Kitties and Languages and All That Jazz

Sunglasses! I've never felt comfortable wearing sunglasses before because I couldn’t see anything with them on.  But now that I have Prada I don't need to see while I'm walking because she guides me around moving and stationary obstacles. Random fact? I want to go buy sunglasses :)

The Language Barrier

I found it quite funny the other day, a misunderstanding my mother and I had at an intersection. She told me it was a four way stop and then said 'ok, go when you're ready,' allowing me and Prada to decide when to cross. Well, I kept waiting and she kept telling me "they're waiting for you to go, honey," and we both got frustrated as neither of us nor the cars at the intersection moved.

Then it hit me. "What kind of control does this intersection have?" I asked. "It's a four way stop" Mom repeated most unhelpfully. "Ok, but is it a light or a stop sign or...?" "It's a four way stop so it has stop signs" she told me again, more frustrated than ever now. CLICK! "Mom, I never read the drivers' manual, and don't drive. I have no idea what a four way stop means."

Language Barrier: I don't speak Driver and she doesn't speak Blind Traveler. She knew what a four way meant to her, but I'd never had to learn. To me, the important thing about an intersection is how it's controlled. Light, stop sign, et cetera. Time for both of us to learn a new language!  (I still haven’t read the driver’s manual but it’s on my list…)

Attack of the Black Cat

Last night I went to a friend's house for dinner. She has two cats: Koko is accustomed to dogs, and has no problem bossing them around, while Ayden is not used to them being there and was quite freaked out by Prada's entrance. When it was time to leave, Koko sat himself directly in the hallway and since Prada was back in harness she was quite bemused, kept glancing up at me. "Mom, I know I'm supposed to ignore the kitty but I can't get you around it without running you into something..." I bent forward and shooed the little fuzzball out of the way.

Ayden perched himself on a box as we were heading out and as we walked past him took a swing at Prada's nose. Fortunately he didn't make contact, and my friend had been courteous enough to cut his claws down a bit before we came over but it scared my poor doggy and she yelped and leaped behind me instead of pursuing the offending feline. YAY PRADA! That's EXACTLY what a Seeing Eye dog should do, leave the kitty alone, don't pursue! I am confident that she'll behave herself around almost anything now.  Cats will be cats because they are cats.  That’s why dogs need to rise above the occasion J

Mom dubbed Prada Tinkerbell this morning because I let her off leash with her bell on for a few hours. Prada is ecstatic about her new freedom but I'm afraid I won't let it last the whole day. Too early for that.