Shoring up a spotty memory,

Reading and thinking.

2014-05-01T19:23:51Z

On a couple of prior posts, I had people commenting that there's some older scifi that's worth reading for disability related input. I haven't gotten to Starship Troopers, but I have read Barrayar and The Warrior's Apprentice. As the library didn't have Cordelia's Honor on audiobook, I started with the 2nd book in the series. (I am now worried that if I go back to read Cordelia's Honor, I'm going to hate Bothari...)

In Barrayar, I was surprised at how much I cared about the characters. I wasn't sure I was going to last through the political wrangling (not my usual speed), but then the coup happened and shit hit the fan and I was hooked.

I really felt for Cordelia, and while I don't have a maternal bone in my body, I understand and empathize with her fierce protectiveness.

Miles, as he spans from the ending scenes of Barrayar to the end of The Warrior's Apprentice is interesting on several levels. I think medical knowledge has moved on a bit, so I had a couple of times where my brain chunked over plot points, but not bad enough to toss me out of the story.

I find it interesting that Bothari's fractured personality and mental health issues (some of which were inflicted on him) weren't mentioned as vital to the story lines, nor was Koudelka's imperfectly artificial nervous system, just Miles' disabilities. Bujold does a decent job of trying to make space for people of different abilities in her worlds.

Having been introduced to Bothari after he's been mind-screwed to the point that he's in pain if he tries to remember things, I may over-empathize with him. I'm still dealing with the after effects of a concussion that means that I don't remember things easily, as I once did, and that thinking too hard about anything gives me a headache more than two years after. So, instant "I know that feeling!" connection... with a rapist, sadist, torturer, and murderer. Well played, Bujold. He's also loyal and clings desperately to the people who help him be a better man.

I had more trouble with Koudelka and his pride. I think this was mostly because he was a more passive character, still caught up in the grieving and adjusting to his new body... and to be honest, he handled it poorly. Not because of any personal failings, but just how damned bigoted Barrayar was about disabilities. He is able to find love, eventually and with a lot of tripping over his pride, so there's that... but Kou and his struggle is more background noise and necessary body for a rescue plot point, less about him being involved in the arc of the story. It was easier to stay emotionally distant and let Cordelia's emotions filter my views on Kou. Bothari grabbed my attention much more strongly. In some ways, more than Miles.

As a writer I wonder if Bothari was killed in The Warrior's Apprentice in part to force Miles to step up on the decision making, but also to prevent Bothari from backsliding too far. Cordelia and Aral had enough awareness to handle Bothari and keep him on a short leash. Miles was less skilled, much less aware of Bothari's darker nature... and he let the monster off his leash. Miles did pay, emotionally, for the results of that action, but I could see where having Bothari for the dirty jobs would have tempted Miles. For all the talk of being responsible for Bothari's actions, I think there's a mental distance from ordering someone to do something, and doing it yourself. Removing Bothari meant Miles couldn't have that distance.

Now to Miles. His brittle bone issues have parallels to genetic issues and brittle bones in our world. I think he'd be labeled ADHD if he were plopped in front of most people, but to me he has the same sense of desperate energy that I feel on days when there's so much I want to do, and so little I can actually do.

In some ways, the tech Bujold dreamt up is amazing, in others medicine has moved on. The Warrior's Apprentice opens with Miles being needled to impetuous action by his pride, resulting in a boy with more broken bones than he can remember jumping off a wall on a hope that he'll somehow roll out of the impact unharmed. It goes badly, of course. Given how well he thinks things through and the descriptions of his intellect, this felt a bit like Bujold handed Miles the Idiot Ball.

On the other hand, I've absolutely had my share of "fuck it, doing it anyway!" moments, so there was some wincing sympathy with his decision to jump. His broken legs end his dreams of military service, and set him and Bothari and Elena on an off planet trip to see Mile's grandmother.

From there, Miles' wit and inability to keep his nose out of other people's business drive the plot. Other than threatening to break his own bones trying to stop Bothari from strangling someone to death, mentioning being glad he was kicked in the stomach and not a bone, and how a suit was like an exoskeleton, making him as physically able as the others while he's in it... Miles' disability is set aside for the rest of the book.

The medical stuff also feels off. They can rewire nerves, but they can't remodel bone or give him cadaver grafts? There are now drugs on the market to prevent brittle bone breaks from osteoporosis. "Actonel (risedronate sodium) tablets is a pyridinyl bisphosphonate that inhibits osteoclastmediated bone resorption and modulates bone metabolism." It stops the bone from reforming the same frail latticework. So the book's a bit dated, but not too bad.

We now know ulcers are most often caused by H. pylori infections, not stress, so having a stomach bleed be what took Miles out of action at the end of the story felt discordant. And not just because it's an additional roadblock, but because he seems to set aside his bone issues and go chasing after adventure without his main handicap ever becoming more than a mentioned bit of background.

For all that Miles' ability to set aside his issues when they were no longer plot relevant was annoying (wish I could set my issues aside!), it was only annoying in retrospect. I was engaged in the story for the most part. I do think it was telling that he was much more depressed over Bothari's death than his grandfather's, and I respect him for getting the hell over himself and giving Elena and Jesek his blessing.

It went back to Barrayaran politics at the end of the book, and I still don't find that sort of plot to be terribly engaging. I'm much more an action and adventure fan than a thriller or suspense fan. I don't know that I'll continue with the Vorkosigan Saga, but I do, on the whole, like Bujold's writing, and think that ending fit with the world building she'd done.

Confession: I’m part of the problem

2014-02-08T00:43:48Z

After the write-up on current media having few depictions of disabled people, I had one of those uncomfortable moments of cognitive dissonance as I realized I don’t have any disabled characters in my fantasy or scifi work. I have a number of characters (main and secondary) who are disabled in my contemporary fiction.

While trying to figure out why I’ve done that, I could only draw a parallel to how I meditate. My understanding is other people imagine themselves siting and calm to relax. I always imagine myself walking, because the most joyful thing I can think of is to walk without pain, unaided. My real world is a series of coping skills and adjusted goals. It’s a constant balancing act of what I can do versus all the things I want to do. [1] In contrast, my imaginary world is all about doing what I want, when I want, without thinking about the physical toll. There is no cost to consider, no pain to avoid.

I believe that’s carried over into my storytelling. Because my disabilities cause me pain, I tend to view disabilities as a negative influence on life. From having friends with different disabilities and reading autobiographies like GIMP I know that the social model of disability is more prevalent in their lives. They have more problems with external forces- lack of reliable public transport, biases from other people, lack of accessible accommodations- than with their disabilities in their daily lives. Deaf culture is perhaps the most widely known group that does not necessarily seek a cure, just a wider awareness and accommodation of their different needs, such as captioning on movies and transcripts on the news.

In thinking about how I’m not seeing people with disabilities in the fiction I consume, I realized my bias toward fantasizing about being pain free, about getting closer to the ideal in my head may be an internalization of the idea that only people with “normal” bodies are worth talking about.

I do think my subconscious line between my “real world” stories being populated with people like me, and “pretend world” stories being where the technology or magic can heal most anything says more than I realized about how much I continue to resent being disabled, how much the lack of treatment or possible cure plays into my thinking. I erased myself, and people like me, from most of my worlds. I don’t believe I did it out of spite, but rather a hope that some day, there might be a treatment that makes my life easier.

The one disabled character I do remember starting in a fantasy setting, I put aside. This is in part because I tied her pain to the Big Bad, and she became a passive damsel in distress who needed rescuing. That’s putting a horrible spin on the disability. I could have (and may now) write that same protagonist/antagonist pairing where she’s lived with pain all her life, so the antag’s power doesn’t cripple her the way it does others. It’s not that it hurts less, it’s just that she’s spent years ignoring the pain to get things done, so she can still move when others are curled up in fetal balls. (I’m actually a little excited by this old plotline now.)

