Monday, April 30, 2007

puppy says "Argh"


This is called "Crocodiles & Alligators" or "The Bitey game", whichever you prefer. Although it looks like my sweet, darling little puppy was turning into a vampiristic Cujo and directing her "fangs" at me, she wasn't. Those teeth were going for Millie's neck, a favorite to hang off of. :p

Tweak looks absolutely *evil* in that pic, and Millie, well, she just looks old. :( Sigh.

In other news, the pictures are up from Saturday and Sunday's activities - in the gallery. I'm too tired to tell you about them - but they were fun. I kinda wish I couldn't feel my uterus trying to escape my body, that would be cool. But alas, I am female and I must suffer. Don't worry tho', I'll be sharing my thoughts on *that* subject when I meet my maker. Things will change after that I'm sure. :p

work, work, work.

D

Saturday, April 28, 2007

a few idle thoughts

The voice in my head is soooo much better than the book on CD's voice. I went to B&N the other day and picked up a few books. I can't get out of there without checking the 2 aisles of books on sale. I found one of my favorite books there on CD and figured I'd give it a try. Maybe it's different if you haven't already read the book. Or maybe it's just getting used to the same voice reading the whole book. I don't know. I'll still listen, but the voice in my head rocks, comparatively speaking.

I did take Tweak down to visit. Neutron scared the bejeezus out of her for the first 5 minutes, but she bounced back pretty quickly. By the time I left, Tweak would tease him into chasing her, he'd start running, and she'd do the typical BC turn on a dime thang, leaving him in a cloud of her dust. She's going to be a *Great* flyball dog!

I don't know much about the South Shore. I only know the areas that Glen & Elissa have lived in. But, there's a chinese food place down there called Great Chow, and it really does have great chow!! Guess what we got for dinner. :D I took lots of pictures and will post them online tomorrow at some point.

I have practice in the morning and am then off to Redbones for our girl's day out. Kim is meeting me at my place so Beanie has a place to stay and so that I have a designated driver. :) After Redbones we are hitting the Burren for some great beer and some great Irish music. I'm really looking forward to it. :)

Once I sober up, I think I'll clean off the kitchen table. There's so much mail and crap on there that I can't see the top of it anymore. After that I'll tear apart the half wall. I should probably wait until I'm sober for that one. :p

More idle thoughts:

If you lift Millie's ears straight up, she looks like Rocko from Rocko's Modern World.

Triple XXX Vitamin Water is the coolest new flavor out there - acai, blueberry, & pomegranate. Yum. :)

Donna printed out a couple of the Tweak photos from last weekend and showed them to me at Susan's party. Oh. My. Dog. They are *awesome*! She showed me one of the Pacie photos as well, which came out incredible too. But, he's on a diet now because his stomach is starting to become one with his chest. He's a little less than pleased with that and has started eating everything he can put his grubby little mouth on. The little bastard. If he needs surgery because of an obstruction, I'm gonna be pissed. :p

D

it feels like Sunday....

I really wish the cats would just haul off and smack the shit out of the puppy when she tortures them. Someday. :)

Being out of the house the entire day yesterday, and so busy, that it makes me feel like today is Sunday and yesterday was Saturday. Bonus for me that today is Saturday. :p

Picking up the bed got canceled for today. Kate and Dan weren't able to be at their house so we'll reschedule another time. Maybe I can even get that room cleaned out. :p

I went and picked up the meat order I placed from the butcher. It all looks and smells soooo good. :) I can't wait to have a BBQ!

I should be out mowing the grass. I still might, but probably not. :p Instead, I'm gonna head down to Glen & Elissa's to hang out with them. I haven't seen Max since he was born so I need to visit and take pictures. :) The puppy will probably come along for the ride, but I haven't totally decided yet. Neutron is a really big dog and doesn't know his own strength. Tweak definitely doesn't need any unpleasant dog experiences right now.

Shower time!

D

Friday, April 27, 2007

what a day....

Tweak & I left the house around 9:30'ish. First we drove to Sally's to see if they had my color and THEY DIDN'T!!!! Super huge, wicked big sigh. I picked something else, hoping it would suffice.

