Misadventures with Jack

Working Fire :: Rollover Accident, Unknown Injuries

2009-10-15T21:34:00.004-05:00

It's been a busy week in the volunteer fire service world.

On Monday we were sent to I-74 for a rollover accident with unknown injuries. When we arrived on scene the occupants of the vehicle had self extricated and were miraculously unharmed. We stood on the side of the interstate and took pictures of the 91 Jeep Cherokee Sport while the tow company turned it back upright. I suppose we could've taken a page out of WRC and righted it ourselves.

Responded to a working house fire in a neighboring district yesterday morning.

We were unable to save the structure due to safety concerns. Fortunately the house was unoccupied and nobody was hurt.

However, I was utterly amazed at this group of elderly people handing out piping hot coffee on scene of the fire yesterday morning. It was some sort of delicious hazelnut coffee from Panera. It was great, this kindly old gentleman in slacks, dress shoes, rain coat, and umbrella stood in the cold rain with us and handed out coffee that was hot enough to sear the flesh! He handed it off to me as if it was no big deal, but I had to put my fire gloves back on just to hold onto the cup.

He was definitely overdressed for the soggy occasion but he was dressed to impress, and impressed I was.

I'm back, with a vengeance!

2009-09-17T19:34:00.003-05:00

First off, let me just say that there are these annoying ass gnats flying around, swarming even, everywhere! This is no exaggeration, it looks like it's snowing outside, but it isn't snow, it's gnats! They aren't really a pest, they're just swarming around trying to lay eggs before the winter, but the sheer number of them makes them a respiratory and ocular problem when walking outdoors.

Mind you, I've been out every day this week (as usual) walking Jack around town. These stupid gnats get everywhere, plaster my shirt, get caught up in my arm and leg hair, get in my eyes, my nose, my ears, my throat. It's just horrible! Today they were fairly thick, probably the thickest I've seen them this week. I had about 3 in my eyes at 2 different times, a couple in my nose, and I know I inhaled a few. The best part: after my shower I picked one out of my ear.

But what has inspired me to blog today was an encounter I had with a certain whiney woman; you know who you are, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

I was walking Jack and a woman was approaching me on the sidewalk, so doing the courteous thing I moved off the sidewalk to give her ample room to walk on the sidewalk without my dog stopping to sniff her. Believe it or not, SOME people get uncomfortable when a strange dog approaches them. Now look, I don't even know this woman, but I'm just trying to do the right thing by moving off the sidewalk onto the small patch of grass between the sidewalk and street. She stops me and says in a rather whiney tone:
"Uhm..."
(I stop and pull my earbuds out)
"Uhm... that's actually my lawn"
(Uh, no, actually it isn't. It's city property) "Okay?"
"Uhm, yeah I'm actually trying to grow things there, so could you be a little more considerate and not walk on my yard?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know"

OF COURSE I DIDN'T KNOW! Jesus Christ! I'm sorry that I obviously don't know EVERY LITTLE GOD DAMN THING that happens in your life! Furthermore, I'm INCREDIBLY sorry that I didn't want to push you off the sidewalk with my dog walking beside me! HOW DARE I BE SO SELFISH AS TO GET OFF THE SIDEWALK TO ALLOW TO PASS BY ME! Someone should arrest me and throw away the key! You'd think I blew up a bus full of orphan convent students! SORRY I didn't know your weedy looking ivy was some sort of cherished plant that's been living on this rock for millennia, I think it can handle a stray step without being completely destroyed! Did you ever stop to consider that in a few weeks there's going to be this phenomena called a FROST that's going to sweep into town and KILL EVERY GOD DAMN PLANT that isn't an evergreen?! God forbid your precious little ivy gets stepped on by me errant foot. I'll tell you what, how does this sound? Next time you approach me on the sidewalk I won't yield and you'll have to get into the bushes because my dog and I are taking up the whole sidewalk! Jesus Christ, such a whiney twat, go whine to someone who gives a damn about something that actually matters.

In the words of the great David Alan Grier, "NEXT CALLER!"

