Let's celebrate Independence Day

Independence from family pets, apparently.

I just woke up to the sound of one of my neighbours [possibly of the ‘one street over’ or ‘behind me’ variety’] celebrating their independence from all manner of things, including, apparently, various laws. And the other neighbours’ pets.

I can’t be sure, but I think one of the other neighbours’ dogs either just died from acute anxiety, or is going to find itself being put down after finding itself in a shelter….

I really don’t have any other explanation for why the dog’s desperate, panicked barking cut off very, very suddenly. I do tend to think of the worst possible outcomes, though.

Good job, guys.

Confession time. Or something….

While I’m still technically a nonsmoker, I have, over the past six months, had more than a few cigarettes.

I’ve got some…pretty serious anxiety issues. And a bit of an aversion to pharmacologically-induced zombism, which means I’m more than hesitant to try anything a doctor would recommend. Because, really, I can’t imagine that the out-of-control panic feeling could possibly be made better by anything that would make me feel even less in control of who I really am.
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