Especially since the last several days have been filled with quite a lot of pain in that specific area. I have utterly no idea what happened; I woke up Monday morning and felt a twinge of pain when I turned my head just so. By the end of the day I couldn’t move my left arm without excruciating pain radiating the length of it and through portions of my neck, shoulder and back. Thankfully, the issue has lessened over the last two days, but I’m still in a great deal of pain and have only limited mobility in my left arm. It’s made for a bit of a trial in getting much of anything done the last few days, most notably schoolwork and my intended post for this edition’s Assistance Dog Blog Carnival. Through sheer force of will I managed to accomplish the former, and only the barest minimum at that.

Anyway, best end this before I exert the meager amount of ability I have to type. With luck I’ll be back to a more normal blogging routine relatively soon. Or at the very least, I’ll be avoiding the activity through more pleasant means of procrastination.

While I’ve been a busy me, I can list an almost equal number of things that have been neglected from my normal routine. I haven’t been keeping up with the usual blogs and in fact a look at my Google Reader nearly caused my heart to stop as the number of unread items was staggering. I have hardly updated any of my usual haunts, including and certainly not limited to my own website. Social networks have been likewise ignored for the most part with the minor exception of noting the books I’ve read so far this year on Goodreads. Suffice it to say if you’ve had incredible news you’ve posted about, I’m most likely completely ignorant of it.

I’m still playing a bit of catchup with the holidays, too. I did take down all the decorations and everything is neatly packed up and stowed away. But I still have rather a lot of gifts that haven’t made it into the hands of their intended recipients. Frankly, I ran out of time and coupled with a few surprises that required money I didn’t intended to spend I just didn’t have the ability to get everything down. At this point I figure that late is late so I’m beyond feeling pressured about the whole thing, though I would like to reclaim the coffee table as it is currently groaning under the weight of many boxes and packing supplies.

So, what have I been doing?

Well for one, Uschi and I have been taking turns being sick. Me from what started as a head cold and morphed into a stomach flu type thing and for a bit there I thought I had the actual flu and Uschi has twice now gotten into something she shouldn’t have and the end result has made my house smell rather offensively.

I’ve also, as I alluded to above, been reading. Quite a lot. Of note, I’m nearly finished rereading the Harry Potter books, which I attempted last summer and ended up starting over when coursework did that thing where it saps all my free time from me. I think the next reread will be The Hunger Games.

Unfortunately, most of my time has been taken up by the usual pre-semester school issues. Seems fruitless to even entertain the fleeting thought that I’ll finally be done with such aggravation, but without fail I am greeted with a new issue each semester. I’m rather numb to the concept as it is hardly a new dilemma and has been a constant since my undergraduate studies. Anyway, I believe things are finally resolved and thankfully there’s still about two weeks before the semester officially starts. I won’t bore you with the details because it just exhausts me thinking about it all. The short of it is that most of my time these last two weeks has been spent with my cell phone glued to my ear trying to wend my way through academic obstacles that have quite literally nothing to do with my actual classwork or my performance as a student.

Not exactly how I wanted to ring in the new year and truly it’s all far less exciting than it appears, but it’s been a very full, busy and fast few weeks.

In thinking over our time together I find myself at somewhat of a loss; the events that truly stand out seem so far removed from the present. Perhaps that’s a blessing because it seems to have eased some of the less pleasant recollections I have of our past events, such as training during the most horrendous weather while I was incredibly sick and the fiasco at a local bookstore. Though, I don’t I find there’s any less distance between other memories and can hardly fathom that it was so recently we went to the Tulip Festival and the Great Escape!

Standing in sharp relief within my memory is a resounding feeling of trepidation. I didn’t know what to expect of this partnership. I was optimistic that it would prove equal to my previous experiences, but realistically knowing it could be a failure. And while I was quickly smitten with this adorable shepherd and her childlike personality, I found that truly bonding as a team did not come as easily or quickly as with the dogs before her. I’m not positive of exactly when I felt us gel into a team, but I do remember that I had a bit of an epiphany around Easter and realized I had been distancing myself. Maybe I was subconsciously trying to protect myself from the possibility of the partnership failing, however remote. But I think mostly I was preoccupied with concerns over Yara’s well being and it was seeing in person that she was thriving and that both dogs got along so well that seemed to clear out the emotional clutter I wasn’t even aware of.

