jeanie's passing

Jeanie passed away after a short bout of illness in May, and it has been some time but the grief and pain of losing her still lingers. It feels more than just a Jeanie-shaped hole inside, as there is also the urge to just give in to the helpless feeling and sit around moping aimlessly. I am also torn between reading about dogs (and cats), which usually make me feel better; and being reminded about her and her antics, which really gets me down. I thought about getting another dog, but don't really feel up to it.

I guess the fact is i really miss her. She was the most amazing animal i've ever met and nothing can replace her. Aside from being with me the longest, she was the most intelligent companion pet (the list of nominees include a maltese, a german shepard, a scottish terrier and a rottweiler cross (fish disqualified due to inability to quantify their intelligence)) and was the best company I could ever have in a difficult period: living alone away from home in a foreign land, coping with going back to school, relationship breakups, and more. Of some comfort is the fact that our daughter met Jeanie and remembers her, pointing and naming her in pictures we display.

One dream of ours (more mine than hers) was to retire to a farm and breed border collies or host a boarding kennel, but the funny thing about that is the image in my mind is that Jeanie was always there with me, by my side. I reach down unconciously when i think of her and the absence of a furry black head or a wet nose nuzzling my hand occupies that space the dream once stood.

Smurfs.....

So there is now a remake of Smurfs (and a revival) with the upcoming Smurfs movie (in 3D!), and lots of people are reliving their childhood and/or introducing the joy of little blue men (not to be confused with the wee free men of the Discworld) to their offspring or the nearest kid they can find. =)

My own memories of the smurfs are similarly childhoodish, and can recall setting the VCR to record these shows so that i could watch it, and then rewatch it over and over again. In fact, it was through the Smurfs that i discovered the joys of remixes. One of my first tapes was the Smurfs Christmas Party, which you can listen to sample tracks here. I marvelled at how funky the remade Christmas carols sounded and wanted to experiment for myself, as up to that point in time, I had been playing music strictly to score (score is king!). Like a Terry Pratchett novel, it opened my eyes to the possibility of existing stuff done or viewed in a new way, and how to share this exciting variant mutant hybrid with other people. So began my musical journey into expressing myself, although it can be viewed as starting steps into the world of jazz. LOL

doggie IQ

I read this post on my (now) favourite blog/comic/cartoon/entertainmment/light reading/i need to laugh moment and was reminded that Jeanie took the same test and did pretty well. No, i'm not crowing or lording it up, i think that however smart or silly your dog is, they are still lovable all the same and nothing can make them waver from their fierce loyalty....except maybe biscuits or treats if they're partial to that......but still, a loyalty that is unmatched. Try that with a cat. LOL

Speaking of Jeanie, she turns 13 this year, and needless to say, we're very happy for her. Her bout with tick fever 5 years ago has faded into a distant memory, and aside from some slowing down (especially on the stairs), she's still the same cheeky bright-eyed dog who always has a wag in her tail for us, and a kiss if we wanted. Ah, i miss her so now. =)

the Blackbird

Continuing on a military slant, came across quite a few posts on the Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird.

This aircraft was the creme de la creme of its time, and still holds records in speed til this day (march 3!), so it was nice to read some 'behind the scenes' type of stories, like this one from a pilot about flying it (into Libya?!), and this one from a pilot about a training excercise (and the art of speaking softly but flying fastest).

Best picture so far has to come from Lockheed Martin themselves.