Let me catch you up.  Right now I’m finishing up my first year of med school (holler) and actually I have my clinical skills exam tomorrow.  Nothing like acting for five hours to demonstrate my mad skills.  Whatever, I’ll be done with it all tomorrow.  Unless, of course, I fail one of the modules and need to re-do it.

But anyway, there’s actually been a fun little addition to the family.  Meet Jillie.

Part black lab, part daschund, and 100% adorable.  I had the pleasure of meeting Jillie for the first time a few months ago when she was still a little puppy.  You can see her when she was a little younger here.  She likes stuffed animals, going on walks, and cuddling up on the couch.  She’s everything you could want in a dog.  And she even just had her 6-month birthday.

Don’t ask what’s up with her ear because honestly I have no idea.  Apparently it just sticks out like that sometimes.  But at least she knows “sit” and “paw,” and I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that she already knows “treat.”  Plus, now that the weather is getting warmer and the ice has melted, she’ll have to learn “swim.”  I’ve heard that Jillie’s been checking out the water down by our dock.  Once it warms up a bit we’ll have to test her affinity for swimming.

I’m sure Jillie will make her own special way into our hearts, just like Molly, Jiggs, and Gracie.

Diet

Jiggs moaned a little in the very early morning but as he often does I didn’t pay more attention than semi-waking.  Woke for real about 5:30 or 6 am when I realized he was just lying there in vomit.  Cleaned it up and changed his towel and then saw he’d had a bowel movement.  Very quietly oozing at both ends.  I cleaned that up + put papers around + tired to wash him-he was completely unresponsive and in the same position I’d put him in last night.  I got panicky and at seven called Dr. Smith who due to illness was out for the day.  They referred me to a Dr. Laspesarde who said to bring Jiggs in.  I went up + waked Paul + asked him to drive me there + help carry Jiggs in his suitcase.  He was up + dressed + downstairs in minutes.  Went int to look at Jiggs.  We had a cup of coffee + I went back in + old Jiggy had died.  It couldn’t have been too painful-I realize now he must have a stroke last night.  I hate to think I pushed him up the stairs but I didn’t know and if he’d had a stroke he wouldn’t have known really either.  Paul put him in Peter’s car and we drove to the Vets and left him there.  For $5 they’ll dispose of him.  I feel just awful + miss him already.  Paul got rid of the suitcase.  We were back at the house by 9 am.  Paul suggested as I’d already washed the whole kitchen almost that we paint it-said he felt like it + would get the pain.  [crossed out writing] I’d taken a Miltown earlier + was anxious to work hard at something.  Took the bedroom rug to the laundromat-gave Mary + Diane each half of Jiggs food for Shane + the cats.  Mary + Paul bought the paint.  I called Peter to tell him about Jiggs-He said he wished he’d been here but I think it was better in a way that only one of us had to go through it.  He had a reading for a Shell commercial coming up.  No sooner hung up than there was a letter from him-much happier.  We painted the kitchen all day.  Paul did the great body of the work but Mary + I did alot.  I cashed a household check for $50.00 for paint etc.  James called to say he couldn’t go to the movies with Mary + me Friday night as he had to go to Allen’s bachelor inner (!!).  Spoke with Mary.  Went to rehearsal.  Came back.  Kitchen dry.  Hung curtains-5 inches too long!  Put back a few things bed at 2.

Up early-almost a week not of near exemplary behavior on all counts!  Not just abstinence but doing things too.  Went to work again on ceiling + walls.   Finished washing all but a comparatively small section (less than a fifth still to do).  We rehearsed today at the Players stage-blocked 3, 4, + 5-And then Bob + I went over lines from the beginning through 5.  Tomorrow night we’re going to have a run-through of 1, 2, 3, 4 + 5 + start work on six on Tuesday.  Don left early so by the time Bob + I were through it was still only 5:30-I went to the Safeway on Melrose + Vine + bought bug paper for shelves + drawers + bug spray + a bottle of vodka for Timmy.  Went to Timmy’s for dinner about 7 o’clock.  We didn’t watch TV for a long time tonight-not until 10-Talked which was nice for a change.  Lovely steak + vegetable dinner.  Nicky Korda came over around 9:30-he leaves for school tomorrow.  He’s a very nice boy.  Peter didn’t call which is just as well as two late nights and he’d be in fairly rotten shape for Monday in N.Y.  I came home about 11:45.  Bottle of Emerald Dry from Jim’s friend John on the kitchen table.  Oh dear.  Put it in ice box.  Fed Jiggs who only ate half his dinner.  Had to carry him down the front stairs but managed to push him back up them after he’d peed-He couldn’t seem to find his way to his suitcase so I just put him in it-bed about 1:30-