Jack loves kites

2009-08-22T18:47:00.001-05:00

Jack loves kites
Originally uploaded by «daveB»

I took advantage of the unseasonably cool temperatures today and took Jacko for a lengthy walk down to and around Meadowbrook Park. Some kids were flying kites and Jack was fixated on them, I think it was the coolest thing he's seen since the laser pointer.

I tried pulling him away from the kites to continue our walk but he just wanted to sit and watch them dance in the sky.

Back in the saddle

2009-08-20T20:48:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since my last update. I've been busy with housekeeping and work. I still don't have internet at the new place yet so posting my musings can be a bit difficult.

I took Jack for a short romp in the woods a few days ago. He really didn't enjoy it, we took several breaks in the shade and I tried to keep him cool with water but it was just overwhelming. He toughed it out though, and once we got into the shade of the forest he started enjoying himself. Halfway through our walk Jack took a dip in the lake and went for a swim to cool off, even with the water he was still uncomfortably hot. It's been way too hot over the last couple of days to really do much of anything with the canine. Poor Jack isn't as spry as he could be on these warm summer days, he's patiently waiting for autumn to come around.

When walking Jack during the mid afternoon hours I put a swamp-cooler vest on him from Ruff Wear®

Essentially the vest acts as a swamp cooler, it stores water in a low density foam core. The vest's external layers are a light mesh that helps air get to the foam core to enhance evaporation. The dog's body heat is transfered to the cool water stored in the vest and as the water evaporates it enhances the cooling effect. Essentially it sweats for the dog. I bought my vest from GunDogSupply.Com and highly recommend them for their customer service alone.

The vest looks as stupid is as stupid does and I totally feel like everyone thinks I'm "that" guy; you know the guy/girl that dresses his/her dog up in silly clothes. But I'm willing to put function over form on this one. Besides, I see a marked improvement in my dog's overall ability to regulate temperature with the vest.

However, the vest isn't a cure-all especially on a typically humid August day in Illinois. For example, today it was a relatively dry day in Illinois with a relative humidity around 60% and so as you can imagine the water in the vest doesn't evaporate that quickly which doesn't cause a significant cooling action. However, the cold water stored in the soft foam core tends to provide some comfort on a hot day like today. Also the vest's light color helps to reflect a lot of solar energy that would normally be absorbed by Jack's black coat.

I'll be getting internet at home soon and will be able to update on a more regular basis.
That's all for now, and remember: pick up after your dog. When you don't you make the rest of us look bad.

-The Human

"This, gentlemen, is the elegant abode of one Elwood Blues. "

2009-08-15T18:18:00.003-05:00

"... You know, I kind of liked the Wrigley Field bit"

As promised, (but with much delay) I've got photos of the new place!

all links open in new windows

Toasting some buns Elwood Blues style.

My dining area as seen from the hall.

The main room with entertainment center.

master bedroom

Study with fold out sleeper loveseat.

You can check my flickr page for more photos and better descriptions.

Complications make life interesting

2009-08-13T17:58:00.005-05:00

Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

Last night was my first official night in the new duplex, more on that later.

I've been leaving Jack at the old house while I go to work in an effort to allow him to acclimate to the new duplex. This way he spends the waking moments with me at the duplex, and then at the end of the day he comes back with me to sleep. So yesterday after moving some things over to the new apartment and setting up my furniture I brought Jack back to the old house, took him for an abridged walk and left him and my car at the house while I rode my bicycle to work. Later on in my shift I was informed by my father that my right rear tire was flat and offered to change it for me while I was at work. Unfortunately he was unable to find the wheel lock key because I had accidentally removed it from my car and didn't remember where I put it (at the time). After work (midnight) I rode my bicycle home and found my car's tire changing/utility bag and promptly changed out the flat tire with the donut. It was at this point that I had resigned myself to spending the night on the couch of my old house with Jack instead of bothering with driving out to my new place on a donut, and then I remembered all my toiletries, toothbrush, shaving cream, medicine, was at the new place. So I loaded the car up with a few small items and took Jack over to the new place.