Afterwards, we went to the hair dressers. I thought my appt was at 11, but it was actually at noon. Sigh. But, it didn't matter as she only had one other person in front of me. I brought the puppy in with me so she could meet more people. I think we're up to about 75 people in less than 30 days. Woohoo! We'll easily top the people number in the "for good socialization a puppy needs to meet 100 people, 100 dogs, and go 100 places in 100 days" theory. We're really down on the dog number, but I'll be taking her to puppy class, at least to play with other dogs and probably to train as well, starting next week. I just need to figure out how to add 2 more hours into my Mondays and Wednesdays...sigh. I have to do it, so I will, but boy am I a busy little girl lately.

Let me tell you how awesome she was at the hair dressers!! I brought the crate in so she could hang out and chew a bone while I was getting worked on. She met all the people that were in there, played for a bit, was held for a bit, and then hung out in the crate until Faith was done putting the color on. Then we went outside, went potty, and played in a couple of puddles. Back in the crate so we could finish my hair. I'm not thrilled with the color choice but it's no body's fault but my own. I wanted chunky blond streaks in the front and on the side, which I got, but not as many streaks/as much blond as I wanted. So I'm not that happy with it. The cut is good though. I'll just have to make sure I order my color from Amazon.com (I still can't freakin' believe that one) before I need it colored again. I'm also going to get it done right when it needs to be, instead of waiting another 6 months. Ah well. :)

After that, we drove to the vet's office. We had some time to kill so we stopped at a Petsmart and did a little training while meeting more people. :) The vet was *packed* today!! There were at least 6 dogs in the waiting room, one being another 11 week old puppy that she played with until it was time to go into a room. We worked on 'down' while we were sitting waiting. The vet's office is one of the best places to train, ever! So if you ever get a puppy and want a really great place where your puppy can meet people and other dogs, while training in a distracting environment, your vet's office is the place to be! I was really, really impressed with how many times and how long she was able to focus on me. We got at least 6 solid sessions of between 4-7 minutes of lying down with people walking around and dogs coming and going. I was soooooo pleased!! Of COURSE Dr. Lisa was thoroughly impressed with her. :) I know I'm biased, but she really does have a great personality. :p

She got her 2nd series of shots and a kennel cough vaccine. Normally I don't vaccinate against kennel cough because there are so many strains out there and not all of them are in the vaccine. So even though she got the vaccine, she can still get kennel cough. With the recent outbreak at the last flyball tournament, I figured I'd err on the side of caution and vaccinate for it anyway.

After that, we had some time to kill until it was time for Susan's going away party so we headed over to Dad's to say hello. She played and played with one of the cat toys, so Dad gave it to Tweak as a gift. :p

Then we were off to the training center for the party. We were there a little early so we sat and listened to my book on CD until Gerilyn & Paul arrived. She met another 17+ people, 5 of which were very young children, along with Karen's 4 month old puppy, Snap, and Reggae, an older Golden. The puppies played and played and played and were held by just about everyone multiple times. :) Awesome socialization! I was expecting her to pass out once we got home. Ha! Silly Dawn, tricks are for kids! She's wrestled with Millie, tortured the cats, and played with Pacie for the past 2 hours. :p She's currently chewing on a tennis ball while lying at my feet. It's about damn time. ;)

Tomorrow I have to pick up a ton o' meat from the butcher before meeting Glen & Elissa around 10'ish. We'll head down to pick up the bed, and probably go out for lunch or dinner afterwards. I think that's all I have planned for the day!! Maybe I can take the rest of that time and actually clean out the spare room like I was supposed to at some point this week. In my own defense, I wasn't even just being lazy, I've been busy. I'll have to store the bed downstairs until I can clean out that room. Sigh.

I also have to start taking the facing off the half wall sometime before Tuesday. Jason's coming over to look at what's underneath for framing so we can start planning for the bookcase. I'm really hoping we can get it done (I say we, but I'll be on the couch :p ) while I'm out of the office from the surgery. Fingers crossed.

Ok kids, I think I've typed enough for one night. :)

D

Crazed....

I'm taking a few moments to myself before my day is swallowed up for the whoooooooole day.

I have to try one more place for my hair color before throwing in the towel and mixing something up there. I hate not having my color. I'm gonna have to start ordering it from Amazon.com. Ridiculous.

