the civic center

the civic center, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

this is a 45 minute walk from my house, up paths paved for cars, though we could count on one hand the cars we saw.

a view of the north end of downtown asheville from the east.

scenic roots show tonight

brian's band scenic roots will be rocking the door off the garage tonight.

they were possibly going to play some seger (NIGHT MOVES!), but there wasn't enough time to learn it all.

nacho siesta

nacho siesta, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

he always finds the sunny spots

holden health saga - part a million

i walked into my bedroom and holden was sitting next to the laundry basket, looking at it and repeatedly swallowing.

he looked suspicious.

i looked in the laundry basket and saw only one sock of a pair of thick knee socks.

i freaked the hell out.

stamping my feet, crying, hand wringing, yelling at holden "WHY! GODDAMN IT! YOU FUCKING DOG! THIS IS IT!"

i have a broken CD alarm clock that for some reason goes off every day at noon and midnight (since daylight savings it's 11am and 11pm) and plays the josh phillips folk festival CD in there, which is an upbeat, soulful CD. i yelled at the clock, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" and punched it off.

i pried open his teeth and stuck my hand as far down his throat as it would go.

i turned the laundry basket upside down looking for the other sock.

i thought about waiting to see if he would throw it up, or he would poop it out, but then i started thinking if i wait longer than 2 hours and it moved into his intestines, it could get stuck in the kinks where he's had 2 surgeries in the past, and would require another risky surgery for thousands of doghairs.

so i called the vet to see about the shot to make him throw up. i was crying & said i can't take it anymore, i have spent close to $10,000 on him this year. if he needs surgery, i can't do it.

i brought him in and they x-rayed him, saw the sock in his stomach, and gave him a shot of amorphine to make him throw it up.

now he's back home, on the dog bed resting and slightly gagging, and i'm right next to him slightly gagging too.

kisses for the president

kisses for the president, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i said 'give the president kisses' and they do this.

has nothing to do with putting peanut butter on obama's ears.

cautious optimism

tick

tock

tick

tock

can't wait to see if we get to CHANGE or not

i volunteered last night at the local obama office with my friend michelle. they sent us to candler's finest trailer parks to hang obama signs printed with the hours and voting locations on a few very specific doors.

we knocked every time, but only one man opened up after burping heartily and told us his wife was going to vote today.

so there's that.

bobbin

bobbin, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

it had been 20 years since i've seen bobbing for apples, but like riding a bike, it comes right back.

picnic

picnic, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i climbed up Looking Glass Rock this weekend with some friends and dogs.

the views were truly spectacular. the rock falls off at a sharp angle and you're faced with a canyonish bowl of trees at the height of the fall color change.

it's like being at the end of the world.

barry's buds endorses obama

this is a fantastic newsletter from Barry Cooper, the ex-Texas trooper who now does "Never Get Busted" DVDs and lectures all over the country about legalizing marijuana, and how ineffective the drug war has been, and how so many people's lives are ruined getting busted for herb.

i think he's funny and honest and i like his straightforward style and he wholeheartedly believes what he's saying.

the newsletter starts:

Candi and I often use the phrase, “these Americans are crazy!” We use this term when referencing the Americans who support McCain and Palin and the right wing conservatives of our country. We see McCain as a fake, old, mean, power hungry, little man with crazy dark eyes that dart around looking for approval. I remember facing McCain in an elevator regarding our current marijuana laws only to see him dart away as I was shoved by some of his security. The entire incident was captured by a freelancer who placed it on you tube here:...

gnarly footage of Barry Cooper try to confront McCain on an elevator with Cindy McCain and some shady bodyguards about marijuana harming people when it really helps people.

the newsletter also features such gems as:

"I have no respect for McCain and wish we were all on an anarchist island together so I could kick his ass…he deserves it!"


and

"So vote for Obama. He is half black and half white and totally opposes the crazy Bush and McCain generation of government. "


check it out here.

humpy brownie

peanut butter time 3, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

henry has a stuffed dog friend about half his size named humpy, so named because henry used to or still likes to hump him. when the neighbor's girl comes over to play with henry, humpy's name turns to brownie.

