So I've decided my dog is a feminist. My feminist theories teacher used to say that a feminist recognizes that she has more in common with females not of her class than she does with the males of her same class, and this pretty well describes Abby: she reaches across barriers to form relationships with females not of her species, rather than form relationships exclusively with the male of her species. Let me explain.
Two years ago we adopted two dogs: Abby and Zach. Abby is a beagle mix, and Zach is a basset hound mix, but that's not important to the story. We adopted these two lovable muts from a local humane society, who had in turn rescued them from an animal shelter out in Tooelle. They had been abandoned and abused, and were both in such bad shape the humane society volunteers weren't sure if the dogs would survive. But they did, and they're the two closest animals that I've ever seen. When we adopted the two, the volunteers made it very clear that they were a pair and couldn't be broken up, which was fine with us because we had fallen in love with both of them.
And they are a pair. They sleep curled up next to each other, they groom each other, and they whine at the door if the other is outside. I really don't blame them, though, for being so close and dependent on each other. They've been through hell and back again, looking out for the other all the way; I don't care what species you are, experiences like that will keep you close.
Now, enter Della, and here's where it gets fun--or rather, funny. Della is a stray cat who followed my sister home one day. (No, literally, she just followed Kate home and has stayed ever since. Animals tend to that to us a lot in our family.) Once it became clear that Della was staying put and had decided to become a member of our family, we started letting her into the house. She and Abby hit it off right away. They sniffed each other's private parts, then curled up next to each other and went to sleep. Easy-peasy.
Della and Abby have continued to stay "friends" I guess you could say. Della is a bit of a tease (she's a cat after all) but things stay amiable between them--no spitting, scratching, and biting matches yet. Abby is never perturbed by Della prancing around in front of her, and Della isn't bothered by Abby's unnatural propensity to sniff every rear end that passes by. It's not unusual for one to curl up next to the other on the couch and fall asleep.
Which all got me thinking. I started thinking about human beings, and women in particular. Sometimes we feel like there are barriers between us and other women: she doesn't like me, I don't like her, how could she say those things, why does she have so many kids, why doesn't she have kids, she's too pretty/skinny/fat/stupid/smart, we don't have anything in common. I've been one of the guilty ones myself, assuming that I "get" somebody when really I don't get her at all.
That's why I'm grateful for a big, fat dog like Abby. She was already very selfless in her relationship with Zach, and obviously got a lot of fulfillment out of their friendship (as much as dogs can be fulfilled, I suppose). Yet when Della came along I like to think Abby recognized her own need for female companionship, and that transcended the barriers that should have existed between them. They should have been fighting like, well, cats and dogs. But instead Abby decided to just go with it and have a good time. No matter how fulfilling our relationships with men might be, and no matter what we might think of other women, the fact is that sometimes women need other women.
So, maybe it's all a bit silly, and maybe I'm reading a bit too much into canine/feline relations, but thanks anyway to Abby for reminding me how important my relationships with other women are, and for reminding me that I've got some pretty great girlfriends. We don't sniff each other's rear ends, but we still manage to have a good time.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Moving is Bittersweet ... and Painful
I am officially moved out of my apartment, and this is my first morning living at my parents' house again. I've woken up this morning with aches and pains all over my body, and I can barely walk. I've got to try to unpack and arrange all my crap, but this house is in such a major state of chaos, I don't know where to begin. So I decided to blog about yesterday. :D
The move yesterday was an all day affair. We got up to the apartment around 9:00 or 9:30, and Jessica and I didn't leave the apartment until after 10:00 last night. My parents were particularly awesome yesterday, carrying boxes and furniture up and down stairs at their advanced age ;) No, actually it was really hard for them, but they kept going, and really helped out. Some neighbors of ours also helped--they brought a truck and took down a bunch of my furniture, and helped load a bunch of other odds and ends. I really appreciated them.
Then Jessica and I were left to clean the apartment. We had to make a stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things--light bulbs, drip pans for the stove, etc.--so we also picked up a little something to eat, went back to the apt., and had a little picnic. It was our last meal together in our apartment, and we started talking about all the memories we'd made in this place, and all that had happened over the last year. We snapped a few silly shots of each other with our cell phones, then got back to work. And work we did! That apartment has never been so spotless--even when we first moved in. I had better get my security deposit back, that's all I can say!
Finally it was time to load all our cleaning supplies in the car, turn out all the lights, and leave. I stood there for a minute by myself in the dark before I walked out. As much as I have hated this apartment, I've loved the memories that Jessica and I created there. There were hours of talking and laughing, cooking dinner, and watching countless movies. And even the not-so-pleasant events are morphed by the magic of memory into silly things only to be laughed at. That's what I love about my sister and our relationship: that even when we're mad at each other, we're not really mad at each other; and even when we think the other is asking too much of us, we don't really think that. Because the truth is, I'd do anything for Jessica, and I know she'd do the same for me.