Reflecting on this last year the most intriguing thing to me is that in many ways Uschi and I have surpassed my previous guide dog teams. Whereas I would generally build up to certain experiences and expectations, I never had much of a need — and more often no opportunity — to ease Uschi into certain tasks. Honestly, upon realizing this I was mildly horrified that I had been so lax about this, but Uschi’s risen to every challenge without fail, including several instances I would consider far more stressful than necessary and would have liked to avoid completely. Much like Yara, she’s had no need for settling into her role as my guide dog. A fact I still find astonishing given her antics when out of harness!

If anything, she certainly keeps me young with her limitless energy and exuberant personality! Every morning she practically throws herself at me for a bit of cuddling and then speeds around the house, bounding over large stretches of floor and flinging herself onto a piece of furniture or one of her numerous beds. Sometimes she will loudly toss her toys about or prance through the house proudly showcasing her dressage mimicry and it’s all I can do to keep from rolling with laughter. She’s nothing if not unique.

Truly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I don’t normally do posts recapping the year because (a.) it’s tedious and boring for me and (b.) I usually note the yearly partnership anniversary of me and my current guide dog so it seems redundant at best. But after digging through the 750+ photos from last year I thought I’d share some of my favorites. These aren’t all photos I took personally, though the majority are, just a smattering of the ones I’m particularly fond of.

January
Even though the back row suffered a bit due to my own clumsiness, I’m incredibly pleased with these cupcakes. In fact, the post detailing how to make them is one of the most frequent landing places for search terms that bring new visitors here.

February
I actually posted my very favorite the other day, but the fact that I had this one on my about page for most of the year certainly speaks to how fond I am of it. Uschi’s much more relaxed with having photos taken of her than she was during this shoot with Jean — at least when it’s not me trying to take the picture — but she’s absolutely no less silly. Really, I wouldn’t expect anything less of her.

March
This was a pretty dry month photography-wise, but even if I took over 100 I would probably still find this video tops all of them. It’s dark and grainy, but nevertheless it’s hysterical. Yet for as crazy as these to get, it’s nothing compared to the duo that is Yara and Uschi.

April
Uschi’s managing to encompass two defining traits of both her predecessors in this photo: she’s using my leg as an armrest (a la Dolly) and letting others (in this case Josh who took the photo) know that she’s claimed me (like Yara). Also, we just look damn cute.

May
There are so many great photos from the Tulip Festival and around Albany that this was a hard one to choose, but the company in this photo just can’t be beat.

June
My camera’s untimely death made this a pretty lacking month for photos, but that didn’t mean I missed capturing all of Uschi’s adorable antics.

July
When it comes to getting photos of her, Uschi is unpredictable at best. But this reaction to my new camera remains one of the more humorous things I’ve managed to capture. Incidentally, this was literally the very first photo I took with the Nikon.

August
When I was a kid the slogan was that M&M’s melted in your mouth and not in your hand. I thought about that a lot while trying to make ladybugs, which was possible the most difficult piping I’ve ever done. But they are cute.

September
If there’s one thing I love, it’s a dog with personality. Quirkiness is a bonus and Uschi has some of the funniest, like licking the air when she’s getting a good scratch. But the bizarre positions I find her when she’s asleep really amuse me.

October
This photo was actually what sparked this entire post. There’s just no better showcase of what a goofball Uschi is. Honestly, it’s sometimes hard to believe this is the same dog that guides me. . . .

November
A motion blur would be a more accurate photograph of 99% of the time Uschi spends with Yara. But I’m rather tickled that she actually tries to emulate her “big sister.” Usually it’s a vain attempt because Uschi has serious ADHD, especially when there are other people around. But in quiet moments, like this where I was packing to go home, she manages Yara’s trademark supervisory role quite adeptly. It was short lived, though.

December
Admittedly, there’s a more recent photo that I’m particularly fond of, but I do find this one ridiculous beyond words. Sometimes shepherds are too smart for their own good. And here I thought having to eat on a carpeted surface was quirky.

On a wholly other note, the sixth Assistance Dog Blog Carnival (ADBC) has been announced! The topic for this edition is “obstacles” and posts are due by January 29th. As always, having an assistance dog (guide, hearing, or service dog) or puppy-in-training is not a requirement and anyone with a blog is welcome — and encouraged — to participate. Further information on the ADBC can be found here at After Gadget.

I already completed the daily posting for this year and I shared this photo earlier this year, but I couldn’t resist participating in the very last photo challenge. I’m glad that other than the fluke storm back in October we haven’t yet been dumped upon this winter, but we have had some incredibly strange weather, well, for most of the year. Uschi will be happy when and if that does change — and she’ll be the only one under this roof who will. But I must admit, it’s hard to be cranky about cold and snow with a shepherd bouncing around in the backyard having the time of her life.