Up early.  Peter took Jiggs to the Vet’s-I sat home + cried + worked on Peter’s blanket.  Leon called-the job at U.I. is still on-1 day’s work for $200.00  Saul called for Mary + then Peter called from the Vet’s.  The Vet had given Jiggy a large shot of cortisone.  Took an x-ray.  Thought it might be cancer of the bone but won’t know until Monday.  In the meantime we have him a little longer.  Margie called + she’s broken her collarbone.  When Peter asked her what she was doing she said “singing”-late turned out she was also running down the hill to the pool poor thing.  Promised to send her a book + she asked for one of the “Magic” books by Edward Eager.  It was another day of terrible heat and another day I meant to do things and didn’t.  Peter went out to Campbell’s in Westwood to get the book for Margie + Mary Haas went with him.  I sat for Mary Parker + then came down + worked more on the castle-finished it, blocked it, sewed it together + started to crochet around it.  Peter + Mary back around 6:30-Had been too late to go to Samuel French’s for Sid Michael’s translation of “Tchin-Tchin” but they’d gotten two books for Marge.  (one was the one she’d read) but the other “The Well-Wishers” was new to her + I mailed it off.  We got all dressed up + Mary + Saul took us out to dinner-we went to the Yamashire Sky room + had a table on the terrace.  Very attractive-we all had a maitai and then dinner.  Afterwards we drove around a little + then went to the Cock + Bull where we had 2 drinks apiece.  Were home about 12;30.  Peter + I went upstairs to Mary + Paul’s-Ken Anderson + a nice girl named Faye were there.  Ken is going to give Margie art lessons.  We had 3 drinks up there + then came down about 3:30 + went to bed.

When we adopted Gracie, I remember I was at some overnight Church retreat thing back in high school and when my Mom came to pick me up there was a small bag of dog food on the front seat.  “What’s this?” I asked, and when my Mom smiled I knew we had adopted a dog.  On the ride home when we drove on the opposite side of the lake past our house I looked across the water and saw some black animal running back and forth across our back yard.  Holy crap my Mom wasn’t lying.  When we got home I got a half-ass greeting by an insanely wild and energetic soon-to-be-named Gracie, who was more concerned with taking in all the smells of her new home than checking me out.  I still got a brush from her cold, wet nose against my face and a pleasant little snort.  What a spaz.

But I loved her.  And I still do.  Gracie is incredibly affectionate and if you give her the slightest bit of attention she’ll just keep coming back for more.  Anytime you lay down on the floor in the living room to watch TV you’ll for sure soon hear the click-click-click of her toenails against the hardwood floors as she comes in to see if she can get in a good cuddle.  She’ll sit down right next to you, paw at your arm, give you the sad eyes look, and wait for the almighty “okay.”  Then she’ll awkwardly try and figure out how to manage to get in the perfect position, which usually ends with you forcing her to just lay down.  But in a matter of minutes of her snuggling up next to you she’s passed out snoring and twitching in doggy dreamland.

Jiggs, on the other hand, is, well, a little different.  I remember clearly when my Mom and I went down to the pet store in the shopping plaza down the street for a B.A.R.K.S. adoption day to check out Gracie’s brother that I was shocked and in disbelief that this was the dog we were thinking of adopting.  Although just as energetic and excited as his sister, his fur was matte brown, his rib cage was showing, and he had the biggest ears out of any dog there.  His pet name (no pun intended) became “spare parts dog” because we joked that when God was making him that He must’ve had a leftover short snout, long tongue, big ears, and googley eyes.  While Jiggs may be made from spare parts, he’s unbelievably adorable and it’s just one reason why his weird and goofy name fits him perfectly.  A funny name for a funny dog.

