Day: May 13, 2022

She’s Not Who We Thought She Was

Fandango26 Comments

They said she was a Lab mix. And she looked like a Lab mix. We’ve had many rescue dogs over the years, most of them Labrador Retriever mixes, and we loved them all. From a disposition standpoint, Labs are sweet, gentle, friendly, warm, and loving. And we were thrilled two months ago to adopt yet another Lab mix.

But when our daughter came over a few days after we brought her home, she said, “I don’t think she’s a Lab mix. I think she’s more Boxer than Lab.” So, I did what any responsible pet owner would do. I ordered a doggy-DNA test.

It took a while to get the results back because, as I wrote here, the first sample I sent in got lost in the mail and the DNA lab had to send me another kit. Finally, though, on April 20th, I received an email with the results.

What??? She’s mostly Pit Bull and Bulldog with a little bit of German Shepherd! No way! What happened to our Lab mix? Clearly the doggy-DNA company got it wrong. Or they mixed up our dog’s saliva sample with some other dog’s sample.

So I ordered a second DNA test kit from a different doggy-DNA company. Surely this test would prove that our 16-month-old Lab mix is, indeed, a Lab mix.

I received an email today with the results of that second DNA test.

I had to Google “American Staffordshire Terrier” to find out that it has much in common with American Pit Bull Terriers and is considered to be a “Pit Bull” breed. Also, one article said that “the American Staffordshire Terrier is one of the breeds that gave origin to the American Bully. Nonetheless, it is more similar to the American Pit Bull Terrier. They share almost identical features.”

Bottom line, our “Lab mix” dog is mostly Pit Bull Terrier with hardly any Labrador Retriever in her genes. What a shocker!

Well, she is what she is, and even though she’s not not who we thought she was, we love her nonetheless.

Friday Fictioneers — Forbidden Love

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She knew it’s meaning as soon as she opened the long, narrow box that had been delivered to her doorstep. Inside, lovingly wrapped in tissue paper, was a single red rose. There was no note in the box, but she knew who had sent it, and that made her both tingle with anticipation and shiver in fear.

One red rose. Love at first sight. The attraction was instantly mutual, but this was a dangerous game. She was in her first year teaching English lit and he was high school senior.

Love was forbidden, but oh the poetry she would write.

(100 words)

Written for Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers prompt. Photo credit: Dale Rogerson.

If You See Something, Say Something

Fandango18 Comments

I like to think that my published posts are error free. No typos. No misspellings. No incorrect word usage. No punctuation faux pas. No grammatical errors. But I am my own proofreader, my own editor. And thus, my eyes often see what my brain is expecting them to see. And my brain is not expecting to see typos, misspellings, incorrect usage, punctuation and/or grammatical errors.

So I’m asking you, my fellow bloggers, to give me a helping hand. When you read my posts, if you see something, say something. Let me know in the comments if you spot an error, a mistake. I’m a big boy. I can take it. And I’d rather know of my error and fix it ASAP than let it be discovered by countless bloggers forever and for eternity.

I promise I won’t shoot the messenger.

Thank you

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — May 13th

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Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Friday Flashback post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (the 13th) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on May 13, 2011 on my old blog. This was written about 5 1/2 years before I retired, and I haven’t worn a tie since retiring.

The Tie as a Phallic Symbol

So what is the deal with ties? My extensive research confirmed that the tie is essentially a phallic symbol. I’m not kidding you. According to Rita Hutner in Catalogs.com, men’s neckties direct the viewer’s eyes downward toward the man’s genitals. Hutner claims, “the guy is subtly showing off.” Seriously, Rita?

In researching the history of ties I found out that ties first appeared in 221 BC when military men of China’s first emperor, Shin Huang Ti, were buried wearing neckties. Once you’re dead, though, I think even Rita Hutner would agree, it’s a little late to be drawing the eye toward your crotch.

It was in the 1600s when neckwear for men became somewhat fashionable in Europe after the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), when Croatian mercenaries wore small, knotted neckerchiefs. These “cravats” become a fashion craze in Paris. In 1784, Beau Brummel, an English authority on men’s fashion, associated a neck cloth with individuality and self-expression.

The modern necktie was born in the 1920s when a long, thin, easy to knot tie that would not come undone was introduced. And, up until a decade or so ago, the necktie continued to be the standard attire for white collar workers throughout the Western world. Until someone finally asked “why?” and casual, tieless attire became acceptable at the office.

Hold that thought. Corporate America appears to be reverting to “more traditional” dress codes. According to an article I recently read, “business sloppy” is out, and suits and ties are in. Oh damn!

When I work from home, which is most of the time, I obviously don’t put on a tie. Hell, half the time I work in my underwear. And on those relatively rare occasions when I do have to show my face at the office, I still don’t have to wear a tie. But lately I have been requested to wear a tie when I am going to see a prospective client, even at those companies that have embraced “business sloppy.”

I know you’re supposed to dress for the occasion, but seriously, folks, is it really such a good idea to wear an accessory that draws the eyes of those attending the meeting toward your genitals?

FOWC with Fandango — Padlock

Fandango11 Comments
FOWC

It’s May 13, 2022. Welcome to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (U.S.).

Today’s word is “padlock.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. Show them some love.