Sophie's Surgical Woes and the Low Down on Subprime Lending

"Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited and the wealth and confusion man has created."

-Edward Steichen

"Do Not Pity Me"

Neither of these two topics have anything to do with my photography, except for the fact that I've had to delay a scouting outing to help tend to poor little Sophie. This is my girlfriend's 7-year old Boxer who underwent TPLO surgery earlier this week. As active as she is, this is pure torture for her to be restricted to a few walks outside to potty and the occasional stroll through the house. Outside of that, she's stuck in a pen for the next 8 weeks, but at least its spacious...about 30 sqft, and its in the living room. The upstairs is off limits to her for obvious reasons. She's used to sleeping under the bed, so that's also got her a bit peeved. She has no idea on why we are being so "mean" to her, and I am sure its a bit confusing. Then again, she's also quite complacent for the time being since she's got a Duragesic patch stapled to her side releasing pain-killers (narcotics, actually) directly into her bloodstream. I think next week is going to be a totally different experience for her. The patch will wear out by then. Even though she'll still get pills by mouth, its not going to be the same stuff. I don't recall whats in the patch right now, but its supposed to be the good stuff.

We can't afford to let her romp around with her pups, Sidney and Stanley, both about 4 yrs old. The probable risk of further complications is just too high, so we've had to maintain a measure of separation between them. If you haven't been around boxers, you don't have a clue how much of a jumper these dogs are. Sidney hangs on the 6ft cinder-block fence in the back yard with her front paws to investigate the on-goings of the next door neighbors. We used to get periodic screams from next door when Sidney suddenly popped up next to an unsuspecting person standing too close to the wall. So anyway, Sophie is going to be imprisoned for the next 2 months. That's my girlfriend Angel with all 3 of them taken several months ago.

One other thing that I'd like to share is a NPR feature about the Subprime lending debacle that has turned our nation's economy on its ear (along with a few other things like the oil and gas crisis). I know its not a photo topic, but I've had a few people ask me about it since I've studied finance and economics in school. In most cases, I attributed it to greed from the banks and wall street and ignorance from the consumer which added up to a perfect storm of a debt-laden cocktail of poison. Its affect has reached to more than just our national limits, but many banks in Europe have had to close or take a big hit. Everyone who put their hand in this pot came out dirty. This May 9th collaborative article by Chicago Public Radio's "This American Life" and NPR's "All Things Considered" is the first explanation that I've seen or heard that really breaks it down to where anyone can understand it. Its both informative and entertaining. It doesn't have a free podcast download, but you can still go to the link and listen to the archived segment. For the full version is an hour long, click "This American Life: The Giant Pool of Money". Then click on the Full Episode link on that page. Or there is a 13-minute synopsis at "All Things Considered: The Global Pool of Money Got Too Greedy". I fully recommend taking a little time out to lean how greed and ignorance led to the default of several banks and the foreclosure of many, many homeowners. Nevada was hit hard and trust me when I say the after-effects just keep mounting. I implore you to learn a bit about what's happening in your country. Chances are, it has a direct effect on you.