The first night wasn't very bad. Jack whined a little bit while in his crate when it was time to sleep, probably because it's a new place and because I haven't been able to properly tire him out lately. I've been entirely consumed with moving while also working overtime. My sleep has not fared so well during the last few nights and I'm definitely feeling it now. I unpacked some clothes and decided I needed to wash my face; much to my dismay I had no hot water! I had completely forgotten to turn on the water heater (well I assumed it was on). I've never had to re-ignite a water heater before in my life, so I'm sitting in the utility closet in my skivvies reading the instructions of ignition and I realize I have no matches or a lighter, what kind of pyromaniac firefighter doesn't have matches? I resigned myself to use cold water to wash my face; not my first choice but it got the job done.

For breakfast I had planned on eating some oatmeal I brought over from the old house except as I was falling asleep I remembered that I didn't have a microwave and the only way of heating water was on the stovetop in a skillet! But it didn't matter, I didn't have time for breakfast today anyway. I had more pressing matters to tend to.

As you recall I had to be up early yesterday (Wednesday) to rent the moving truck. Well this morning I had to wake up early to drive to Urbana Tire to get my tire patched. Bleary eyed and cotton mouthed I shuffled Jack into the car with the spare tire and drove off to downtown Urbana. My prompt timing was totally worth it: I was able to drop the tire off and take Jack for a short 20 minute walk around downtown Urbana while they fixed my tire. It didn't take all that long at all, I had feared that it would take hours, and maybe it would have if I had slept in. Unfortunately the nail in my tire was just another expenditure I couldn't really afford. I'm holding onto what little cash I have until Wednesday, payday. I'm also desperately trying to get through the work night. I'm definitely going to enjoy a nice long shower tonight and then at least 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep, which will probably mean a night of fire department calls.

The Human

Jack's big move

2009-08-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Woke up around 6 am to go obtain my U-Steal truck at 7 am and I promptly fell back asleep to wake up at 7:04 am, to pick up my U-Steal truck at 7am. I got off to a lethargic start but with the help of the Super Diabetic and my Father, we were able to load up the U-Steal and get everything unloaded in 2 hours; it only set me back 30 dollars to boot.

However Jack decided he wanted to help the only way a dog can help: running around the U-Steal and getting in the way. He definitely slowed us down quite a bit. After we got all of the heavy items unloaded I went back home and packed up my car with some smaller items and went back to the new place with Jack to put my bed together and possibly unpack some of my boxes. I was able to get my bed together and position my dressers, and most importantly Jack's bed, because ultimately his comfort is paramount. The good news is: while I was slaving over my bed assembly Jack set up camp in his bed and chilled chilled out.

Got Food? I don't. I haven't been able to move any of my food over to the new place. Tonight on my way home from work I'll stop by my old place and pick up some breakfast food for tomorrow just so I'll have something to get me started. Tomorrow calls for another busy day of moving and another LONG night of work.

Moving around work shifts is not easy at all. I promised pictures for today, unfortunately I didn't have time to take any today but I'll take some tonight and tomorrow for all 0 of my readers to see.

The Human

2009-08-12T13:26:00.001-05:00

Next update: Today 1600hrs CDT

"Assembly Required"

2009-08-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

"Assembly Required" seems to be a continuing trend with moving. I've had the keys to my new place since the 7th of August and I'm still not officially moved in yet. This is getting a bit absurd; more than half of my possessions are at my new duplex the remaining items are either 1. necessary for daily life (soap, a few pairs of socks, underwear, and a some shirts). Yeah, I'm just rewearing shorts and pants, or 2. big items that require a U-haul to move—speaking of U-hauls, I need to set my alarm for tomorrow morning—i.e. my dressers, computer desk, entertainment center, bed. So I'm planning on loading up the U-Steal first thing in the morning and getting everything out, pronto. But this whole moving things over piece by piece, box by box, is painfully excruciating; and I wanted to be 100% moved in by Sunday, here it is Tuesday, almost Wednesday and I'm still not even close to being moved in.