Additionally, my scifi world with a telepathic ability that syncs up to tech is a perfect setting for hereditary deafness to be almost unremarkable. Heck, it might even be an advantage not to be distracted by the sounds on a starship. I’m not sure; I’ll need to explore the idea. A simple change, to take what I know, what I’ve learned from friends, and slide it into a story where people have the tech to get implants or translators and choose not to, because they don’t need to.

This is also a world where gene manipulation is commonplace. Having someone with a service dog would be relatively easy, once I figure out how low gravity and a few other things would affect a dog’s effectiveness. I could have specially bred dogs live 40 years, be super-intelligent, and provide a sort of buddy comedy flavor to the story.

I don’t know that I’ll succeed in every story going forward, but I do hope that at least some part of my brain will stop asking “How could this world ~~make people better~~ eliminate people with disabilities?” and instead try to come up with alternate questions. “Where would people like me be in this society?” or “How would people have adapted this technology (or magic) to help them live independent lives?”

I’ll also admit I’ve been working on a children’s story with the service dog as the point of view character. This was in part because I didn’t want the kid’s disability to be the center of the story, in part because I was talking with my mother about the Hank the Cowdog series, but also because I was facing retiring my service dog. I wanted a way to capture his joy in his work, a way to make it fun to see the world from his eyes.

Maybe I’ll add some scenes from the kid’s point of view, just to see what I can do there. Maybe it’s fine as it is. My writers’ group feedback was mostly wonder at what a dog with a solid set of skills (take, tug, fetch) could get done. Maybe it’s enough to educate while entertaining.
I’ve got a lot of thinking to do. I hope it leads to an improvement in my fiction, and a wider representation of people like me in my own work.

[1] For anyone not aware, Spoon Theory http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/wpress/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/ is one of the better illustrations of these limitations. I don’t have Lupus, but I do a similar sort of energy budgeting to get through daily life.

Disabilities in the Media

2014-02-05T05:39:33Z

Jim Hines asked about representation in fiction. http://jimhines.livejournal.com/717967.html I got to thinking about disabilities and, by extension, service dogs. Because I'm curious, Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_United_States says there's 15% Hispanic and Latino, 13% African American, and http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/statistics/census-figures.php says the disabled are about 12% of the US population (36 million of us).

According to http://www.glaad.org/whereweareontv13 “Of the 796 overall regular characters on broadcast primetime... People of color will once again make up 23% of all regular characters, while just 1% will be depicted as people with disabilities.” That's 8 characters (and Ironside was cancelled shortly after this report, so that's one less.) Also, the word “depiction” is key. Many times characters with disabilities are not played by actors with disabilities.

On a more personal note, I grew up loving scifi and fantasy. Sadly, the message from so many of these stories is that disabilities are evil, or that becoming disabled will make you more evil. From scars to wheelchairs, being disabled made you the bad guy most of the time (See Two Face/Harvey Dent in Chris Nolan's Batman universe). It's why people joked about Dick Chenney being Dr. Evil when they saw him in a wheelchair.

The Bond villains and their henchmen rank fairly high on the disabilities are evil scale. Dr. No's metal hands, Blofield's scarred face and wheelchair (though his face clears up with later films, I believe he's the archetype for scarred face and/or wheelchair = evil), Renard's brain injury (bonus facial scar) that makes him feel no pain, etc. ad nauseam, on through to Le Chiffre's off colored, scarred eye and Raoul Silva's disfigured jaw.

Outside Bond, Captain Hook is missing a hand, Darth Vader is revealed to be using a ventilator and life support system after severe burns, Freddy Krueger's got burn scars, Captain Ahab and Long John Silver have peg legs....

It becomes a shorthand for the audience: if a character is not physically perfect, they're ~~probably~~ evil.

If you're not evil and have a disability, then you better be Pollyanna Sunshine (with a strong undertone of “or it's your fault you're disabled”). This attitude is nearly as pervasive as the disabled villains. The Secret Garden has a boy confined to a wheelchair [1], because he had a negative attitude. He stood up in the end, once he had a better attitude. Tiny Tim is so sweet and saintly Scrooge can't help but feel a connection. Professor Charles Xavier not only opposes violent means of making humans accept the mutants, he founds a school to teach and shelter mutants.

I can't think of a single character I've read or seen on TV or in a movie who is the main character, who uses a service dog.

Edit to add: I've been watching the Olympics, which means I'm seeing commercials for the sitcom Growing Up Fisher. JK Simmons plays a blind man who's paired with a guide dog. Interestingly, the working title was "... Then Came Elvis" and it seems Elvis is the dog's name. I'll be watching. I like Simmons as an actor. My understanding is that the son is the main character, so I'm still short a main character partnered with a dog. However, I'm hopeful they'll portray the blind dad as a competent person, and the dog as an actual working dog, not as a source of pity laughs. /edit

I googled “character with service dog” and the first two pages are mostly about Brandeis, Sesame Street's muppet service dog. It's not like the time they had Elmo say he was sorry when a kid was blind, and the kid said not to be sorry, because being blind was only a part of his life. No, with the service dog episode, the focus was on the dog. No fuss is made about a wheelchair, or a cane, or glasses, to my knowledge, but the dog sings a song.

In a nutshell, that's what's so frustrating about media portrayal of disabilities. There's so much focus on the disability or the adaptations, not the person or their lives. There's a blind lady in one of the Nevada Barr books, who is mostly mentioned because her guide dog is the only dog on a no-pets-allowed island. I can't remember the woman contributing to the plot, but I remember the guide dog.

I probably see more disabled people on an episode of The Walking Dead as zombies missing limbs than I'll see in a broadcast show. I do enjoy Doc Robbins on CSI, as both he and the actor who portrays him are double amputees with cool jobs. Gregory House was an asshole protagonist with a disability, which was refreshing. When they briefly cured him of his disability, he was still an asshole.

Most of the reason I like Doc Robbins is that there is no attempt to cure him, and he hasn't died. So many other disabled characters are cured or killed. From The Secret Garden to Forest Gump running so fast he breaks free of his leg braces, from Barbra Gordon/Oracle rebooted as able bodied to Casey Jones [2] on Rizzoli & Isles, people who are good, people who are important, get better.

For a list of a sampling of the many disabled characters who are killed in fiction, see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-nussbaum/disabled-characters-in-fiction_b_4302481.html

Add in that most of the cures are a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” or “want it bad enough” sort, it's a very damaging theme. Casey Jones is told repeatedly the surgery is dangerous. He does it anyway. Voila, he can walk. If I really wanted to be better, I'd have found a way, so what's wrong with me that I'm still this way? Newsflash: most disabilities are permanent. Jerry's Kids don't get up and walk off the set, they just grow up and aren't cute enough to shill for pity money.

I'm on the lookout for stories where disabled people live fulfilling lives because I want to see people succeeding who happen to be disabled. I want those role models. Mostly, I have to look to non-fiction. I've seen Murderball, read Mark Zupan's GIMP [3], have almost all of John Callahan's books, read No Pity, Moving Violations, Wonder, and the Percy Jackson series looking for any positive depictions I could lay hands on.

The Percy Jackson series, while well-intentioned, (Rick Riordan was writing for his son with ADHD and dyslexia) is filled with people who appear disabled, but aren't. Percy's ADHD is battlefield reflexes, his dyslexia is a brain wired to read ancient Greek. Mr. Brunner uses a power wheelchair, but is actually Chiron, a centaur. Grover doesn't need forearm crutches or have a problem walking, he's a satyr. Even when I think I might have found a story showcasing people like me, they're not like me. Hell, in this series, all the people pretending to be disabled are basically superheros.

Riordan and Sesame Street are well-meaning. There's a lot of well-intentioned stuff going around as various people try to raise awareness. Some of it makes me cringe. Alexsandro Palombo (an amputee) is getting a fair bit of publicity for his drawings of Disney princesses with amputations. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/artist-disney-princesses-disabilities-article-1.1593042

The thing is, those transport wheelchairs are horrid. They're heavy, they're hard to move, the armrests get in the way, and people just can't seem to keep their hands off the handles. Snow White's getting pushed around like a shopping cart. Mulan couldn't work the wheels on her transport chair with a bilateral above the elbow amputation.

