Ponderences

By isak, February 12, 2007

The pondering of the day is actually left over from yesterday and seems to be a recurring one: HOW do dogs have the uncanny ability to get restless in the last minutes of a movie or a project you are working on? Yesterday, I had invested almost 2 hours into watching a movie on tv. Actually, I was watching two movies on two different channels. When one went to commercial, I switched to the other. One movie I started watching from the beginning. So I stayed closest to this one. The second, I picked up after it was on for a while — caught it when I was channel surfing during a commercial break from the first one. But no matter. I was quietly coming along fine with them both pleased as punch that they generally broke for commercials at different times. Then 10 minutes before the end — both were to end at the same time — it happened. The dogs started getting restless. DAMN!

Restless starts with one dog — a yawn, a stretch or maybe a dog at the other end of the house jumps off the bed and the sound ripples through the house like a stone ripples water when tossed into it.

Because this so often happens, I was very conscious to NOT give off any indicators that things were wrapping up. I did not stretch, I did not yawn, I did not even get up to go to the bathroom even though I wanted to. It was not even the usual time for “afternoon recess” or “pre-dinner recess.”

UGH! That drives me crazy.

I do not watch much tv, so it usually happens just as I am about to complete something I am developing on my computer. In that case, I have wondered if I am giving off some sense of elation that they pick up.

Either way, I just hate them dictating my little world. This logic tends to maintain a self-purpetuating craziness. The world of a pack is akin to a democracy where the most popular idea wins. I am usually the sole descenting vote for staying in and finishing whatever (cat votes don’t count in these situations and once the dogs get restless, the cats are more than happy to see the dogs go out anyway). For my own sanity, their way is the path of least resistance — give them what they want now and finish my stuff later.

This is certainly not a “me first” house in the sense that I am the “me” being first.

As Betty often said, “it’s a great life if you don’t weaken.”