Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Off Non-Pokering for a Couple of Days

I expected a bad call some time during the day today and received it; my parents had had to put their dog, Breaker, to sleep today. He wasn't that old of a dog but had always had weight problems, and the cancer on his left rear leg grew aggressively and went deep into the poor guy's muscle. My sister and I had purchased Breaker for my parents several years back, after they'd been yearning for another dog after their previous dog, Bingo, passed after a long, full life.

I'd had to help my mother put Bingo down myself at the end, a very tough day and a drive of its own I'll never forget. I couldn't be there this time around with Breaker, though I was up there on the weekend to say a final sad, brief goodbye. One look and I pretty much knew that the dog had no chance, and he had other health issues as well. His quality of life was slipping away, and some things, I guess, are just meant to be.

I spent some time over the weekend with old friends, too, in a once-a-year thing that just fell this time around on the same weekend. But my mood was off a bit this year, for a whole lot of reasons.

Being on the road put a damper on my personal blogging stuff, too. I was able to keep up with almost all of my contractual obligations while up in northern Wisconsin, but my heart wasn't in it. And playing poker? Pfft that for a few days while other things have precedence. It's been twelve days since the last time I actually played a hand of poker, just from being too busy. Yesterday and today I've been playing catch-up on a few other things, and in the morning I go to the oral surgeon myself. I've never been under general anasthesia in my life and I'm not looking forward to it.

Rest easy, Breaker. Godspeed.

No comments: