A Dog’s (and Our) Purpose October 30, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Uncategorized.Tags: chain email, dogs, laughter, life, Love, purpose
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I am not usually a big fan of these chain emails, but I found a connection with this one and thought I would share…
A Dog’s Purpose? (From a 6-year-old).
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.” Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try to live.
He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
What Happened 5 Minutes Ago? October 9, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Uncategorized.Tags: brain development, child, concentration, five year old, focus, memory, phases
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How is it possible that a five year old can remember things from a year and a half ago, but has no idea what happened 5 minutes ago? This morning Alec asked me about Easter from before he was four. He asked me to go to the toboggan run we did a couple of times the last couple of years. I asked him what clothes he put on before we left the house. I asked him what he had for breakfast. He had no idea. When I ask him what happens and school and he can only remember what happened last week.
I searched online and can find no information. There appears to be no research on this subject. It does raise a little concern for us that he can’t remember. As a kindergartener this may start to undermine his ability to learn. He is starting to learn how to read, but when we help him with the letter sounds, he forgets two minutes later. How is that possible?
I really hope we figure this out. Hopefully someone out there will search just like I did and come across this post. Please cooberate. Please tell us we are nuts and everyone goes through this. We know he is a bright, creative kid, he just needs to get through this phase.
Fascinating Accumulation of Data October 7, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Uncategorized.Tags: data, Hans Rosling, Politics, Talks, TED, Videos
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I have seen a couple of this man’s TED Talks and they are unbelievable. If you like data, this will blow your mind.
Surgery at last for Daisy October 3, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Uncategorized.Tags: Daisy, dogs, surgery, tightrope, TPLO, vetinarian
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Last January I posted about Daisy hurting her knee. After nearly 9 months, we decided to go ahead with the surgery. She clearly was suffering at times and the pain and anti-inflammatory medicine appeared to be causing some diaherra. She is a healthy strong girl, so we expect her to be with us for quite some time. Yesterday, she received a tightrope surgery. The surgeon and vet offices has said she is doing well and she came home last night. They say it is 8-12 weeks of recovery, but after that she should be as good as new.
The hardest part will be keeping her from running and jumping, but with winter coming, hopefully we will inside with her more and she will have more time to recover.
So far, she is trying to do everything she normally does – let go upstairs (I had to escort her down once so far), jump up on the couch and ottoman (so far, we have been able to stop her), and she is even putting a little pressure on her (recovering) leg. The canine species is so amazing in this way. She is quite the stoic girl.
Movie (Documentary) Review: Man on Wire October 2, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Uncategorized.Tags: documentary, Man On Wire, Movies, Philippe Petit, review
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Netflix Synopsis: Philippe Petit captured the world’s attention in 1974 when he successfully walked across a high wire between New York’s Twin Towers. This Oscar winner for Best Documentary explores the preparations that went into the stunt as well as the event and its aftermath. Obsessed with the towers even before they were fully constructed, Petit sneaked into the buildings several times to determine the equipment he needed to accomplish his daring feat.
I first heard about this movie during one of favorite podcasts, Think on NPR’s KERA station in Texas. The passion that came through of Philippe Petite was captivating. I knew then that I had to find it on Netflix. Well, this week, I finally got around to it from the “Watch Instantly” queue.
Now, I have to say this, 8 years after the events of September 11th, 2001, this movie was very errie. That being said, for a documentary, this story is amazing and the performance is absolutely breath-taking. If you can get past the reminders of 9/11, this is a can’t miss movie. It celebrates one man’s passion, possibly slight insanity, determination and skill. And the photography is spectacular.
Fall is here already? August 30, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Uncategorized.Tags: Bike, Kensington Metro Park, Milford, pictures michigan, trails
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I usually get some good mountain bike rides in once fall hits. This year, I have been able to take the boys in the trailer on a few. And today, I managed a 2 hour ride around the trails of Milford.
