Kate & Silas

Dog Mom Attachment Parenting

Silas hates bath. HAAAATES bath. He tolerates showers better (my theory is that he’s used to rain, but not being immersed in water). 

But my dog has a skin infection. Much like his mother, Silas has thin skin. That makes him more susceptible to skin infections, says the vet. Last time Silas had a skin infection, he was on antibiotics. But he’s a selective genius and learned how to eat the meat flavored pill pocket without actually eating the pill.

So this time around, Silas was prescribed a medicated shampoo. That has to sit for 5-10 minutes before being rinsed. Silas typically tries to jump out of the tub at minute two, and then puts on a martyred expression and whimpers and shakes for the rest of bath time.

Time for a new strategy. I decided to throw Silas in the shower with me and wash both our hair at the same time. And he was so well behaved, like a fake dog in a commercial. Like Eddie from Frasier. He actually sat down instead of hanging his head over the edge of the tub, gasping for air. I’m proud of him in a way that owners of mellow dogs could never understand.

This is what happens when you combine years of reading mommy blogs, a deep love of dogs, and a generous glass of wine.

Happy 2nd adoption anniversary, Silas!

Silas and I are celebrating our second adoption anniversary together.

Our second year has been easier and smoother than our first. He’s really mellowed. I mean, he still jumps around like he’s on speed when I come home, but now he leaps in circles instead of scraping my thighs with his claws. Duke’s been a calming influence on him. 

In our two years together, Silas has cost me $3,960— an average of $5.42/day. Almost half of that is dog sitting and boarding. Plus his poodle-y fur needs grooming. (Yeah, I could attempt to do it myself, but he gets so… excited… by lots of attention that I worry I’d castrate him.) And then there are the vet visits and shots and heart worm and flea/tick meds. He likes to eat, too. And I should confess that my Mint account shows that I’ve spent $13 on “pet clothing,” as they categorize it. (It was a Halloween costume! Is that better or worse?)

For people without pets, four grand is an absurd amount of money. But he’s been worth every penny. Every single day he makes me happy. Who wouldn’t pay $5 for that?

And I’m done.

That was surprisingly easy.

I’m on jury duty today.

So far I’ve played with my phone for two hours, gotten a pep talk from Georgia’s only Latino judge (according to him), and gone to Chick-fil-a. I hope that I get to go through the juror selection process because I love answering questions about myself, but I really don’t want to end up on a jury. I don’t like arguing with strangers unless they’re the Comcast customer service rep.

Interesting Things I’ve Read This Week

The Atlantic - A Day in the Life of a Digital Editor, 2013

Hypothetically, let’s say you devote an entire month to one single story, betting the house on it. In the very best circumstance, a viral hit heard round the world with a big traditional media push, you’d do maybe 800,000 uniques. And then you’d have to do the same thing the next month. 

The New York Times Magazine - Nora Ephron’s Final Act

“Can you tell me your name?” one of them asked.

“Nora Ephron,” she said, nodding.

“Can you tell me where you are?”

“New York Hospital.”

“Who is the president of the United States?”

At this point, my mother looked annoyed, gave a roll of the eyes and refused to answer the question, which later on was the source of some debate between Max and me about whether her sarcasm and humor remained even as her memory and focus faded or whether she was simply irritated at being treated like an infant.

The New York Times - High Debt and Falling Demand Trap New Vets

If you are doing what you have always wanted, and you find it fulfilling, the numbers don’t seem relevant. At least initially.

The New Yorker - Did a Murderer in Waiting Go Undetected Because She Was a Woman?

Amy Bishop shot her own brother, after all. She punched a woman at a pancake restaurant. She stood accused of mailing a bomb to one of her supervisors at Harvard. Red flags don’t get much brighter than that. Yet, nobody stepped in. Why not?

New York Magazine - Back on the Trail

Even in the midst of the adultery scandal, he was still leaning on Jenny for political guidance, calling her right before the press conference to consult on the most politically expedient thing to say. (Her advice: “Be honest and get it over with. Whatever you do, don’t talk about your heart.”

The Stranger - The Lying Disease

The lies slowly escalate, pile up, and create an improbable whole. Then one day, you realize you’re friends with a 15-year-old chronic migraine sufferer online who also happens to be a fourth-year medical school student who plays drums in a band at night—despite those crippling migraines—to pay his med school tuition because his deaf mother and alcoholic stepfather have no interest in his baby-genius education. Oh, and since he’s not yet old enough to drive, he skateboards three miles a day to get to class.

And on that day, you feel like a total schmuck.

Interesting Things I’ve Read This Week

CNN - Why I’m quitting Facebook

The efforts of a few thousand employees at Facebook’s Menlo Park campus pale in comparison to those of the hundreds of millions of users meticulously tweaking their pages. Corporations used to have to do research to assemble our consumer profiles; now we do it for them.

The Hairpin - Tina Fey at the Paley Center

Tina Fey is sitting on top of Maslow’s hierarchy with her legs crossed.

Interesting Thing I’ve Read This Week

London Review of Books - Royal Bodies

I used to think that the interesting issue was whether we should have a monarchy or not. But now I think that question is rather like, should we have pandas or not?

The New Yorker - The Throwaways

One of the officers threatened Shelly with prison—a particularly terrifying prospect for a transgender woman, who would be sent to a male facility—and then offered her a way out: she could set up her dealer, Qasim Raqib, and walk free that same day. She agreed.

Raqib was arrested after Shelly arranged the sting. Several hours later, he was released. He then tracked her down and, with the help of James Matthews, strangled, mutilated, burned, and dismembered her.

Meghan Daum (originally published in The New Yorker) - My Misspent Youth

Hanging out at the Cuban coffee shop and traipsing over the syringes and windblown trash of upper Broadway, I was under the impression that I was, in a certain way, slumming. And even though I was having a great time and becoming a better writer, the truth was that the year I entered graduate school was the year I stopped making decisions that were appropriate for my situation and began making a rich person’s decisions. Entering this particular graduate program was a rich person’s decision. But it’s hard to recognize that you’re acting like a rich person when you’re becoming increasingly poor.

Bachelorette Weekend in T-minus 25 hours…

My bachelorette weekend begins tomorrow!  I’ve been reminiscing about the five bachelorette parties I’ve attended to date. Unfortunately, I cannot share those reminisces with you in full as I would like to continue to be semi-employable. 

However! A few snippets…

July 2007, Nashville: I used a sorority sister’s expired driver’s license to go honky-tonking. 

March 2009, Atlanta: The only bachelorette party I’ve attended with penis accessories. Just the one! See, I’m classy. 

December 2009, Nashville: Last bachelorette party before meeting Matt. The matron of honor made “skinny” margaritas, but turns out that’s just tequila and lime juice. 

December 2011, New Orleans: As recounted here. 

October 2012, Nashville: Among other things, I did a painting of Silas, and hung out in a hot tub at 3:00 a.m. that hadn’t heated up yet so it was really just a tub of cold water.