I didn't expect it to be so fast.

Last month Matchbox was my normal (allbiet odd), aging pup following me around the house. But in a few weeks his health took a turn for the worse. He lost 10 pounds, he couldn't jump on the bed, he started refusing to eat - something so alien to his nature I was shocked when Frinklin told me he had to convince Matches to finish his breakfast.

On Tuesday night he went blind. I found him trapped in more than one corner, unable to find his way back to his dog bed. Frinklin and I listened constantly for the clicking of his toenails in the middle of the night, the signal that he had lost his way while trying to get a drink of water. My husband carried his dog up and down the stairs to go out.

I found the tumors on Thursday. He had been having trouble breathing and as I felt around his neck I knew why. Several lumps had formed on his throat and were blocking his windpipe. Frinklin called the vet.

I left work early in order to be at his appointment at 4. My mother-in-law saw him off. Matchbox rode in the backseat. With his vision gone he could no longer see the moving images that normally scared him onto the floor. I told the receptionist that he didn't need to be weighed.

We sat together on the floor on a Hello Kitty blanket. Stubborn to the end, Matchbox would only lie half-way on the blanket, but rested his head alternately in my and Frinklin's hands. An hour passed while the tears flowed. The moment came.

Jeffrey misses you. He's been quiet all day. Just like the house. Frinklin swears he heard you barking when he came home this afternoon. I keep looking for you around corners.

You were our first dog. The one we took on our early dates at the dog park when Frinklin and I had just met. I'll never forget the first time you jumped in my lap, trusting that I would protect you from the big, bad pug headed your way. Or that certain way you liked your ears scratched. Or how you would sneak onto the bed in the middle of the night. Or even how you would wake us up at 4 AM to be fed.

Thanks for being such a great dog.

Goodbye Matchbox.

Posted by: Ensie at 10:06 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Tears definitely started flowing at reading this. I really miss Matchbox. I only knew him a short part of his life but he definitely endeared himself to me with his sweet personality. I'm glad you both were able to be there with him for his last moments. You and Frinklin were the best parents he could've had, and I know he was always a happy pup in your household.

Posted by: Cassioposa at November 23, 2008 10:23 AM (KNn9C)

2 Sending Love your way to you and all yours.... Keisha

Posted by: KittenLion at November 23, 2008 11:00 AM (ZchiC)

3 I'm so sorry to read that. I'm so sorry for you and Frinklin's loss. Big hugs and warmest thoughts sent your way.

Posted by: jessica Corey-Butler at December 05, 2008 11:40 AM (lvOTL)

4 Many hugs ...

Posted by: tacomachickadee at December 12, 2008 10:20 PM (YU86Y)

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I've been watching Heroes for the three seasons it's been on now, and every week it's like the creators can't wait to destroy the story line further, continuity be damned! This week we took a walk back in time and saw the story leading up to the "death" of Papa Petrelli.

It turns out that Peter and Nathan both knew Linderman well before his revelation part way through the first season (which actually makes sense considering how close their parents were, but wouldn't it make more sense that they would also have known Hiro an Matt Parkman's parent's too?). And Nathan's investigation into Linderman's business activities prompt his father to order a hit on his own son.

Which brings about another question. Why didn't Andrea Petrelli see her husband trying to kill Nathan in the future? She certainly seems to see everything else. She had to ask Arthur, which allowed him to slip out of an answer and then eventually plant a suggestion in her mind and cause her to forget she every even suspected it.

Which leads me to my final point, and the GIANT PLOT HOLE IN HEROES:

Why does Arthur Petrelli need to bump Nathan off when he can just alter his mind? Why not just tell him that he's going to stop prosecuting Linderman? Easy peasy - no dead kid, no paraplegic daughter-in-law, no wife that hates you...and, oh wait...no crappy Heroes story line.

C'mon Heroes writers! Pull it together people! I expect better from you. This show has the potential to be awesome and you're making it suck. The further the walk down this path, and the more you add shitty back stories, the worse it's going to be.

Posted by: Ensie at 07:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I'm inviting all of Tacoma to the Join the Impact Anti-Prop 8 Rally taking place in Seattle this Saturday morning at 10:30 AM. The march starts in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill and will end in Westlake Center downtown around noon.

This is part of a national event that will be taking place to show the country how Americans feel about gay marriage and gay families.

Local information can be found here.

Frinklin and I will likely be going and will have room in our car. Want to carpool? Email me at ensie1@gmail.com.

Posted by: Ensie at 05:59 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Blogging has continued to be on the low-priority list as of late. Which is weird, considering how strongly I feel about this election. My house is in a 24-hour election news cycle. What time is it? Is it time for Olbermann yet? Is Maddow on? Dammit - there's only the Crypt Keeper Larry King.

I find myself cringing at work, where people let it slip that they don't know who they plan to vote for "for anything" as though it's just another election like one of many we tend to have here in Washington. Sometimes I get especially annoyed, like when I'm trapped in the car on the way to the bank with a couple of folks I would rather talk about anything than politics. A conversation with some of these"Real Americans":

"You can't trust either of them. They're both crooks!" starts in one.

"I just wish the black one would talk about what he's gonna do 'stead of what he's not gonna do. I mean - he's always attacking McCain. And that guy's an American hero!" replies the other.

"You know why he does that...'cause he hangs out with all those terrorists and stuff. He knows if he talks about that he'll lose."

"Um," I finally interject, "Actually Obama has talked a lot about what he plans to do. If you watched any of the debates he spoke about his tax plan and lowering taxes for anyone making less than $200K a year and providing health care for people who can't afford it through their employers."

"Yeah, but lots of presidents have said they're gonna do that stuff and they never do." is the response.

"Yes, but if you don't vote him into office and give him the opportunity, it will certainly never happen. And McCain isn't offering those things at all. And I don't think any president has ever offered a health care plan like this." I persist.

"Uh-huh, Clinton did. And it failed. It didn't work. It's never gonna happen."

"That was Hillary Clinton that tried to pass Universal Health Care, which is a little different. She was the First Lady. Not the President." I rally on.

"Still, I don't like how the World loves Obama. They're scared of McCain. Hopefully they'll just leave us alone, and we'll leave them alone. That's the way it should be."

"Exactly!" Her compatriot agrees.

"Got it. Unfortunately, we are involved in a couple of wars oversees, and we are part of the World, our economy is tied to a number of countries, and a number of other countries economies are tied to ours, so just cutting ourselves off from everyone else isn't really an option. We have to participate for a lot of reasons."

At this point, we had reached our destination, and I exited the vehicle. I felt as thought I had done what I could to share my point of view, although I doubt it had changed any minds. I'm sure once I was gone the conversation consisted of the two of them rolling their eyes and laughing at my educated voter naivete.

Posted by: Ensie at 08:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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