twobigears

[twobigears]

God's strongest soldiers are retail workers that have to listen to that dog shit music all hours of the day

#i can still hear the petsmart jingle occasionally out of nowhere in my brain #and it has been like 15+ years since i worked there

[twobigears]

#false #all life stages are velociraptor stages for GSDs

[twobigears]

really strange how you can be almost at peace with something that happened to you but it will continue to be a defining moment of your life for the rest of your life. you wont think about it much anymore but in a conversation about a film someone will mention the year it was released and you’ll think to yourself, “that was before it happened” and you’ll see an old photo and think how strange it is to have existed before it happened and somehow it’s like living a life in two acts

#minus the being at peace part because i’ll never be at peace with it #yeah all of the rest of it #:/ #grief

[twobigears]

For her 8th birthday, Chandra got 8 inches of snow! She is quite thrilled with her present.

Happy birthday to the best big black beast! 🧡🧡🧡

#my broken heart dog #i am both happy and sad that she is 8 years old #i am glad she was happy with her snow today #Chandra photos #Chandra #german shepherd

[twobigears]

“diamonds are a girl’s best friend” wrong. save rock and roll by fall out boy is a girl’s best friend

#fuck yeah #fall out boy and blue october are the two bands #that carried me through the earth-wrenching grief when Solstice died #i listened to them endlessly #drowned my brain with them to distract from the pain of drowning in grief #especially save rock and roll #the phoenix has been my ringtone for years and i will not change it #just one yesterday sends me #and of course save rock and roll #so many feels about that song and the album #i'm grateful that despite it being a grief album for me #and that it does bring back memories of listening to it while feeling absolutely shattered #that also somehow did not poison it and i can still listen to it to feel comforted today

[twobigears]

tumblr is the only place that im honest, how do you tell your instagram followers that you just saw a bird that changed your life? they are soulless on that app, they dont give a fuck

#accurate #fuck instagram #tell me about the bird #non dog stuff

[twobigears]

it really is insane how waking up early will grant you access to some of the most beautiful sights and sensations in the world that will make you want to live forever, but only if you overcome the gauntlet of a thousand razors that is getting out of bed early. truly one of life's little saw traps.

#accurate #non dog stuff

[twobigears]

I know I don't shut up about this but frankly not enough people are angry about the 5-day/40 hour workweek (and I am AWARE a lot of people work even more than that). I feel like a lot more people should be absolutely furious that we only really have two days a week and some occasional hours in the evening to socialise, run errands, do chores, or relax.

It's no wonder so many people are profoundly lonely and disconnected from their communities when maintaining a social life in what little free time we have is incredibly difficult. If you have kids, a second job, a very long commute, or other responsibilities, it's nearly impossible.

We literally aren't meant to live like this and I'll never stop being shocked how many people just take it as the natural state of things and don't want to throw a brick through a billionaire's window every time they think of it.

#this #have felt like this pretty much my whole almost 40 years now #and it was always incredibly depressing to be surrounded #by the gaslighting and brainwashing that This Is How It Has To Be #and It Used To Be Worse So Be Grateful It's Like This Now #bitches please #i'm glad more people are speaking out against it #but i am hopeless that it will ever meaningfully change for the better in my lifetime #non dog stuff

[twobigears]

🙌 it has happened!! 🙌

not to jinx it but they are now talking about trying to make my contract position a permanent position, so 🤞🤞🤞

#hell yeah! #frankly i feel like i really lucked out with this job #the ~culture~ is a good fit which seems so hard to find #dream job will always be no job #but this one is pretty good so far #i'm glad i was able to stay and not be thrown back into job searching hell #at least for now #non dog stuff

[twobigears]

recently i’ve been in the mood to change my life. I won’t be doing anything to achieve that goal but i’ll be thinking about it extensively which is the same thing

#me in a nutshell #non dog stuff

[twobigears]

Probably not a popular take, but I feel like most big negative opinions in dog spaces come from misuse rather than inherent badness of the things. I know dogs who have been hugely helped in their socialization and reactivity by the mindful use of dog parks. I know dogs who get walks and freedom they would never have gotten in their homes without the appropriate use of a prong, training harness, or ecollar. I use a retractable leash for tracking and am currently using it to clean up play skills for mondio at my club's recommendation.

It's not an either or. You can use decompression hikes and controlled walks. You can teach your dog to calmly watch the world and also take them to appropriate dog parks or play groups. You can use an aversive tool gently or a gentle tool as an aversive.

