Dog Days of Summer

My better half will be returning from Florida next week. I cannot stress how happy I am about this, as I have spend the last week walking around in a stupor. I did pretty well for about an hour or so, and then it was all downhill from there.

While there, she volunteered at a pet shelter. This led to her becoming attached to a small chihuahua. This shelter allows you to take dogs home for a one week trial run. Of course this trial run resulted in an adoption, and we are now the proud owners of a tiny dog named Sebastian.

I have always been a cat person. I love how independent they are, and how they do not have the ability to bark. That said, we have been discussing getting a dog for a long time, and had agreed that at some point we would. I do wonder how our three feisty cats will adjust to having a dog around. With Sebastian weighing less than two of the cats, he might not fare well in a toe to toe battle.

I am more excited than apprehensive about having this new dog. I already have great outfits planned for him to wear, including a full line of Alabama football doggie jerseys and sweaters. I might even consider carrying a purse just so that I can tuck Sebastian in, and take him with me wherever I go.

Man, it is so on...

Middle of the Pack

I met up with my brother and some of the other members of our fantasy football clan at Tilted Kilt to draw cards for where we will pick in the draft next week. Last year I was lucky enough to draw the #1 spot, and I didn't suspect that I would be that lucky two years in a row. I was right, #6 is where I will be.

Oddly enough, I am fine with that. There was a time when not have one of the top three spots meant impending doom and gloom. Today, things are much more even. I also have the added comfort of knowing that I have enough skills to make any lineup work. I've only missed making the playoffs once since 2003, which tells me I will be fine no matter who I pick.

Can You Feel It?

In reality, you cannot feel it in Alabama until October, but you still know that football is just around the corner. The NFL has worked out their issues, and pre-season games are underway. My fantasy football draft is on the 27th, and as usual, I am busy trying to catch up with which players moved to new teams, and who might be an injury risk.

College football starts in about two weeks. In typical fashion, Alabama plays a no-name team in their first game. Usually this is not all that exciting, but with a new quarterback, and several other new starters, it should be worth the fortune that it costs to watch the game on pay-per-view.

As usual, since acquiring Nick Saban, Alabama will be ranked highly, and should be in the hunt for a National Championship. Lord knows I would love my team no matter what, but the fact that we are always in the mix for all the marbles certainly adds to my enjoyment.

Watching Auburn win the National Championship last year was a tough pill to swallow. With their savior, Cam Newton gone, they will experience quite a different fate this time around. Sure, it may sound shallow to an outsider to hear about my loathing of Auburn. It is what it is, and I could care less how it sounds. I'm pretty sure that hating Auburn is part of every Alabama fans genetic composition, therefore I feel no need to defend it.

Endless Summer

I recently spent a week in Panama City Beach, Florida. We stayed in a huge condo, and had the luxury of waking up to this view each morning...

Though I was on top of the sunscreen situation, over the course of five days I still managed to get burnt. When one has the complexion of Casper the Ghost, avoiding sunburn is nearly impossible. We spent the mornings in the ocean, the afternoons in the pool, and the nights eating out and doing the tourist thing. I did lose at putt-putt, but was a champ at the arcade.

I will freely admit that trying to get back into my work routine this week has been tough. I would much rather be back in the pool, playing goofy games and drinking Corona. I can take some comfort in the fact that Michelle and I will be moving to St. Augustine in the next month or two, and I will be able to hang out at the beach, and hopefully poolside, as much as time will allow.

I would be a liar if I said I was not dreading the process of moving. We plan to get rid of some of the larger items before we move, but there are some things we simply do not want to part with. Michelle is flying down Monday morning to start looking for a new home. There really is no way to decide what to take or get rid of until we know how much space we will have. That said, I'm sure we will be downsizing, as we will have to sacrifice space to be able to afford to live right on the ocean.

I suppose it will sort itself out. But until then, I will continue to pre-worry because that it what I am best at.