It felt like a nice cool fall day. I wore my long sleeve cool max shirt and wind breaker. I am not sure it got above 60 degrees before noon when I finished. It was a fall day for sure, except, it is only August. I am not sure what is happening to the weather.
Used Cars in 2010 July 21, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Uncategorized.Tags: auto industry, Buick Enclave, car lease, Chevy Traverse, Economy, Ford Flex, foreign, GMC Acadia, Hybrid, Michigan, Saturn Outlook, seven passenger, Toyota Highlander, Used cars
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One of my co-workers has been spending time searching for a used car for her college-aged son. He was almost in an accident recently and the other car smashed into a median and she said it was totaled. This kind of freaked her out that his older model Grand Prix did not have enough safety features… air bags, anti-lock brakes, etc. All her searching has got me thinking… in 9 months, I will be turning in my lease for a “new” car.
I am not a big fan of leasing a car. It works for some people, but I really do not mind having a car that is older than 2-3-4 years. It may require a little more maintenance, but when you aren’t paying a monthly payment, I certainly think it more than balances out. We did it this time in an effort to actually save money during this short period when both the boys are in day care. (My last car was used as a trade-in for the lease and so we had no payments to make on a two-year lease.)
So, anyway, back to my thinking… with the auto industry the way it is and everything else going on in the economy, it is hard to decide what we should do… nine months from now. I think we are leaning toward buying a used car… preferably one that is less than two years old. And as much as I am loving 29 MPG I get going to and from work, we really need a seven passenger vehicle that can carry more than just the immediate family. At this point, the only vehicle on the market that can meet those two needs is a Toyota Hybrid Highlander. But, being in Michigan, it is really hard to feel good about driving a foreign car.
Despite it’s odd appearance, Kim really like the Ford Flex. Neither of us have driven one, so that would be the first step there. Of the Ford SUVs I have driven, I did not like the torque the engine seemed to have as the vehicle always seemed to really pull when you accelerated. I prefer a smoother ride in that way. I did like my Rendevous, but it has been replaced by the Outlook, Acadia, Enclave and Traverse – which are much longer and would fill up our garage big time, as would the Flex.
And there are couple of others I would consider, like the Chrysler Pacfica and Dodge Journey which seem to squeeze 7 people into smaller packages…. but who knows… what will be on the market then, what prices will they be going for, what quality/service issues will arise in the coming months as more dealerships close. I wonder if people in other parts of the country are considering all the factors that are going to affect the automobile market in the coming months or years. I know in Michigan, it is in the forefront of people’s minds.
Aggegrator or click, click, click July 6, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Uncategorized.Tags: brower, buggy, efficient, iGoogle, internet, myMSN, myYahoo, web sites
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A few months back, I setup my IE browser (yes, I still use IE – but that is a different post) to hit the max 8 homepages when it opens. I picked the eight sites based on things I need for work as well as news and weather sites that help keep me abreast of things going on. It made it very easy to cycle through them and check them through out the day. I could get the weather, headlines, local news at the (three) clicks of the button.
So, now I am trying out something others have probably been using for years… iGoogle. Yahoo and MSN have allows customizing their “my” pages, but Google seems to have a lot of applets that take the customization to the next level. I experimented with this in the past but it was slow and seemed buggy. I am hoping I can work out any issues in this new attempt. I like the idea of being able to simplify and reduce the number of IE pages I have open at any given point…. I know, I should probably be using Firefox, but a lot of the business apps I use do not support it.
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures June 19, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Family, Uncategorized.Tags: birthday, Disney, Pictures, Spring
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I just updated and added some albums to my photos online. You can check them out at Picasa Online Photos for Waldman Family
Snow in April April 6, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Family, Society, Uncategorized.Tags: April, Snow, Weather
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This morning we woke up to a surprising 4-5 inches of snow. All the forecast had said was “snow”. I guess we all assumed it was snow flurries, but we got much more than that.