After that, it's off to the salon - me and the puppy. My salon is dog friendly and it's a great place for socialization. :) I'm thankful that it's cool and rainy so that if I have to leave her in the car, I can. After 3+ hours (that's how long it takes when your hair is a couple of feet long), Tweak and I will head off to the vet.

Dr. Lisa hasn't seen her yet, but she's heard all about her. She was another one that said something like - I usually cringe when I hear someone got one, but for you it fits. I'll take that as a compliment! Tweak just jumped up on the couch by herself for the first time! That decision to wait to get furniture until she's an adult seems to be a good one. :)

After the vet is Susan's going away party at the training center. I have to stop and get something to munch on, which I can do next to the salon. But then I'll have a few hours to kill until it's time to get there. I'll probably stop by Dad's and visit.

The party should be so much fun! I haven't been with the whole group in a long time so I have a lot of catching up to do! And of course there will be a lot of puppy playtime there. ;) I'll talk to Gerilyn about getting her into puppy class while I'm there. I just hope I don't forget!

Time to go. Tweak is chewing on some plastic piece Millie just ripped out of a stuffed animal. It's probably an eye.

D

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Friday for me

Sine I have tomorrow off, today is my Friday. :) Then I get to have two Saturdays! Kinda.

I just spent the last 15 minutes watching Tweak and Millie wrestle and play alligators and crocodiles with a smile on my heart. :) I'll get a bit on video soon cuz it's just really cute to see. :) My oldest gal teaching my youngest gal bite inhibition. :) Skootchie did the same thing when Millie was a pup, oh too many years ago now. Skootchie and Freddie used to play the bitey game every morning while I was checking mail. I wonder if he'll do that with Tweak. He's getting better with her - he played with her for like 2 microseconds yesterday. :p

I went out with Dina last night for a drink. We went to this place in Lawrence called the Claddagh. It was pretty cool and we had some great discussions. Until Joe sat next to us and started being all old-man-wanting-to-get-with-you kind of creepy. Talkin' about free love and having a good time, constantly touching Dina, and kissing our hands. All set thank you. He had to go "squirt", thankfully, so we took off whilst he was gone.

(Quick break to play tug-of-war with 4 dogs on the same tug. I lost.)

I'm getting a bed for the spare room Saturday. I have to go out and find a corner computer desk at some point. But first I need to clean out that room! Ugh. I also have to go out and get a rug before we pick up the bed. Don't know when I'll have time for that.... considering I don't know where I'm getting the time to clear out that room in the first place. Ah well. I'll figure it out.

I also have to find my hair color. I went to Super Walmart, KMart, Walgreens, Target, CVS, and regular Walmart looking for it none of them had it. I've been the same color for so many years I have no idea what I'll do if they discontinue it. There's one more place I can try near work and then I have no idea. I did find out that I could order it online from Amazon.com, but that won't work for Friday's appt. I won't even ask why Amazon now sells hair color. Whatever.

Time for work. More Tweak pictures coming soon!

D

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

I know, I know...

I've been MIA, I know. But the weather has been gorgeous and I've had lots of stuff to do and I'm losing track of my calendar so I'm double booking things. It's just been a little hectic. :)

Quick recap - Saturday we did pictures. Tweak wasn't thrilled with the props but we worked through some of them. :) By the end, I was frustrated and hot. I think we got some really good ones though. When she tells me they're up on her site, I'll let you know. Or you can go check yourself. :) Sat. night I went to Bingo with Aunty Kathy & Aunty Pat. Aunty Pat won $1500 and took us out for a few beers afterwards. :)

Sunday I had practice, then did some shopping, did some work outside, hung out with the dogs, and had a relaxing, yet productive day.

Training is going really well with Tweak! We started working on heeling last night. It's hard to get her little puppy brain to focus in the great outdoors, but we made a lot of progress before I let her run a muck and sniff everything in sight. :) We'll be going for walks every night so she can get used to all the scary things outside. Yesterday she got a little freaked by some kids playing basketball, so I have to introduce her to the world more often.

Friday I'm getting my hair done. Yay! Then Tweak has a vet appt. in the afternoon and finally I have Susan's going away party Friday night. No heading to the Fish for mojitos with Sara like originally planned. Damn double booking.

