Doggie Custody

Max was only a couple of weeks old and probably 8 inches in length when he was found roaming the streets.

I gladly welcomed him into my, well my parents', home, despite mom and dad's various attempts to convince me otherwise. According to them, I'd never be responsible enough to take care of him.

He slept on my bed the first night, and I was ever so careful to not roll over and, er, kill him.

In the middle of a dream, I was awaken by tiny paws scratching my head. Max was informing me that it was time for a midnight walk

For the weeks that followed, I trained Max to pee on pee-pee pads (and then later outside) and, of course, the whole "sit, lie, paw, up" trick.

My parents, whom at first gave me the silent treatment for days because I chose to ignore their request, slowly became fond of Max.

My dad, a man who often shows little signs of affection to human beings, actually grew to love my dog. He'd play with him, talk to him and, though he won't ever admit it, I swear I saw him hug and kiss Max one day.

And with that said, the issue at hand is the following:

I am no longer living with my parents. After having Max at my folks' house for three years, I've moved and taken him with me, against my parents will.

I know my move is tough on my parents; I was the last child to "leave the nest."

My siblings suggested I leave Max so that ma and pa have some sort of company, and I know their reasoning for this is legitimate, but, um, what about ME? At least my parents have each other. I have no one here in Jensen Beach, the city I'm a new resident of.

A solution to the dilemma, I think, would be shared custody of Maxy: two weeks in Miami, two in Jensen Beach.

Though it sounds like a terrific idea to me, I wonder ...

Will this have a negative effect on my dog, like it does on children with divorced parents that share custody? Aww, my poor Max. :(

8 things on my bucket list

8. Free falling. I'm dying to sky dive or bungee jump (I'd SO bungee jump naked!). I think it'd become an addiction after doing it. Any volunteers wanna come with?


7. Get hitched. I know I'm always saying marriage may not be for me, but I guess those were my bitter days. Someone recently told me humans are not meant to be alone, and I think he may be right. Marriage should definitely be in my distant (very distant!) future.

6. Get my own book published. I wrote the first couple chapters to a novel during my sophomore year of college. I started it as a school project for my creative writing class but continued it as a hobby. My professor said it was great and when my friends read it, some cried and others got goose bumps. They told me I should definitely finish it, and I think I will.

5. Run a marathon. There's nothing like runner's high. I've already ran the distance of a half marathon and it feels like such an accomplishment. Time to step it up. After all, if Buster Martin did it at age 101, anyone can.

4. Ride a camel...In Egypt. Honestly, how amazing would that be!?


3. "We're going streaking!" C'mon, you know you wanna do it, too. "Through the quad and to the gymnasium."

2. Make a difference. I just got the privilege of writing a story about 102 teenagers who are spending a week out of their summer providing free labor to people in need. I wanna do that. For a year. Peace Corps, maybe?

1. See my grandkids. :)

9 things I've learned (so far) while living alone for the first time

9. Things can get really lonely sometimes. Especially when you're in a city far from home and you don't know too many people. It's important to pick a hobby and be social. I've taken this time alone to paint, run, watch new TV shows and occasionally bar hop by myself and make new friends.

8. Never EVER leave dirty dishes in the sink over night. I left one dirty cup in the sink over the weekend while I was in Miami, and when I got home, I had little critter pets all over the place. It was gross, in deed.

7. Sand is extremely hard to clean up. There's still sand in my tub, carpet and couch, even though I've vacuumed and scrubbed way too many times :(.

6. Ya don't always have to flush. Concerve water.

5. Walking around naked is freakin' fun. Nuff said.

4. However, make sure the blinds are closed. That lawn mower man can get awfulllyyyy close to the window sometimes and I must say I think he's gotten a free show of me dancing nude in my room.

3. Groceries are expensive. I spent over $50 the other day on fruits, cereal, plugins, salad and noodles. Seriously? That's pretty ridiculous considering some of the fruit went bad and I barely eat cereal. Go with the generic brand and don't shop while hungry! Also, make a list and stick to it!!!
 
2. Do take out the trash often, even if it's not full. The smell of crap really sucks.
 

1. Be free. Living alone is so liberating. There's no one to nag about your messy room, no one to intrude on your privacy and no one to judge you for singing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun while painting naked in the living room. Everyone should live alone at one point simply beacause it's liberating and allows for personal growth.