Regardless of Jiggs’ condition when we adopted him, we brought him home.  We were going to make him all better and get him back to health.  My Dad was waiting out on the front porch with Gracie, and when we pulled into the driveway and Jiggs got out Gracie was PISSED.  Even though she’s a dog, I could tell her face dropped in disbelief as if she was saying to her brother, “And what are YOU doing here?!”  She then went into a spaz attack as she tried to vie for all of our attentions, running back and forth between all of us with the occasional stop to give her brother a nudge as if to tell him to get the hell out of here.  Jiggs, of course in typical Jiggs’ fashion, was just happy to be somewhere and didn’t really even recognize what Gracie was doing.  Gracie of course gave her brother a nice little domination hump a few times to let him know she was the boss, but Jiggs couldn’t have cared less.  He was just happy to have found a home.

Jiggs, we soon learned, was definitely severely abused by his previous owner.  He was scared of everything.  And I mean everything.  I would come home from high school and pick up the mail from the mail box.  When I walked in the front door to a welcoming Jiggs and Gracie duo, Jiggs would see the mail, cower down, scoot away into his crate, and shake.  He would shake uncontrollably.  All I could do was pet him, kiss him on the head, and let him sniff the mail and show him that I wasn’t going to do anything to him.  Same thing with soda cans, ceiling fans, turning on the TV, or anything “different” for that matter.  All we could do was love him, and love him we did.  And only now that he and his sister are 13 (or 11? or 12? I don’t know how many) years old is he finally comfortable with everyday things.

And yes, Jiggs is in a doggy wheelchair.  Think we’re crazy?  I kind of thought so at first, too.  I remember my Mom telling me that Jiggs was having trouble walking and thinking that it’d soon be time to put him down.  But then we found out that he probably had some sort of blood clot in his spine that paralyzed his rear legs, and that since he wasn’t in any pain (which has always been our main concern) that he’d be a great candidate for a set of Eddie’s Wheels.  I remember my Dad commented (in typical Dad fashion) to watch how we would spend the couple hundred bucks on Jiggs’ wheelchair and then he’d die a short month after.  But Jiggs proved my Dad way wrong because Jiggs has been in his wheels for almost two years now and he’s loving life.  His back legs have withered down, but his chest and upper body is honestly impressive.  I even have some video of Jiggs in action from a while ago that you can check out here (video will be available whenever YouTube decides to let me upload).

Adopting these two hounds has taught my family and me a lot of lessons.  For starters, old dogs really can learn new tricks.  While sure, they kind of suck at playing fetch, they still learned all the key words like “walk,” “eat,” “outside,” “sit,” “stay,” “lay down,” and (of course) “treat.”  But I think the most powerful lesson they taught us over the years is the power of love.  We treat our dogs like members of the family and not merely as pets or accessories to our lives.  We love them unconditionally, and with these guys coming from an abusive past we made sure to love them even more to make up for their years of abuse.  Jiggs especially was timid and fearful of anything different or new, but Gracie too would cower and have a look a “please don’t beat me” on her face as she would obediently lay down on her back after doing something wrong.  But we showed them we loved them everyday, and over time they’ve come to realize they’re safe.

Gracie and Jiggs are now two old dogs who finally got the love and life they deserve, growing old together back home on the lake.

(I’ll be updating my Flickr soon with plenty of full-sized pictures of these pups.)

Gracie and Jiggs, brother and sister, adopted when they were (something like) five years old, best friends together, enjoying a nice little putt putt ride around the lake to take in the smells.  I was totally jealous.  They’re living the ideal lifestyle.  You get to run around naked, you sniff whatever you want, you get fed, you go on walks, you get to play, you nap, you get totally taken care of.  Such a cushy life.  I’m jealous thinking about it right now.  But these two old pups deserve it.  Their story is something I think is worth telling so I’ll have to write up a better post on these two fools, but I’ll have to dig through some pictures and videos that I have of them.  Gosh do I miss them.

Now I really do have to make it home sometime soon.

