Note to flyers: if you have been traveling for a while and helping your dad with luggage and generally just hurt - be aware before you slap on a sticky heating sticky thing that the nudie scanner will pick it up. I never considered it or realized until the agent asked if anything was around my waist. And I just wanted to go home. She actually just looked at it, touched the top and didn't even wand me.

The more you know...

Safe home, Cass.

I am giving Bartleby's later years a lot of thought. He wins the longevity bingo because he is on the high side of 'small dog' and despite being made up of two larger breeds, he's just 40 lbs.

Selfishly, I want the little guy's influence on my mental health in my life for as long as possible, and so far, so good. He does not have cataracts, I give him a supplement with joint support even though he does not have joint pain, his muscle mass is good and he has great energy.

No one would guess that he is 10, and people call him 'spritely.'

As long as that is the case, I will be grateful for every day.

Safe home, Cass.

Most definitely.

Today I: had an informal exit interview with the trainee I had to terminate a few weeks ago, gave 5 trainees a verbal warning about being late, another a written warning about not showing or calling in, and calmly stood my ground when a trainee got defensive. All without breaking a sweat.

I might not totally suck at this supervisor thing.

I give him a supplement with joint support

bonny, I've been meaning to ask you if you recommend any specific brand/formulation for canine joint support. Kato is 9-ish, and we noticed the other day, after he had been on a long-ish walk (40 minutes, divided into 2 parts, with a rest period of about an hour or so between them), later that evening he was really stiff and having some trouble getting up and moving around. We gave him a quarter tablet of Novox, figuring that since it's an antiinflammatory, it would help, and he was fine the next morning.

But we were thinking that maybe we need to start him on glucosamine, and just don't know a lot about it. Is combined glucosamine/chondroitin better, or just glucosamine? We give him fish oil with dinner because back in November we started giving it to Chloe and he wanted whatever "extra" she was getting on her food. (All 3 of us take the same fish oil supplement now, because I finally convinced Tim to start taking it [cholesterol, ADD]).

I might not totally suck at this supervisor thing

Unsurprising. You rock.

Home should be easy enough. Cold and I turned the heat down as far as I could before I left so chilly but I fear the slippery stuff less. I mean, I will actually believe that when I get to PDX and start home but it's possible.

Steph, I think my parents have been really happy with their supplements for Goldens. And they've had some mega-lived and achy but totally mobile dogs. Want I should ask what they give? I know they did supplements and totally believed in them. With both data and anecdata to back them.

Want I should ask what they give?

If you don't mind, yeah! Thanks.

Seem to have a case of the plague, which is not making it easier to fill out the author's questionnaire. Also a bit worried about my Mom. Never thought of MSNBC as comparable to Fox, but she seems to be getting the lefty equivalent of Fox News syndrome. She's been watch 3 or 4 hours of MSNBC a day, and working herself into a permanent rage against Republicans. Never seen her so angry, and don't think it is good for her.

She was involved in strikes where she had to dodge thugs with billy clubs while the cops laughed without getting this angry. She was fired from jobs for her political beliefs without getting this angry. She dodge FBI agents serving papers without getting this angry. She fought for rights for veterans who were being denied vitally needed benefits, opposed the Vietnam war, took part in the civil rights movement without getting this angry. I think she could watch any one MSNBC show without it being a problem, but when she watches Maddow and the Last Word and the Ed Show it just pumps up too much rage. She got into the habit when she was stuck home sick for a month, but now she watches every night four nights a week even when she's been at the senior center all day. I've expressed by concern, and she says "The Republicans have never been this bad". Which is true, but at the same time some of the stuff she's been through really is worse than what is happening. Any thoughts?

Will do. Happy to pass info on

It'll be in a couple of days cause stepmom left for traveling when dad and I got back and I KNOW she's the only person who can give me names, brands and info. But I will e her tonight and she'll get me the details when she's back home.

Any thoughts

Honestly, no. Which is unfortunate. I had a some weird and kinda rough talks with dad where it was clear he was listening to one place and not totally being able to see it was skewed. No matter the side. It's hard because the world seems more polarized than ever and really ugly to me.