On the Fly

Last night was date night. We saw a musical that Lion likes. It occurred to me, as it has in the past, that the reasons I don’t like musicals are that I’d rather have someone just tell me a story rather than singing it to me; and I keep hoping the next scene will grab me, and it just never does. This is not true of all musicals. I can remember at least two that were a pleasant surprise, but 90% are a bust from my point of view. I go because Lion likes to go and, other than several years ago when we went to 20-something musicals, symphonies, and operas in one year, he asks to go to far fewer than he used to.

Date night also meant no play for Lion. Between the cage and training collar, Lion was very fidgety in his uncomfortable seat. He kept getting pinched and squished. And I had nothing to do with it!

We also discussed the need for me to punish him for random things that bother me without a warning. Since he was driving at the time, I gave the example of him cutting someone off. To me, that would be the perfect example of something he should be punished for without a warning or without establishing it as a rule. Minding his manners is not just for me and waiters. It should be for other drivers as well. Obviously, sometimes it is unavoidable or necessary to cut someone off. And I’m not with Lion all the time. I can’t police him then and I don’t expect him to self-report it. It’s not a rule. It was an example of an on-the-fly thing that would get him in trouble.

I am now on the hunt again for new rules, and keeping my eyes open for those non-rule infractions. Lion hopes catching him will become second nature for me. My first goal is to catch him more often than I miss. Maybe as often as I miss. Maybe at all. This is a lot of work. Good thing Lion is worth it.