8 legged demon

how exciting is it to find a black widow the size of a quarter up between the shower curtain liner and the shower curtain while taking a shower?

extremely!

flicking and crushing it with a slippery conditioner bottle is a surefire way to get the blood pumping in the morning!

and then to find another one in the same place 2 weeks later - exhilirating!

kitch

kitch, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

my refrigerator is from the 70s, and so is the wallpaper

potlucky

economics

if we all cancel christmas, we'll kill the economy

history isn't written yet,
we're not stuck in a depression yet,
if we stop spending any money won't the economy necessarily shrivel and wither?
shouldn't we keep spending? in places we love for experiences and things and food we love?
no fear.

i keep seeing 'stocks tumble amidst fears...'
let's stop fearing
and stocks will climb

ballot

ballot, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i early voted.

now i want to vote again.

the same way.

republicans think about me, democrats think about we

i heard a poor man voting republican is just dumb

apple skin fungus

apple skin fungus, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

the organic famer said if you peel the skin it's fine underneath

secret fluff safe

secret fluff safe, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

my feedback for the fluff jars and peanut butter stash safes is so good: http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=skippyhaha&ftab=AllFeedback

look at all those A++++++'s

frigid

The temperature inside my house is currently 49 degrees Farenheit.

i am sitting at my desk chair in my sleeping bag and fingerless gloves.

i called the oil company when they opened at 830 and the guy said he'd have someone here 'before lunch.'

when i moved here in april, the girl moving out said the oil tank was empty.

the oil guy on the phone said that trying to run it when the tank is empty will draw sludge from the 100 year old oil tank into the system and the whole thing would need to be cleaned out

so i'm waiting

and

YES he just pulled up!

prancing dogs

nacho holden , originally uploaded by skippy haha.

there is nothing happier than a dog in the woods

What would YOU Drill Sarah Palin with?

If you could drill Sarah Palin w/ anything, what would it be? from vintage vantage on Vimeo.

People at Baracknroll SF this week had some good ideas.

I would drill her with a solar powered dune buggy. Or Ritz Bitz crackers.

obama vs. mccain thumbwrestling

"the dude can't use his arms!"

"Dads"

"Dads", originally uploaded by skippy haha.

Dads are people that love you so mutch that they even buy you things on days that aren't special accations.

Happy Birthday Dad! This is a big one! I'm glad you've grown a neck since I was in 2nd grade! See you soon!

pig dog

holden picked up an unbitten red apple from a neigbor's driveway and walked the entire 1.5 mile loop with it wedged in his mouth last night.

he met a mom and her toddler. the mom asked 'is he good with kids?'

and i said 'yes...but he has an apple stuck he picked up on the street...'

and she said 'awww, he found something special...' as her toddler collided into holden's side

when we got home he sat on the dogbed and ate the apple in about 4 bites.

nacho fire tree

nacho fire tree, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

so hold on tight we'll muddle through one day at a time
one day at a tiiiiiiime

Drill Palin, Not Alaska

click the girl for more details!

Drill Palin, Not Alaska!

Sarah Palin wants to drill the ANWR.

You want to drill Sarah Palin.

$1 from every t-shirt goes to Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin's name.

change

change , originally uploaded by skippy haha.

sidewalk to nowhere

McCain supporters tell their stories while waiting for the McCain/Palin rally in Bethlehem, PA, October 8, 2008.

gay cowboy

gay cowboy, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i had an extremely small last minute modeling party tonight. it was productive and efficient. and fun.

FAIL

this is the funniest site i've ever seen, it starts with throwing a broken necked dove.

http://failblog.org/

innocence

innocence, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

live together in perfect harmony
side by side on my rainbow loveseat oh lord
why don't we?

sunburned tired glad i went

barack obama, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i just got back from the barack obama rally held in the packed and sunny football stadium of Asheville High School.

i was in a snaking line for about an hour. everybody was in good spirits. people were selling t-shirts, pins, hats, rally towels (i got one $5), stickers, car magnets, berets, for obama.

a woman in line with me has lived in fairbanks alaska for the last 10 years and said it is 'absolutely true, common knowledge' among alaskans that governor palin's oldest son, track, is in iraq as an alternative to jailtime, after vandalizing all the wasilla school buses with friends and other punk activities. so when she talks about him being there because he wanted to do all he can for this country, she's lying.

