My Love Affair with the Ocean

Many of you that know me, and that are my Facebook friends and so forth, know that I have been raving, perhaps to the edge, if not falling off the edge in to pure crazy, about scuba diving, the ocean, islands, the beach and everything that goes with it. My wife can attest to the fact that I may go a bit overboard with my new found love of scuba diving. But allow me to explain myself.

Ever since I was a little kid, actually it's more accurate to say, as long as I can remember, I have always had a fascination with the ocean, especially with warm sunny beaches and it would be even better if it was on an island. I have no idea why, especially when you take into account that I live smack dab in the middle of the country, and the closest salt water is in the Gulf of Mexico a minimum of 16 hours away by car. (Maybe that's it in a nutshell.) Though I can't explain the fascination, there is no question it has always been there. When I was 7 or 8 years old, I had this dream (and isn't life just a sweet dream at that age) that when I turned 16 I was going to hop into my red convertible 1972 Olds Cutlass 442 and take a road trip to California with another dreamer friend of mine. When reality struck, the only part of that dream that came true was I was driving an Olds Cutlass. Only, it was a white 1976 Gutlass Supreme, a major hunk of junk that my parents bought me for $300. (My dad later said he wanted as much steel around me as possible while I was getting used to driving) However, when I turned 17 I got my chance to go to California and see my beloved beach. A family I have been close to my whole life was going to L.A. and asked if I wanted to join them. Next thing you know, I sold my baseball card collection and paid my way to California and had spending money to boot. (HUGE baseball card collection. I sold it at the perfect time.) We didn't get to spend a ton of time at the beach, but we did spend an afternoon at Huntington Beach. We got in the water and goofed around in the waves. That's when I got my first taste of ocean water. Later we found out that the water was only 65 degrees, but we had a great time. We were from Nebraska, we didn't know any better.

The next time I found myself at the ocean was nearly 10 years later in Bar Harbor, Maine. It was beautiful to look at, but Maine in September is not a good time to jump in the ocean. But, I remember just standing on the beach just staring out into the ocean. It was amazing. But still, not what I was looking for, not exactly.

After a few views of the ocean in Washington state, and San Diego, California, I finally got my chance to do the real thing. An island get away! I flew to Grand Cayman with a couple friends. I remember standing outside the airport waiting for my buddy and his wife to get the rental car. I was thinking, "I don't think I have ever been anywhere this hot and this humid." That's saying a lot when you are from Nebraska. Not many places can compete with our humidity level. But in Cayman, it was so humid it felt like you needed your scuba gear on just to breath. The next day, we headed out to the dive sites. From the moment I got into that water and once I calmed down about going 65 feet under water, it's like I was home. It sounds cliche, but it's true. The ocean, islands and scuba diving was everything I thought it would be and more. Which is amazing when you think about it. How many times has a person said, "Oh! You have GOT to see that new movie, it will blow your mind!", or "Dude! You have GOT to eat at this new restaurant, it's AMAZING!", only to see the movie or eat at the restaurant and be utterly disappointed. But, for me, the ocean was everything I had built up in my mind for 36 years, only better.

So, that is why I am obsessed with the ocean and scuba diving. I don't remember a time I wasn't in love with the idea of the ocean. Maybe it was all the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean that my dad and I listened to together? But regardless of the reason, I love the ocean.

Pit Bulls: Image vs. Reality

Growing up, I was a cat person. My family always had at least one cat, usually two. My parents still are cat people, but now they have 3 cats. But that is a blog for another time. Anyhow, my wife on the other hand, has always been an animal person. She can't even look at a stray cat or dog, or even turtle for that matter, without wanting to bring it home. But, if I had to pigeon hole her into a category, I would say she is a dog person. In fact, it was her family's dog, Pepper, a Dalmatian, that started me on the path to becoming a dog person. As most of you know, we now own two English Mastiffs, Lucy (8) and Howard (3). I went from being a little bit afraid of dogs (after being bit twice, you get a little traumatized), to having virtually no fear of dogs. Owning the breed of dog that is in the Guinness Book of World Records for largest dog will make most other dogs seem a bit underwhelming.

However, there are dogs that I have a very deep respect for, and won't just go running up to them and starting rubbing their belly. The one that is on top of that list is Pitbull. I am sure just the mention of this breed made half of you turn on the light, make sure the doors are locked and the cat is in. Afterall, they are the most vicious and heartless dog on the planet. They are a killing machine. At least that is what the media has gotten all of us to think. I will admit, that for the longest time, I felt that it was just in the nature of the Pitbull to attack even when unprovoked. But, without a doubt in my mind, the Pitbull is one of the most misunderstood animals in existence, right up there with sharks. Yes, some Pitbulls do attack. Yes, some are vicious. But, to say, in a blanket statement, that all Pitbulls are bad and the breed should be exterminated is ridiculous. Why?

Whether a Pitbull will be aggressive, and evil comes down to just a few factors. Really, they are factors that determine whether or not ALL dogs will be aggressive and evil.