Woke around 10:30 or so-Drue called to say goodbye-she finally got the attache case + is going out tomorrow to see Mary Jean.  Her parents were going this afternoon with the case.  I called Mary Jean-sorry to miss them but after all we had a [crossed out writing] good visit in Ouray.  I called Mother + Daddy + said goodbye also to Hilary + Jim.  I really hate leaving the East but at the same time living in hotels and other people’s houses gets wearing too.  And I love our house + Peter + Jiggs so whatcha gonna do.  Annie gave me a great pair of black boots + walked to a cab with me-she’s coming to L.A. in April with “Fiddler” so that’s to look forward to + so is Mother + Daddy’s visit in February- got a cab out to Kennedy- nice ride- lovely sharp cold day- clear as a bell.  Was early so bought insurance + coffee + called Harold Stern who didn’t answer + David Kitchen where Margaret answered.  Evidently she’d changed her mind about leaving at the airport with her luggage already going out to the plane!  How gay + wonderful.  David away so wished her goodbye + happy New Year etc.  Will write Harold.  Nice flight.  Good dinner.  Peter looking very happy at the airport-I hope it was meeting me and not just California in general.  The house looks lovely + Jiggs who came out to the airport seems more chipper than I’d dared hope.  I have an appt. for a commercial tomorrow at 11:50!  There’s a new man Don Schwartz with Barskin-Duke has moved on to another job.  We had great piles of presents waiting for us-A lovely painting by + from Jean Abeshouse from Richard Kneeland, a table cloth from Ida + Alvin.  Towels from Norman Leger, mats from Marilyn Colburn-that beautiful silver platter from Newcomb + Anne.  Cheese + other goodies from Ema + Jim.  Mary Jean + John, Mather + Marilou + all sorts of other things-Mary + Paul gave us some candles Mary made + a glorious cutting or cheese board that Paul made.  They came down for some drinks + we went upstairs for a few more.  They’ve fixed up the apartment just beautifully.  So much to attend to but in some ways it’s nice bot be home.  Actually in every way except L.A.

Artist: The Flushing All-stars feat. Nutso, Grand Larce, Aleon, Large Pro, Shogunna, Jiggs, Eyezlow, Pop-off Balla, & Mic Geronimo

Song: Gun Bustin Flushing

Album: n/a

Produced by: n/a

Directed by: Big Ran

Extra knowledge: Available on iTunes.

]]> http://doodlemeister.com/2010/01/25/todays-gag-69/ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:14:25 +0000 Jim http://doodlemeister.com/2010/01/25/todays-gag-69/ The Serious Cartoonist

To purchase reprint and/or other rights for this cartoon, buy a framed print, or have it reproduced on T-shirts, mugs, aprons, etc., visit the CartoonStock website by clicking the sidebar link.

Copyright © 2010 Jim Sizemore.

In addition to Movenpick and TGIF, Paladium will soon have a Manchester United Cafe, Punjab Grill & The Comedy Store.

Post spawn to early fall fishing, when the bass are off their beds and in their regular routines. Anglers have an awesome opportunity to catch personal bests. The females have recovered from the spawning and the feed bag is on. It is not uncommon to see several large bass cruising together foraging for baitfish, aquatics or crustaceans.

Sight fishing is probably the most exciting part of post spawn and summer fishing for me. I love watching their reaction to certain lures, I honestly learn more by seeing how they refuse my offering than fishing in deep water with the odd strike. This time of year can require fishing shallow for largemouth and down to 25’ for small mouths, but the common denominator for both species is structure, structure and structure. By using your depth sounder for small mouth bass, you can locate deep water drop offs, rock piles or points. These are common areas for the high populations of small mouths.

Deep water presentations for smallmouth bass are:

1. 3 1/2” Salty Tubes: Fished with the lead head jig or a football head jig and crawled along the bottom with the occasional hop. I like the green pumpkin/copper, watermelon/red glitter and black/red glitter tube colors.
2. 4” or 6” Lizards on a light Carolina rig: When using a light Carolina rig, it typically entails using ¼ oz. brass and bead with 24” of 8lb. test monofilament. Cast beyond your target and either use your rod to move the lizard towards the structure or drift with the wind while maintaining bottom contact. Strikes are like a series of three taps. Once you realize the difference between the bottom and a fish strike, this is a very effective technique and can quite honestly put a bunch of fish in the boat.
3. 3”, 4” or 5” Sinkslo/Senko on a drop shot: Drop shot fishing is relatively new, although the technique has been used for almost 10 years, in relation to the standard techniques everyone is use to, it is still young but incredibly effective. Try using the soft stick bait in the following colors pearl/silver glitter, black, green pumpkin, pumpkinseed and watermelon. I prefer to use a 6’10” Drop Shot Spinning Rod with 8lb. monofilament line.The advantage of drop shot fishing is it keeps the bait 10” to 16” off the bottom in the line of sight for the bass. The bass does not need to turn on it side to feed, instead it just needs to swim up to it and inhale. A fantastic presentation for deep water fishing as well as effective in the shallows around lily pads, docks and fallen trees but the hook is exposed with this technique so it can be rather frustrating around certain structure.

