Goodbye to Daisy

I wasn't prepared for this at all.

We decided not to bring our dog, Daisy, to Indianapolis. Really, I hadn't put much thought into it until tonight. After consulting with some friends, I decided that the best course of action was to let the kids say goodbye to Daisy. Originally, I thought that the best idea was just to take her to the shelter thereby easing the pain.

So anyway, Brianna just came in crying from the garage. She heard from Kellen that they had to all say goodbyes. Tomorrow I'm taking her in.

Then I realized that Benji was missing. I knew where he was- out with Daisy, too. I thought I could be the man and not break down. But when I saw Benji turn away from me as he knelt by the dog- I knew - and I couldn't contain it. He is not a crier- and was ashamed that I might see his tears. I hugged and wept with him right there.

This is the single biggest loss our kids have ever experienced. Most of their formative years have been with Daisy. It is like a death.

Electronic Spittle

Let's call him “Bob”.

Bob is a “close talker”. He feels compelled to communicate only when his face is within 18 inches of yours. Friendly, mind you-but void of a social sense. The occasional spittle may land on your cheek- but you buck up for the sake of conviviality. Your eyes dart to the left and right of his face to see if innocent passerbys' are also privy to the conversation - not quite sure what they think of Bob's opinion of “the lady in the black swimsuit who was tanning on her dock”.

Your peripheral vision is a panorama of mostly sensible folks hearing every word and scurrying to a safe location as to not be the next one cornered.

Bob wants you to know that he knows. What he know. Why he knows. And you didn't know. But everyone knows. And even if Bob knows what everyone really knows, he would still let you know.

Email spam. Had to confront it again today. An employee in my company began sending cute thoughts for the day to me. I thought, “oh no” is he sending this to management, too? Yep. The distribution list had about 100 names and addresses and nothing hidden, exposing company (business) email addresses to every imaginable spammer.
Last week it was an e-greeting card (the height of annoying unsacrificial patronage). This morning it was cute birthday songs the year I was born.

I had to email him back and break the news gently. “Probably isn't a good idea to send this stuff to employees...”, yada yada yada - skirting my actual personal hate of electronic pap.

What ever happened to common sense etiquette?! It is AMAZING to me it never crosses the mind of a well meaning “spammer”

1. Does this person care about this email I am about to send?

2. What will people think about me after I send this?

Nope- never dawns on them. Let's call them spappers. Emphasis on “pap”.

pap1-noun
1. Material lacking real value or substance: TV shows that offer nothing but pap.
2. An idea, talk, book, or the like, lacking substance or real value.

[Origin: 1400-50; late ME; a nursery word akin to D pap, G Pappe, L, It pappa]-Related forms -paplike, adjective

For most spappers, it's easy just create an email rule to automatically delete the message from the server. But when you have a business employee that may have a legitimate business message- you can't delete that potentially important message.

Someone needs to update Emily Post's quintessential 1922 classic: Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home.

At least add a chapter themed: “Email only what you are willing to voice call.”

One Bob isn't so bad. Bob times hundreds can lead to a real headache.

Meaningless Word of the Day

Postmodern.

In memory of the late George Carlin, I submit to you the most irritating word that I have ever heard.

Postmodern.

Post = after
Modern = relating to the present time

Therefore: after relating to the present time. So basically, postmodern means "the future".

So why not just say "the future".

Full disclosure. I was watching Bill Brown, president of Cedarville University give his recent chapel speech on the recent theological controversy. I think that word makes the people who use it think they are smarter that Joe Six Pack- but frankly, it just sounds really stupid.

Shakespeare say's: thumbs down.