The Faithfully Departed......

Oh what a sad sad day. I awoke this morning to find Raja in a peacefully still pose on her pillow in the kitchen. I knew right away she was gone. I have to say I am glad she died at home, and it wasn't a traumatic experience for her or me. She was by far the best dog I have ever had. Her bark was infectious and her ass was offensive, but we loved her nonetheless. Her mellow demeanor brought a balance into my life, just when I needed it. She was so tolerant of black dog, and so forgiving after their spats. I made her happy and she sure did make me happy too.

I posted a couple of my favorite recent pictures of her. This one was taken in the early spring, shortly after she was diagnosed with kidney failure. She was always so patient, and let me do whatever I wanted, whether it was making her pose for a shot like this, or using her for a pillow.

We went for a long drive this summer and I grabbed this shot of her. One of her favorite things was riding in the Jeep with her face in the wind and some doggie ice cream to cool her down. I ran some errands Tuesday night and something told me to take the dogs with me. I'm glad I did, she was so excited to be in the backseat just tagging along while i went from store to store & place to place.

This last picture is the most recent, taken just two weeks ago. You couldn't tell she was sick if you didn't know. However, she was very ill. The vet told me eight months ago it would only be a few months.....she lasted much longer than we expected. There were no signs of distress, she continued to eat and drink all the way up until the end. She had her dinner last night, some biscuits, her medicine & peanut butter. The three of us snuggled on the couch most of the night watching TV. I took them out & went to bed just like any other night.....

Having a dog(s) is one of the most amazing experiences in the world. Sure they are a lot of work, but it's well worth it. They are unconditionally loving and infinitely loyal. They are there for you consistently, regardless of what kind of day you had. They are always happy to see you, never judgemental, and keep you warm in the winter months. I will never forget Rajy, but I will miss her dearly.

MJ

Yes We Can!!!!!!

As promised, pictures from the Obama rally yesterday. I've never seen so many people in downtown Cleveland, it was awesome in every sense of the word. You could feel the energy and excitement in the air and see it in the faces of everyone in attendance. Piddy and I biked down around 2pm and found the masses already lined up from Lakeside to Prospect and from East 9th to at least East 12th, and everywhere in between. We scrapped waiting in line and found a piece of curb on St. Clair right outside the Marriott. Here is the diva that was holding two spots for his girlfriends that never showed.

Ah, anything to make a buck. Christie's Cabaret truck made several rounds throughout the duration of the rally. Classic.
Old hippie guy yelling about the 40 building embassy that Bush built in Baghdad that is full of Marines and now posing as a target, just like the one in Lebanon a few years ago.
This was our initial view when we rolled up. Glad to see every cop in Cleveland was working last night. If there was ever a time to get away with a crime outside of downtown, it was last night. You would have been in the clear.
Poor kid was bored to death. He had his portable dvd player, lots of snacks, and some really cool parents for bringing him downtown, but he was not hearing it!!! Eventually more families with kids showed up and he had someone to play with.



Veteran carrying a peace flag.
Piddy showing love for Obama. He was a trooper for sticking out the chilly/rainy weather, all while craving a fat hotdog from the street vendor that he never got. Probably not a bad thing.
Ah, the first (of many I'm sure) Browns fan to get arrested for acting like a douche bag. Too bad they suck ass and lost the game......again!!!!!!
Here's the old ass dude that whispered a prayer. We could totally see the podium from where we were until it got dark. Then all we could see were two spotlights, good thing there was a screen near by.

The crowd continues to grow......and grow......and grow.

Keeping an eye on the crowd.......
More snipers.......
I wonder what he's sees up there?????? The end of Palin's career???? You betcha!

And "The Boss" makes his appearance. He laid down five or six songs, and repeatedly chanted "Yes We Can" and "We're at a crossroads." His voice is as raspy as I remember from my childhood days, need I remind everyone he's a fellow Jerz? Of course not.

And the moment we had all been waiting for......the Obama family makes their appearance on stage with Bruce!!!!!!

And here he is, the man of the hour addressing the people of Cleveland.......
The first African American to make it this far in the run for the highest office of the land.....
The next President of the United States of America.....Senator Barack Obama!!!!!!!!!!
I have never been this excited over politics. I waited in line for over 2 hours on Saturday to vote, and I didn't mind at all. I am so proud of Senator Obama that I could cry. I heard today that his grandmother passed away late Sunday night, and I shed a tear. If only she could have held on for a while longer, she would see her grandson become the first African American President. Perhaps she left because she already knows it's in the bag.

In less than 24 hours there will be a new President. I am filled with excitement yet nervous for the outcome. May this be a landslide so we can say goodbye to those idiot Mavericks.

Peace out,
MJ

Halloween 08

Another Halloween to be followed by the most historical presidential election of our nation. What could be better? I know, a party at Taj's place!!! Here he is sporting half of Hanz/Franz and quite ready to "pump you up!!"

Don't mess with Rosanne Rosannadanna and Palin. Saks Fifth Ave has nothing on Unique Fulton and Lorain.

Classy guy in a classy costume!!!! This was one of my favorites of the night. He was sporting a molestache/goatee early on, but it fell off at this point. Great job Assad!!!!

Rosanne Rosannadanna early in the night. You can see another Palin in the background, not nearly as good as the one pictured aboved. She lacked props/creativity.

And these would be the props/creativity I spoke of in aforementioned statment. Partying with all the Joe Six Packs of Cleveland is where the "whackjob" Sarah Palin was last night.

Looks like the devil in Silk got a hold of Palin's gun and wolf cub. Piddy couldn't keep it together when he saw the poor cub.

Stewie and E.T. I might add the E.T. costume was handmade back in the day. Mad props to the neighbors.

One of three Mary Catherine Gallaghers in the crowd. Dum Dums were the highlighted treat of the evening.

Ooops, Trig is about to hit the floor.

Did I have a good time? You betcha. More photos and videos to come post Obama rally tomorrow.

MJ