   I really prefer the Gamakatsu Drop Shot hook as it has a straight shank and an incredible gap for using soft plastics. Hook size really depends on the bait size but a size 1 works quite well for most applications. To fix the hook to the line – take the last 20” of the monofilament, measure up about 15” and double the line over making and bit of a point. Slide the line through the eye of the hook so that the hook point is up, using the polymer knot to secure the hook in place, take the remaining line and feed it back through the hook eye from the top. This will ensure the hook point rides true. Now you are ready to add the drop shot weight by inserting the remaining line through the eye of the swivel, then pulling it upwards to secure it into place. Add your soft plastic of choice by either inserting the hook through the tip or directly through the middle of the body.

   The drop shot weights are unique in that the line pinched on the swivels holding it in place with tension but if you hung up, it can then be pulled off the line releasing your hook and lure to fish again. When fishing the drop shot rig, cast directly into your target structure, let the weight settle and use your rod tip to shake the worm. Shake, shake, shake and then hold the line taught. Continue this technique but keep your bait in the desired location for as long as possible. This is no different when fishing shallow water structures, just stay back from the target and make longer casts as not to spook the fish in the shallower water.

Now that you’re equipped with the head knowledge to catch bass it’s time to put this to practice. Some very local bass hotspots include Mill Lake, Albert Dyck Park (Walmsley Lake), and Hatzik Lake. Venture a few miles south and there are a number of quality bodies of water with plenty of bass for the taking.

Slack belt grinding never has been a suitable manner for me to shape G10 handles .The belt blows the dust into the air and makes it all very dirt.There are possibilities to reduce speed while slack belt grinding but it’s still one of the most unhealthy and dirty operations in the shop.A fixture to sand the G10 into the right form could be an alternative to slack belt grinding so I tried following fixture.The hollow shape is based on the outer diameter of a 300mm wheel.The G10 piece is fixed with adhesive tape to a sanding guide.Each stroke removes plenty of material.Best results are gained by a complete stroke until the opposite end of the fixture.Here it’s possible to make a equal left and right handle .

I have been testing this techniques with different tubes and forms to get the right shape.Also sanding in a taper tube is possible but difficult.Most important is the set up of the G10 parts,it really must be centered on the sanding guide.Most difficult is to obtain the same shape for both handle parts.Below is another fixture I recently made in order to shape both handlepieces at once.Sanding both pieces together reduces the difference in shape and takes less time.This Fixture has a hollow shape based on the outer diameter of a 200 mm wheel.Ideal for smaller knives with a handle width up to 20mm.A simple guide fixed half of the fixture helps to sand it straight.A flexible sanding belt or long pieces of abrasive is enough to get the shape.This manner reduces the dust in the air.I guess it’s a true alternative to slack belt grinding when you are worried about the dirt and your health !

I also added a picture to show the removal of the G10 after the first strokes.Here you can see is quit important to keep the material stable and apply equal pressure while sanding.However it’s not a big thing to shape it equal.Best results happen with centered handlescrews.The G10 pieces are fixed with adhesive tape on the wood and one pin is added to avoid loosening while applying pressure.

The next picture shows the difference between one finished G10 handle and the next pieces almost ready to be shaped.

In the next picture you can see both handleparts together fixed on the sanding handle.The parts here are postioned on a centerline I draw with a pencil.I always position the knife handle- ends outwards.

I regulary check the shape after some strokes and when the shape is not centered I turn the guide 180 from the left to the right.Both sides of the sanding handle can be used to the guide.The turning of the sanding handle allows some correction of the shape.

Two knife handles done.The thickness of the G10 handles is different but can be adjusted if needed.

This fixture works and sure I will use it on the next knives and tools.Hopefully you could enjoy this tutorial.Feel free to try .

1. carolina liar– “i’m not over.” /coming to terms
2. coldplay–”violet hill.” /viva la vida
3. metro station–”shake itt.” /metro station
4. katy perry–”i kissed a girl” /one of the boys
5. keril-”walking on air”
6. maroon 5 & rhianna–”if i never see your face again.”
7. ashlee simpson–”outta my head (ay ya ya)”
/bittersweet world
8. cold war kids–”hang me up to dry” /robbers & cowards
9. kelis ft.andre 3000–”millionarie” /tasty