Hey, thanks for the mention! I'm still around, continuing to decipher how all of this works. I'm dealing with some autoimmune illness thing so, until all the poking and prodding and testing is done, I'm just coping with overwhelming fatigue and pain. Point being, I love learning and engaging in intellectual conversations and pursuits, and especially broadening my own perspective, but don't have the energy to follow through as quickly as I would like. So sometimes the dialog is floating around in my head and I lack the energy to participate but not the will. I really appreciate that you've made me feel included and look forward to some fun future debate!

Thanks! Little side note: my horses I used to have would always take care of my kids even though some of them dumped just about everybody else! It was really cool to see how they somehow knew to be careful with my kids.

I would have to say Bichon Frise. My son has severe allergies along with Cystic Fibrosis so we had to find a "hypoallergenic" dog. My kids named him "Haku" and he has turned out to be a wonderful and invaluable companion to my son. Not only is he sweet natured, playful, and able to do all kinds of cool stunts, but he alerted us to when my son was acutely ill.

My son Malachy actually had a life-threatening seizure due to high blood pressure when he was 16. Amazingly, whenever his blood pressure was dangerously high after that, Haku refused to leave him, whining and even growling, which we quickly learned was his way of alerting us. Many times when EMTs arrived to tend to Malachy, Haku was protective until Malachy told him it was okay.

Bichons are smart and loyal and our little Haku has literally been a lifesaver!

Kudos, Mike. My kids keep me going - wanting to better myself and give something to the world - and they are the ones that will be dying on me; or so says the world of medicine. I refuse to give up hope, however, and appreciate your honesty. When you know how badly life can suck, you cherish those peaceful, joyful moments all the more. Your kids have a great dad!

A little trick I learned the hard way: check out the cars in the parking lot. If they are all Honda Accords or Civics, go elsewhere, because the thieves will be there shortly to steal them. On the other hand, if they are nicely-kept, respectable vehicles, (or really cool sports cars), count it as a good indicator of the residents. If the parking lot looks like the yard in a small Texas town named "Junkit," (and I'm from Texas so I can say that), keep on driving. Apart from that, my three rules for apartment living are clean, safe, and quiet- "quiet" referring to people whose bass in their car is so loud you expect some Thrash band to jump out of it. And that's my four cents, (inflation).