Yes, it is a step forward to take icons of beauty and try to reflect real women with them, but it shows an ingrained ignorance of the tools available. Mulan could be using a power chair and living independently. Ariel, Snow White and Belle could all be in manual wheelchairs designed to be easily moved by the user. Not everyone with a disability is going to make the Paralympics, but there are many disabled people with chairs purpose-built for speed and agility.

By LauraHale (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I'll make a little side trip here- most the people I've listed as examples are men. I don't know if this is a function of the fiction I consume, or that there aren't as many depictions of women with disabilities. Marlee Matlin is the only one I can think of who's female, badass, and disabled in real life, and I think the last show (other than Dancing With the Stars) I saw her in was The West Wing.
(Edit to add: Did more looking online. Looks like I'm not the first to have this thought: http://disabilityintersections.com/2014/01/lack-of-representation-in-fiction-why-is-the-disabled-character-always-a-cisgender-heterosexual-white-man/)

The representation I have seen in fiction is that I, or people like me:
- aren't good enough/should not be seen. Someone who isn't disabled will sit in a wheelchair/put on dark glasses/etc.
- don't get to be the main character. I might get to be a peppy sidekick, or a morality tale, I won't be the hero.
- are probably the bad guy. (In Unbreakable, Elijah Prince has internalized this message to the point that he does evil things because he's disabled, and disabled = villain.)
- don't want to be 'better' strongly enough. After all, there's so many characters who think better and get better, it must be my negative energy keeping me from being able-bodied.

And I'm not the only one internalizing these messages. When I get out of my car with my dog in harness and some stranger feels the need to shout across the parking lot that I'm “such an inspiration”, there's something wrong. I don't want to be a saint, or a villain. I just want to be me and to see people like me living lives of value.

[1] People with disabilities are wheelchair users. This boy, thematically, is confined to his chair by his attitude. “Wheelchair bound” and “confined to a wheelchair” are common phrases, but since a wheelchair or other assistive device (like a service dog or cane) is how people with disabilities get out of bed or out of the house, using negative language about the tools we use for independence shows a negative bias toward the disabled.

[2] I am still so, so bitter over Casey's surgery. He was mobility impaired, like I am. He was partnered with a service dog, like I am. And then the writers magical-cured him. I feel horribly shallow, but I don't want him better. I wanted him to build a life that was worth living, that he was proud of, while he was disabled. I feel like the writers, intentionally or not, are saying my life isn't a life worth talking about, that I'm not a person anyone would choose to spend time with, that if I wanted a cure badly enough I'd make it happen. (As far as I know, a cure is not even an option for my disabilities.)

[3] It was such an eye-opener when Mark slammed on the brakes and yelled at his dad. He'd built a life as a quadriplegic he was happy to live. I'm still trying to build a life that I'm happy with, regardless of my disabilities.

Petbulls Secret Santa Paws

2012-12-22T21:40:25Z

ichbinkelsey, Lucy and Nellie sent us the most wonderful box of things! It showed up today, and there were many "For us?" nose bumps to the box as I was cutting it open. It must have smelled wonderful, usually they're more polite.

The box had a tuperware of biscotti for humans (which I set down to ~~photograph~~ torment the dogs) and a lovely card.

The box of doggy goodies.Lung puffs, tugs, and a bar of soap. This is the young dogs' best "leave it" when they want it faces. :)

Lung puffs are very useful. I think this is the first group stay we've done since the pups hit the house. L-R, clockwise: Strider (GSD, 7 months), Duncan (shelter mutt, 6 years), then the English Setters: Sunny (Tricolor, 8 months), Twist (3 years), and Ocho (just shy of 12 years, shining nearest the camera).

Duncan thought this was the supreme tug, and wanted me to take an end.

So I did. It made him very happy.

Twist and Strider liked this blue one, and Sunny had fun with one on her own.

Ocho did his usual: he scored a toy and hid with it in his crate. I think he was hoping to trade it for food.

Sunny had much fun, with whatever she could lay her paws on.

Strider attempted to look feral.

And steal Sunny's toy

Duncan thought this one was awesome with a squishy tennis ball on the end

Unfortunately, as many bully owners are sure to commiserate, some things just can't hold up to dog jaws (As Kelsey made these lovely tugs, allow me to clarify: This was supposed to be a Setter tug, and it held up well to them. Duncan's a different class of chewer, so I kept close supervision as he joyfully destroyed the ball.) The tug was really well made, I got the ball remnants off, snugged the knot down next to the braid, and the tug was ready to go again.

HAPPY PUPPIES!

Twist even played tug. Usually she's too submissive to play with anyone but a human. So, all around stamps of canine enthusiasm.

There was also a nice smelling bar of soap, with a picture of Nellie grinning on the label. I'm not sure who slimed it, but the label has a doggie watermark.

And three very tasty types of biscotti for us. It'll be a miracle if it survives the day (the chocolate dipped ones are already eaten and enjoyed).

I took 50 photos, so if you want to see the out-takes, and those not used photos, they should be here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/116002700670940980552/SecretSantaPaws2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Free short story

2012-10-27T05:54:52Z

Neil Gaiman's giving away a short story, and every download is a dollar toward a charity. Check out www.audible.com/ScareUs the promos on til the 31st.

Dare To Suck: Sodai Inari Painting.

2012-07-26T02:19:57Z

I started this back in late January, and I've worked on it off an on as I could beat down the "OMG, this is horrid!" mental critic. I haven't painted anything I really cared about in a long while (flowers in matching color schemes for Mom's decorating's been about it).

But when I saw this picture housedog had on her blog, and her description, it fell into the WANT TO PAINT pile.

Housedog: Sodai, posing as the Sacred Cave Guardian Inari.

I asked for a reference photo without his collar, and housedog sent me this:

The line drawing, extra paper trimmed away:

I used an older canvas because I liked the undertones it would bring up, and the texture.

I used carbon paper to copy my line drawing onto the canvas, then used a large oil paintbrush to put on thick textures for the snow.

Layered on the blue/green/brown for the cave, tried a couple different styles of paint application for the tree branches, layered in base yellow for Sodai.

Highlighted some areas with white

Add in some peaches and orangish colors to see how it looks.

Double check reference photo, realize Sodai is a much lighter dog than I was painting, try to fix it.

And about here's where the "you suck, you screwed it up, why'd you even bother?" hit me, and I had to walk away before I white washed it and started over.

I gave myself a little space, reminded myself the point of this was being brave enough to do it even if it did not turn out perfectly, and let myself see what I liked, and forgive the parts I didn't. This was a learning experience, not something to beat myself up with.

So I lightened up the body a little, evened out the tonal change for chest and belly, intentionally left his face too serious/sharp, and did not spend months and months learning how to paint pine tree boughs with snow on them before I shipped it off to Housedog.

From her emails, Housedog loves it, and I'm proud of the way the little cave guardian Sodai looks. I have some better ideas of how to paint pine trees, but a strong conviction that I should do what I enjoy- painting animals- and skip the background as much as I can, because it takes something that should be fun, rips it away from my joy, and hands it over to my inner critic.

Happy 4th, from the bitches

2012-07-04T15:34:30Z

Hope you're all having as much fun as the bitches! Try to stay cool and avoid getting burned by explosives.

Photo out takes

2012-05-24T04:02:26Z

I got over 300 photos of the pack, I'll be posting a few collections.
Wordy Wednesday: Why is it that when I try to get photos of Twist looking regal, she gives me Weirdo!Puppy photo ops?

Did get one good one

Duncan has a sqwishy toy

Duncan does his own chiropractic work

Then throws Beau his toy (Beau fails the catch)

(I have never seen another dog throw his toy as much as Duncan does.)

Back to the wanna be Easter Bunny

And I'll leave you with a very angry Easter Bunny

Crossposting like whoa

2012-04-06T07:22:28Z

Eye exams for service dogs, certified therapy dogs, police K9s, search and rescue dogs are free in May if you register this month at http://acvoeyeexam.org/2012/animals/qualifications.shtml and there's a participating eye vet near you. It's how I found out Duncan's got suture line cataracts, and how we found the eye vet I went to when I found the little scleral tumors. They've opened it up a bit from graduated from program only to in training with a program or IAADP members. I've told the lady I work with who works with the local SAR group, and I'm hoping to spread the word as much as I can.

