Happy unhappy happy birthday

Friday we went out with my friend John and his kids to Fuddrucker’s. I wanted an ostrich burger, but there’s apparently a shortage right now, so I settled for a regular 1/2 pound burger and fries (just about the only place I always get fries because I can put melted cheese and jalapenos on them). Afterwards, we went home and watched Threshold, then I went online while Jill caught up on Lost.

Saturday was my birthday, and initially we were planning on spending the night in Richmond after going to my college homecoming. But my buddy Rusty would be gone until late evening after homecoming, so we changed our plans to go home afterwards, then up to the Baltimore area to catch Eddie From Ohio in their first show since Julie’d been diagnosed with breast cancer. We were already planning on leaving Illa at doggy day care overnight, so we dropped him off around 8:30 and headed south. My fraternity has just been reinstated at my college, and it was nice to see the letters up and the pictures on the walls.

We were there about an hour and a half before I remembered to turn my cell on (usually turn it off on the road, both for driving and the way it drains the battery). I had a voice mail from the doggy day care. Illa had been there previously for a half day and a whole day without incident. They told us he got along fine with the little dogs, unlike the other big dogs, including another malamute (which in hindsight should have been a warning). A little while after we left, he was in with the small dogs and crushed a yorkie. As far as we know, no one was watching them at that exact moment and so it’s unknown if he was provoked or not (although Lezlie from mal rescue tells us yorkies and most other small dogs do not get along with mals). We decided to come right back and get him. When we did, we discovered the yorkie had died from its injuries, and Illa was banned.

We’re still kinda shocked, though we wished we had conferred with Lezlie first as she doesn’t feel mals do well in day care. We feel horrible for the yorkie’s owners, but don’t feel comfortable contacting them. We’re just going to keep him away from any creatures smaller than him – we still want to keep him, and have to remember he’s not a human, and doesn’t have the feelings we would have in a similar situation. He was unaware of the situation, and we just took him home and walked him.

The rest of the night was better. We rode with Stuart, his daughter, and Meg (other Edheads from Falcon Ridge) up to Owings Mills, where we met another 8 Edheads at CJ’s Crab House, a seafood place. We had a classic Baltimore waitress, and a good meal. The show was very moving, and Julie looked great. They brought out “The Water Is Wide” and “Oh My Brother”, and we were amazed, both at how good the band was, and the crowd response (half first timers!). Got home late, and went to bed later as I tried to catch up on newspapers.

Sunday I got up around 12:30, walked Illa, heated up breakfast, cleaned the kitchen and master bath, and watched the Skins pulverise the Niners while I read more newspapers (caught up to Saturday). Jill slept ’til almost 4, then helped take car of Illa while I loaded the car with recyclables. We went out around 6, she needed to run an errand at CVS, then I looked for a tub stopper at Home Depot.

We met my family at 7 at Sweetwater. First time for most of them, and everybody enjoyed it. I made Jill drive so I could have the beer sampler (or beer on a stick), and had the prime rib while she had the jambalaya (and the tasty bread too). Then we headed over to my mom’s for cake. My big gift was the Complete Calvin and Hobbes. Enormous and attractive, I only have one complaint: the commentary from Watterson in The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book and Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985-1995 are not inclued, neither are the original b&w Sunday strips from the latter. Small complaint, I know, but if you bill yourself as complete, you shouldn’t leave anything out.