There's nothing wrong with choosing not to use a certain tool, but there are so many broad strokes used that make people afraid to utilize something that might really increase their dog's quality of life or their own efficacy of communication.

#accurate #misuse rather than inherent badness of the things #applies to pretty much any dog thing #from aversive to clickers to anything #dog training

[twobigears]

Rating the birds in my backyard by tendency toward violence

Northern Cardinal, 4/10

I'm sometimes worried the male is sexually harassing the female but I'm pretty sure they're just doing some elaborate public pickup roleplay. The rest of us didn't agree to participate in your kink, guys.

American Robin, 1/10

Literally just some dude hanging out. Never bothered anyone but worms. Big fan of the way you just stand there in the middle of the grass like you forgot what you were supposed to be doing.

House Sparrow, 10/10

You're a gang. You're participating in gang violence. There's ten billion of you living in a single wood pile and it's been civil war for three years now. When will the bloodshed end?

Tufted Titmouse, 1/10

A shy baby. A pretty little guy. I saw you on the neighbor's garage roof and time stopped. There were anime sparkles around you. Come back.

European Starling, 9/10

Why is it always you? Listen, I know, I KNOW the sparrows are the problem, and YET. When the fighting starts, it's always you in the middle of it, provoking them and then screaming like you're an innocent bystander defending yourself. I'm onto you.

Carolina Wren, 3/10

This rating is not for physical violence, which you don't engage in, but for your role as an incurable narc. A tattle tale. I know they're fighting again, okay? I see it. Our yard has been a warzone for years, you don't have to make a big announcement every time someone misbehaves.

Eastern Wood-Peewee, 0/10

If this were "birds who think they're better than everyone else," you'd get 10/10.

Red-bellied Woodpecker, 6/10

It's a utility pole. It's not a tree. You're surrounded by trees that are full of bugs. But there you are, on the utility pole. Committing vandalism.

American Crow, unrated

For who am I to cast judgment on the actions of La Famiglia? I assume you are doing what is best for the neighborhood. If I could, though, without criticism, make a single observation. That when large numbers of you gather in the ominous dead cottonwood - no? No, you're right. None of my business.

Great Crested Flycatcher, 5/10

Frankly, I think you could be doing more. I think your name implies a great potential. I think you should massacre the insects. I think your beak should drip with viscera.

Stay tuned for more criminal activity!

#quality content #birds #non dog stuff

[twobigears]

i really wish five hours of sleep was sufficient because going to bed at 2 and waking up at 7 would be heaven but the body keeps score

#accurate #night owl living in a world that demands morning productivity #non dog stuff

[twobigears]

snow wizard here ❄️ to ask you a riddle you will never know the answer to

#i love him

[twobigears]

i just feel strongly that work shouldnt be the Main Activity of five days out of the week

#accurate #i’ve felt this way pretty much my entire life #the gaslighting and brainwashing to workworkwork is gross #my dream job will always be no job #but work really wouldn’t be so bad #if it didn’t have to consume so many hours and days of our lives #things that grind my gears #non dog stuff

[twobigears]

Word. For years I have been one of those people who arrives early to setup, works a lot over the weekend, and stays to clean up at the end. It’s freaking exhausting. Especially the cleanup, when most people have disappeared. I get it. We all want to go home. It seems like people don’t realize the equipment doesn’t just magically put itself away at the end.

I have started backing off and not running myself ragged.

Here is my usual post-event reminder to treat volunteers at dog events kindly. We were at the trial for 12 hours on Saturday and 14 hours on Sunday and are exhausted. That's set up, working, showing our own dogs, awards, and take down.

At no point on Saturday was I not working. I even ate lunch while hunt mastering CAT runs. On Sunday I got a bit of time to rest while waiting to take my dogs into the ring, but even then I was doing something. And when I was not actively showing my dogs, I was working.

So if you are at a dog event and things are going a bit slow, please keep your frustration to yourself and be gracious and patient with the volunteers.

#volunteering is a catch 22 #gotta volunteer to make events happen #but if you (we) volunteer too much then you end up doing everything #and of course the people who complain the most #usually help the least or not at all #yay dog people

[twobigears]

when i say i like hiking, i don’t mean “eight mile backpacking trip with special gear and an emergency beacon” sort of hiking, i mean a three mile loop to go look at pretty things and then a huge brunch after.

#por que no los dos? #i am up for both types of hiking #sometimes ya just wanna get way the fuck out there #away from everybody else #and to the places you can only see by walking yourself out there #and sometimes ya just want a leisurely hike #no dunk on people who don’t like both #but for me both is good #hiking #me