EPTI used to have this weird thing I did with 6s and 9s where I kind of reversed them.
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/M0za4M9.jpg)
Nevermind what it all means. It might not mean anything. It certainly doesn't mean anything specifically. It was about this same time that I became obsessed with anagrams and whatever that p-word is. I realized that "devil dog" and "god lived" were characterized by such a relationship. So I got to thinking about my own dog as a bad dog. Not a bad dog per se, but at least an evil dog. This was unusual because the dog didn't look evil.
Here's his picture.
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/0TuL8N3.jpg)
I did some of the filter work for these images last year. It's fun to filter pictures to bring out their true colour. Scout passed away a couple days ago on Tuesday. It was really unexpected. Apparently one side effect of his medication is "death"--he had arthritis. Anyway, Scout was only 10 when this happened, and he died quickly and painlessly. It was a surprise to my dad who found him in the garage. But we had been struggling with the dog for some time, even going so far as to expand his yard and create a door without stairs. He was able to walk inside on the level ground, preventing the arthritis from being such an impediment.
Scout and I were good friends. I used to sit on the porch and smoke cigars and tell him stories. I fancied myself a bard. Scout is survived by my cat, Buck, who is only 20 years old, and is doing well. He has last some weight recently, but is otherwise doing great. For my own sake, I am healthy and doing well, back in school and getting As. Of course at the ripe old age of 32, not much surprises me any more. My favorite stories that I told Scout were based on Norse Mythology (a great book has been released by Neil Gaiman). It's interesting that Loki, Thor, and Odin found their way into Starcraft--they seem kind of out of place. But nevertheless inspirational.
I used to enjoy toying around with Starcraft 2. I think I got more mileage out of the map editor than the game. Anyway, Scout was a great dog, and we enjoyed some interesting if odd times together. He had a great sense of humor--although I yelled at him one time while I was drunk. I felt terrible about it, but our cat had escaped into the garden and Scout was chasing him. It was impossible to catch the cat with the dog chasing the cat. So instead I yelled at the dog (which turned out to be a huge mistake that I instantly regretted). But I did catch the cat and drag him back inside. This didn't prevent further escapes but at least the two animals got along better in the future. We had to keep them separate because Scout would put his teeth around the cat's neck and try to choke it. He didn't really try to choke it up but that's what it looked like. Dogs and cats can be nasty.
I don't know if I'll ever get another dog. I had one other dog before Scout named Bailey. She was a black lab/golden retriever, and was really exciting. She had been my dog since I was 5. Scout we brought home from the humane society after Bailey passed away. There's nothing like second chances. I played with Scout all through his youth and into his later years. My only regret is that he lived such a short time. It seems there is a vast disparity in the lives of animals based on breed and so on. Anyway, Scout was a great dog, very cheerful and good-spirited. I wish I had been able to see him one last time. He was a good companion and a faithful friend.
very sorry buddy. I got a 10 and a 9 year old dog myself and it has started to dawn on me that they might not have that long left. 
