Nataly

So . . . that's how you clean your house? It will be from now on!!! Remind me to come visit when I'm in your area. yeah, and just HOW the hell is she going to give you orders when you are blindfolded? I will just have to bitch-slap him once if he gets it wrong and twice if he does what I want!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

My New Year's resolution is to not make New Year's resolutions. Aaaaand now I just broke it. Oh well! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

So . . . that's how you clean your house? It will be from now on!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Agree with you on all points

Super cute - I want some for myself!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Just a quick little "bump" to say thank you to those who took the time to PM me with various stories, helpful hints and kind thoughts/words

Maybe. Or maybe he's just an a-hole..! He sure came across as one... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

You know you could have jumped on his lap, and taken a lip-lock on him. That would have stopped the talking, and I'm pretty sure he would have gotten the hint. Yeah I could have but I so quickly lost interest due to his incessant yammering. Meh. Another day... Still feels a little strange since I've been with only 1 guy for the past 3 years and only recently became single. So apparently I just need more time before I decide to pounce on someone to shut them up!!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Just discovered this little gem: http://youtu.be/MVnznrOqXVE "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I had a lovely evening with a bunch of people from the village

Hope you have a great evening and that you welcome the new year in style!!!

This doesn't even make sense. I didn't say there was something in a pit bull's genes that makes them more likely to bite. I said that breed is known for being statistically more likely to have unprovoked outbursts of aggression. Which is a fact. I did not speculate as to *why* this is the case because I learnt that golden rule of numbers a long time ago: correlation does not imply causation. So whilst the numbers are statistically significant, I did not go one step further and claim I knew the *reason* behind those numbers. That would be presumptuous and stupid of me. As you said, we could just as easily speculate that *bad owners* are responsible for this increased aggression... But as you say so yourself, this line of argument is just based on opinions. Anyone who has a lot of experience with purebreds will tell you that each breed has "typical" traits proper to that breed (ie: hunting, herding, guarding, fetching, digging, et cetera). This should not be so surprising as it comes from years and years and years of selection... Like humans, however, each dog is an individual. So whilst most labs may be intelligent, some labs can be dumb as anything. Now I stand by my original statement about responsible pet ownership. It's the whole nature vs nurture debate... Without opening *that* can of worms, suffice it to say that a responsible owner can be a huge influence on the dog's behaviour. So again, I am NOT anti pit-bulls (or rottweilers) at all but I *do* think they are not for everyone. As to where I got my info: from a breeder who specialises in pit-bulls and rottweilers. Funnily enough, she got into breeding these dogs because she grew up with 2 dobermans and felt they didn't deserve their bad reputation. She thought the same about pits and rottweilers and before she got into breeding she did tons of research on them. She loves them but even she acknowledges that sometimes a great owner is not enough. She ironically turns away a lot of people who want her puppies because she has had experience of her dogs ending up in shelters due to aggression (and, in her opinion, quite likely in large part due to the owner not having enough experience with dogs). She now vets much more carefully. She specifically does not sell her puppies to people who have - or plan to have - children. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Of course countless owners will claim their dog is the exception... And certainly each dog is an individual and will not necessarily display all the traits that are typical of the breed... I am a big fan of Pit Bulls - they are fantastic in many respects... But unfortunately sudden aggression (often unprovoked) *is* one of their common traits. So again - responsible pet ownership. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Pit Bull owners will likely (and maybe vehemently) disagree with me, but Pit Bulls (and Rottweilers) are statistically FAR more likely to have unprovoked outbursts of aggression. Just to explain briefly, the numbers are very statistically significant, since those two breeds make up more than half of the yearly dog-to-human attacks, but do not NEARLY make up half of the dog population... This doesn't mean that a Pit Bull or Rottweiler will *definitely* attack a human/child/other dog or animal, but it *does* mean that owners of such breeds are just plain irresponsible if they do not take the time to properly train the dog and ensure it is properly kept on a leash and also make sure it will never escape from the garden (or that children cannot get into the garden)... Again, I have nothing against these breeds - far from it. I am merely talking about responsible pet ownership. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

+1 Boston Terrier also a nice choice. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Which is quade's point. It's a step backward for equality. It used to be open season on anyone. Ermmm... No it wasn't. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Agree they are great dogs but they are a bit on the large side... But lovely, intelligent dogs who hardly ever bark and have a quiet temperment. They are powerful; they know they are powerful, so they don't feel the need to show aggression or be on the attack/defensive... They are almost aloof but really friendly and loyal dogs. They have energy without being a stressed or hyperactive dog. Fantastic companion. Maybe too big for a small appartment... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

http://dogtime.com/quiz/dog-breed-selector "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I suspect there is a connection. Many a fine relationship was ruined by trying to live together. It takes away all ability to have your own space, and forces both to confront aspects of the other that mostly are not a problem when you each have your own place. (And its not just romantic relationships that can get ruined by this: many close personal friendships can sour when one of them gets the bright idea that they should be roommates.) The "loss of freedom" (perceived of real) may well be a factor... Even though ironically he spent all his time at my old place and he was the one who insisted we should move in together!!! Perhaps the reality of it did not live up to his expectations... I don't think it's what ruined a good relationship - maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Some days I think the way he left me was spineless, some days I think it was lazy, some days inconsiderate and/or disrespectful... And then the rest of the time I think he just walked away the best way he knew how. You can't judge a person by a single act... For sure it's a strange feeling to have someone in your life EVERY DAY for 3 years and for him to suddenly vanish with no explanation or warning whatsoever... That being said, I can't help but think it's waaaay more civilised than a lot of breakups I've seen where people say/do some really hateful/hurtful things to one another. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I wasn't just filling a void, although I can see how it might seem that way... Sometimes your brain tells you it's not working and your heart finds it difficult to reject/dismiss all the good qualities the person does have. I also wasn't looking around - secretly or otherwise... I'm of the opinion that if you are out looking for trouble, you should not be in a relationship. Or at least not with that person. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Seriously??? Men have written about female inferiority/neurosis/stupidity for so long and you are annoyed that doing so now has become politically incorrect??? Nope. What I'm saying is, it is and always will be considered "safe" to call males idiots. The opposite can not be said about females anymore. FIFY! *Exactly*!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Seriously??? Men have written about female inferiority/neurosis/stupidity for so long and you are annoyed that doing so now has become politically incorrect??? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

If you take the overly simplistic explanation that men show off to prove their manliness (and attract women), this alone could explain the impulse to engage in more risky behaviour... Overly simplistic, yes... But perhaps a bit of truth in it anyway?? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I don't know what prompted him to action, or why he chose to leave the way he did, but since the relationship was clearly not working, I'm not sure it really matters. I did have a horrible thought that some people are abandoned this way when there are children involved... The idea alone made me sick to my stomach. I'm actually grateful that this was not the case with me. So whilst I think he could have been a bit more curteous and at least had a conversation with me, he could also have done far worse... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss