasn't hired me yet, but I got my dog back!

several weeks ago i had to surrender my sweet pup Olive to a rescue center because she got a freak case of parvo (which simply doesn't happen to dogs her age). i had surrendered more than Olive at 3AM that horrible morning -- i had finished up with a seasonal client, had wrapped with another client who consolidated their entire marketing effort into a career opportunity for one person to work full time, and my last standing client fired me within 48 hours after letting Olive go... i had lost my dog, my income, and my mind was close behind. i had been told my other dog may not live due to some random lumps that has appeared on his ear, i had been an uber-stress case over both my parents going through surgery only weeks apart from one another, and on it went.

anyone who knows me can tell you the past several weeks have been a wretched rollercoaster. like, no amount of yoga and smoothies in the world would help. besides, i was on the verge of losing my yoga membership because that shit's expensive and i was about to shut it down!

so last night i got a call from a shelter that shall remain nameless... the person on the other end of the phone sounded like she was calling me from a broom closet... [whisper] "hi... is this Olive's parents?" ... "yes, is she okay?" ... "she's great... but we had to amputate her tail because it wags so much in her cage she broke it in three places." [OK, now i'm sadder!!!] and then, [again whisper] "listen, i am breaking all the rules here, but this dog will never get adopted and she's just not doing well in a crated situation... so if you come now you can have her back... i'm quitting anyway and leaving the country."

strangers leaving the country! getting my dog back! underhanded madness that sticks it to the man! count me in! within 45 minutes of this absurd convo, i had Olive in the car and we were heading home. i now know she's my good luck charm -- god bless Rigo -- he's the best dog ever (and thank you Rigo for not dying of leprosy) but he is NOT a good luck charm.

in other news, T.I. hasn't hired me yet, but i'm keeping my fingers crossed. he should at least have coffee with me before making any final decisions.

p.s. Olive isn't the only one who doesn't do well in crated situations.

first post on the new bliznog and the cubbies at yoga studios

first, let me welcome you all to the new blog. this will be my outlet for all things janie, janeway, reinless... me as a creative force rather than a professional writer. there will be no rules of grammar observed here except for what i feel like implementing on a case-by-case basis, essentially whenever the hell i feel like it.

now that we've covered that, i have something to say about yoga. there are cubby-holes in two places at my ashram (yes i used that word.) one cubby section is outside of the studios, and then each studio also has its own smaller set up cubbies. most people use the cubbies outside but some do not, bringing their "valuables" into the inner-sanctum of the studio where they will be practicing. this is sad to me, and also to my sister-best-friend-in-law. if you can't set your stuff down in a fucking ashram and feel safe about it, where the hell can you trust anything? yet from time to time, i see middle-aged women lurking, looking, grabbing their bag and their keys and their Guccis and with heads bowed to the floor, carrying their cargo to the "inside" cubbies.

here's my thinking. i always leave my stuff in the outside cubbies. i have to because if i don't i feel i will have lost all faith in humanity. of course, if one day MY Guccis are stolen from the outside cubby area, i WILL lose all faith in humanity and be forced to stop doing yoga, which will lead to something similar to Natural Born Killers, minus Mickey.

i can't bring my stuff into the studio -- if i have to do that, i won't have a reason to take MYSELF into the studio. dig?