roxy

last weekend j-town and the cheese, stayed with us. having dr. w's brother and his fiancee nearby in virginia is great. we've gotten to hang out a bunch of times, and i'm excited (and honored) that dr. wintermute and i will both be in their wedding parties next summer.

we were celebrating j-town's birthday, which included a lot of sight-seeing and nice gourmet cookout by dr. wintermute. over the course of the weekend, we were also hosting their new doggie, roxy. now, i could sense when i walked in the door friday night after being on the road all week, that dr. w, j-town, and the cheese were collectively holding their breath. i have a bit of reputation for not being a big dog person. some of that reputation was deserved and some of it not. just to clear the record:

1. i'm not afraid of dogs
2. dogs do make me a bit anxious
3. i don't love dogs
4. but that doesn't mean i dislike them

now, admittedly, i foster some of my reputation. i make fun of myself and exaggerate the degree to which dogs are man-eaters. i also have a tendency to bag on dog-owners who don't respect public spaces. there are leash laws for a reason. sure, you find your dog adorable, and there's less than a 1% chance the dog will bite, much less snip at anyone else. in your own backyard, let your dog run free. at the park, keep him on the leash.

anyway, i'm fine with dogs. i think some folks mistake my lack of wrestling with dogs, letting them lick my face, or talking in baby voice means i'm a cold-hearted bastard. sorry to disagree, but that's not the case.

anyway, i walk in the door, and meet roxy. no big deal. i think they're shocked that i don't spit and scream. the weekend is fine. having a dog around is fine. i'll admit, i didn't have to any of the hardwork (e.g., walking the dog at 8:00 am). i'm happy to have roxy at our place anytime.