I walked out of the apartment last night, and Jess stood next to me as I put the key into the lock and locked the door for the last time. She went downstairs, and I looked at the door to apartment #19 one last time. Behind the the door was a dark, empty apartment, but in my head I imagined that the apartment was the same as we'd always left it before. I think that's the way I'd rather remember it.
The move yesterday was an all day affair. We got up to the apartment around 9:00 or 9:30, and Jessica and I didn't leave the apartment until after 10:00 last night. My parents were particularly awesome yesterday, carrying boxes and furniture up and down stairs at their advanced age ;) No, actually it was really hard for them, but they kept going, and really helped out. Some neighbors of ours also helped--they brought a truck and took down a bunch of my furniture, and helped load a bunch of other odds and ends. I really appreciated them.
Then Jessica and I were left to clean the apartment. We had to make a stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things--light bulbs, drip pans for the stove, etc.--so we also picked up a little something to eat, went back to the apt., and had a little picnic. It was our last meal together in our apartment, and we started talking about all the memories we'd made in this place, and all that had happened over the last year. We snapped a few silly shots of each other with our cell phones, then got back to work. And work we did! That apartment has never been so spotless--even when we first moved in. I had better get my security deposit back, that's all I can say!
Finally it was time to load all our cleaning supplies in the car, turn out all the lights, and leave. I stood there for a minute by myself in the dark before I walked out. As much as I have hated this apartment, I've loved the memories that Jessica and I created there. There were hours of talking and laughing, cooking dinner, and watching countless movies. And even the not-so-pleasant events are morphed by the magic of memory into silly things only to be laughed at. That's what I love about my sister and our relationship: that even when we're mad at each other, we're not really mad at each other; and even when we think the other is asking too much of us, we don't really think that. Because the truth is, I'd do anything for Jessica, and I know she'd do the same for me.
I walked out of the apartment last night, and Jess stood next to me as I put the key into the lock and locked the door for the last time. She went downstairs, and I looked at the door to apartment #19 one last time. Behind the the door was a dark, empty apartment, but in my head I imagined that the apartment was the same as we'd always left it before. I think that's the way I'd rather remember it.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Montana Continued
OK, so where did we leave off? ... Oh yes, we had just picked up the car rental.
After we picked up the van, I dropped my cousin off at her house so she could pack, then I drove down to Provo to pick up my aunt. She had to run to the store to pick up some things, then we loaded her and her tons of crap (just kidding, she actually had the least crap of any of us) in the van, and headed back to Draper.
The orgininal plan was to get up at 3:00 to load up, then get on the road by 4:00 am. But by the time we got back to my cousin's house it was after 1:00 am, so we just decided to load up and take off right then. So we did.
We left the house around 2 am, and drove all night long. We stopped twice to sleep because both of us were having a hard time keeping our eyes open. The drive through Idaho was fairly uneventful, except for the snow that hit around the ID/MT border. It was sticking to the ground, slush was everywhere, and it really slowed us down. After we crossed into Montana, the weather got a little better, but still not great.
Montana was an interesting place to drive through. There was beautiful scenery, but every little outpost along the way had the same bar/saloon in it--and none of them would let you use their bathrooms unless you bought something from them, which we had to learn the hard way. We pulled off at several of them, only to get back on the freeway as fast as we could, until we reached a desperate situation. Our bladders were full and our gas tank was empty, so we stopped in Clinton, home of a unique and legendary celebration: The Testicle Festival, aka The Testy Festy. Their slogan is, "Have a ball!" and we had to take pictures of all their advertisements, and so forth. I'll share them as soon as I can. The gas station was also the same type of bar we had seen in every other town, and I can now tell you all that I have been in a bar. It was thrilling. Gas was over $4 a gallon there, though, so we only bought a couple until we found a larger town with cheaper gas.
Around 3:00 pm we hit Kalispell and found ourselves in the middle of some kind of freak traffic jam. It was really weird, because I couldn't figure out what so many people were doing on a Thursday afternoon in a town like Kalispell. Oh, and every Kalispell driver (except my cousin) drives at like five miles per hour. It was frustrating in the extreme! My poor cousin got really car sick because I was driving, and trying to pass stupid drivers as fast as I could. I got a little crazy, I admit, but I had reached the end of my traveling rope long before we hit Kalispell, and this traffic jam was like being kicked when down. It was a cheap shot citizens of Kalispell, a cheap shot I say!
Anyway, we finally arrived, and spent the evening catching up, showering, and taking naps. It was good to be out of that van! Well, I'll close for now; in the next post I'll tell you all about the trip to the temple, and what a nice but weird town Cardston, Alberta is.
