How do you spell god? I spell it Cesar.

Cesar Millan is my hero. Who else could bring religious fervor to a cold atheist soul. He is my new best friend and the savior of my relationship with Rave. I may finally learn how to parent from watching the "Dog Whisperer" on NTGEO/National Geographic Channel. I recently changed my satellite network pkg so that channel is included and dropped HBO. Nothing on HBO in the next few months...(no new Sopranos, nor Bill Maher, nor Carnivale). I look forward to the Closer, but I worship Cesar.

His shows are a series of one or two miracles each half hour. He has clarity and knows how to demonstrate sane behavior. It looks like well rehearsed fakery. After getting sucked into the first show, I went downstairs and tried something simple on Rave. She knew immediately what was the haps. It was cool. Suddenly, I had learned a new language...dog. No more screaming; barking has been replaced by gentle persuasion. A look or not looking, a touch or a gesture...it just works.

I am usually calm but now I practice solid calm and open aware. And Rave knows it. So does my daughter. It so works on people. In fact that is Cesar's tagline. "He rehabilitates dogs and trains people." That is exactly what I need. I was never taught how to parent and I have always known I was not a good parent. I'm a good person and I've got by on my merits and morals, loosely defined and constantly evolving as they are.

Now I learn how to behave. I am learning how to behave like the leader of the pack. I am confident in my role. I know who I am and how to talk and walk. I make my expectations clear and correct when I need to give feedback. Late in life to be learning the basics but surely not too late. Practice, lots of practice and patience. I'll never be perfect but I can see improvement daily. That is rewarding and inspirational. I love Rave and I love C. I can tell they love me too. We are all learning manners and how to communicate. I do not know how to spell g o d but I do know how to spell dog (whisperer).