The Neurotic Dogs
When pondering whether my neurosis is learned or genetic, I often turn to the family dogs, Frazier (9) and Jake (4), and see the likelihood of a learned origin. My parents' characteristic anxiety has effectively seeped into both dogs' personas.My mother and father are both card-carrying neurotics with drastically different sensibilities. The former engages in an overt style of panic characterized by covering her eyes when our car seems close to hitting another car that's three hundred yards down the road. The latter is more of a concealer; I would cite one of his quirks in this sentence, but the ensuing disownment would be harsh.Frazier, a beige mix of Bichon and Poodle, arrived in our home when I was in the ninth grade. For the first few months, he struck us as an emotionally balanced individual, but it wasn't long before the wide, glassy eyes and quivering lower lip set in.
Like his human siblings before him, he experienced separation anxiety in the absence of his parents. Unlike his human siblings, Frazier saw it fit to pace around the unoccupied house for hours, howling to the ceiling and holding his paw against his beating heart. Such behavior, though unquestionably neurotic, was at least grounded in recognizable childhood symptomology. It wasn't until the arrival of Jake, during Frazier's fifth year, that Frazier experienced a full-fledged nervous breakdown.Given the instability of Frazier's ego, the appearance of Jake--an energetic full-blooded poodle with black hair and a trim gray beard--was emotionally catastrophic. When he wasn't lying on his stomach leering into the abyss, Frazier went as far as to commit acts of physical violence upon his younger brother.
We knew not to be fooled by the innocent look in Frazier's eye when his leash somehow ended up around Jake's neck.Jake, who entered our home as somewhat of a free spirit, was oblivious to Frazier's brooding melancholy. He ran and played with the best of them. He developed a flourishing social identity among the locals. However, it wasn't long before the torch of neurosis was passed onto Jake. From whose hands or paws the torch came is difficult to determine, but genetic theories strike me as inadmissible.Jake's inaugural phobia was a fear of vacuum cleaners.
We have various vacuums in our home, and Jake's fear of each is proportional to its size and volume. When the biggest vacuum is about to be used, Jake requires an explicit and descriptive monologue preparing him for what is to come. The monologue is best performed with the speaker's hand firmly applied to the top of Jake's head. We've found that with the aid of such verbal reassurances, Jake's anxiety in the presence of the vacuum cleaners has decreased by 3 or 4 percent.By now, we're pleased to announce that Frazier has overcome his initial aversion to Jake. Not only do they dine together frequently, but they've also come to display the sincerest form of love in our family: they worry about one another.
When Jake's out jogging in the backyard and Frazier's sobbing from the window, his tears run rich with affection..
Eric Shapiro is the author of "Short of a Picnic," a collection of fictional stories about people living with mental disorders.shortofapicnic@aol.comRoomba Vacuum Cleaner ? The Fun Way to Clean
It seems that the Roomba vacuum cleaner has gathered something of a cult following! The tiny cleaner, robotic Roomba vacuum, has the power to clean your home all by itself, helping you say goodbye to a much-hated household chore. But not only is the Roomba vacuum cleaner supremely practical, it looks good too, and with a recent Roomba development, it can look even better than before, helping turn housework into a fun activity for the whole family.
What homemaker hasn't lamented the pile of chores that lies ahead of him or her on a daily basis? It's always been nigh on impossible to get the family to help. But the simple trick to making a chore like vacuum cleaning more appealing is to make it enjoyable, so if you are looking for a practical but fun cleaner, discover Roomba vacuum.
While it's true that the simple joy of a Roomba vacuum cleaner is that its robotic mechanism means that it can clean your floors without your intervention, this cleaner, robotic...
Vacuum cleaners > Roomba Vacuum Cleaner ? The Fun Way to Clean
General Household Cleaning Tips
If your floors could talk, what would they say? After all, they are walked on, dropped on, dripped on, spilled on ? they live through it all. What do you think they would say? Basic house cleaning must include attention to your floors or your cleaning efforts elsewhere will seem that much less rewarding. There is nothing complicated about keeping your floors clean. Follow these general household cleaning tips, and both you and your floors will be happier you did.
Multi-Floor Cleaners
At least once a month, your floors need to see the light of day through the haze of dirt that has built up on them. Using a simple, earth friendly floor cleaner (FULLER Multi-Floor Cleaner) will do the trick to return your floors to their naturally shiny state.
But be sure to check the cleaner's label for words like biodegradable and environmentally safe.
Earth friendly products are preferable because they will not hurt the environment and will not cause...
Vacuum cleaners > General Household Cleaning Tips
Paratherm Summer Special: 20% off Cleaners for Thermal Systems
West Conshohocken, PA (ContentDesk) July 28, 2006 -- Paratherm Corporation, manufacturer of heat transfer fluids for the process industries, is reducing prices for two specialized thermal-system cleaning liquids, for a two-month period this summer, wrapping up September 30, 2006.
Its not uncommon for manufacturing plants to lighten production during the summer months, when operations workers and management ranks are thinner due to vacation time.
Many plants even schedule shutdowns or equipment rotations, for preventive maintenance work, at specific times during the summer because it makes sense to take machinery out of service when staff is light, rather than during spring, winter, or fall when the ranks are at full strength.Paratherm is calling this offer the Summer Maintenance Special, because when a process line is already out of service...
Vacuum cleaners > Paratherm Summer Special: 20% off Cleaners for Thermal Systems
Home Air Cleaners Can Be A Very Important Part Of Our Everyday Life.
Home air cleaners are becoming a popular feature in many ordinary homes, but there was a time when, it seemed, we lived quite happily without them. The increasing amount of chemical and other pollutants in our atmosphere is making home air cleaners, such as electronic and Hepa air purifiers, ever more necessary, however, and while their protection was once only used in specialised circumstances, allergy relief air purifiers are becoming more and more a part of the ordinary household.
The technology behind modern home air cleaners and electronic air purifiers dates back to the nineteenth century, when two separate groups developed equipment loosely based on similar ideas for two distinctive purposes. The Dean brothers invented a purifier to protect fire fighters, while a man named Siebe developed equipment that would supply divers with a purified air supply.
Later scientists further developed these technologies, bringing us ever closer to the invention of the...
Vacuum cleaners > Home Air Cleaners Can Be A Very Important Part Of Our Everyday Life.
Vacuum cleaners
This page loaded in 0.03517 seconds.