The USS Quad Damage

I've been taking care of the house for the entire weekend now, and I can't say that's it's been a bad experience. It's amazing how much difference another person can make during the day. All my friends being at least an hour's drive, and having no one to talk to in the house itself is pretty strange. Despite the fact that I tend not to talk much anyway, it's still reassuring to know that there's someone there, and the occasional comment or a toilet flush from afar goes a long way. It feels really awkward to laugh knowing no one can hear you. I don't know why.

I think weekends are going to be the worst times for me. It's when I have to prepare for the next week, and get next to no human contact. Weekdays I'll basically come home to sleep and maybe read a little. Dinner is not out of the question. Cooking is tough, but I want to go out at least twice to try out two restaraunts the owners recommended. This really means only 3 days of cooking dinner. "Cooking" can be termed pretty loosely, since I'll be making things like burgers and sandwiches. I'm a little afraid of vegetables, and I don't know why (especially since I'm a vegetarian). All I know is that when you bring oil and woks into the equation, it involves hours of cooking and preparation.

I've pretty much already made up my mind never to own a pet. One of the things I wanted to try out was to see how I'd like pets of my own. These two dogs are prime examples of how easy it can be to take care of little critters. They're polite and courteous, they know the routine, they've never messed themselves inappropriately (yet), and other than feed them in the evening, and take em out (with some dry food) in the morning, they're hassle free.

That's part of where the problem lies. Despite the fact that it's easy, it's two times a day where I have to be at home. There's very little error resilience there, and the dogs won't like it if I'm home ridiculously late or something. I don't like being tied down to a schedule, and there's really no way of having a maintenance free pet.

Another part is that I'm always worried about them. Is it going to rain outside today? Is it too cold? Are they comfortable? Are they having fun? The problem with pets (and kids) is that you can't just ask them. One of the dogs coughed last night. I said "are you alright?" but all I got in response was a blank stare. I'm thinking he's fine now, but it scared me. I was watching Total Recall and the dogs fell asleep on the sofa at 9:30. I think I bored them. I'm not an exciting person for a dog.

Communications is definitely an issue. Sometimes I'm in the kitchen and Dibley (the bitch... literally... AAAAHAHAHAHA) will spin around. Already I know spinning around means she's expecting food. I hate to get her hopes up so I try and say "no, I'm making food for me." but she doesn't get it. Sometimes they bark at me but I don't know what they're trying to say. Anyway, I'm gonna do what I like and hope they get the idea.

So the point is, I don't think I can handle living with anyone unless they have and know how to operate a mobile phone, and can handle me being out for a night.