teeny tiny dog on a teeter totter

Today's entry on Crazy Sexy Cancer on balance reminded me of watching little dogs doing dog agility on the teeter totter. The big dogs have it pretty easy, they just have to make sure to touch all the contact points. The little dogs have to know how to wait for the high end of the teeter totter to come down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_agility

Teeter-totter (or seesaw) A 10 to 12 foot (3 to 4 m) plank pivoting on a support, much like a child's seesaw. It is constructed slightly off-balance so that the same end always returns to the ground. This is done either by placing the support slightly off-center or else weighting one end of the board. This obstacle also has contact zones. However, unlike the other contact obstacles, the teeter-totter does not have slats. The balance point and the weight of the plank must be such that even a tiny dog, such as a Chihuahua, can cause the high end of the teeter-totter to descend to the ground within a reasonable amount of time, specified by the sanctioning organization's rules (usually about 2 seconds). Smaller dogs get more time to run a course, and this is one reason why it can take them longer than it takes larger dogs.

Right now, as I'm waiting to hear from various job applications, I feel like a teeny tiny dog on a teeter totter, waiting for that high end to lower down to the ground.