RIP Buddy

Folks, my dog, and occasional guest blogger, passed away today. Rather, my mom and I made the decision to put him down. He was sick, and after 14 years and nearly three months of taking care of the rest of us, it was time for me to take care of him one last time, and let him go. He shouldn't have been made to spend his last months sick, unable to do the things he loved to do. That would be cruel. So today, he left.

Now, he can eat pizza crusts, cheerios, and dozens of chocolate chip cookies to his heart's content. I just hope someone's there to take him for a walk, because I can't anymore. And that's what I think I'll miss the most. Some of my happiest memories are going to be of walking with the dog, him constantly pulling at the leash, constantly stopping to sniff every tree, as I tried to tug him along in exasperation. We both knew I'd let him get what he wanted though, and he did. In reality, he was always walking me.

Aside from our walks, I think the thing I'll remember the most is just sitting with Buddy in the basement of my mom's house, where he was a constant presence. As he got older, I think the dog and I got closer, and as I got wrapped up with the stresses of young adulthood and law school, the dog was always there to help reduce that. Distinctly, I recall a night a year or so back where I had had a very traumatic event happen, an event involving a young woman who was very special to me. As I returned home early in the morning, quite distraught, I remember being happily surprised to see that the dog, hearing my arrival, had woke up and come downstairs. Once there, he just sat next to me. And then, as if sensing my need for comic relief, as he headed back upstairs to bed, he ran into a half-closed door in the dark. Needless to say, once I determined he was alright, it was rather funny...

There's only so much you can say though. In the end, Buddy has been my friend, my best friend, since I was 12. That's more than half my life. And now, all of a sudden, he is gone, and of course that is painful. It will be so very difficult to, for the first time in years, experience a stress-free dinner without a whiny dog in my lap begging for food. It will be hard to not have a dog to walk. Mainly though, it will be hard to not have a dog to understand.

Maybe that was the thing about Buddy. For all his youthful craziness, and strange quirks (such as taking his food out of his bowl, placing it on the floor, and then eating it), he always understood. And I'll miss him terribly for that. It's comforting to know that he lived so long, and so well. That he saw his entire family in the weeks before his passing, and that when it came, my mom and I could be with him.

So, in celebration of a long and beautiful life, here's to you Bud. I'll see you again in a while... and I'll let you have my pizza crusts.

Fine Dining

Internet friends, sometimes we do things where we look back and think to ourselves, "what the hell was I thinking." I daresay I had one of those moments today. A few months ago, I agreed with a friend from law school that to celebrate our graduation, we would have lunch at the KFC buffet. Why? I have no idea. Today though, I ate my words... and then some.

Now, just for the record, I haven't been to KFC in years - I'd say at least six. So, I don't want any misimpressions created that I make it a habit of dining with the Colonel. That would be a falsity. In fact, I think I made a vow not to return to KFC six years ago, when I nearly slipped and fell on the layer of grease that coated the entire floor of the restaurant. But, a pact is a pact, and I committed myself to this, so I went today. Loyalty is the most important thing.

I think there are two things that any novice must know about the KFC buffet.

1 - You get your hand stamped with a tiny Colonel Sanders

2 - There is an entire tray of fried gizzards

There you go folks. Let your imagination run wild. And by run wild, I mean stuff your face with instant mashed potatoes, gelatinous gravy, plastic-textured mac and cheese, and buckets upon buckets of fried chicken, such that neither your imagination nor your body can run for days. And how could I forget the biscuits and "buttery spread." Oh my, the buttery spread...

Needless to say, I am in a poor state of body at the moment. Three styrofoam plates will do that to a man. In my defence, one of those plates contained applesauce.

The thing was, despite the strange desire to vomit, I think the two of us walked out of that restaurant healthier than any other patrons. That's because the KFC buffet is perhaps the greatest venue for suburban people watching known to man. And fortunately for you, readers, I had a perfect vantage point to see everyone in the restaurant.

Perhaps it is best to start with the observation that very rarely do you see so many single men eating plate upon plate of fried chicken by themselves. In fairness, they may all have had very fulfilling personal lives with lovely women (or men) whom they went home to. However, at KFC, they were alone. Therefore, for ease of storytelling and hilarity, they were single. Then again, I was there with another guy, who I picked up at his apartment, so for all intents and purposes, we were on a man-date. Anyway, moving on.

There were a surprising number of Single Men who came to the KFC buffet on their lunch break, quickly loosening their ties and rolling their sleeves as they heaped chicken upon chicken upon biscuit upon their sagging styrofoam plates. You could always spot them on account of their chicken guts spilling over the top of their pleated khaki pants. The white collar Single Men were very impressive to me, as I can't imagine going back into an office after eating my weight in fried chicken. It's difficult enough sitting alone in a dark basement... my life is almost as awesome.

Anyway, there were a couple of lovely ladies also enjoying a plate or two of chicken, as well as a group of Asian college students who were seemingly having a competition over who could eat the most. The guy sitting directly behind us was a painter, and he took much joy in tearing through a number of chicken breasts - at first with a fork, then he decided to just go for the gold and use his fingers.

However, the piécè de résistance was Single Man with the t-shirt tucked into the jeans and the bluetooth in his ear. This titan of the KFC buffet was a fellow who immediately grabbed two (2) buffet plates, and loaded one up with chicken, and the other up with mac and cheese, potatoes, and corn. He then proceeded to squeeze (yes, this happened because I watched him do it) ten (10) packets of hot sauce onto the concoction, before stirring it all up with a plastic spork. He then proceeded to tear each chicken breast apart (by hand), and use the chicken as a utensil to eat the plate of shit he had just created. Simply incredible - a veritable fast food artist.

I'm certain there's some deep truth to all of this, something that I'm missing. I suppose the folks depicted in my story would take offence to being characterized the way they are - they would probably rightly conclude that they are being judged on a completely arbitrary and capricious occurrence. After all, maybe this was their first time to the KFC buffet in six years too. Any other potential blogger would have looked at me, stuffing my face with mounds of chicken, and come to a similar conclusion: that I led a sad existence. Undoubtedly though, and this is something to be admired, the people who have the bravery, nay courage, to eat at the KFC buffet are people who either have an abiding sense of self worth, or they are very good at faking it. Because you cannot have any shame to eat there.

I feel ashamed though. I thought I was stronger, but the KFC buffet put me in my place. I think I'll have a pear for dinner.

Band of the Week

Since I don't have time to write an Album of the Week review, a simple "Band of the Week" will have to do.





The first and only time I've ever been so compelled as to purchase an album off of iTunes on my future phone. God bless England, and may her bluesy rockers live forevermore.

Destination: List

In all my leisure time (irony) since becoming a Doctor of Jurisprudence, I've been thinking quite a bit about the travels I should like to take. Never mind the daily torture session of studying for the bar exam, never mind unreliable French lawyers, never mind 175 pages of Swedish arbitral bs to respond to. I just want to go on a trip.

As a result, and in no particular order, a list of sorts.

1 - Patagonia, Argentina



2 - Singapore



3 - Plitvice Lakes, Croatia



4 - Shanghai, China



5 - Glacier National Park



6 - Yosemite National Park



7 - England (never will get tired)



8 - The Alhambra, Spain



9 - Hawai'i



10 - Serengeti



Well, that's today's list. Tomorrow's is subject to change.

Space Shuttle

If you click "play" on this video, I guarantee you will watch all 13 minutes. Absolutely mesmerizing - why don't we fund this?