I have been sick as a dog this weekend.� Here we are �. The 227 birthday of the USA and I have a rash on my neck, a fever, nausea, upset stomach and my entire body is in pain.� Pain.� My kidneys hurt and you know that you are in serious trouble when your kidneys hurt.� I feel empty and dry and broken.�

 

I left work early Thursday and to be honest, I was feeling so crappy I don�t remember much of the weekend.� I took bendaryl.� I have a rash on my neck.� I took aspirin for the ached and kidney pain and I slept.� When I got up I walked the dogs, my two dogs and the third dog that we are dog sitting.� Then I went to feed the cats that I am feeding for B�s sister and picked up the other dog that I am dog sitting.� He was at the groomer across from where I work.� He was dropped off the day before and my job was to pick him up before closing � 7 p.m.

 

At 6:30 p.m. I roll up to the groomer.� I am a mess.� Sweaty and sick and feverish.� My hair is sticking out all over the place.� I can feel a patch of sweat on my back.� I think that I smell sick.� My eyes are glazed over and glassy.

 

ME:� I am here for Beau.

 

HER:� Oh.� I groomed him but put him back outside because I thought that you would be here earlier.

 

ME:� Why?� You asswipe.� Why did you think that I would be here earlier?� No one said that I would be here earlier.

 

HER:� Well, I wanted to go home and I don�t really ever care about customers so did you think that I would care if you or anyone else lost money on a crappy and dirty grooming job?

 

ME:� Nope.� I guess you are right.� I should have known.

 

I took the dog and went home to walk all FOUR dogs.� And then try to feed them.� Mental note:� When feeding A PACK OF DOGS all dogs must be fed SEPARATELY in different rooms with the doors closed.� There might be a lot of scratching.� Otherwise there will be one fat dog and three skinny ones.

 

The rest of the night I traded off sleeping, taking bendadryl to knock me on my ass and then out and walking all four dogs.�

 

Friday morning I woke up walked, fed and walked the herd of dogs in my apartment that was growing smaller and smaller by the minute.� Went and fed the cats, walked the dogs again � When there are this many dogs in one small area they need to go out a lot so that there are no accidents or ruined furniture, shoes etc.� Then I went to my parent�s house.

 

Lunch.� Shopping at Target and then the swimming pool in their subdivision.� Moments after we arrive at the pool it begins to thunder, lightning and drizzle.� Not pour.� Drizzle.� My younger (half)sister (6 years) starts to wail like a fire engine.�

 

�I doooooooonnnnnnnn�t wannnnnnna� diiiiiiiiiie.� I haaaaaate lightning!�� After almost twenty minutes� and that many offers to take the girl home my step mother finally wraps her shrieking daughter in a towel and takes her home.� Not five minutes later a mud covered boston terrier carrying a tennis ball shows up.� Strange for the middle of a lightning storm.� I check his tag and despite the fact that we are in the suburbs he has a phone number with a city area code.� I call his owners.� They are in Palm Beach, FLA on vacation.� They ask me to catch the muddy dog which I do and they call the sitter to come get the dog.� At some point before the sitter gets there the dog jumps in the swimming pool and as I am pulling him back out the sitter shows up in a bikini with a friend.

 

SITTER:� Oh, Zoli (the name of the dog).�

 

ME:� There you go.

 

SITTER:� Have you seen two other dogs?� They are missing also.

 

ME:� (Not getting a thanks and losing my temper.)� Nope.� (Turn and walk away.)

 

Later on my father said to me:� Wow,� when you get responsible you get really responsible.

 

Made me feel crappy.� I already knew that I was being judgmental.� No matter how much better he and I get with each other there is always something that makes spending time with him suck.� I am glad that he is more accepting of me than he ever gas been (It�s about time)� but I was never as irresponsible as he thinks I was.� I don�t know who I feel worse for, me for not feeling understood or him because I think that he is living in his own crappy lies.

 

This morning Beau, sitting dog had diarrhea on my neighbor�s gorgeous lawn.� I couldn�t get it all with the plastic Publix bag.� Gagging and disgusted I made a half-assed attempt.� I hope that no one saw me.

 

This afternoon I am starting to feel better.� People at work say I am acting hyper and like I am on speed.� I think it�s all the pent up energy.� I can not wait to go home, feed cats, feed and walk dogs, wait for the cable guy and work out.

 

Hope that everyone had a Happy Fourth.