Messing with Twist

2012-02-16T05:21:16Z

How to have fun with the Crackhead:
1. Take two small <1 inch pieces of bully stick from bully bites bag.
2. Approach her with "This is not your food." body language.
3. Grin as she sits, rocks back on her pelvis and gives the "I am STARVING!" look to try to beg.
4. Reach out with bully bites.
5. Retract bully bites when she grabs for them. Rudeness shall not be rewarded.
6. When she pulls her head back in the "Right! No grabbing!" manner, swiftly tuck a bully bite under each lip behind her canines.
7. Enjoy ZOMG! confusion that lasts 0.23 seconds as she checks you really meant to do that and won't be revoking the food.
8. Watch as she darts into a crate and ponders how to eat bully bites without relinquishing one to chew the other.
9. Be very glad the drool that drips out is puddling inside a crate as she burns through mental gears trying to puzzle out this new existential enigma.

Elapsed time: approximately 30 seconds steps 1-7, and then four minutes of WOE!face drooling as she tried to chew two objects simultaneously without maiming her tongue. At roughly the five minute mark, she did drop one and chew the other.

Dare to Suck, post the second

2012-02-11T21:39:38Z

Sodai Inari painting, round two. (Apparently, when I state goals for the weekend, I choose to do something else? I haven't touched my room, laundry still needs doing, but I painted.)

Where I left off last time:

Adding a yellow wash trying to get a brighter look, and white to the lighter parts:

Still not happy, tried again with a brighter brown wash, and filled in the face:

Tried again, then checked the reference photo.

ARGH. Sodai is much lighter tan than I was remembering. So, I'm sucking, but I'm fixing it. That's the whole point of Dare To Suck- keep trying, don't give up. I *think* it's getting better. I'm going to have to make a decision about when it's good enough and stop trying for photo realism. That'll probably be the hard part. Still a couple layers away from right, but again, it seems to me to be getting closer to right.

Dare to suck, post the first

2012-01-23T01:48:16Z

I like painting, I like writing, I like a great many things I don't want to show other people because OCD mixed with a dollop (okay, an avalanche) of perfectionism means I'm much more likely to kill things off. http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/2010/04/27/ An author I've come to adore in the last few weeks, both for her YA novels I've read and for her blog, has a great rallying motto to kill of the inner editor: Dare to Suck.

Today, I used a couple of reference photos of a friend's dog and got started on a painting.
Sodai stands under a pine tree overhang, his yellow coat a contrast to the deep greens and white-blue snow.

A line drawing/tracing of Sodai

A started canvas, pale blue sky, medium green grasses edging into brown, turned green side up (see also: I quit on myself when I think I suck) I would use a fresh canvas, but I have none. I'd use a lighter background color, but I only have those in oils. Which means it was this or the horrific attempt at a red barn. I didn't want red bleeding through.

Getting the white blocked out around the carbon transfer of the line drawing (in the future, I should *probably* paint it all white first, but I wanted to see if I could let the blue and green show through a little.)

I then got into the actual painting of things. I *HATE* the tree branches, until I remember it's my first time trying to paint evergreen boughs, and then I just dislike them. Intensely. Sodai is not nearly done, though I'm pleased with how I'm getting coat tones right in value, he needs to be brighter and more golds and reds, less... tan. He's a little cave guardian spirit, not just a dog.

I'm sore and tired and stopping there for the night (which probably means picking it up again next weekend), but I don't think today was a waste. Also, I'm doing this in acrylic, because I hate myself, and getting the colors down is kind of exactly like laying down layers of plastic. Watercolor may be more difficult because you only get a few layers, but oil takes weeks and weeks to set so I could do the next layer.

Signal Boost

2011-11-10T01:06:48Z

Okay, people. You know how this works. Someone has a critter in need of a new home. Not being able to provide that home, I post a link and hope someone else has a home for them, or boosts the signal again, until the critter gets a home.

Today's boost is a kitty, abandoned when her owner moved. If you know someone in New England who needs another cat (or can be bullied or bribed into opening their home to a fuzzy overlord), please pass the info on!

http://bitchgoddessdm.livejournal.com/183719.html
and
http://bitchgoddessdm.livejournal.com/183279.html

Pictures, backstory, all that good stuff.

PSA: what not to do with service dogs

2011-08-09T01:39:42Z

I think I've posted this before, but this one needs re-posting. Also: http://www.assistancedogweek.org/

Skype SDIT Training

2010-12-27T03:11:32Z

http://viassistancedogs.blogspot.com/2010/12/free-dog-training-trial-via-skype.html

Vancouver Island Assistance Dogs is looking for three someones who needs help with Service Dog training to help them learn how to use Skype to help people train service dogs. The trial is open to anyone, anywhere, but they expect to limit it to Vancouver Island again once demand picks up.

I make no guarantees about quality of training, but it's a resource, if you might be able to use it.

Pheasant as food

2010-12-23T06:12:26Z

This is very, very, very photo heavy. Two nights of feeding raw, one old freezer-burned pheasant, each half ~1 lb of meat and bones.

Duncan is really hopeful it is now his turn to be fed.

Following the food from kitchen, through wash room, to bathroom

Into the big beige dinner bowl he goes

Is tiny, starving, pitiful waif, wasting away without his ~~CHIK'N~~ pheasant

Hungry 90 pound mutt held at bay by showerhead dangling too close to his food.

Roadblock removed, proceed with noms!

Look! no touching of meat with feet!

Mmm, juices...

using incisors to eat, accident foot useage

Finally using his molars to get to work

Going straight for the butt

Trying to split the legs from the back

One down, one to go

Still no feet on the meat

going

going

Clearly, it's time for seconds.

A NORMAL dog, when left in the big beige food bowl, would nosh away happily when the human says "Crap, I forgot the camera." and leaves the room, closing the door behind them. Duncan is not NORMAL. I returned to find him sitting at the far end of the tub (not easy for him, since he is pretty much tub sized when laying down) looking pitiful. Apparently, the shower was plotting against him in my absence.

Behold the WOE!

"Okay, I'm back." must have meant "It's a TRAP!" because the next face was a "Not fooling me. I will ignore the noms." (and I wish I could say the roll over his tailhead was just skin as he pressed his ass back in the tub to get even further from the breast over the drain, but SOMEONE has been "feeling sorry" for the Muttly One, and giving the big dog more food. Since Mom doesn't want to mess with raw, this is another way to control his intake.)

The second "okay" was believed. Nom!Pounce

His ass really is an afterthought.

There, he's mostly relaxed

Why is this frozen?! More WOE!

Still tasty

Feet braced on either side, completely useless

Looking for easier to eat pieces.

Mmm, juices

Accidental use of the foot to stop the meat getting away

Still wary of Surprise!Bath

Still not putting his feet on it, but using his armpit to hold it is somehow a workable solution? Not. Normal. (Hilarious)

Pheasant has very little fat, that little yellow rim is it.

Lifting his leg so it's not touching his food.

Not touching anything but the mouth.

Apparently, this hold worked very well for him. Weirdo. It was shortly all gone.

Let it SNOW!

2010-12-21T23:45:01Z

I want snow.

Duncan's snow goatees are just funny.

He shows up so well on snow

If we stay out long enough, he looks like he's been dusted with powdered sugar.

(mid sneeze) his coat has to be super insulating- the snow never melts on him

And once he's dusted, if he licks his nose, you can see how far his tongue reaches.

Even a freezing rain can lead to pretty Duncan pictures

But mostly I want snow for my cousin. She wants to build a snowman. That, and I tolerate colder weather a lot better if it's at least pretty. Walking out to dead grass and -10 windchill is NOT NICE. We had 16 inches last December, we've had a couple of flurries this year.