After we picked up the van, I dropped my cousin off at her house so she could pack, then I drove down to Provo to pick up my aunt. She had to run to the store to pick up some things, then we loaded her and her tons of crap (just kidding, she actually had the least crap of any of us) in the van, and headed back to Draper.
The orgininal plan was to get up at 3:00 to load up, then get on the road by 4:00 am. But by the time we got back to my cousin's house it was after 1:00 am, so we just decided to load up and take off right then. So we did.
We left the house around 2 am, and drove all night long. We stopped twice to sleep because both of us were having a hard time keeping our eyes open. The drive through Idaho was fairly uneventful, except for the snow that hit around the ID/MT border. It was sticking to the ground, slush was everywhere, and it really slowed us down. After we crossed into Montana, the weather got a little better, but still not great.
Montana was an interesting place to drive through. There was beautiful scenery, but every little outpost along the way had the same bar/saloon in it--and none of them would let you use their bathrooms unless you bought something from them, which we had to learn the hard way. We pulled off at several of them, only to get back on the freeway as fast as we could, until we reached a desperate situation. Our bladders were full and our gas tank was empty, so we stopped in Clinton, home of a unique and legendary celebration: The Testicle Festival, aka The Testy Festy. Their slogan is, "Have a ball!" and we had to take pictures of all their advertisements, and so forth. I'll share them as soon as I can. The gas station was also the same type of bar we had seen in every other town, and I can now tell you all that I have been in a bar. It was thrilling. Gas was over $4 a gallon there, though, so we only bought a couple until we found a larger town with cheaper gas.
Around 3:00 pm we hit Kalispell and found ourselves in the middle of some kind of freak traffic jam. It was really weird, because I couldn't figure out what so many people were doing on a Thursday afternoon in a town like Kalispell. Oh, and every Kalispell driver (except my cousin) drives at like five miles per hour. It was frustrating in the extreme! My poor cousin got really car sick because I was driving, and trying to pass stupid drivers as fast as I could. I got a little crazy, I admit, but I had reached the end of my traveling rope long before we hit Kalispell, and this traffic jam was like being kicked when down. It was a cheap shot citizens of Kalispell, a cheap shot I say!
Anyway, we finally arrived, and spent the evening catching up, showering, and taking naps. It was good to be out of that van! Well, I'll close for now; in the next post I'll tell you all about the trip to the temple, and what a nice but weird town Cardston, Alberta is.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Fun Adventures
Good evening (or morning, or afternoon as the case may be). I write to all my devotees from almost the tippy-tip-top of the U.S. of A. I'm in Kalispell, Montana, to be specific, and what, you may ask, am I doing here? Well, tomorrow morning, bright and early, we drive across the U.S./Canada border to attend the temple with my cousin, who will be going through for the first time. It's an exciting time, and we're very proud of her, but we've had quite an adventure getting up here. Let me begin at the beginning ...
Yesterday, I spent the day in Logan with my coworkers. We completed our disaster training by destroying things--books, fur, photos, maps, newspapers, etc. We dumped them in tubs of water and practiced drying them to get some hands on experience in what might happen after a disaster. It was all kinds of fun throwing our trainer for a loop with the odd things we brought to play with. After the requisite visits to Pepperidge Farm and Gossner's Cheese factory, we returned to Ogden, and I returned to my apartment for last minute getting-ready-ness. By about seven we were on our way to Draper to begin our trip to Montana.
Why Draper you ask? Well, Jess and I aren't the only ones on this trip. We've traveled with a cousin, her son, and an aunt, and we had to head down to Draper to run errands, pick people up, and ultimately, pick up our car rental. At 10 p.m. we got to the airport where our car rental was waiting for us. Only we hit a small snag. Turns out the company we rented from requires proof of insurance if you don't purchase theirs, and we were completely unprepared for that. My cousin had purchased some insurance online when she reserved the car, but was planning on using her personal auto insurance to cover the liability on the rental. When the lady asked for her insurance card we almost panicked. We were exhausted, we still had a full night ahead of us, we had never heard of a rental agency asking for proof of insurance, and now we were facing the real possibility of returning to Draper to pick up her insurance card, then coming back to get the rental. Fortunately, the rental lady offered us a complimentary upgrade to a minivan to make up for the unexpected expense of purchasing their insurance. In the end, I'm completely glad we got the van, because I don't know how we would have made this trip with the five of us and all our crap in car--even a full size one.
I must pause the story telling for the time being, as there are preparations I must make for tomorrow, and this post is already long enough. Coming up, look for tales of sleep deprivation, gasoline woes, an excess of bars and saloons, and an interesting local festival where one can "Have a ball!" All in the next installment of MELISSA'S MONTANA MEANDERINGS!
