Canine birthday update: No birthday is complete without a present, so Jazzy and I made the short trip to Benny's to get hers today. Yup, it's a kiddie pool. I had to put a blanket on the passenger seat for Jaz to sit up front, as the pool took up the back seat where she usually resides. Once we got home, we played some fetch as the pool filled. It was the middle of the day and quite hot, so it wasn't long before a trip to the pool was in order. I showed it to her and it was just like old times - she stepped in, did the old turning around thing, and lied down in the water. Then she took a drink - nothing like a bath that doubles as a beverage, I guess. I'd say she's very pleased with her birthday present this year - the look on her face says it all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAZZY! Today is Jasmine's birthday, and she's now seven years old. According to this dog age conversion calculator, that makes her 41, so she's finally passed me in age. Now since I believe we should all get what we want on our special day, I've granted Jazzy's wish of lying on the couch doing pretty much nothing today. Yes, it's not much different than any other day for her, except that she's using me for a pillow. I guess that makes all the difference. I'm sure at some point she'll want to play fetch, but for the moment she's happy snoozing away dreaming about playing fetch. Thanks for the past seven years, Jaz, and I look forward to many more.

I’ve been on a survival kick lately. I’m not sure how it started, but a while ago I was thinking about being prepared in case of a calamity of some kind. I started looking at survival supplies for the home and car, but didn't actually buy anything. I just had a feeling that there was a lot more to it than having some protein bars and water purification tablets. While on a bookstore adventure with my Mom (a favorite pastime of ours), I was having a tough time finding something worthwhile. I happened to pick up a book about survival with a tagline that caught my eye... “who lives, who dies, and why.” I took a chance on it and am very glad I did. It seems that the feeling I had earlier was correct. Survival is about your mind, not your supplies. In truth, the book is the best psychology book I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a few). It speaks to how our minds make mental maps of our world, and how unpredictable we act when we get lost. The book tells many stories of people that were very experienced and well trained that died because they made irrational decisions under difficult circumstances. Conversely, novices with the right frame of mind (that is, an open mind) often survive. There was one other very surprising thing about those people - those who survived being adrift at sea or being alone and injured on a mountain - they all reached a point where they stopped and took note of the natural beauty all around them and accepted their new reality. It’s hard to imagine doing that at first, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Even when our lives are not in danger, our world is constantly changing. We must accept this in order to “survive” our daily lives, which we must do every day before we do anything else. The fact that we don’t have to consciously do so makes it no less true. That said, I’m still planning on buying some actual survival supplies, which certainly don’t hurt. And I bought another book with vital information on surviving in the outdoors. Stuff like which plants and animals are edible (it even gets into how edible - do you know if squirrels are tasty or not?), how to stay warm, how much to rest, etc. Oh, and how to make a fire, which those people on Survivor can never seem to manage. Speaking of which, I was happy to see Earl win this latest season. He seems like a good guy and a deserving winner. Sure, Yao-Man would have been a bit more fun as the winner, but at least it wasn't some under-the-radar-type winner. Yes, Cassandra, I’m talking about you. It's funny, but it turns out that the show is more about survival than I gave it credit for (especially since the physical difficulty seems to have lessened in recent seasons). The mental aspect is what survival is really all about, and the show’s motto is right on... "outwit, outlast, outplay.”

Last Saturday, after picking up a coffee and muffin at Dunkin Donuts, Jazzy and I decided to go for a ride and explore the area a bit. It was still fairly early in the morning, and a fog hung in the air, waiting to be burned off by the sun later in the day. Jaz stood up and faced the right rear window, her signal to me to push the button to open it for her. The roads were were traveling were narrow and twisty, so it was slow going. Even so, the fog was condensing on her face, which I thought was funny. So I decided to take a picture. The camera didn't quite capture it, unfortunately. For the longest time, Jazzy didn't like to stick her head out the window, which is very unusual for a dog. She had a good reason though. When she was not yet fully grown, she was sitting in the front seat of my car and had her head out the window. In order for her head to reach the great outdoors, she had her front paws on the armrest. Unfortunately, she shifted her foot and pressed the power window button. The window started closing with her head in it! I reached over and reversed the direction of the window and she managed to squirm out, but her collar was squeezed off her onto the road. Terrified, she jumped into my lap, shaking like the proverbial leaf. I pulled over and retrieved her collar, and she spend the rest of the trip on my lap for security, despite being a rather large dog even as a growing pup. Over the years she must have forgotten that incident, and doesn't hesitate to give me the signal to open the world to her.