So.

In the spirit of my last post and because I don't have any dogs of my own, here are the two dogs and a Roomie that kept me smiling tonight.

Tucker, who is Roomie's dog, is the patient brown lab. CJ, who we are dog-sitting for a few days, is the spunky little gal. They were hoping for treats.

Each Day

The New Englander wrote this post about an accident involving a Connecticut College student who was killed when a drunk driver was driving without lights and the wrong way Highway 395 recently.

We have also had a tragedy at Outward Bound this week when an instructor who was leading a semester crew in Patagonia fell into a crevasse and died. He was 24 years old. In this article, his former teacher describes him as, "'Just a great kid. One who just loved the out-of-doors and every outdoor adventure.'” I didn't know him, but he could have been any one of my friends at Outward Bound.

The office is in a quiet state of shock and action. Although it was a mountaineering accident (which has inherent risk involved), the instructors were doing everything right... the school has never had a fatality... we manage risk all the time... it shouldn't have happened.

To quote The New Englander:

I just want to mention it here in this space as a reminder of how fleeting human life is. In this case, someone who wasn't doing anything inherently dangerous (riding to the airport), serving in a war zone, or in anything other than perfect health was killed suddenly and without any warning. Something similar could happen to virtually anyone at virtually any moment.

So, cliched though it might be, it still bears repeating -- take advantage of every day that you're given.

The other day I was running with Andy and got annoyed when I thought he was making fun of my running pace. I let my ego rouse little irritations when in the larger scope of things, it doesn't matter. It was a beautiful run. I was breathing hard. It was warmer than today. I didn't have to be insulted.

So here's the big picture to me, New Englander:

When considering the larger scope of things, I remember to look at Saturn below the moon.
I love the chickadees as much as some love the nuthatches. I giggle when I hear Sean exclaim, "Holy Crap-aroni! It's Katie Dunn!"

I am thankful for a weekend camping in the rain with taasc kids. I am thankful for those who have made an impact on my life. I allow myself to be vulnerable and truthful even if it hurts.

I choose to worry less about my abs or my bank account and more about how I'm living each day. I can watch The Office late on a school night if I want. I enjoy long runs, warm winter food and wine, and letting my mind rest in mediation.

The year to live becomes real.

Zombie

Things I learned this weekend from my taasc boy teens:

• Zombies are not monsters. They are an illness that use dead bodies as parasites to spread.
• They do not think, but their brains are the only functional organ.
• Therefore, to kill them, you need to smash their skulls and blow up their brains.
• Guns with silencers are the best option to kill them because if they detect you, their moans get a higher pitch and call all other zombies in the area to get you
• Animals can't turn into zombies, but can be killed by zombies.
• Therefore, if you go to a swamp and don't hear the usual frogs and all, watch out because a zombie is around.
• If you don't have a gun with a silencer, a machete or samurai sword will also work
• Zombies can't swim
• Therefore if there is a Level 4 Outbreak (meaning that the zombie infection is all around...) the best place to be is an oil rig in the middle of the ocean where water is distilled and there is enough food.
• If there are zombies on the oil rig, you need to kill them first.
• After a little while (months?), you can go back to land and see if they have decomposed and battle those that are still there

When they wouldn't listen to Greg, and said this was an important dialogue he responded, "Whatever, they aren't real. You are getting your information from some paranoid schizophrenic living on an oil rig."