1) BREEDING

One of the biggest problems in the dog community is "backyard breeding". You get some addlepated buffoon that thinks they can make a quick buck by letting their two Pits make babies. That's why if you get ANY puppy, you really are better off getting one from a respected breeder. Most respectable breeders do their best to either breed certain characteristics in or out of their puppies. They can do this with physical attributes such as color, size, and health, as well as the dogs temperament, i.e. personality. Almost ALL backyard breeders don't think to do this or even care if it's done. Also, backyard breeders will sometimes be extremely irresponsible about the dogs they breed. With all the inbreeding going on in those backyards, the backyard in which they are being breed should be known as Kentucky. (Sorry to any friends I used to have in Kentucky.) Believe it or not, their is incest in the animal kingdom. When I was 5, my parents got a retarded cat from my aunts farm. For the 14 years he lived, he would be laying on your lap purring away, then next thing you know he was trying to claw out your eyes. That was an example of farm cat inbreeding. The same thing results in the canine world. You breed a brother and sister together that are both angry dogs, what do you think you are going to get? You are going to get Charles Manson in a dogs body only not quite as charming.

2) Socialization

All dogs need to have interaction with both other dogs, and other people than just their owner. If you have a dog that never goes out of the backyard, that dog is not going to do well when it finally does get out of the backyard, it doesn't matter if it's a Pitbull or a Labradoodle (Although, what self respecting gangster owns a Labradoodle?). Now, hopefully I don't get myself in trouble here, but what type of people usually own Pitbulls? Probably the better portion of people that own Pitbulls are people that shouldn't have any kind of dog. They lack the time, money and/or education to know how to raise a well socialized dog. That being said, some of the most well behaved Pits I have seen were owned by people that didn't appear to have a lot materially in life. But, they appeared to have the intelligence to handle socializing their dog. On the other hand, I have seen wealthy people with a Labradoodle that barely had control of their dog. I chalk that up to a lack of time and possibly a lack of intelligence. Many times, when Pitbulls do attack, they seem to go after kids. I know my dogs don't love kids, but mostly because they aren't around them much. They aren't mean to the kids, they usually just run off and hide with their tale tucked deeply between their legs. Now, you get a Pitbull that is never around kids, and that is a recipe for disaster. They see that little "thing" as a threat. So, it's up to the OWNER to socialize their dog so it will play nice with others.

3) Training

Our last factor we will consider is training. In many ways, a lack of training comes down to many of the same reasons a dog lacks socialization. But there are a few things that makes it a category in and of itself. Training is important in all dogs, but especially with dogs like Pitbulls. Pitbulls, by nature, are determined animals. That's why they use them for dog fights. The Pitbull will fight to the death if an owner tells it to do so. In the dogs mind, he is defending his owner. Therefore, Pitbulls need training so they know what they should be doing with all that determination. As we see from my example, that can be used for the bad, like in dog fighting. But, with the proper training a Pitbull can be the best family pet anyone could have.

So what am I trying to say? I am trying to say that the bad wrap the Pitbull gets is because of the morons that own them. For some reason, the same people that feel it's okay to squeeze out 6 different babies from 9 different daddies, think it's cool to own a Pitbull. A good rule of thumb is, if you are totally inept at raising children, you probably should stay away from a strong willed dog like a Pitbull.

I have always felt there are two things people should have to pass a test for before they can do it. Those two things are, 1) Have children and 2) Own a dog. Maybe if this was done Pitbulls wouldn't have to be vilified by the media, and made to wear a muzzle 24/7. Most of those dogs are probably more deserving of respect than some of their owners. Maybe we should put the muzzles on the owners since they are ones that are really at fault for most of the Pitbull's woes.

I Need it Done Yesterday!

As we all know, times are tough. At least that is what they keep telling us. Because of this fact, anyone who is in business for themselves is constantly holding their breath that everything doesn't fall apart. For me and my business, we have some decent accounts that keeps the money rolling just good enough to keep our nose above water. (At least I think this think brown liquid I am standing in is water...) Really, I had been "lucky" during this recession. That is until recently. The phone stopped ringing, and some of my long time accounts started looking for ways to save money. It's almost as if the recession finally made it's way to the Midwest.

But, in my business of cleaning floors, the rough winter could be a blessing in disguise. Though it was horrible while it was happening, I think it has left many a floor in desperate need of attention. With the nicer weather that has began to surface, people are starting to think it's safe to have some work done on their floors. The problem is, they always call up on a Wednesday and say they are having some head honcho come in to inspect their store and "we need to have our floors done over the weekend". Now, I will be the first one to tell you that I am a disorganized mess in many areas of my life, including parts of my business. But one thing I am organized about is calling service providers. I always give them plenty of warning. Most likely I am this way because I hate getting that late week phone call. Another reason I am probably this way is because I know that when someone calls me up at the last minute to have some work done, I have what I like to refer to as a "rush fee". The nice thing about these last minute phone calls is that they are going to be desperate, and they may not get anyone that is interested in doing the job for them on such short notice. Cha-CHING!

The worst feeling though, is when you give them a price and they don't even blink an eye and immediately say, "Okay, what time can you get started?", which means I could have gotten more moola. At that point, "Bloody hell!!!", is the expression that usually enters my head. This happened to me a few weeks ago. Only this lady called on a Thursday and needed the work completed by Friday night. So, I shot her a price that I thought was a little on the high side, and even before I had the number completely out of my mouth she said, "It's yours!". Now, what makes this worse is the next day when I am cleaning her floor, she says, "Oh, by the way the week of the 22nd I have another store I need you to do. It's the same size, can you just do it for the same price?". "Bloody hell!!!"

Oh well, it could be worse. I could be a real estate agent in California. That might call for an upgrade to the expression in my head.