Through a Dog's Ear giveaway

2010-12-06T06:58:27Z

I apologize, I've spammed every pet community I'm on, but I figure I'll post it here, as well. Through a Dog's Ear is music meant to be calming to canines. Every day from the 6th to the 12th of December, 2010, they're giving away a song download. If you know anyone it could help, pass the link along. throughadogsear.com/7_days_2010.htm

There's also a contest to win a book and a bunch of CDs for the shelter of your choice.

Fall Photos of Duncan

2010-09-26T22:51:25Z

Before the grass was mowed, I took the Mutt, his Cuz and my camera out to get some photos. I was mostly trying for reference photos for a pastel drawing, so they're all about the same.

Me: That's a nice toy you have, Duncan.
He: Thanks. :D

Me: I think I'll take it.
He: Mine!

Me: Just kidding.
He: Hahaha, you're so not funny.

Me: What are you looking at?
He: Penny. She's right there.
Me: *looks over, Penny is indeed "there" some 50 yards away.* So?
He: Do you think she wants my ball?

Me: If you're worried about Penny, you should worry about Holly, too.
He: WHERE?!

Me: She must not want your ball.
He: You're kidding, right?

Me: Where are you going?
He: To find an undisclosed location.
Me: Why?
He: If it's good enough for hiding the president, it *might* be good enough for hiding my Cuz.

Me: Is that so much better?

He: Much better!

Patrick Stewart speech

2010-09-02T10:46:02Z

Video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_27bpIb30&feature=player_embedded

Transcript of speech behind cut
Opening Title: Patrick Stewart on Violence Against Women: The actor talks about his personal experience of domestic violence at the launch of ‘Created Equal’. A new book on women’s rights. (A lit candle with a strand of barbed wire wrapped loosely around it is the logo on the upper right corner).

Patrick Stewart standing in front of a podium with a single microphone, view is 3/4 front from his right side, Amnesty International banner and a white screen behind him and to his left.

Transcriber’s note: Uhs, ums, and ahs where he’s checking his cards or searching for words will be skipped. Repeats and switches in word choice midsentence will be preserved. I want to be true to the pattern of speech he chose, but don’t want to detract from the message. He gestures, fidgets, and emotes throughout. I haven’t tried to capture all these subtle signals.

*grinning, looking down at his notecards*

“I think it’s perhaps unfortunate that you should have mentioned I, Claudius,” nervous giggles from the crowd, “As the character that I played in that wonderful series was probably one of the most despicable individuals. Certainly insofar as his relationship with women was concerned.” More laughter from the crowd. “So please forget the character of Aelius Sejanus. He was a wretch and died with his throat cut on the capitol steps, which was no more than he deserved.”

*clears throat* *checks notes* *more serious tone*

“Good Evening. It has always seemed to me that the symbol for Amnesty International, the candle inside the barbed wire is brilliant and appropriate. Because what Amnesty has done from its very foundation almost 50 years ago, is to shine a light into dark corners, into those dark corners where bad people don’t want you to look. Darkness is the friend of repression, and cruelty, and torture.”

“I am not a candle. I am not a taper. But I might be one match in a box of swanvesters. insofar as the campaign of violence against women is concerned and domestic violence in particular.

A couple of months ago, having read a report in The Guardian of three women who were all presently uh, carry- completing their sentences for having murdered their partners, I was so moved by the stories of these three women that I think for the first time ever I was compelled to send off a response to it- to the Guardian, which, which they printed. And, um, in that one of the things that I said was that had . uh, that I was not a violent child but if my mother had, at any point during the first- between the ages of five and twelve- picked up a knife or any other weapon against my father, I would have held her hand as she did it.

*Silence, he rocks on his heels before continuing*

I would have locked the door while she carried it out. That’s how bad it was to be growing up inside a violent household.

*Checks notes, straightens notes*

A little bit about my own story, and it has taken me many years to be able to talk about this, even in these protected and supportive surroundings: My, my father was a soldier, and in 1945 finished his military service as a superstar. He was regimental sergeant major of the parachute regiment, and it really doesn’t get much grander than that in terms of non-commisioned officers. There is only one regimental sergeant major and his stands at the pinnacle of all the other ranks in that regiment. He was brilliant at his job, hugely successful. I’ve spoken to, well, now long dead, but I spoke to men who served with him who spoke of how impressive he was. In fact, one man said to me “when your father walked onto the parade ground the birds in the trees stopped singing.”

In 1945, by the end of 1945, he was working in a glass blowing factory, laboring, and from there he went on to paint bridges for the rail companies. And over the decades a variety of other jobs became an unhappy, and angry, and resentful man and turned into a weekend alcoholic. I didn’t even know that there was such a term for many, many years, but I realize now that’s exactly what my father was, he was a perfectly well functioning individual, Monday through Friday tea time. Hard working and tough to be around, but a decent enough man. But from Friday evening to Sunday night, he was a drunk. And when he was drunk he lost control of himself and he particularly lost control of his hands.

I was five when this began.

*stops, thinks*

A few facts: About ten women comit suicide every week as a result of their contact with domestic violence or violence of partners or ex-partners. Two women are murdered by their partners or their ex-partners, every week. Everyone suffers. No one escapes the trauma of those experiences. And it’s why I liken myself to a swanvester match, in that being able to speak about what it was like to be in a small room in a small house when a big strong individual has lost control. When you feel helpless, and uncared for, and also, of course, and this is probably the hardest part as the years go by, responsible, too.

As, as a child in those circumstances, I became an expert on the escalation of violence. I could monitor the temperature in that room so accurately- even without being in the room. If I was upstairs in my bedroom or sitting on the steps behind the door that led into that room I could monitor the temperature of the growing- *stammers, makes fists with hands and searches for words* anger in the room. To the extent that I knew exactly the moment when I had to intervene, either by throwing open the door or throwing myself between my parents. Because I knew exactly what would trigger the act, finally, of physical violence against my mother. Children shouldn’t become experts at things like that.

And yet it seems to me that only by talking about these experiences, can one help to expose them We come back to the candle again.

*Frowns, clears throat*

I came to realize that I, too, had problems of, to do with violence. I know what it feels like to be on the very edge of losing control towards another person, particularly towards a female. I never actually lost control but I know what it feels like to want to, to let it go.

It, it was so pronounced with me that when I became a professional actor, the one thing that I could never perform were acts of violence, or even be angry or violent. I had to fake it. I was so afraid that if I didn’t fake it, that something would spiral out of control and I would once again be possessed with feelings that were destructive.

As a child, certainly then, and due to campaigns like this, and the raised awareness of issues of domestic violence, there are outlets. I’m a patron of Refuge, for example, which is doing great work and has done for, my, over forty years, since Erin Pitsen began her- opened her first safe house for women and their children in Chisick. But there was nowhere to go when I was a child. No one to turn to. Not even neighbors, who knew about it. They heard it, and they kept silent.

And I do recall, on two occasions when the police had to be called, and the ambulance came because my mother was lying on the floor bleeding, I recall so vividly hearing the policemen say “Well, Mrs. Stewart it takes two to make an argument.” Or “You must have done something to provoke him.”

*grimaces, sucks teeth*

No. She, she had not. She’d done nothing. And even if she had, violence is a choice. And it’s a choice that a man makes. We can choose to stop it.

The lasting impact on my mother, and indeed, on my father, who, by Monday mornings was ashamed, and humiliated by the things that had happened over the weekend, and indeed, on myself and on my brother, was extreme.
Overcoming the lessons of that male stereotype that I was being shown in those so important formative years, has been a struggle. It costs 26 billion to our country, every year, to deal with issues relating to domestic violence. Medical care, housing, legal issues and so forth.

One in four women, which means a significant number in this room, will, at some point in their lives, experience violence by a partner. And, you know, in this, also one should not over look that there are situations- they’re rare but they do exist- in which the male is the victim of domestic violence. It does occur.

A couple of weeks ago there was a shocking report about the high percentage of men, in prison currently, who are ex-soldiers. Or men who are on remand. It saddened me somewhat to see that always left to the very end of this report was that there is a huge incident- incidence of domestic violence also linked to soldiers who have finished their service. Or even soldiers who are still in their service but home on leave. That is was one of the things that was kind of pushed to one side as opposed to the other issues of prison sentences and so forth.

