The Next Dark Age
We're in it Now
Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam Hussein, by Zainab Salbi
Zainab Salbi is the founder of Women for Women International, the organization that helps women in war torn countries rebuild their lives. What Salbi didn’t tell the world until very recently is that she grew up in Saddam Hussein’s privileged world; her father had been Hussein’s pilot and her parents were his “friends”.
It should be no surprise to anyone in the West that Hussein didn’t have real friends. He made associations with a glam crowd and terrorized them into catering to his every whim. And then he just might kill them, anyway.
In an attempt to get Salbi away from Hussein (who was starting to look at her a certain way. Ew!), her mother married her off to an Iraqi-American acquaintance who was a total nightmare. Thankfully, she got away from him and rebuilt her life. Totally alone in a foreign country.
In this book, Salbi tries to reconcile her memory with the reality of her childhood. She described the nightmare her parents endured as just exactly like being in an abusive relationship. You never know which man you are going to see that night. Her father coped with Hussein’s..influence by drinking. Her mother tried to kill herself a non-zero number of times.
Interestingly, Salbi says that she thinks she chose her line of work to avoid confronting her own past. That helping women through their trauma somehow pushed her own away. Of course, that doesn’t work forever, which is why we have this book.
I am glad I read it, and glad to participate in the work of Women for Women.
Several Chicagoland Fundraisers for Pets
This morning, my veterinarian’s office posted on Twitter that they will be co-hosting a Canine Cancer Walk on October 1. I hope that by then, Gibbs will be well enough trained and socialized to participate. But that reminded me of several other pet-related fundraising events going on in my area, so this clearly deserves its own post:
Orphans of the Storm is having its 5th Annual Pooch Parade this Saturday, August 20, in Highland Park. I adopted my Late Great Dog Dallas from Orphans.
Wright-Way Rescue is having a Harvest for Hounds Run/Walk Fall Festival on October 8 in Niles. I adopted Gibbs from Wright-Way.
Niles Animal Hospital is having a garage sale in its parking lot for the benefit of a Refuge for Saving the Wildlife, the parrot rescue where I volunteer, on September 18.
If you are in Chicagoland, I hope you can participate. But if not, all of the charity websites accept donations!
Blanket 40
Is in the washing machine right now to be delivered to Project Linus in the morning. I forgot to take a pic before bringing it to the laundry room. Lucky for me it looks exactly like this one:
Except the crocheted edge is Pound of Love yarn in white, instead of the green. Obviously, I dig the John Deere fleece and it was on clearance. If I find it again, I will buy it again.
And so I met my goal for the month.
Barkey McBarkenstein
We are serious about training this dog well, so we had a trainer come to our house. More on that later. But I’ll give you this bit – the trainer is convinced Gibbs has some terrier. Now, this shouldn’t bother me, because he is clearly a WonderMutt. But I am ashamed to tell you that I actually cringed. Because I think of terriers as bossy little barkers.
(sigh).
We didn’t get to the nuisance barking. However, I did get the lesson about, “If the dog doesn’t show you some respect, he doesn’t get to hang out in your bed.”
(See how well I set up that joke? I don’t even need to finish it!)
So while I was playing with my new little camera, I could see he was getting impatient. He barked. I commanded, “Quiet.”
He didn’t like that:
I made growly noise in his face. And got this. And barking in my face:
And he lost his bed privileges. So that’s how we’re playing it now. Until Lesson Two when I learn a better way.
My book club met him yesterday. Gibbs was afraid of Eric – Mr. 6’4 with the long hair. Shadow was also afraid of Eric. But otherwise, I give us a B- for handling the doorbell and opening the door and greeting guests.
But oh, the barking. We have a long way to go. I had forgotten how hard puppies are. My friend Nyla said that Puppy Amnesia is the same as Baby Amnesia.
So. True.
Blanket 39
Finished this last night and I have one more fleece before Project Linus day on Wednesday. Ha.
That was Caron Soft yarn in Grey Heather. Four rows single crochet.
Presidential Courage, by Michael Beschloss
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=leartojugg-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001GVJBHK&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrBook 37
With an hour and twenty to go before my book club meets, I finished the book. It was actually my pick, one that has been sitting on my shelf for awhile. Beschloss takes a handful of presidents and recounts the stories of times when they had to make decisions that could cost them..well, elections mostly.
I was disappointed in that perhaps half were stories that I had already heard or read before. Washington and Jay’s treaty. Lincoln the summer of 1864. Roosevelt and Churchill in 1940. But all of the profiles were worthy and well-written, and some interesting details were included. Also, Beschloss tells it like it is, with little glorification of the players.
Best Dog Toy Ever
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=leartojugg-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0049EMXW6&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrThis is the Happy Moppy. Knotted in a ball on top. Just a bit of stuffing. The ribbons are mostly durable and different textures.
This can be a tug toy, a fetch toy or a chew toy. I don’t have to do much more than shake it over his head to get Gibbs’ attention. He has started unravelling the ball-knot and that is how he will kill it, but I already have a back up.
This isn’t the cheapest toy, but it is near fool proof for distracting my puppy.
Sam Martirano’s
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I Love Patch.com
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Petango
If you count Sigmund the Foster Grey (more on him later), there are four pets in my house:
The Next Dark Age 