Pet Smart

Unlike most of my friends, I don't currently own a pet. That wasn't always the case, though; I grew up in a family of cat lovers, and we always had at least two cats in our house when I was growing up. I've only had one dog in my life so far: Casey (pictured above), a black-and-white teacup Chihuahua who was perhaps my favorite pet; we even had her litterbox-trained! Casey is now 9 years old and is currently living with a chihuahua collector, to whom Casey is her favorite.

Why, you might wonder, do I not do myself the favor of once again owning a pet? I still think about it sometimes, but it seems like, for now, there are more reasons against than for. I live in an apartment at the moment, and I would need to pay more per month if I have a pet. Also, while I could easily handle the responsibilities of a dog or cat, I've seen far too many clothes and pieces of furniture ruined over the years due to claws and "accidents". Not in a hurry for a repeat!

Don't get me wrong: I'm indeed an animal lover, and my friends could tell you just how much I dote on their beloved dogs and cats as though they were my own. I suppose it's just a trade-off that one has to decide is worth it, and perhaps when I become a homeowner I may be more inclined to get one since I do like the idea of coming home to a pet. Maybe it would even add a year or two to my life! In the meantime, I have plenty of surrogate pets currently stealing my heart, such as...

Max the Corgi:


Bandit the Pug:


Woofie the Poodle:


As someone who has no pets, I sure have a lot of pets!

Touching the Sound

One of the biggest gifts I received in the Christmas of 1992 was a Sony boombox. I was 12 years old at the time, and it was especially exciting to me because it was the first CD player I had ever owned (my first CD was the soundtrack to The Jacksons: An American Dream miniseries). Actually (and I almost hate to admit this), before I got that boombox, I had been using an old Fisher Price cassette player that I had used since I was four or five years old. Since that Christmas, I went on to amass a CD collection numbering well over 1,000.

Fast forward to 2009. I rarely buy CDs anymore thanks to the ease of finding music via the Internet. However, I went with a friend to Best Buy yesterday and ended up purchasing Green Day's new album, 21st Century Breakdown after having heard some songs beforehand. The album, like so many others these days, is also available to download if you know how and where to look online, but in this case, I decided to get my music the old-fashioned way (I got the $24 special edition of the album, though it was on sale for $16 at the time).

It's a great concept album, and the 52-page hardback booklet is nifty. However, the main reason I bought it instead of getting it for free online was to show support for a talented band making meaningful music that I connect with. Buying music in a physical form has become obsolete (retailers and the music industry would agree). While it is certainly convenient to download music, there's nothing quite like holding a CD in your hand with its artwork and liner notes. Many people often miss out on that experience, and it's a shame.

'21st Century Breakdown', indeed.