fog
The morning fog is back and it's down to the mid-thirties again, though it's supposed to be 62 later today. Hmm. My wardrobe is deginitely underprepared for this weather. I have about 15 sweaters and only 5 long-sleeved T's or button-downs.

I had a great weekend with the boy. Saturday, we didn't haul ourselves out of bed until 11AM and then spent the day preparing for our "Spaghetti feed" later in the evening, shopping for ground bison, veggies and pasta. I read while Justin cooked a delicious sauce. Then we went rock climbing together for several hours before dinner so we'd be sufficiently hungered to chow on pasta, salad, bread and wine.

Micah, Rachel, Justin and I all watched Hedwig and the Angry Inch for the first time. 'Twas the rockingist film, and much more accessible than Rocky Horror, even though they have similar followings. I was totally in awe of Hedwig's makeup.

Sunday J and I got up a whole two hours earlier and had breakfast at the Original House of Pancakes. Then we headed over to the UO campus to visit the public opening of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. I give the UO art museum thumbs-up for tasteful exhibits and a palatable size.

After we were all arty-farted out, we ran some errands (or rather, Justin played errand boy for me), read while dinner cooked, watched and episode of Ebichu, the Housekeeping Hamster, read more and took a nap.

Before Justin left, we did some collaboration on the article I'm having him assist with for my thesis project. Turns out that one of the best students and practitioners of traditional Japanese swordmaking in America is located in Oregon, 'bout 120 miles southwest of here. If we can get an interview with the dude at his forge, this story will be solid and sellable. Wewt.

Was a great weekend, nice enough to be worth chronicling here.

I found out last week, somewhat to my chagrin that my "family" got a dog. The quotes are there for a reason. Technically my sister bought the dog, is training it and paying all expenses. But she's (here's the chagrin part) going to some unknown college in the fall and will be spending her first year (at least) in the dorms, during which time the dog will stay at home. That's not to say the pup will be neglected. Though both my parents work, my littlest sister will still be coming and going from elementary school, and with all her older sisters in college she'll be getting some much-needed companionship and training in personal responsibility.

Here's what gets me. If it were my parents who'd acquiesced and purchased the pup, I'd have no beef with it. But sis here is getting the dog with full intention of passing it off in a few months. Even during that time, it will be spending time bonding with family members other than her. When she goes off to college, that dog won't be hers anymore. Yeah, animal loyalties can shift back and forth, but Justin saw the same thing with his sheepdog-- he went to Montana to visit his dad for a summer and when he came back Buddy's loyalties lay solely with his mom.

That, and purchasing a pet without a solid plan for living and income seems rather impulsive to me. Most people don't realize how much pets can and do cost per year. A month after I got my cat, he developed an abscess on his back and cost me a $300 trip to the emergency room. With food, treats, litter, toys and vet visits combined, he still probably only costs me $250 or so a year, but you can double that for a dog. My sister's probably well aware of this: she works in a pet store. But regardless, that job won't be hers for much longer. She has no idea what the responsibitilies of college will be like, much less what the responsibilities of keeping one's own house (with rent, bills, etc) included will cost and the time it will consume.

I got my cat only after I'd been living in a house for a few months, and then with a few reservations. I felt like an asshole leaving him when I went overseas-- but at least he had another parent. My other sister, who is college-aged at the moment, is also considering a pet once she moves into a house. I gave her all the cost-benefits for careful consideration. Maybe I'm just speaking from the perspective of someone with a co-dependent cat, but I really think that keeping a pet is a lot closer to child-rearing than many people realize. I'm against breeding without forethought, and in my mind buying a pet on a whim is the same as popping out a baby without thinking about it. Both you and the child will be damaged in the end.

This little Schepperke (named Lilu, after The 5th Element <3) won't be for any lack of love. This sister also a high-energy person, and while I still don't think she's got a full grasp of the responsibility she'll be facing with college, a dog, and an apartment, she at least is willing to pursue menial labor to make ends meet. So nobody's losing out... and I'm not really PO'ed as much as it may seem (sorry Liz) but the news is worth sharing with the rant, if just because I think everyone ought to keep their local Humane Society in mind when thinking about pets-- both because they need homes, and because they're there because some other poor fool couldn't handle the responsibility.