I took Jacko over to the new place with me for a few hours this afternoon while I tried to assemble this chinese bookcase from Target. It's a total piece of overpriced cat poop. (By the way: cat poop is below dog poop on the poop pecking order.) The stupid bolts that hold the damn thing together are made of super soft metal (probably lead), that tear apart the second you put a screw driver to them. I somehow managed to assemble the whole thing while destroying only one bolt beyond any kind of salvageable use. However, the chinese instructions were so vague and obtuse that I somehow managed to put a back piece on the front, and I of course didn't notice until after everything was assembled. So I'm going to disassemble it tomorrow sometime and put it together the right way. I was hoping that Jack spending a few hours at the new duplex with me would help him get accustomed to it and be less stressed out after the move. I don't think it'll work, but I will keep you posted. He was very playful at first (I brought over his favorite toy), but then got a bit anxious and decided to just lie down in the room next to me while I worked.

So if all things go according to plan tomorrow, I should be moved in with a few hours to spare before work. And by "moved in" I mean moved out of my old place. It is painfully apparent that I need to buy some important items still like a vacuum, broom, some food, a toilet plunger, garbage bags, a dish drain, cable internet... I should definitely call Crapcast tomorrow and get that set up.

I will take some pictures tomorrow after the "move in" and post 'em up for all to see.

The Human

What a dog dangling day

2009-08-11T00:31:00.000-05:00

I definitely shouldn't have drank all that water last night before going to bed. Good thing the human let me out when he did, otherwise I would've urinated all over his bed. I perfected my "whining because I'm bored but acting distressed" routine today. The human fell for it exactly as I had planned. He took me outside to "go to the bathroom," yeah. right. I showed him by eating some grass.

I really needed to make my rounds, you know: catch up on all the dogs running through my territory.

The human reluctantly agreed to make the rounds with me. He made me wear this stupid little vest thing that makes me look like a total goon. And we didn't even make the total rounds! He gave up halfway down the street and turned around! I guess it was just too hot for him. Puny humans: so weak.

And then! After we returned home he put all of these boxes in the thing that makes the world go by really fast and left me all alone for a long time!

note to self: learn how to tell time.

When he finally came back he acted like nothing was wrong. Sure just forget about me why don't you. Stupid human. Uh oh, I think I hear him coming. I'll write more later.

The Dog

Checking out the new duplex

2009-08-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

This morning before it became oppressively hot outside I rounded up the canine and headed to my new duplex. I just got my keys yesterday and haven't had a chance to really snoop around and inspect the joint since my showing last month. Fortunately I had a few extra minutes to run by there and take a walk around the premises to take a closer look at everything. A few small issues appeared while I was doing a walk around.

First of all I don't think the front door was locked when I "unlocked" it this morning. Furthermore the sliding glass door was definitely not locked. The windows are horizontal sliding windows of some sort and from what I can discern cannot be secured with the built in locking mechanism. I feel I should mention that I'm not overly paranoid, and the fact that my duplex was "unlocked" doesn't really concern me; at the moment there's nothing worth stealing except 3' of dryer hose. And honestly, if someone wants to steal my stuff bad enough they'll get into my duplex and take my stuff whether or not the windows are locked. Be that as it is, I will stop by the hardware store and pick up some dowel rods and a 2x4 to secure the windows and sliding door when I'm not home.

My only other concern is that a few lights were left on; I'm not sure for how long. The oven light was on, the utility closet light was on, and the entryway light was on. I hope I don't get sacked with that power usage on my bill, because I had nothing to do with that.

Jack ran around the place sniffing every nook and cranny and located the exact spot the previous tenants had their cat box placed. I'm still a bit apprehensive about moving; I'm not sure how he's going to handle it. It will be a rough couple of days for sure, and I know ultimately he'll be fine and the more I fret about his anxiety the more anxious he'll get which will in turn make me more anxious which will make him even more anxious... it's a vicious cycle.

I'll try to take some photos as soon as my cousin returns my camera.

-The Human

This is only a test

2009-08-08T16:39:00.001-05:00

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