Lunch with Bill Wallace— Superfoot

In 2003, I was fortunate enough to have lunch with Bill "Superfoot" Wallace.  How I came to this even was less fortunate, but nonetheless, getting to take him out to eat made it worth it. 

 As a second degree martial arts black belt in Han My Do, I wasn't going to miss the chance to attenda seminar where the legendary kick boxer would be instructing, especially since it was so close to home.  I arranged for childcare for my young son, as my husband was working the weekend, and off I went, despite being four months pregnant with my second child.

It started off great.  I owned a martial arts school at the time, so training was no big deal.  Heck, I'd been five months pregnant with my first kid when I opened the martial arts school.  Luck, however, was against me, or for me, depending how you look at it.  Only a few hours into the two-day event, I managed to fracture my left foot.  I spent an insanely long wait time in the local emergency room to find this out, and of course, I had the kind of fracture that I wasn't supposed to put any weight on whatsoever.  

I was bummed.  Though I was pretty broke at the time, I'd come up with the money to attend the seminar and I wasn't about to go home without getting something out of it.  While icing my foot, before deciding I really did need a doctor, I'd had plenty of time to observe those around me.  Mr. Wallace was a guest instructor at the seminar, and as such, wasn't really hanging out with the people who ran it.  This, gave me an idea.

The next morning, I hobbled in on crutches, enviously watched everyone else training, and waited for lunchtime.  Without missing a beat, I asked Mr. Wallace if I could take him to lunch.  At this point I looked like quite the sympathy case so, being a gracious person, he said yes.

I spent the next forty-five minutes at Wendy's with the martial arts legend eating burgers.  He'd been friends with Elvis, acted in movies, and won countless titles.  Had my brain functioned as I wish it had, I would have asked him about these things.  Did I though?  No, I didn't.  I got nervous.  You know how in movies you see girls get all weird with the movie star walks in?  Well, that seems to be what happens to my brain.  Every cell goes temporarily dormant. I didn't manage to say one intelligent thing or think of a single decent question.  Instead, I babbled nonstop, out of nervousness.  

While I wish I'd sounded more intelligent, the lunch was one I'll never forget, and an experience I'd gladly repeat.  Mr. Wallace is a really nice guy, and I'm glad I had the pleasure of meeting him.  So, I didn't appear to be very smart.  I'm sure it's not the first time someone has gotten star struck around him.  I'm just glad I had the opportunity. 

The Toddler that Barks: Baby-Proofing for My Big Dog

When I meet someone in person, two things hold true 99% of the time. First, I'm shorter than the other person.  At 5'0" this is quite frequently, though not always, the case.  I don't think about it too much or realize exactly how much shorter I am than others until I see a group photo where everyone towers over me and it looks like we are not all from the same planet. Second, my dog is bigger than their dog.  I have an English Mastiff.  My sweet puppy weighed in at 147 lbs. at the time of his last veterinary visit.  While I know there are others who have fur babies as large as mine, I have yet to meet someone who does.

Having a large dog is a great deal like having a toddler.  I have to baby-proof some areas of the house to prevent him from accidentally injuring himself.  There are just all sorts of hazards you don't have to think about with a small four-footed friend that are real, true safety concerns with a big dog.  

For example, we have a gas stove.  When I cook, I have to have the pot handles turned towards the wall so my dog, if he happens to walk by, doesn't accidentally knock a hot pan off the stove and onto himself as his tail wags.  We also have a stove guard on the knobs of the stove so our puppy can't turn on the gas when we aren't around since he is actually tall enough to easily bump the buttons.

When I'm sewing, I have to keep his snout away from the moving needle on my sewing machine.  Naturally he's curious about what I'm up to, but I have to keep his nose safely out of range, and his paws too as he could easily send the machine zooming down the fabric if I didn't prevent him from stepping on the foot pedal!

Then there are the seasonal concerns.  Soon we'll be putting up a Christmas tree.  My fur baby loves balls...or anything that resembles one. This of course means great care has to be taken when decorating for Christmas.  We can't have any have any round ornaments on the tree where they could attract the attention of the dog.   

We we be practicing a pet-safe Christmas this year with all round ornaments either left off of the tree entirely or placed up quite high. I can't have my sweetheart of a dog getting hurt by putting ornaments in his mouth!  

Decorating and dog-proofing challenges aside, having a 147 lb. dog is a great joy in my life!  If I feel like I really need a hug, I can sit with my dog on my lap, wrap my arms around him, and truly feel like I've been hugged. Take a moment and hug a dog today.  It will make you smile!