My 8-month-old, 70 pound catalyst

7 months ago, I did something that everyone around me warned against: I adopted a puppy. How is this a bad idea you ask? Because I'm a 21-year-old college student with a crazed schedule, limited income, and a type-A-take-on-more-than-I-can-handle personalilty. Let me just mention that all of these statements are true (I wouldn't want to mislead you, my few but loyal readers).

When I brought Kona home, she was 5 weeks old and about 12 pounds. She was adorable, a huge hit with my reluctant friends, and a good listener. The rescue that I worked with to get Kona is a wonderful organization based out of Mt. Pleasant, S.C. They told me that she was a boxer mix...mixed with what?....probably something on the small side, was the response that I received.

As the weeks went by, the tides turned.

1) I found out from our vet that Kona was not just a boxer mix, but a boxer mixed with great dane. Yikes...a combo for a HUGE dog.

2) The little darling turned into a wild child: assaulting my friends and house guests, destroying my home and the assorted odds and ends that fill it, and slowly turning my mother against us both.

3) I also found out that Kona's papa was rescued from a dog fighting ring and was a very aggressive, unpredictable, and uncontrollable dog (traits that are hereditary)

Everyone in my life urged me to find Kona a new home, with an individual with loads of free time and unlimited income to better acquiesce to her needs. I must admit, I considered it, but only for a few seconds.

And boy am I glad that I shook that notion out of my mind. In the past few months, I have begun to realize that getting Kona marked a new phase in my life. I took an idea that I felt was possible and healthy and went against all the "shoulds" that people threw at me. The concept that I now have a beautiful (albeit GIANT) teenage puppy has given me a new-found confidence to trust my instincts and try new things. She has been my catalyst to engage in a 'year of firsts' and try everything i've ever wanted to try. As cliche as it sounds, rescuing Kona changed my life and allowed me to see past the "shoulds" and attempt the things that everyone says are impossible and terrible ideas.

Terrible ideas....don't you just love those?

Profs need to workout too!

Long time, no blog :(

My latest venture at the College of Charleston is to provide our faculty and staff with a weekly series of fitness classes/opportunities. I surveyed our faculty last week to gauge interest and the response has been an exciting, resounding: YES PLEASE!

I'm personally thrilled to be putting together this program. First of all, I have no idea how our faculty members find time to eat, let alone to work-out. They have their own lives (spouses, kids, households), as well as hundreds of students to keep track of AND lesson-plans to make, etc etc. How can we expect our professors to have time to be healthy if they barely have time to breath and not a large enough salary to hire a personal trainer?

Currently, there is a huge push to promote active lifestyles and lower student obesity rates in the state of SC (and nationally, as well). Given this 'wellness' perspective being incorporated in the education system, i'm surprised that CofC has not made an effort to extend this fitness courtesy to their faculty and staff. I understand that budget cuts and the current state of the economy are forcing the SC higher education system to neglect certain aspects but we need to take care of our teachers.

More on this later...
Wish me luck!

Zeus -- My First Adoptee!

I rehomed my first rescue!

Zeus is an 9 month old purebred boxer, pulled from a local shelter that was threatening euthanasia. He had a great (albeit hyper) temperment and was a BIG boy at 80ish lbs. Zeus has a great fawn coat with flashy white splayed across his chest and paws. He was great in the house, followed directions well, and his temporary little sis Kona LOVED him. He let her jump and climb all over him and chew on his ears. What a sweet boy!

I found Zeus a wonderful home with a military family who have owned boxers before. They love him and say he is the perfect fit for their family. From the pictures they have sent me, he seems to have adjusted quickly and easily become the 'man of the house'.

I think a future boxer (and other big breeds) rescue is a definite possibility :)

Irony of Ironies

Ok, embarressing but true. I am addicted to Twitter...didn't take long did it? (see previous post)

And as per usual, I can't make up my mind so I changed my name again...

@agirlandherpup

if you please :)

The juggernaut that is Twitter

wordnetweb.com (Princeton, 2010) defines the word 'juggernaut' as:

- a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way; a literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable

It would be the understatement of the century to say simply that Twitter applies. My incredibly reputable source (read: WikiAnswers) estimates that over 3 million twitter messages, or "tweets", are sent....PER DAY.

Per day.

Lets break that down. So every day of our lives, people are sending 3 MILLION tiny updates (140 characters max i think?) about their thoughts/feelings/news/lives/locations/etc. That's 3 million microblogs a day. Astonishing. I can't imagine what it would feel like to take little pockets of intimacy and personality and shove them out there into cyberspace. This constant connection with one's "followers" is unlike anything that's ever happened to us (from a techy standpoint). Its a step beyond texting because who can send a personalized message to their celebrity of choice? Not many of us.

HOWEVER, personal thoughts aside, I have been challenged to get on Twitter. Start tweeting. Become a..twit? Use words like t'world. Hmm...not sure how I feel about this. And so the experiment begins.... @katieleighnchas :) Tweet me.

Come on, America

I constantly find myself amazed at what the American public (and the free press) consider to be newsworthy. And it continues today... Last night, the President of the United States spoke concerning his effective implementation of the start of the promised troop withdrawal from Iraq and the Iraqi government announced the end of the US's direct involvement with the conflict in Iraq. Regardless of party affiliation, this is good news right? No more American men and women losing their lives over a civil war (read: we can't stop it) = good news.

So naturally, what is the top political headline/round-table topic on the news this morning? That's right, you guessed it: the Obamas are redecorating the Oval Office. And what's worse! They picked couches that don't match the wallpaper! Do I even need to say 'Impeach'?

Can we please stop trying to make the top political figure in our country (some would venture to say the World) into a TMZ-worthy celebrity? Thanks U.S. media, I appreciate it.

Instigator

Life as we know it is about to change. I can't tell you how or when, namely because I haven't figured it out myself yet. But its about to change. Gone are the days of quiet meditation and self-inflicted introspection. I'm tired of waiting for something to happen. Today, I'm making the decision that something IS going to happen. Until now, I've been waiting to be found, to be inspired. It's no longer an acceptable approach. Today, I start searching for all the things that have been missing. Maybe its more about actively seeking than waiting and wanting. Maybe its a big game of life hide-and-seek and all the puzzle pieces are waiting and wanting for me to find them. I'm beginning to get the game.

This is about being DYNAMIC. Fluid. Change. And dare I say it...Revolution. It's about pushing on the edges of possible and probable and demanding expansion. Not just about doing more, but about incorporating those experiences to become something more. Transformation.

How you ask? Now if I had answers, do you think I would be asking questions? We'll all just have to wait and see.
Ah, no worries.

Until then, the unknown is an integral aspect of the journey, no?