Everything I need to know in life I learned dogsitting

Wow, what a weekend. Rich and I made our first true foray into canine companionship by dogsitting for Maverick, a friend's cockapoo.

Maverick is an adorable little guy and so full of energy. I'm completely in love with the little fluff ball. It took the first day for us all to get used to one another but by the time he left yesterday, I already missed him. The house just isn't the same without doggie toys to trip over, gates to block the stairs, and late night walks before bedtime.

Still, nothing feels quite as good as cuddling up on the couch to watch TV with a napping puppy on your lap.

Here are a few of the important things we learned:

1. Rich still has allergy issues, even with a cockapoo. His allergies didn't seem as bad as they might have been with other breeds but it was enough of a problem that we can't be dog owners right now.

2. A fenced yard is an absolutely necessity if we're going to have a dog. There are only so many walks we can take, especially when the weather is as cold as it has been. Being able to let him out into the backyard would have been much easier. Thank goodness for my brothers' fenced yard that's only a block away.

3. If we do get a dog, it needs to be an older dog without puppy exuberance. Even though we like taking walks, we're not cut out for a high-energy dog. We'd do much better with an older one that lays around the house. (Think Yellow Dog from Funny Farm.)

4. Our lifestyle is a bit too busy to adequately care for a dog of our own. We can certainly adjust if we're dogsitting, but generally we're not home enough. It's just not fair to a dog to keep him crated so much on a regular basis.

I really learned a lot this weekend. I'm dissapointed that we're not getting a dog in the near future but I couldn't have asked for a more educational doggie experience. I'll just have to get my puppy fill through visiting other dogs. I'm so glad we had the opportunity to learn what we did so a big thank you to Maverick (and Mav's mommy and daddy) for giving us this chance.

Tell me where to go

This is the chance you've all been waiting for. It's time to tell me where to go -- on vacation, that is.

Rich has off of work for the first week of July so we're trying to plan a nice little trip. The problem? We have no idea what to do or where to go. And we don't want to spend much money either.

Our views on the perfect vacation tend to vary somewhat. He wants excitement and plush accommodations, while relaxation and site-seeing top my list. Cruises have been a wonderful way to combine all of those interests but they're really expensive that time of year, especially with the Fourth of July holiday.

Further, neither of us are really beach people. We're not big fans of hot weather so an island locale is probably not the way to go.

My first thought was that this would be the perfect time to visit some of my family in the Providence/Boston suburbs/southern coastal Maine region. (I haven't exactly discussed this with any of them though so it may not even be a possibility.)

But in order to make it fulfill the excitement aspect that Rich requires, we would have to find something to accompany the visits with relatives. (I've already nixed tornado chasing. There's not enough life insurance in the world to make that a good idea.)

Unfortunately the Orioles are not playing in Boston during that week. We also haven't seen any Broadway shows coming to the area that we'd be desperate to see.

This is why I need you help. I need you all to design me a vacation. The person who comes up with the winning idea will get a 2006 JCPenney snowglobe.

Something to believe in

It's a pretty exciting time to be a Marylander.

Cal Ripken Jr. is headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Ravens are headed to the playoffs, and our tax-and-spend politicians are headed to Annapolis.

Yes, it's General Assembly season -- a time for back-stabbing, pork-barreling, and constituency-screwing. And judging by past elections, we Marylanders wouldn't have it any other way.

But it's also a time of delusional hope, for there's always a chance that one of our elected officials will do something purposeful and worthwhile and that it won't backfire.

I have just a few hopes for this year's session. First, I would like to see Maryland finally pass a law like the one proposed by Sen. Brian Frosh that would allow consumers to put a freeze on their credit reports before they fall victim to identity theft.

Now would also be a good time to legalize slots here in Maryland. Why should my husband and I have to leave the state to lose our money to silly machines? It's really not so different than the Maryland Lottery or those slot machines that aren't really slot machines at bingo parlors. Hopefully without the partisan name-calling we can actually make some progress on the slots issue this session.

I would also like to see the establishment of some agency responsible for the oversight of condominium and homeowner's associations. While I know this is very unlikely and I'm generally against bigger government anyway, it really is a needed addition. The Task Force on Common Ownership Communities is expected to report back this year so we'll have to wait and see where that takes us.

And that brings me to my most important wish for this year. Special note to legislators: Please, please, please don't pass any new laws unless you have some means of enacting and enforcing them. Otherwise the bill becomes nothing more than one of our other unenforced laws and will be treated as a joke.

Oh, yeah, and please don't raise taxes.

So as we sit back and hold onto our wallets through the next three months of the session, I can only hold my breath and hope for the best. It'll all be over soon enough.

Go Ravens!

Resolution time

Now that it's the start of 2007 I must adhere to the annual ritual of selecting resolutions for the new year. Here they are, in no particular order.

1. Lose weight by eating less and exercising more. (I go back to Weight Watchers tomorrow.)

2. Work on my memory so I don't lose it completely like my mom has. (Suggestions on how to do this are welcome.)

3. Finance an insurrection in a small country. (My finances are limited so I have to start small.)

4. Try to stop criticizing and talking so badly about people. (My heart isn't totally into this one. That's why I said try.)

5. Continue working to keep government accountable. (I've actually got a pretty good start on this one.) From today's Sun:

Bad lighting makes for scary commute
Originally published January 2, 2007

THE PROBLEM // AlisaBS, a state employee who commutes downtown from Owings Mills, reported that there is inadequate lighting in the courtyard leading to the Charles Center Metro stop, in the block bound by Fayette, Baltimore, Calvert and St. Paul streets.

THE BACKSTORY // AlisaBS wrote that, to enter the subway station from Fayette Street, "commuters must first make their way through a very dark section that is popular among panhandlers."

She said she feels uncomfortable walking alone to the subway when she gets out of work after dark.

On Wednesday night, a reporter found nine lampposts surrounding the station without working lights and, in less than five minutes, was twice approached by panhandlers.

After The Sun called about the situation Thursday, the city Department of Transportation immediately sent an employee to the scene to confirm that the lights were not working.

Spokeswoman Tia Waddy said the department would determine the source of the problem and make the needed repairs.

By late that afternoon, workers had brought out large portable lights to use in the meantime.

WHO CAN FIX THIS // Anthony Wallnofer, chief of the maintenance division at the Baltimore Department of Transportation, 410-396-1686.

6. Raise at least $1000 for the 2007 Owings Mills Relay For Life.

7. Stay cancer free.

8. International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991. (Oops, that's a U.N. Security Council Resolution, not a New Year's Resolution. And it's from 2006 so it wouldn't count anyway. Sorry. My bad.)

Yeah, I should probably stop now.

Happy New Year to everyone!