also that wasilla had to hire somebody to do the budget for her for $30K/year because sarah palin was incapable.

she had some more nuggets but you had to be there.

both sides of the stadium's bleachers were jammed full. along the fences within earshot were 3 deep at least. 50 yards of the playing field were full of old people, young people, black people, white people, babies on shoulders, and so many cameras.

barack obama looks so healthy and energetic and vibrant.

he talked about mccain wanting to 'turn the page' away from the economic crisis with swift boat distractions, and how we are not going to be 'bamboozled' and 'hoodwinked', 'okeydoke?' clearly mocking sarah palin's country bumpkin act.

he talked about health care. the specifics of his plan and how he'll fund it, and the specifics of mccain's plan and how he'll fund it. mccain's way of taxing our insurance benefits is crap. obama's way of taxing the really rich is cool.

as far as taxes go, unless you're really rich and making more than $250K a year, you're way better off with obama.

even if you're really rich, you're the same with obama as you were with clinton, and you're better than you were with reagan.

at the end of his speech, they let go about two dozen white doves and they flew in formation, no undue chaos or fear just grace and peace.

and he was off

all photos here - obama rally asheville

all photos in slideshow here - obama rally asheville slideshow

the black keys

the black keys, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

the black keys from akron ohio rocked the shit out of a sold out orange peel last night.

two guys. one guitar, and one drummer.

so much sound!

www.myspace.com/theblackkeys

change asheville

change asheville , originally uploaded by skippy haha.

guess who's coming to speak at asheville high school tomorrow?

barack obama.

nacho and i trekked down there to check it out. nobody was camping out like i thought there'd be.

they're unloading trucks of podiums and cables and signs. the stadium is beautiful with the blue ridge mountains in the background.

rebounds

i've heard that sarah palin 'rebounded' in the debate last night. so, blatantly ignoring the actual questions asked of you and rambling your memorized talking points equals good?

i can't imagine her sitting down with a foreign diplomat who needed a translator. would the translator wink? what would the translator do with "joe six pack"? she is an embarrasment. you betcha.

and is it too much to ask that the VP candidate can pronounce NUCLEAR?

nuke. lee. er. voila! (vwala)

holden alert

holden alert, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

guess whose blood tests came back full of protein and picture perfect? holden the wonderful dog!

this is why i joined facebook

jill's updated status : JPS is internet cursed...damn technology! about a minute ago


it is good for laughs & to see pictures of babies

vast variety

KATIE COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed and to understand the world?

SARAH PALIN: I’ve read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media —

COURIC: But what ones specifically? I’m curious.

PALIN: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years.

COURIC: Can you name any of them?

PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news.

if it is such a 'vast variety' why did she blank out, unable to name ONE newspaper or magazine that she reads?

is any single thing about her honest? or intelligent?

"that dog made a break for freedom"

i read this post and this first comment and lol'd all over the place

it says that dog made a break for freedom. what the fuck. hes GREEN

dogwalking question

rocky and grace's mom thinks nacho's name is taco. when she saw us coming down the street nacho got low to the ground, put his ears back, and wagged his tail so hard his whole back half swayed and she said 'it's taco! the friendliest polar bear in the world! hey taco...'
should i correct her?

clotheswap

clotheswap, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i went to a ladies' clothing swap this weekend at my friend michelle's house. it was separated - tops in one room, pants/dresses in another room, accessories/shoes in another room. i got rid of some clothes i never wear, and got some clothes i will wear, and we all had a super potluck in a sweet old house painted like a creamsicle in the middle of a national forest with kobe beef cattle grazing on the other side of the hill. and all the extra clothes are going to a local women's shelter.

waiting for treats

waiting for treats, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

you can actually see nacho's drool

yes holden?

yes holden?, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

mr. sensitive would like another ginger heart treat

swollen, stinging, and dripping

my face is

all the OJ & grapefruit seed extract in china has not stopped the flowing and clogging

these are the soup days

hope you are all breathing well

dying monarch

dying butterfly, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

this guy was struggling with one functioning wing on the street today. the kindest thing would probably have been to kill it, but i didn't.

holden and nacho are the luckiest dogs on the block! they got a box full of ginger treats in the mail today from bone appetit in east greenwich, rhode island. were those from their uncle henry? they say 'thank you! ruff ruff!'

what "stud" mean?

nacho, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i have a flickr friend named Diana from Indonesia. Diana has a beautiful golden retriever boy named Gogo. She is trying to learn English, and here's an exchange we had through comments -

Comments

Diana&Gogo says:
Yeah Nacho you are so cute and handsome.... Love your smile :-)
Posted 36 hours ago.



skippy haha says:
thanks diana! he does look like a little stud here, doesn't he?
Posted 27 hours ago.