It is still something that is shameful. People will not talk about it. Victims will not talk about it. Those who are perpetrators of the violence will not seek help. And, of course, the children most of all find it impossible to talk about it.

But the only reason I’m striking my match is that hopefully by illustrating what it has been like to be in an environment of such violence, and that it can pass and that one can survive it, and, even though sometimes still a struggle, lead a life without violence, is why I’m so happy to support this campaign and applaud Amnesty taking on this issue of the rights of women, particularly insofar as they are victims of domestic violence.

Thank you.

*exits, applause from crowd*

Closing titles: Act Now to Stop Violence Agansti Women
www.amnesty.org.uk/svaw

A more polished video, less raw emotion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPzVUGE3dds&feature=channel I'll probably get around to typing it out tomorrow.

WEG Vet Q&A

2010-09-02T01:39:52Z

Spreading the word for my horse-crazy friends:

Ask the Vet LIVE Q&A: World Equestrian Games Horse Care
Wednesday, September 8, 2010 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT

How are the world's top equine athletes managed, from shipping schedules and quarantine to pain management and nutrition? What are the challenges of coordinating the largest airlift of horses (more than 900) from around the world since World War II? How do equine athletes top their competitors in eventing, jumping, dressage, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, vaulting, and reining—without so much as an aspirin? What makes the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games "bigger and better" than the Olympics from a horse care/management standpoint? Find out on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 8-9 p.m. Eastern U.S. time for our Ask the Vet Live Q&A chat event on World Equestrian Games Horse Care.

Our on-call veterinarians for this event will include:

* Kent Allen, DVM, official veterinary coordinator of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and owner of Virginia Equine Imaging in The Plains.

* Hannah Wellman, DVM, reining team veterinarian and treating veterinarian for the World Equestrian Games (with official veterinary partner Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital).

* Cynthia G. MacKenzie, DVM, Senior Equine Technical Services Veterinarian for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.

We hope you can join us for this event!

Registry link https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/288571137

The Malta Penny

2010-08-15T21:32:13Z

This one goes public because it is not my story, but rather the retelling of a story as it was told to me. As a secondary source, expect that I managed to fuzz the edges a bit, but I think it's the story as it was told to us, by Kym.

While we were at 3P having dinner during vacation, Kym told about their recent trip to Italy, and how her uncle (I think it was an uncle) was looking to collect a Malta Euro Cent. Malta, being a small island near Italy, was sure to have trade and money crossing borders, so from an American perspective after the recent craze over collecting all 50 State quarters being an obtainable goal, it seemed easy enough. She said she'd find him one, and he told her not to promise things she couldn't deliver on. That was her first hint that this might be a bit more difficult than finding quarters, but it was a similar idea, how hard could it be?

As a bit of back story, when the European Union went with a standardized Euro system of money, participating countries minted coins with the same face but a different back. Malta switched to this system in 2008, toward the end of the minting process. Their one cent piece did circulate, but not much, as most European prices tend not to use single cents, or for convenience sake, not much below a 10 cent mark. Makes for easy math, but not favorable for someone looking for a Malta one cent piece. From here on out, I'm going to use the word "penny" instead of "one cent piece" because it's shorter.

They arrived in Italy, and found out that there really, truly wasn't a good place to find pennies. No "take a penny, leave a penny" bowls at restaurants, change from purchases never included pennies, and Kym began to see her "simple" task of finding a Malta penny was a bit more of a quest than she'd anticipated. However, she'd said she would, so she began looking for pennies in earnest. She found a bunch of them, about 50, at an eatery, I think it was. She counted them out, then handed over a Euro (roughly double the value of what she took) and the bemused Italian behind the counter let her buy the supply of pennies. Kym then searched through to find one with a Malta back. None of those pennies was the penny she was looking for.

The next step was to go to a bank. Kym had apparently never heard of European banking hours. The hours on the door are not the hours the bank is open. The hours are the door are only the very best guestimate of when you can trip someone trying to sneak out of work early and make them help you. Banker's hours in the USA might be strict, but they're predictable. In places like Italy and France, business hours follow the much more laid back societal time frame of "whenever someone gets around to it". This tends to drive people from the States BONKERS because of our perception that the hours on the door mean someone is there, the doors are open, business can be done, unless the building is on fire... and maybe then you can still use the ATM if it's not melted yet.

Apparently, in addition to the difference in hours, Italian banks are not buildings where you open the door and stroll up to the counter. Instead they're constructed like "large pneumatic tubes" with double doors. You step into a small space, you wait while they decide if you're trustworthy. If you're lucky, they let you in. Kym asked if anyone spoke English. As happens anywhere people don't want to loose your business, the answer was "yes" followed by the words "a little" (for those who've never heard that particular "a little" with pinching hand gesture, it roughly translates as "I lied.")

Pantomime broke out. Kym is trying to use words she hopes are easy to understand in any bank regardless of language: "one cent" "Euro" "would like to exchange". This bank has three rows of pennies. Kym is able to buy/exchange for two rows, while the tellers chat back and forth, likely wondering if they're missing out on some crazy foreign exchange rate that this American tourist knows about. After all, who wants pennies? None of those pennies was the penny Kym was looking for, so she tries to buy the third row of pennies. Now certain they're dealing with a crazy person, and not about to give up their only supply of pennies in case there is some sort of secret American market, the tellers refuse to let her look at the third row of pennies. Kym leaves with two rows of pennies and their nifty snap closed containers. (This will be important.)

I think they moved on to another town, but most definitely another bank. Kym has spent time researching these Malta pennies on the internet, she knows what she's looking for, she just has to locate one.

On to the next bank. Looking to circumvent the pantomime of "one cent Euros, do you have them?" Kym brings along a row of pennies in its nifty little snap top container. This bank has more pennies, and she points to her little row of coins and asks for 10 Euros worth. Well, that tripped the "are you nuts?" switch on this teller. Rapid fire Italian from the people behind the counter (okay, normal speed, but to a non-native speaker it's like an Uzi with hand gestures). The man points at what she's got in her hands and asks if she really wants 10 Euros worth. Kym is enthusiastically confirming, they're communicating, surely with this many pennies she'll find one from Malta. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. The man disappears into the back.

When he comes back, he's carrying stacks and stacks of the nifty click top containers.

Kym waves him off, "No." "No?" "No, not the containers, the pennies." "The PENNIES?!" "Ten Euros' worth of pennies." Man walks off, spouting Italian and gesturing even more forcefully than normal, but he comes back, with pennies. From the sounds of things, if he could have, he might have used a pizza paddle to hand her things, rather than stand close enough to catch the crazy-making American tourist cooties.

Kym returns to her room, sure she'll find a Matla penny in her newly swapped bunch. She checks each of her pennies, and finds she still has none from Malta. Well, now she's got 10 Euros worth of pennies in a country that barely uses them. She doesn't want to take them back to the bank, lest she look even more nuts to the tellers (provided they'd even open the doors to her a second time after her unique request), so she hits upon the perfect plan- she'll leave them as the tip for the maid. The pennies are left in a neat little bunch on the dresser top.

That done, they check out and go to breakfast, still without the special penny. Soon, someone is asking them if they are the Americans who lost their pennies, as there's a little old man with a handful of pennies, and he's trying to find their owners. So much for the easy ditching of pennies. Kym goes to the old man and they again do the two languages, one conversation pantomime. Kym has a wonderfully expressive face, so we'll jump to script formatting, and assume everything here is paraphrased at best.