As to the photo itself, I’m particularly fond of it for a number of reasons: Uschi’s actually looking into the camera (and not everywhere but as per her usual demeanor) and it’s one of the rare captures where you can see the dynamic colors of her coat.

It will be quite a relief to go back to the normal course of things where I just blog when the mood strikes me. Of course, that doesn’t mean the tons of draft posts I have are any more likely to ever get finished. But I do expect that the blog itself will go back to being a fun hobby rather than an enormous chore.

Anyway, wishing you all a safe and happy New Year!

Things here are much the same. My mother is currently not speaking to me due to a very involved story. And for once I’m not taking the blame for her being wrong and I’m refusing to apologize. She can just stay mad. That means that my holiday plans have been slightly truncated and I’m kind of relieved. I don’t have to try and whip the house into shape (i.e., finish decorating) or do a ton of cooking and/or baking. In fact, I’m strongly considering deholidayifying the house so I can get some decent cleaning done. But that’s also a lot of work and I’m feeling rather lazy.

Actually, I’m feeling kind of run down. I’ve been battling a sinus thing for awhile now and I think it’s finally decided to turn into an actual thing. I figure if it really is something I can deal with it on Wednesday when I already have a doctor’s appointment scheduled to refill my prescriptions.

Uschi hasn’t been quite her usual self these last few days either, but I think that’s more from losing out on having a playmate again. It’s quite typical for her to be a bit despondent after a long visit with another dog, especially when we spend extended time at Dad’s. And it doesn’t help that we haven’t been doing as much fun stuff since it’s been downright frigid outside.

I hate the cold.

Snapped this photo while we were visiting Claire the day after Christmas. Uschi looks a tiny bit distressed because she popped up when I pulled out the camera and I made her lie back down. The girls get along fine and well, but I was still surprised to see them fast asleep lying end-to-end like this. Usually they jockey for position, resigning themselves to having to be so close. They are pretty hilarious to observe even in these calmer moments.

Last night I had the wackiest dream about the girls. I guess it’s odd, but I rarely dream about my guide dogs. (Well, the last few years or so it seems rare that I dream anything that I actually remember.) This one definitely seems rooted in my current situation with my mother, who is essentially mad at me. It’s sort of an involved story, but it’s not really a big thing and I’m sure it will blow over soon enough. Anyway, for whatever reason I had both dogs here and my mother was all upset about it and didn’t like the idea of one of the girls being home alone all day while I was at work. There was all this stuff about her being scared of the way the dog was acting and at one point I was apparently moved to try and problem solve how to start working Yara instead of Uschi. This seemed absurd even in the dream.

Wacky dream aside, I think I’m coming down with a sinus thing. I thought I was getting sick a few weeks back, but it passed and then I was at Dad’s and I figured I was all stuffy from the tree. But now I’m home and still equally stuffed up. Of course, it could just be the weather, which has finally decided that it is winter and become incredibly cold very quickly. It snowed a bit yesterday even. I am not pleased by this at all.

Breed Specific Legislation Laws (BSL) have become a growing trend amongst cities trying to ban “bully breeds” from their city limits. A city ordinance which bans pit-bulls in the city of Aurelia, Iowa has caught national attention after the ban kept a service dog from his owner because of his breed.  The ordinance was approved in March of 2008 when a meter reader was bitten by a pit bull.  Due to the fact that several people felt unsafe and that the breed was labeled as being “aggressive” (which is only a matter of opinion rather than fact) the ban was placed which prohibits owners of the breed from having them within the city limits.

The owner of the dog in question is a disabled 64 year old Vietnam Veteran named Jim Sak.  He served for over 30 years on the police force in the city of Chicago, Illinois.  Now that Jim has retired both he and his wife Peggy have relocated to Aurelia so that they could be closer to help Peggy’s mother who is an ailing 87 year old woman.

Jim is now struggling to live his daily life due to the fact that an ordinance passed in the city prohibits him from having his service dog “Snickers” simply because he happens to be a pit bull mix.  Snickers, has been with Jim for five years and is certified through the National Service Animal Registry.  The Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities by giving them the right to own a service dog regardless of their breed.  Snickers happens to be a Boxer, Labrador and Pit Bull mix, but the fact that he is mixed with the banned breed has started a storm of problems for Jim and Peggy.

