Symphony

We got a new dog after 3 years of being pet-free, and she’s from the Humane Society. I searched for months and months in nearby shelters and online before finally reaching a decision.

The problem was that my mom is very picky when it comes to dogs.
Must be a shorthair, smooth fur. Must be 2-3 years old. Must be a large dog. Must be mixed with: Boxer, German Shepherd, Labrador/Labrador Retriever, American Staffordshire, or American Pit. No full breeds. Must be female. Must be calm.
The nitpicking over fur is due to her allergies and asthma…the rest, just personal preferences.

After so long, I finally spotted her — A Boxer/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, age 3. Maybe. She was very calm in the kennel, didn’t bark despite all the chaos of a dog going on a walk, and let me rub her neck without fear of being nipped. I called my mom to have her come over and take a look and hopefully have her pass the fur-test on my mom’s arm, and she did. We immediately adopted her.

The problem with shelter dogs is that you don’t know what they’ve been through. What was her life like in the last 2-3 years? How did she end up in a shelter? Whatever her past was like, she loved the company of people. It seems like everybody is her best friend. She wasn’t allowed in certain rooms wherever she came from, as seen by her hesitation to enter my bedroom. She was already housebroken, and was completely comfy in the center of the living room floor.
Her only problem is her severe separation anxiety - when my mom leaves for work, she whines and howls, and has eaten the door frame to the point where she’s bleeding. I’m so scared that if I leave for my photo assignments, the gym, or even to visit family and friends, she’ll tear the house apart. We’re rapidly kennel training her [temporarily!! We hate kennels] so I can go to my cousin’s graduation on Thursday and back to work on Friday. I swear, it’s like having a newborn baby [which is ironically something I see each working day for a living. I feel the stress of the mothers now].

I sometimes feel bad for having adopted her. Here is this dog who is completely comfortable with humans, but she was lost. Who originally owned her? Why didn’t she have a collar, a license, a microchip, and why wasn’t she spayed? Do they miss her? Did they have other dogs? Will she try to run away to find them?

So many questions, but I have to let them rest. Symphony is here with us now. Aside from her anxiety, she has adjusted rather quickly, and we hope for many years with her.

What do you do when there’s one person you want to talk to, but you can’t? You know they could care less, you know they don’t even want to remember what you look like, maybe they’ve forgotten what you’ve sounded like, but they’re the only person to give you insight on yourself, despite all the pain.

This is so messed up. But it’s not like anything could be done about it anyway.

Daario Naharis…you’re handsome, but I think you need to dye your hair blue.

And grow a beard.

Maybe wear some yellow. No, a lot of yellow.

Maybe also be played by someone different…

Dammit GoT, you were doing so well with your casting until this.

I’ve got a gym membership now, since I have lived 3 blocks away from that 24 Hour Fitness only for the last what, 8-10 years? My mom and boyfriend have been trying to get me to go for ages, and I finally decided it was time.

I’m going to the gym because I know that I’m incredibly unhealthy on the inside. I can’t even walk up a flight of stairs without being winded. I didn’t start eating healthy until just last year, so over 20 years of eating junk has done who-knows-what to my arteries. My family also has a history of diabetes - most of my great aunts and my Mima have it, my late great-uncle had it and ended up losing first a finger, then a foot, then both of his legs…plus the plethora of medicines that they have to take every day, the danger of their obesity, heart diseases that could happen anytime, I don’t want that. That’s the reason my mom started working out frequently over 10 years ago; she didn’t want to end up like her aunts and uncles, despite them all being over 70, 80, 90 years. She doesn’t want to live a long time with medicines and insulin to keep her alive, and neither do I.

I know that not all people who are classified as overweight are unhealthy, but my family is easily susceptible to these diseases. I don’t like being sick. I don’t like taking medicine. I couldn’t imagine taking something everyday to live.

I took my first Zumba class this morning, and it was really fun. Not only is it cardio that I enjoy [cause I can’t stand running!], but I’m actually learning rhythm and simple dance moves. I’ll be going back every Monday and Wednesday! I’ve started eating yogurt, oatmeal and lentils more often to save money and eat healthier. I purchased a Magic Bullet blender to make my own smoothies, since Jamba Juice is getting expensive! And now I’m going to try making my own pizzas and pastas from these magazines I’ve been receiving in the mail. I don’t subscribe to magazines, where did they come from…? Oh well, at least they’re free.

I want to be healthy. I want my muscles to be strong. I want to be able to walk and breathe. I want to be 80 years old with a clear mind like my uncle, who will be 84 in 3 weeks and sends me texts every day on his iPhone [because why not?].

I’ll also use what time I have to make my hair healthier. Going natural has made me a bit lazy on the hair care side, so I need to educate myself on how to protect and style it more.