Yesterday, I spent the day in Logan with my coworkers. We completed our disaster training by destroying things--books, fur, photos, maps, newspapers, etc. We dumped them in tubs of water and practiced drying them to get some hands on experience in what might happen after a disaster. It was all kinds of fun throwing our trainer for a loop with the odd things we brought to play with. After the requisite visits to Pepperidge Farm and Gossner's Cheese factory, we returned to Ogden, and I returned to my apartment for last minute getting-ready-ness. By about seven we were on our way to Draper to begin our trip to Montana.
Why Draper you ask? Well, Jess and I aren't the only ones on this trip. We've traveled with a cousin, her son, and an aunt, and we had to head down to Draper to run errands, pick people up, and ultimately, pick up our car rental. At 10 p.m. we got to the airport where our car rental was waiting for us. Only we hit a small snag. Turns out the company we rented from requires proof of insurance if you don't purchase theirs, and we were completely unprepared for that. My cousin had purchased some insurance online when she reserved the car, but was planning on using her personal auto insurance to cover the liability on the rental. When the lady asked for her insurance card we almost panicked. We were exhausted, we still had a full night ahead of us, we had never heard of a rental agency asking for proof of insurance, and now we were facing the real possibility of returning to Draper to pick up her insurance card, then coming back to get the rental. Fortunately, the rental lady offered us a complimentary upgrade to a minivan to make up for the unexpected expense of purchasing their insurance. In the end, I'm completely glad we got the van, because I don't know how we would have made this trip with the five of us and all our crap in car--even a full size one.
I must pause the story telling for the time being, as there are preparations I must make for tomorrow, and this post is already long enough. Coming up, look for tales of sleep deprivation, gasoline woes, an excess of bars and saloons, and an interesting local festival where one can "Have a ball!" All in the next installment of MELISSA'S MONTANA MEANDERINGS!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Moving Out
Cupcake, my co-worker, has been after me for a while now to update my blog. I guess she just finds it that fascinating ;) There hasn't been a great deal for me to comment on lately, but I'll try to find something to write about because I'm the only one at work and am really, really bored right now.
First off, the school semester: it's over, I passed both classes, I rejoiced. Summer school is in session, however I am not attending. I just didn't want to, ok? I will be back in school this fall taking a history class and another class called Museum Methods. We'll be studying how to work in museums, which will be all kinds of fun and excitement. Plus, I'm taking the class with cupcake, and we both like the teacher. She's nice--the teacher, I mean, but cupcake's nice too.
Second, as the title of this blog entry states, my sister and I are moving out of our apartment. Where are we moving to, you ask? Back home with our parents. I know it would appear that I'm regressing, but actually I think this will be the best thing for all of us right now. There are some possible changes for our family on the horizon, and I think Jess and I need to be home. Plus, I just miss everyone, and I hate our apartment.
----------
OK, I started this a few days ago, but didn't finish it. I don't remember where I was going with all of this, but I have lots of new things to talk about, so I'm going to post this, then create a new post to update you on all my fun adventures.
First off, the school semester: it's over, I passed both classes, I rejoiced. Summer school is in session, however I am not attending. I just didn't want to, ok? I will be back in school this fall taking a history class and another class called Museum Methods. We'll be studying how to work in museums, which will be all kinds of fun and excitement. Plus, I'm taking the class with cupcake, and we both like the teacher. She's nice--the teacher, I mean, but cupcake's nice too.
Second, as the title of this blog entry states, my sister and I are moving out of our apartment. Where are we moving to, you ask? Back home with our parents. I know it would appear that I'm regressing, but actually I think this will be the best thing for all of us right now. There are some possible changes for our family on the horizon, and I think Jess and I need to be home. Plus, I just miss everyone, and I hate our apartment.
----------
OK, I started this a few days ago, but didn't finish it. I don't remember where I was going with all of this, but I have lots of new things to talk about, so I'm going to post this, then create a new post to update you on all my fun adventures.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Jane Austen Presentation
I gave a presentation in class today about Jane Austen and her development as a writer, and I proved myself to be a very great geek. :) Of course, my friends and family all know about my obsessive geekiness when it comes to Austen, but my class didn't really know the extent of it. Now they do.
I was going to try posting the PowerPoint presentation I used today, but I think that will be far more complicated than I really feel like dealing with now. Instead, here's a link (I hope) to a scanned copy of Jane Austen's brilliant satire of British history, written when she was about 15 or 16 years old. (Once you click on the link below, click on "Jane Austen's Early Work" and the window with the scans will pop up.) Enjoy!
A Brief History of England
I was going to try posting the PowerPoint presentation I used today, but I think that will be far more complicated than I really feel like dealing with now. Instead, here's a link (I hope) to a scanned copy of Jane Austen's brilliant satire of British history, written when she was about 15 or 16 years old. (Once you click on the link below, click on "Jane Austen's Early Work" and the window with the scans will pop up.) Enjoy!
A Brief History of England
Saturday, March 29, 2008
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