The Reckoning Week 52: What Kind of Dog Are You

March 11th, 2021

Phoebe asked me what kind of a dog I am. I am not really a dog person, so I didn’t have a prepared answer for this. I deflected: “Ask your dad what kind of dog he thinks I am.”

This is a great test of a marriage, by the way. You should try it.

At first, he said “border collie,” knowing I have a soft spot for that breed. But I saw right through this. “You mean those sweet-natured, agreeable little softies that love to be bossed around? Really??” He had to admit that was a pretty far fetched comparison. Instead, he said:

“How about afghan hound.”

Screen Shot 2021-03-11 at 9.50.41 AM

 

Yes. I’ll take that. 

What kind of dog suffers from analysis paralysis, though? That’s the kind of dog I am. The kind of dog that is super sick of making life-or-death decisions at every minute of every day. The kind of dog that just wants to have one single day of not making any decisions whatsoever. What kind of dog is that?

In the middle of trying to figure out where we are going to live in a few months, with our lease ending and no options in sight, suddenly, there’s been an awakening around me to the looming possibilities of summer camp actually happening this year. The chatter got stronger and stronger until I felt compelled under duress of anxiety to create my annual super summer camp spreadsheet from hell, which helps me compare all the options in a phantasmagoric maelstrom of overwhelm. (Brattleboro-area moms, if this is a fun pastime for you as well, know that I made the spreadsheet public this year so others could benefit from my neurosis.)

There are so many moving parts to this summer camp decision. Where will we be living? Where will my kids be going to school in the fall? What about COVID? Will everyone be vaccinated? Where are their friends going? Which camps give me the most likelihood of being able to work as much as possible without going insane? Would they be better off at the same camp all summer or sampling from a smorgasbord of camps? Do masks factor into this at all?

This is what you call a first-world problem. I am well aware. I’m surprised if you’re even still reading, frankly.

Back to what kind of dog I am. I am not a dog, obviously. Dogs are chill and laid back and subservient and happy with whatever they get. I am a cat. 

Screen Shot 2021-03-11 at 9.56.05 AM

…………………… 

What I’m reading:

Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath 

What I’m eating: 

Screen Shot 2021-03-11 at 9.52.48 AM

 

Fancy little vegan adaptogenic cheesecake from Akasha in Putney

What I’m working on: 

For SaverLife: The Third Stimulus Check: Who Gets It and How To Claim It

For SaverLife: What’s in the Third Stimulus Bill Other than Checks?

For Confluent: Not All Kafka Services Are Created Equal: Confluent Cloud vs. Amazon MSK

For Confluent: Humana Uses Event Streaming to Improve Real-Time Interoperability at the Point of Care

Share Button

4 Responses to “The Reckoning Week 52: What Kind of Dog Are You”

  1. Thomas says:

    Had to stop and comment about border collies. They are high strung, wound up, unpredictable, very vocal, very anxious when someone tries to contain them, and presumably smart as heck, although as a veterinarian some of these features translate to a PIA patient. Not sure where your border collies were raised but no ma’am out in the real world they are quite unlike the billing they get here.

    Ok back to reading.

  2. Thomas says:

    PS that spreadsheet oh my word the Brattleboro moms need to crowdfund you to do that every year.

Leave a Reply for Joslyn Hamilton

Back