Old man, wandering around with hands full of pennies, looking forlorn. (OM)
Kym, trying to find a graceful way to say "I'm not taking them back." (KYM)

KYM: Hello, those are the pennies we left.
OM, looking hopeful: Your pennies?
KYM: Yes, our pennies, but we left them as a tip.
OM, relieved, offers her the pennies: Your pennies.
KYM: No, they're your pennies now.
OM, suddenly disheartened: My pennies? :(
KYM: Yes.
KYM, trying to salvage this, certain she will be remembered as the Crazy American Tourist of 2010: 10 Euros worth.
OM, suddenly willing to deal with pennies: 10 Euros?
KYM, nodding: For you.
OM, clutches stacks of pennies tighter: =)

Now, we were all betting that old man took his ten Euros worth of pennies right back to the same bank because it was closest to the bed and breakfast. This probably led to the tellers there just about losing their minds trying to figure out the ways of American tourists. Alternatively, a brief dialog along the lines of "Crazy American lady?" "Indeed." *meaningful shrugs* "Tourists, what can you do?"

Now Kym and her husband were running out of time on their vacation, and not only did she still need a ~~Holy Grail~~ penny, she needed another piece of luggage (I forget if they bought enough stuff or one of theirs broke). Having had no luck with the penny finding on her own, and being a religious woman, Kym says a prayer to the patron saint of lost causes and lost items (not being a religious woman, I've forgotten his name). On a tight time limit before they would be leaving, bag or not, and probably without the penny, she headed off to a local market. [There is a side story about bags that I mostly forgot, but in addition to the Penny of Unfinding, now she's searching for another man, at another market, with the bag she needs. All before her time in Italy is up in a few hours and she has to fly home empty handed.] Somewhere in all of this, she hits a little corner shop/bodega/tourist trap. As she is standing in line, she notices they have a bunch of pennies taped to the glass of the counter.

Kym begins to have hope again. She asks the lady behind the counter if they have a Malta penny, because it's not on the display. The lady pulls out a shoe box with little envelops, and flips through them once. No Malta penny, sorry. Kym attempts to bridge the language barrier and express how much it would mean, if the lady could please look again? Lady gives a heaving "Fine, I shall humor you." sigh, and flips her way through the pennies again. Guess what the lady found? (In telling this, Kym was tensely sitting on the edge of her chair, her face filled with joy. It meant a lot to her.)

Not only did they have a Malta penny, it's a 2008 minting, uncirculated. As Kym left the shop, she realized she could see the basilica where she prayed to the patron saint of lost things, so she gets a picture of that, a picture of the shop, and writes a four page letter to her uncle about her quest for a penny. Then she packages the Malta penny and the photos with the letter and takes it to the post office, where the mail clerk is reluctant to send it because the coin might slip out. From the sounds of things, Kym stopped just short of super gluing it to the side of the box, so she's confident it made it to her uncle, but she'd only dropped it in the mail earlier the day we saw her.

After she got done telling this story, Kym informed us all that it was just amazing what she'd gone through to get this one cent for her uncle. At which point her husband, who had been quiet for the whole shaggy dog story chimes in with "You wouldn't believe what *I* went through for her to get that silly penny." We all laughed, and her son, someone who makes a living working with computers, said that she could have found a Malta penny for sale online a lot easier.

Later, we brainstormed all the ways her quest could have been easier- using a smart phone to translate what she wanted to ask people, buying it online, printing off a piece of the research she'd done on the Malta piece and taking it with her so the tellers at the banks could look for the Special Malta Penny, etc. But then, there wouldn't have been the story...

Change in the "service animal" definition

2010-07-28T03:11:28Z

As of June 23, 2010, the DOJ added a stricter definition of "service animal" to the Title II and Title III of the ADA. No longer limited to "domestic animals", it is now limited to dogs, and in some cases, miniature horses.

For ESAs/In home service animals, the rules go through Housing and Urban Development (HUD), specifically the Fair Housing Act. Title II and III of the ADA relate to public access and workplace access. Department of Transportation is yet another branch, yet another set of rules- right now the Air Carrier Access Act allows for ESAs to fly with 48 hours notice and a letter from the doctor (also demanding that from psych service dogs, but that's a rant for a different day) while "normal" physical task SDs don't require prior notice or a letter (though finding an airline rep who knows that rule might be more of a headache than showing up with papers- and yes, I know we get to not use papers by fighting for our rights not to use papers, but sometimes, getting there before the wedding/funeral/person dies is more important). So if USA service animal users are a little confused and frustrated by the conflicting and shifting laws, please pardon us for being cranky after wading through boatloads of legalese to find the phrases that apply to us.

I do feel that some animals will be unfairly excluded from public places, but it is a small list, including a parrot who does tasks for a mentally ill handler. This does not mean that people using wild animal (Capuchin monkeys for quadriplegic handlers come to mind), exotic animals, or non-dog species of domestic animals (e.g. diabetes alert cats) will no longer be able to use their service animals, only that they are no longer guaranteed access under federal law. State laws may remain more lenient.

I think this was written in an attempt to limit people taking out untrained animals (and in some cases, nearly untrainable species like reptiles) to places of public access. Having read stories of people taking monkeys with full diapers to grocery stores and letting them LICK PRODUCE, a large part of me goes "yes, keep them home!" On the other hand, this tightening of the definition makes me wonder how much longer it will be before the rules are restricted to only program trained animals. Of course, living near the Heaven Scent Paws "school" of "take them from the shelter, put two weeks into them, sell for $6,000-$15,000 and send them out with new handlers, often children and then not take responsibility if the dog bites the child" pardon me for thinking that programs and owner handlers should meet standard testing not administered by members of the school or a family member of the OT. We have nationwide dog showing, there should be some way to make testing nation wide and accessible. But I digress.

Currently, the definition of "disabled" has expanded, but the number of species has dropped from "anything that can do the job" to "dogs, and maybe tiny horses- but no ponies, no full size horses".

Link the first: http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/ADAregs2010.htm
"In general, these final rules will take effect 6 months after the date on which they are published in the Federal Register. Compliance with the 2010 Standards for Accessible design is permitted after that date, but not required until 18 months after the date of publication."

Link the second: http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/titleII_2010/reg2_2010.html

Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the handler´s disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The crime deterrent effects of an animal´s presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.

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§ 35.136 Service animals

(a) General. Generally, a public entity shall modify its policies, practices, or procedures to permit the use of a service animal by an individual with a disability.

(b) Exceptions. A public entity may ask an individual with a disability to remove a service animal from the premises if--

(1) The animal is out of control and the animal´s handler does not take effective action to control it; or

(2) The animal is not housebroken.

(c) If an animal is properly excluded. If a public entity properly excludes a service animal under § 35.136(b), it shall give the individual with a disability the opportunity to participate in the service, program, or activity without having the service animal on the premises.

(d) Animal under handler´s control. A service animal shall be under the control of its handler. A service animal shall have a harness, leash, or other tether, unless either the handler is unable because of a disability to use a harness, leash, or other tether, or the use of a harness, leash, or other tether would interfere with the service animal´s safe, effective performance of work or tasks, in which case the service animal must be otherwise under the handler´s control (e.g., voice control, signals, or other effective means).

(e) Care or supervision. A public entity is not responsible for the care or supervision of a service animal.

(f) Inquiries. A public entity shall not ask about the nature or extent of a person´s disability, but may make two inquiries to determine whether an animal qualifies as a service animal. A public entity may ask if the animal is required because of a disability and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. A public entity shall not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal. Generally, a public entity may not make these inquiries about a service animal when it is readily apparent that an animal is trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability (e.g., the dog is observed guiding an individual who is blind or has low vision, pulling a person´s wheelchair, or providing assistance with stability or balance to an individual with an observable mobility disability).

(g) Access to areas of a public entity. Individuals with disabilities shall be permitted to be accompanied by their service animals in all areas of a public entity´s facilities where members of the public, participants in services, programs or activities, or invitees, as relevant, are allowed to go.

(h) Surcharges. A public entity shall not ask or require an individual with a disability to pay a surcharge, even if people accompanied by pets are required to pay fees, or to comply with other requirements generally not applicable to people without pets. If a public entity normally charges individuals for the damage they cause, an individual with a disability may be charged for damage caused by his or her service animal.

(i) Miniature horses. (A) A public entity shall make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures to permit the use of a miniature horse by an individual with a disability if the miniature horse has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of the individual with a disability.

