Sick Remy & Talking Back...

Remy was not well last night, nor this morning.  He didn't even get out of bed for a walk with Rosie and me.  Last night, he refused to eat, and then refused to lie down - it was almost as if he were stuck with his entire spine in one position only.  I took Rosie out, and left Nancy and Joel to call the vet in.  When I returned with Rosie, Remy had been given an aspirin, and was alert enough to come down stairs and greet me - even wagging his tail.  After offering him breakfast, which he declined, I sat with him until the vet arrived. He was becoming brighter and more alert with each passing moment, and, other than having his usual nerve disconnect when knuckles down on his hind feet, he passed every test and palpation with flying colors.  I told them how he had run around the yard yesterday, chasing 5 bicyclists and 3 squirrels.  It was decided that he had just over-extended himself yesterday, and ended up with his aged body rebelling last night and this morning.  -  I'll take Rosie out tomorrow, but leave Remy at home again.
  My kits had a blast running in and out yesterday.  I hope they really enjoy it again today, too, because I move to Alexy's tomorrow.  It has been cooler here in the mornings - almost brisk, with temperatures in the mid-50s and a cool breeze blowing down out of the mountains.  Yesterday I made the mistake of turning off one of the fans, and, at 8 last night, I couldn't figure out what was tickling the back of my neck.  It was sweat dripping down off my hair.  I turned the fan back on.   -  And I enjoyed both the football game and Bill Clinton's nomination speech of President Obama last night.  Billy-boy proved that he can still excite the masses and still has star appeal.
   I wrote of my "misbehavior" the other day, in talking back at someone.  Last night, here in Boulder, a man was driving his pick-up truck down the street, and a man on a bicycle kept swerving his bike out of the bike path and into the traffic lane.  A vehicle behind the truck witnessed it.  It was almost as if the bike rider was playing "chicken" with the truck driver.  At a stop sign, the driver yelled out the passenger side window to the bicyclist, "What the ___ do you think you're doing?"  The rider yelled back at the driver, dismounted from his bicycle, and approached the driver's window.  As he did so, he withdrew a large pocketknife, and opened the largest blade.  He threatened to cut the driver.  The driver called 911.  The young man was caught by police several blocks away.  The police said he reeked of alcohol, had an illegal amount of pot in his backpack, and told them he was on his way to a methadone treatment center.  He admitted to pulling the knife on the driver of the truck.  Having been arrested, he asked the police to call his mother.  The young man is 21.
   And I despaired of the lack of inventiveness of the young lady on the bicycle the other day...  How about:  You're a liver-lipped, kine kissing, javelina humping, micro-managing, anal retentive (and here, depending upon the gender of the person you're addressing) son of Satan - or daughter of a demon imp.  Isn't that a little more creative than "Stupid fat whore?"
   Hope you have a wonderfully creative day!

Foolish, Silly Me

I misbehaved yesterday.  I had finally had enough with the bad attitudes of other people.  I thoroughly enjoyed my small act of defiance - and I'm extremely lucky that the other person didn't decide to harm me with things other than words.  As I said, it was fun during and afterwards, but now, looking back in cold blood, it was certainly foolish.  The following exchange had some "dirty" words included.  I try to write a G-rated blog, but sometimes it isn't possible, as people (in general) have become so appallingly foul-mouthed.
  I was walking on a narrow strip of sidewalk, on my way to the bus stop.  Beside me, there was a 3.5 foot wide designated bike path, totally clean and totally clear of riders, that adjoins the street.  A woman rode by me on the sidewalk, nearly knocking me down.  Once she was past me, she tossed the word, "Sorry" over her shoulder.  I projected my voice a bit - not really yelling, just speaking a little louder than normal: "You know, in Boulder, it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk when a bike lane is provided.  The police can fine you up to $150."  She slammed on the brakes and looked back at me, asking, "Who died and made you my God?"  I smiled, and replied, "No one. I'm just speaking as a concerned citizen of the city of Boulder.  I was trying to save you money and grief."  She grunted at me, then turned back to her bike. 
  As she pushed off, she again, turned her head over her shoulder, and (this time) yelled at me, "Stupid fat whore!"  -  That was what set me off. From that point on I just parroted what she said back at her, without yelling.  We were about 4 feet apart, and, as I noted, I'm lucky that she didn't use anything but words against me....  She slammed her brakes on and shrilly demanded, "What did you say?"  Which I repeated back at her with the exact intonation she had used.  After several more (six or seven) poor attempts at insults, she yelled everyone's throw-away line, "F--  you!" at me.  I quietly said, "No thank you."  She gripped her handlebars, put her foot on a pedal, and finally said, "You are just an idiotic bitch!"  But she paused and listened to what I said in return, which was, "No, I'm just parroting an idiotic bitch, who has definitely not used her education to become proficient, or eloquent, in the use of English."  She looked at me for several seconds, then charged off on her bicycle, still on the sidewalk, and muttering under her breath.  I crossed the street and went to visit my psychiatrist, as scheduled.  (I ran into my therapist in the hallway, told her what I had done, and that I had felt extraordinarily pleased with myself afterwards.  She just warned me to be sure not to say anything like that to people who are larger and stronger than I am.....)