Diana&Gogo says:
skippy haha actually I am so shy asking you this question but what "stud" mean? I try to find the meaning in dictionary (the dictionary write related with horse) I really confuse +_+. Are you trying to say Nacho look like a little Horse here?

Hehe.... I'm keep trying to improve my English. Plz be patient to my language and my question (I'm a person that never tired to learn and asking question for everything I don't understand). ThQ....
Posted 17 hours ago.





skippy haha says:
Diana, that is great, I hope i can help you learn english! I think a "stud" means a handsome male dog, that all the lady dogs want to be with! Like a movie star! If he is a STUD, he is so handsome that all the lady dogs want to have puppies with him :)! Gogo is DEFINITELY a stud!
Posted 4 hours ago.

instant karma

to make up for having one of my favorite days i've ever lived last friday into saturday, i am struck now with fever, swollen glands, and ear and throatache. holden almost died. there is no gasoline to be found in western north carolina, the gulf hurricanes knocked out some pipelines, and the area is in a panic. wall street collapsed. even if the amount of fun i had caused these troubles, i would still re-live friday, over and over on repeat if i could.

yin yang

yin yang, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

balance is restored, however fleeting, and sweeter the appreciation

holden seems good, going back to the vet next week for blood tests that better be better

the vet's name is Dr. Riggle (rhymes with wiggle) which i think is the best vet name i've ever heard. he wrote at the end of holden's chart - Holden is a wonderful dog - so of course i like him.

crazy holden

crazy holden, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

holden's blood tests came back and his protein levels are low. that could be because they're flushing him out with so much water, or because something's wrong with his liver or kidneys. but the dr. says he looks perfectly fine and i can pick him up this afternoon. they want me to watch him and bring him back for more blood tests early next week to make sure it's just because all the fluids.

i promise i don't have this

Munchausen syndrome by proxy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fabricated or induced illness (FII), or factitious disorders, originally and more commonly known as Munchausen syndrome or Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), are insidious disorders in which injury is deliberately and gradually inflicted upon a person usually for gaining attention[1] or some other benefit[2].

The caregiver is usually a parent, guardian, or spouse, and the victim is usually a child or vulnerable adult. Although cases with feigned or induced physical illness receive the most attention, it is also possible for a perpetrator who emotionally abuses a victim to simulate and fabricate conditions that appear to be psychiatric or genetic problems.


Munchausen syndrome by proxy: pet

The medical literature includes a number of descriptions of a subset of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP) caretakers, whose cases are labeled Munchausen syndrome by proxy: pet (MSbP:P). This is a factitious disorder with pet proxies, malingering with animal proxies, or even instances of "battered pet syndrome" (in reference to battered woman syndrome). In these cases, pet owners correspond to caretakers in traditional MSbP presentations involving human proxies.[12] No extensive survey has yet been made of the extant literature, and there has been no speculation as to closely MSbP:P tracks with human MSbP.

battered pet syndrome!

the greatness of a nation

0921081609, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

believe it or not, holden is at the emergency vet overnight because he ate a bowl of trail mix containing raisins and when i got home an hour later and called they had me try to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide by the tablespoonful (i mixed it with cream cheese in the top of a peanut butter jar and he drank a little, but not enough), and i brought him in and they induced vomiting with an injection and got all the raisins and nuts out and he is there til 720 tomorrow morning, at which point i can pick him up and they think he should be transfered to his regular vet and stay on IV fluids longer, and also have his seroma looked at because they think it's too big. i can't believe i left trail mix where he could get it while nacho & i took a walk. it was pushed back very far on the aerogarden on the kitchen table, and i think he must've jumped up on a chair that isn't usually there so he could get it. luckily i'd eaten the chocolate out of it. it's unbelievable if it wasn't true. i should have my dog owner license revoked.