(B) Assessment factors. In determining whether reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures can be made to allow a miniature horse into a specific facility, a public entity shall consider--

(1) The type, size, and weight of the miniature horse and whether the facility can accommodate these features;

(2) Whether the handler has sufficient control of the miniature horse;

(3) Whether the miniature horse is housebroken; and

(4) Whether the miniature horse´s presence in a specific facility compromises legitimate safety requirements that are necessary for safe operation.

(C) Other requirements. Paragraphs 35.136 (c) through (h) of this section, which apply to service animals, shall also apply to miniature horses.

The determining text regarding the ruling regarding miniature horses:

"...
Miniature horses. The Department has been persuaded by commenters and the available research to include a provision that would require public accommodations to make reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures to permit the use of a miniature horse by a person with a disability if the miniature horse has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of the individual with a disability. The traditional service animal is a dog, which has a long history of guiding individuals who are blind or have low vision, and over time dogs have been trained to perform an even wider variety of services for individuals with all types of disabilities. However, an organization that developed a program to train miniature horses, modeled on the program used for guide dogs, began training miniature horses in 1991.

Although commenters generally supported the species limitations proposed in the NPRM, some were opposed to the exclusion of miniature horses from the definition of a service animal. These commenters noted that these animals have been providing assistance to persons with disabilities for many years. Miniature horses were suggested by some commenters as viable alternatives to dogs for individuals with allergies, or for those whose religious beliefs preclude the use of dogs. Another consideration mentioned in favor of the use of miniature horses is the longer life span and strength of miniature horses in comparison to dogs. Specifically, miniature horses can provide service for more than 25 years while dogs can provide service for approximately seven years, and, because of their strength, miniature horses can provide services that dogs cannot provide. Accordingly, use of miniature horses reduces the cost involved to retire, replace, and train replacement service animals.

The miniature horse is not one specific breed, but may be one of several breeds, with distinct characteristics that produce animals suited to service animal work. These animals generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the withers, or shoulders, and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds. These characteristics are similar to those of large breed dogs, such as Labrador Retrievers, Great Danes, and Mastiffs. Similar to dogs, miniature horses can be trained through behavioral reinforcement to be "housebroken. " Most miniature service horse handlers and organizations recommend that when the animals are not doing work or performing tasks, the miniature horses should be kept outside in a designated area instead of indoors in a house.

According to information provided by an organization that trains service horses, these miniature horses are trained to provide a wide array of services to their handlers, primarily guiding individuals who are blind or have low vision, pulling wheelchairs, providing stability and balance for individuals with disabilities that impair the ability to walk, and supplying leverage that enables a person with a mobility disability to get up after a fall. According to the commenter, miniature horses are particularly effective for large stature individuals. The animal can be trained to stand (and in some cases, lie down) at the handler´s feet in venues where space is at a premium, such as assembly areas or inside some vehicles that provide public transportation. Some individuals with disabilities have traveled by train and have flown commercially with their miniature horses.

The miniature horse is not included in the definition of service animal, which is limited to dogs. However, the Department has added a specific provision at § 36.302(c)(9) of the final rule covering miniature horses. Under this provision, public accommodations must make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures to permit the use of a miniature horse by an individual with a disability if the miniature horse has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of the individual with a disability. The public accommodation may take into account a series of assessment factors in determining whether to allow a miniature horse into a specific facility. These include the type, size, and weight of the miniature horse, whether the handler has sufficient control of the miniature horse, whether the miniature horse is housebroken, and whether the miniature horse´s presence in a specific facility compromises legitimate safety requirements that are necessary for safe operation. In addition, paragraphs (c)(3)–(8) of this section, which are applicable to dogs, also apply to miniature horses.

Ponies and full-size horses are not covered by § 36.302(c)(9) . Also, because miniature horses can vary in size and can be larger and less flexible than dogs, covered entities may exclude this type of service animal if the presence of the miniature horse, because of its larger size and lower level of flexibility, results in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the services provided."

Or, in plain English:
Good news and bad news for mini horse users. Bad news: per the DoJ ruling, "service animal" now means "dog", only. However, some good news: they recognize that miniature horses can be trained and used by disabled handlers. More bad news: they will let the place of accommodation decide whether or not the horse is too big/inflexible/disrupting of the typical business to enter. Basically, they're going to have to ask to use their minis, and they're going to have to depend on the logic, common sense and compassion of others to be able to use their animals to mitigate their disabilities. They're second class animal handlers, where dog handlers are still covered under law.

Spanikopita

2010-07-15T01:12:59Z

Ingredients:
1 roll phyllo (Athens 1 pound box from freezer case has two rolls), thawed
1 stick of butter, melted
1 pound spinach, remove stems, rinsed and drained (I tear the leaves into smaller pieces)
12 oz feta, crumbled
1/2 cup onion, chopped (more if you like more)

Preparation:
Filling:
Put onions in non-stick pan, add enough water they swirl around bottom of pan easily, cook over medium-low heat until translucent.
Dump in 1/2 the spinach and cook it down, stirring to distribute heat, then add second half and repeat. (I think you could do it all if your pan's big enough, mine's not.) Pull onions and spinach, boil off water from spinach wilting, put onions and spinach back in pan, add feta, stir. When feta is melted and mixed throughout, pull from heat and set aside.

Pyllo:
If you're talented or have someone else to help, layer 5 or so sheets of phyllo, brushing each layer with butter while making filling. If you're not talented, make after filling, as cool filling is easier to work with. Either spread the stacks out or put cling wrap between stacks so you can keep building. You should get 3 or 4 stacks from one roll in the freezer box of phyllo.

Assembly:
Move stack of phyllo to work surface, cut into thirds along the wide side of the rectangle. Put scoop of filling near the end of one strip, and triangle fold (how they fold flags). There should be a little flap at the end, brush with melted butter, fold over, then brush bottom of spanakopita with butter. Place on cookie sheet (I line mine with aluminum foil so cleanup is simple. Repeat until all filling has been used. Usually I end up with 12 spanakopitas that fit nicely on a large cookie sheet. Brush tops of all spanakopitas with the last of the melted butter.

Cooking:
Put in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Pull foil and put on counter to speed cooling. Let sit five minutes if you don't want to burn the membranes in your mouth. Enjoy.

810 callories in a stick of butter
104 calories in a pound of spinach
35 calories in 1/2 cup of yellow onion
720 calories in a phyllo roll
900 calories in 12 oz of feta
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215 calories per spanakopita if you make 12

Good SD press from Dear Abby

2010-07-04T19:08:45Z

published online: 6/27/2010

By Dear Abby

DEAR ABBY: I am 18, disabled, and work with a service dog. I would like to offer people a few tips on interacting with service dog owners. Perhaps it will lessen some of the daily frustrations all handlers deal with:

1. Not all service dogs are big dogs. I know several Chihuahuas who save their owners' lives every day with their medical alert tasks.

2. Not all disabilities are visible. Please don't ask, "What's wrong with you?" or, "What's your problem?"

3. There are many kinds of service dogs, not just guide dogs. Medical alert dogs help people with everything from epilepsy to diabetes to panic attacks. There are also autism service dogs, mobility dogs and hearing dogs.

4. Please do not pet my dog without asking me first. My dog wears a patch that says, "Do Not Pet." It's there for a reason. Abby, I can't count the number of people who read her patch out loud, then reach out to pet her anyway. Please do not take it personally if we say no.

5. If a dog's handler seems ill, it's OK - even preferable - to ask if we are all right. I once had an episode and no less than two dozen people walked right past me while I sat on the floor. Had I been diabetic, I could have died because no one stopped - including two store managers. - HOPING TO HELP IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR HOPING TO HELP: Thank you for an important letter. What many people fail to understand is that when an assistance dog is out in public, the animal is working and should not be distracted from its task - which is ensuring the well-being of its owner.

Your last tip was the most important of all. Folks, I shouldn't have to tell you that if you see someone who appears to be in trouble, it takes only a moment to do the right thing and make sure the person gets the help he or she needs. And that includes calling 9 1 1 if it's merited.