Moving and Moving On

We are moving on Friday. We are very excited and looking forward to it, although getting ready has been a bit more involved than we might have hoped.

First of all, our dogs had been fighting. Apparently and according to a professional dog behaviorist, my dog is an insecure bully who kept pushing Shiloh around. Shiloh had enough, and they really went at it a few times. And I do mean "went at it" in the "hundreds of dollars in vet bills" sense. We were told that it could take months of training to get them into the same room together, and that we would always have to be on the look-out for fights to happen again. After a lot of deliberation, we decided that it would be best for everyone (especially the dogs) if one was re-homed. We dropped Shiloh off with her new family this weekend, and both Karin and I are sad to have had to say good-bye. Shiloh is a great dog and we love her very much. We know it's for the best, though. We will miss her, but we are very happy that she has such a great new home with a fenced-in backyard and people who love her very much. When we were there, she seemed happy, and we are glad for that. It'll take some time, though. Well, for everyone except Melisma I suppose....

Packing is taking longer than we might have liked. I know Karin is looking forward to moving, but I think she is also anxious. I believe her anxiety may be playing out in our efforts to pack. For example, we did some more packing last night. While I packed up pots and pans and Tupperware in the kitchen, Karin spent over an hour cleaning out her purse and jewelery box. It was cute! I couldn't help but see the humor in our efforts to pack, that I was in a hurry to pack away things we might need to use this week, while Karin spent time getting through various bags of small items that she apparently never uses (hence why things were thrown away or really, really tangled).

Oh, and here's a little factoid for you all: water is sacred in Atlanta. It is sacred to the point where there is a whole rigmarole to go through in order to get it from someone else. When I called the power, gas, phone, television, and Internet companies to have service put in my name, there was absolutely no problem; I just gave them my info and each company said "okay, now YOU are paying for the stuff in the house." But WATER? No no NO! I called to have the water put into my name, but since I am renting the house I have to go to City Hall with a copy of my lease, 2 forms of identification, and over a hundred dollars in fees. It's not as if I am asking to have someone ELSE pay my bills. No, I am asking if I can pay MY LANDLORD'S water bill. And really, as there EVER been a problem where someone else was trying to pay a bill and the person threw a fit.

(Seriously, if any of you out there want to pay any of my bills, I would not have a problem with it.)

So we have water in our new home, we just won't be paying for it until I make my way to City Hall. Oh, and don't forget that I have a job and am working while City Hall is open.

I wonder how much water I will need to drink while I am walking to and from City Hall in the Atlanta sun.....see, that's how the water company gets ya.....

My Brilliant-Assed Contribution to the Field

As part of my job, I talk with college students about their difficulty deciding upon a career path. For some of us, we were fortunate enough to find or just know what we wanted to do and what we needed to do in order to get that great job. For others, they either have no idea what they want to do with their lives, or they have a job in mind but no idea what to major in to prepare for it. Most of the time, these students only know that they don't want to do "the main majors:" psychology, education, business, and communication.

Enter me and my brilliant-assed contribution.

(I should add that these ideas do not apply to what I have learned is the "M.R.S. Degree," which is basically where young women enroll in college to find an educated man with a bright future. These ladies then need to declare a major when in fact "a job" wasn't really on their minds.)

Okay, back to me and my ideas:

1) Batman villain henchman/henchwoman: No one really talks about this profession with college students, but it can potentially be quite lucrative if applicants are well-prepared. In addition to high earning-potential, henchmen can express themselves, as there are many types of henchmen to choose from. For example, they can choose to dress up like clowns (and who doesn't like clowns?), birds, or wear various other multi-colored outfits. There are also opportunities to practice creativity and technical know-how, as there are often problems that come up during capers and they usually involve some sort of computer or security system. Henchmen can have families and care for their children, as most heists take place at night. However, henchmen should be in good physical condition, as they will get their asses kicked nightly.

Academic preparation should include coursework in computer science, theater and character study, and many martial arts and exercise classes.

2) Pornographic film extra: Many untalented students who aspire to careers in acting tend to overlook this important vocation. For those students who want to be actors, but just cannot deliver their scripted dialogue with any degree of believabily, this is the ideal profession. Nudity is not required, as on-screen roles tend to be things like "guy who comes to fix the copy machine but can't because there are people having sex on it" and "stuffy librarian who frowns at people having sex near the encyclopedias."

Academic preparation should include some acting classes and the ability to walk.

3) People who sit outside and smoke all the time: I admit, I don't know much about this vocation, but it seems to be gaining in popularity. I have lived in three apartment complexes, and each had 4-10 people who are constantly outside smoking. It seems to be a fun job, because people who choose this profession are always outside my window laughing and playing music at all hours of the day and night. Apparently, this job does not interfere with having a family (as too many jobs can), because each group has at least three children. It is also profitable, as these people do not need to leave the apartment community to have enough money to buy a lot of beer (or at least buy empty bottles with which to decorate their patio or lawn), stereo equipment, or food.

Academic preparation includes being a douche-bag loser....

Two Nuggets (of different sorts)

Nugget #1 (the Wisdom Kind): As a psychologist, I am privy to the finer details of people's relationship problems and successes. It is not my place to give clients advice, as they should be able to utilize their own wisdom and strengths in the service of change. However, I have noticed two disturbing trends which I feel obligated to convert into guidelines for the general dating public:

If you are an unattractive 18-22 year-old woman and your "soulmate" is unemployed, middle-aged, and lives in his friend's basement, love him to your heart's content (pun intended), but do not act surprised when he turns out not to be the perfectly sensitive and mature man you thought him to be. You might have known better.

Anytime you are doing something with your beloved which causes you to feel the need to get something in writing in order to avoid being screwed-over, it is probably either something you should not be doing or else someone you should not be doing it with.

Nugget #2 (the Fecal Kind): I informed my graduate school that I have passed my licensing exam and accepted a job as a Staff Psychologist in Atlanta. They sent me a congratulatory card addressed to"Mr. C**** A*****." Now then, I wouldn't typically take issue with being referred to as "Mr." on an envelope, but shouldn't the school that awarded me a doctorate know that, if they insist on addressing me formally, I am a doctor? It is like a priest who performed a wedding ceremony referring to the bride as "Miss [maiden name]." He should just be expected to know better....