I am blind and my dog is dead

Ways I am Like a German Shepherd:
-German ancestry
-Commonly connected to security, drugs and war
-Some people find intimidating, scary
-Precisely bred to be a hard worker and awesome
-Long hair, though somewhat rare
-Known for intelligence and loyalty
-A favorite among dog lovers
-Sometimes hangs out at dog parks
-Strong jaw, with scissor-like bite
-Double coat
-Bond well with children with whom familiar
-Aloof
-Approachable, but not usually friendly with strangers
-Over-protective of family when not socialized appropriately
-Arthritis
-Bloat
-Prone to ear infections
-Starred in 80s German sitcoms
-Occasionally work with Will Smith or Joaquin Phoenix
-Love of meat

How I am Like Blind People:
-Can't see well
-Enjoys music
-Frequently runs into walls, door frames, or stubs toes
-Sometimes seen with dogs
-Have a favorite breed of dog, specifically, German Shepherds
-Occasionally associated with Tiresias
-Used as a metaphor in a Bob Dylan song
-Similarities to Geordi la Forge

Hoarding

Things I currently hoard:

-emails

-txtmsgs

-cupcakes

-cards, letters

-receipts, bills

-schoolwork

-blogs I write in

-blogs I read

-books

Things I will hoard in the future:

-okapi

-cats

-dogs

-tigers

-animals in general

-more cupcakes

-viking furniture

-cooler books, like the ones they put on display at IKEA but don't seem to sell, much to my chagrin

-foreign films

-j crew

Goupil (Renard)

Animals I feel a particular bond with:

-Foxes

-Cats

-Dogs

-Wolves

-Sparrowhawks

-Peacocks

-Polar bears

-Horses

-Humans, occasionally, but mostly of the child or naive varieties

-Cheetahs

Why I love Dogs:

-They are awesome

-They are so cute

-They are so loyal

-They are so smart

-They are so loving

-They are so fluffy (the good kinds of dogs are)

-They intimidate strangers

-They are so funny

-They are so warm and cuddly

-They make funny facial expressions when trying to figure out what you are eating and whether or not they will also be eating it with you

-They get so excited about things that seem so basic (food, walking outside, when you come home, when you go into the closet to get a coat and not their leash)

-They are so good at empathizing with humans

-When trained well, they are so obedient

-They have such individual personalities manifest in everything they do

-They sometimes slobber and drool all over the place

-They react really funny if you make animal noises and pretend you didn't to tease them

-They learn quickly when food is involved

-They start their lives as puppies, which are also known as one of the cutest creatures in the animal kingdom, as well as one of the fluffiest

Why I think I am similar to the fox:

-Red hair (don't even dare think that I'm not a redhead)

-Clever

-Looks better in winter for some reason

-Quiet

-Sarcastic (because foxes totally would be sarcastic if they told jokes)

-Loyal (Cf. Le Petit Prince)

-Known for lying (Cf. Le Roman de Renart)

-Trickster

-Ancestor to the chihuahua?

-Known for eating lots of chicken

-On average, consumes 1 kilo of food every day

-Cache excess food for later consumption

-Ruined the Australian wildlife system by driving certain animals to distinction

-Smells different when domesticated

-Sometimes considered to have magical powers in folklore

-Hunted mostly only in Anglo-Saxon countries, but also Italy, France and Russia

-Occasionally catches awful diseases, like Rabies or Mono

-Typically lives in small family groups

Riddles

Things that are absolutely true about me:

-I have red hair

-I absolutely love dogs

-I really, really, really like runny yolks

-I enjoy talking about several subjects without getting tired of them: Europe, France, French music, food, socialism, pop culture

-I am lazy and enjoy procrastinating

-I tend to blame other people for things (ie if someone is insulted by my sense of humor, it's because they're too sensitive, have a bad sense of humor, or something along those lines)

-I hate mingling

-I like people, for the most part

-I stare at strangers too much and don't particularly like eye contact when I'm talking, ironically

-I generally prefer the ridiculous to the serious

My life the past six years

Things I like about Utah Valley:

-Lots of ethnic food everywhere

-Lots of people who speak random languages and lived in random places everywhere

-Easy to make fun of

-Pretty safe

-Great spring and summer

-All four seasons (it has its pros and cons)

-People tend to be pretty smart overall

-Not having to feel weird for being a Mormon

-Cool mountains

-IKEA close-by

-Not having to worry about people getting drunk and thus fairly annoying pretty quickly
-International Cinema

-Peaches in the summer

Things I don't particularly like about Utah Valley:

-Snow. Too much. For too long.

-Everyone looks too nice; there's too much pressure to be perfect outwardly

-Lots of judging (based on outward appearances)

-No options for a nightlife

-Movies frequently and unnecessarily edited

-Far from most of my family

-Dogs aren't allowed in nearly all student housing

-Being contrary (argumentative) is considered a sin, at least socially if not morally

-Everything has significant potential to be awkward

Animals

These are the cool animals:

-dogs

-cats

-tigers

-cheetahs

-wolves

-leopards

-humans

-dolphins (the puppies of the sea)

-killer whales (when not killing)

-flying squirrels

-regular-type whales

-narwhals (the unicorns of the sea)

-horses (how else are we to measure the speed of our cars, after all?)

-owls

These are the uncool animals:

-birds

-lizards

-rodents

-geese (just uncool enough to be mentioned specially. They are mean)

Merci

Things I Am Grateful For:
-Dogs
-Entertaining movies
-Good movies
-Good food
-Good family
-Sufficient time to procrastinate
-The time to go home for a weekend in the middle of a semester
-Critical theory
-Humor
-Things/people that/who are funny without knowing it
-Ice cream
-Dark chocolate
-Asparagus
-Salmon
-In-N-Out
-France (the country)
-J Crew
-Warm clothes in winter
-Dentists who fix bad teeth as best as they can
-Doctors
-Good eyeglasses
-Jewelry
-Watches
-Cell phones
-Arguments about stupid things (how else would I pass my time?)
-Music
-When dogs have those dreams where they're chasing something and their legs twitch like crazy
-Papers that are challenging (but worth the effort)

My Passions:
-Thinking of ideas for new blogs (I've got a few ideas that I'll implement some day)
-Dogs
-Movies about dogs
-Medieval history
-Medieval manuscripts
-Learning
-Laughing
-Martha Stewart

Accomplishments This Weekend:
-Eating out for four meals within three days, and eating leftovers for two days
-Practicing tango and gafiera for the first time in a long, long time
-Going to SLC with the roommates
-Shopping in SLC (I got a cardigan, belt and shoes-- all on sale)
-Visit teaching (yes.. it was done the last Sunday of the month, but at least it was done...)
-Eating little sugar (I did cave and eat banana muffins tonight)