Mark Twain Said It Best ...

"Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great." - Mark Twain

Daizy and the Wolf

Today, we visited the dog park in Foster City, a pilgrimage we make regularly, and one, as far as our dogs are concerned, that’s right up there with cookies. There are two words in the English language that our furry beasties understand without fail and those words are cookie and dogpark. Ears go up and everybody’s alert.

We entered the special double gate today at the dog park, and Daisy was in the forefront chomping at the bit. It isn’t unusual for a dog or two or three to be waiting right there with wagging tails and drooling chins, and it isn’t unusual for Daizy to growl and snarl her way past them, strongly vocalizing her superiority to the rest of the group (who are all, by the way, three legs bigger than she is). Rather than seeing the usual welcoming committee, however, we walked in and walked right smack dab into a wolf. I’m talking about a full blood, grey, long legged and long nose, wolf. The real deal. Not a hybrid. He was there with his human, a young man who looked, well, wolfish..

At first I was concerned. Really concerned. I mean, this is a wild animal, whose instincts (and badoobies as it turns out) were well intact, and I was there out in the open with my pushy little boston terrier, my golden retriever, and my eleven year, all of which are quite precious to me. Nobody else in the fenced in area seemed concerned; in fact, they all thought the wolf was pretty cool. I expressed a bit of low grade caution and everybody thought I was being incredibly square. One woman thought there was no difference between a wolf and a rottweiler, for example, if each animal is raised properly.

No difference? How about wild instincts versus years and years of instinct suppression through domesticity?

Once I got over myself (which wasn't easy), I was able to sit quietly and enjoy the wolf’s energy as he wound his way through the crowd, up against me, and all around us. His eyes were very soft, and his coat was dense and wiry. I plunged my hand into his coat as he made his way past me. I wondered what The Great Mother had to say by dropping me right in front of one of her most amazing and beautiful creatures?

Thinking on this, tonight I dropped by A. Venifica’s website “What’s-Your-Sign” to see what she had to say about wolf totems and symbolism. The following are points that jumped out at me. All of this was written by A. Venifica, and I am simply quoting her inspired work, which can be read in full here.

To understand totem wolf symbols, one must first understand the heart of the Wolf. This takes time because the Wolf has had to endure many false stereotypes, misconceptions and misunderstandings.
Some common traits that accompany totem wolf symbols:

Intelligence
Cunning
Communication
Friendliness
Loyalty
Generosity
Compassionate

Not at all the picture of ferocity or terror, the Wolf is a creature with a high sense of loyalty and strength. Another misconception is that of the “lone wolf.” To the contrary, the Wolf is actually a social creature, friendly, and gregarious with its counterparts.

A.Venifica also writes that the wolf prompts us to ask ourselves certain questions …

Are you thinking about a different form of education?
Are you being a true friend, and are your friends being true to you?
Are you communicating yourself clearly to others?
Are you being loyal to yourself?
Are you incorporating strategies and planning to achieve your goals?
Are you spending enough quality time with yourself, friends and family?

As it turns out, the wolf’s name is Coda, and he was about a year old, not yet sexually mature, and very docile. He was submissive; in fact, to the extent that Daizy, our boston terrier, attempted to dominate him and would’ve gotten away with it if I hadn’t stopped her (I was nervous, ok?). I thought it rather ironic that Daizy discovered her inner wolf at the dark park with a real one.

Things to think on …. There’s always something.

Radio Dweeb

Hello. My name is Donna Faber, and I’m a radio dweeb.

I admit it.

My partner (the love of my life whom I adore) Leslie is a radio dweeb, too. We both derive great pleasure from hearing our own voices on the radio, and so to satisfy this craving, we call in … frequently.

Leslie has been a radio dweeb for some time. She listens to Newstalk Radio 810 practically every day, and is up on the latest current events because of it. She really digs Ronn Owens, his debates and comments, and calls in with her own opinions now and again. Both of us love Len Tillum, who gives legal advice on the radio. He’s very informative and hashes over pertinent topics like “what happens if you rent a house from someone and then it goes into foreclosure.” It’s good stuff.

Now that the price of gas has gone down, I enjoy the luxury of a nice car ride into the city to work each day. It beats taking BART, which isn’t so bad really, although the cost adds up quickly, as well. We leave the house usually around 7:45 a.m., drop off Elizabeth first, and then I’m typically in the office by 9:00 a.m. During the ride, we listen to 101.3 on the radio, which is K101. Don Bleu does the morning show. He plays pranks on people called “Bloopers”, and they are absolutely hysterical. I mean, laughter is a great way to start your day, and this guy has no shortage of it. Anyway, this morning he talked about television shows that you enjoy so much you watch reruns of it. Like, a show that you dig so profoundly, you would plop your ass on the couch and watch it no matter when you ran into it. “Seinfeld” is one of those, and “Mash”, and “Leave it to Beaver”, and definitely “I Love Lucy”. Well, I called in and rattled on about my love of “Roseanne” (the first three seasons are the best, hands down), and then Leslie called in and was going on about Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. And we both got on the radio! Okay, it was slightly edited, but man, we were there enjoying our 30 seconds of fame in San Francisco. High five, baby! Right on! We were so thrilled!

Thereafter, I got into work, took a conference call I was scheduled for, and then it dawned on me.

I’m one of those people. One of those people who calls in to radio shows.

Hey, at least we have cell phones now. Otherwise, we’d be pulling over to add our personal commentary.

(sigh)

I’m a radio dweeb.

On When Isis Rises ...

Well, I finally did it. My latest blog entry on When Isis Rises is here. This entry was months in coming. The last entry I did was back in May, and yes, I could say that a lot has happened since then. We moved 3,000 miles across the country (again), and I got a new, time consuming job. In truth, it took that long to get my head around what I had to write. All the details, the bits and pieces, took some time to objectify, be processed, and then be writable. I felt the initial pull a while back, but it wasn't until last night when, aided by the full moon, the words came without pause and in good measure.

Heal ...

FROM OUR WORKSHOP: Femininity

Shine Bright ...

... always.