Shelter Day!

EAS has accepted a four month old puppy in a case of abuse, who has a femur snapped in half. It makes me so very angry that someone could do that to a puppy. I just don't even know what to say or do. It hurts my heart and my brain.

On the opposite side, when I go in tonight, I'll be bringing a couple dozen 'doggie bags.' They are giveaway bags from Red Door Animal Shelter big fundraising event that I helped photograph. Since I'm involved with EAS, they told me to take a bunch with for the shelter! Thank you Red Door!

About those regularly scheduled Stormdog activities

After a week or so of spending a great deal of time on the couch, sleeping next to Danae, hugging stuffed animals, or eating chocolate and ice cream, I'm back to real life today. Which is good, because half my jeans are getting too tight at this point. It's definitely time to get back to following my daily task list and monitoring my food again.

Plus, this weekend is going to be full of adventure! I think I'm in a good enough state of mind to be ready for it.

On Saturday, I'm riding in World Naked Bike Ride: Chicago for the third time. Miriam is going to do body paint for me again, assuming it doesn't look like rain. I'm going to bike to downtown from Evanston, do the ride, and then bike back. Then, on Sunday, I'm riding a forty mile route for Tour de Cure, as a fundraiser to fight diabetes and find a cure! (You still have time to donate!) I expect to get five or six hours of sleep that night because check in is at 8:30 AM in Aurora.

Today, I drove up to my parents' place in Kenosha, where I picked up the MonkeyLectric lights from my other bike that I want with me for the naked ride. Since I was there, I did my laundry and took their dog, Wonka, on a walk to Lake Michigan and back. Then I brushed him out in the side yard. Drive-by dog grooming! I picked up a few staples at Woodman's, too. So many good reasons to go to Kenosha, even when I don't get to see people there I care about, which is the best reason of them all.

My Partner, the Doctoral Candidate

Perhaps the best news of all to share right now though, is that after so much intense work and deep stress, Danae has passed all of her qualifying exams and is officially a Ph.D candidate! She came into a field that many of her peers had significantly more experience in and through her curiosity, passion, and grueling work, has made it her own. Her recognition as a capable and skilled academic does not surprise me, but it makes me so very happy for her, and proud of her strength and perseverance. We have both of us been dealing with various levels of mental health problems for the past while, and successes like this not only make those experiences feel worthwhile, but they validate our strength in overcoming them. I love you, dear one!