Jim suffered from a hemorrhagic stroke three years ago that causes him to have spasms on his right side affecting both his hand and leg.  He said that it occurs from doing more activity than he should, or during times of stress.  He is forced to use a wheelchair 95 percent of the day due to his disabilities. Snickers is a service dog and trained to sit next to Jim when he needs assistance and waits for the command on what he is told to do.  Snickers will usually be the one who goes to alert Jim’s wife so that she can help him to get back into his chair.  Jim stated in an article for MSNBC “If I fall on my back I’m a turtle. I just don’t move.” he explained, “I grab that collar…He’ll pull me over by the table and chairs and I can pick myself up.”  He says Snickers is very well trained, and has never hurt anyone. “He has never even growled at anybody. The kids come home from school and would stop and play with him.”The Sioux City Journal reported that said Snickers’ presence allows Jim to be left at home for Peggy to go take care of her mother.  Since Snickers has been gone, Peggy has had to leave Jim at home alone with no one to assist him. Jim has reportedly fallen once, and an emergency call was made to 911 for assistance.

The article notes that first a petition was signed by local residents to enforce the ban and then a council meeting voted that the service dog was not an exception. Jim’s filed a lawsuit, though, and the Animal Farm Foundation is assisting him. The hearing was scheduled for today and I’m very interested in the results of Jim’s lawsuit. As the article notes: “This case has the potential to set a precedent for many others. The number of aging and/or disabled people in America is larger than ever, and service dogs can be an essential tool for this population. The right to live independently and safely is a cherished freedom, so the world is watching Iowa to make sure this freedom is not compromised because of a service dog’s breed or physical appearance.”

Anyhoo, the holiday seemed to pass in a blur. Dad and Yara came to pick me and Uschi up Saturday evening just after the present exchange with Mom and Paul. I was all ready, though, as I was expecting Dad to come anytime from Friday evening. We ended up staying up until early Christmas morning to make baklava, which if you’ve never made yourself I cannot begin to stress what a major effort it is. It honestly takes forever and there is literally a pound of butter in it. I was starting to marvel at this and my father wryly replied that was why we only make it once a year because otherwise we’d kill people.

At 1:30 AM the baklava went in the oven and I was told I could go to bed if I wanted, so before Dad could change his mind I beat feet upstairs with shepherds in tow. We all crawled out of bed sometime after 7:30 AM and blearily opened gifts.¹ Then we packed ourselves — with Yara and Uschi — into the car and headed to my grandparents’. It was pretty subdued there, but enjoyable.

We went back to Dad’s after that and had a huge dinner (rib roast for Dad and Keith and a chicken for me) and all promptly fell asleep. Yesterday, as I mentioned, Keith and I visited a friend in Cooperstown and then we all piled into the car to bring me and Uschi home.

There’s still a bit more holiday to go around here, though. I plan to get my thank you cards written out tonight and then get some massive cleaning and organizing done by the weekend before Mom, Paul and I have our big turkey dinner. After which we’ll be going to see the lights at Washington Park.

1. I don’t know why people feel the need to list their gifts. Seems like a way of gloating to me and much as commercialism tries to deny the fact, the holidays are not about getting things.

If you’re wondering why I am suddenly seemingly obsessed with the Muppets and Sesame Street all I will say for now is that you’re just jealous that you can’t justify it as work and I can. (No, really.) But that’s a story for another day.

On another subject all together, mine is one of those streets that sort of competes with itself during the holidays:

Unlike most streets, though, it seems to be a competition for most obnoxious and gaudy. This house is a few doors down from me and I don’t think there’s a blow-up decoration available that they don’t have. Yara and Uschi both find the house quite peculiar and have had varying reactions to the huge, blow-up snowmen and company. I didn’t realize for quite some time that there are a few that are animated, too. Santa pops out of one of them and I think at least one of the snowmen waves.

There’s an addition this year of a camper-style RV and Uschi, frankly, finds it disturbing. The first time we came to the house since it was put out, she flatly refused to walk by it. A subsequent trip was only slightly better in that I didn’t have to walk around the block to get where I was going, but Uschi chose instead to growl at it menacingly.

ETA: It’s been almost a year and I’m still constantly calling the girls the wrong names, but this was the first post that I caught myself writing the wrong dog’s name. I’m now deeply curious if I’ve ever actually posted something unknowingly using the wrong name!

I’ve linked this a few times before, but I thought I’d post it today since it was taken exactly one year ago. I’d wanted to get a photo done with Santa for years, but the day before I’d received the call about Uschi making Yara’s retirement official and knowing our time together was very short I was quite motivated to get this little thing done.

Oh, well, here’s a video more appropriate to the time of year (and continuing with the theme of posting about the Muppets/Sesame Street):