Oh, Paula: We're good for the NET tourney. I checked with my brother this morning. I'm picking up Renee somewhere along the way (she's staying with Nancy), so I'll meet you there at some point that night. Maybe we can coordinate and do dinner. :) I'll have a check for you when I get there. :p

I just realized that the tourney is 4 days after my surgery. Not the brightest thing I've done, that's for sure.

Kevin's birthday was yesterday so I think we're going out to celebrate tomorrow night. I'll see if the rest of the crew can make it.

Ok, that's enough for now, don't want to overwhelm you. :p

D

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Ahhhhhhhh :)

I'm so into the 70 degree weather we're having!!! I hope it continues.

I had nothing to do this weekend and now , well, I'm booked. Donna's coming by with Rio to hang out, take pictures of the puppy (I'm so freakin' thrilled!), and then go for a walk somewhere. I have to find a place up here that has walking trails where dogs are allowed. Anyone know of any?

Tomorrow is practice and then I'll spend the entire day doing yard stuff. Maybe get the landscaping around the pool done, planting the billion bulbs that are in the fridge, cutting the grass and getting all of the thatch up - lots of stuff!

I'm looking forward to opening the pool! I know it's still early, but whatever. :) I'll probably do it when I get back from Camp BarkingHills in May.

But I have to jump in the shower if I'm going to be ready when Donna gets here! I'll post the pics when she puts them up. :) I believe you can even order them! Who doesn't want a pic of my cute puppy on their wall? ;)

D

Friday, April 20, 2007

interesting

The picture most commonly downloaded from this blog is my tattoo of Skootchie's paw. Followed closely by the picture of TJ. I found that interesting.

I went to Flatbreads after work to hang out with Sara. We went to the Fish for a mojito - so she could see/meet Jason (different Jason than my lunch partner), but he wasn't there. Apparently Pete had some stuff to do at his house (it's about time it's getting fixed!) so Jason didn't head over there after work. I'll have to make sure he's there next Friday as we have plans to get together then. :)


I think I made plans with Terri to go to Saturday night Bingo with my Aunty Kathy. If I remember correctly, I'm supposed to call her around 3pm'ish to let her know what time to meet us there. Who knows....

I'm really tired so I'm going to go finish playing with the puppy and hit the hay!

D

omg it's Friday

I'm sitting in the living room with a cup of tea, trying to wake up. I thought today was Saturday when I woke up, but no such luck. :)

I ended up being stranded on Wednesday. I couldn't drive down the street - the water was too high. I had my car towed Thursday morning, from the driveway to just past the puddle via flatbed so I could drive to my drs appt and work.

But, I was happy to see the sun yesterday, it felt really good. :) Today it's supposed to be in the mid-60's. Sweet. :) I might even be able to get some yard work done this weekend!!

Jason and I had lunch on Wednesday, he was nice enough to come pick me up. :) We were going to head into Salem to eat somewhere there, but the road was closed due to some flooding. Heh. So we went up to the Loop instead and ate at TGIF's.

(Tweak's doing the border creep across the floor with a ball in her mouth. Cute.)

After that, I just worked and worked and worked. I did have multiple playing sessions with the pup as breaks tho'. :)

Yesterday was ok. I got my car towed and then headed over to my hand dr to see what we could do to fix this stupid right thumb of mine. Surgery is scheduled for May 8th. Sigh. After that I headed into the office, where I proceeded to get very little done. It's amazing that I can be home with 4 dogs and 2 cats and still have far less distraction than when I'm at work. Think about it, it's pretty silly!

Today should be a highly productive day - if I put my headphones on and keep them on. You would think the signs I have on my desk would warn people to keep away at certain times, but they don't. Yesterday I changed it to say "I love deadlines.....especially the sound they make when they go whizzing by." I was told the "I'll be nicer to you if you act less stupid" sign might be somewhat inappropriate for the workplace. It's just too bad that it's more true there than anywhere else!

I don't think there's a hell of a lot going on this weekend. I might be getting a bed for the spare room - if Glen has the time to grab it for me. Of course, if that happens, the weekend will be shot because I'll have to clean out the spare room first. Ugh. I can see a lot of shit going on Freecycle!! I have a bucket of Christmas Gifts that I just won't use. If you want any of it, let me know and it's yours. I have NO idea what I'll do with the billion books that are in the room.

If that doesn't happen, I can see a lot of yard work and training in my future this weekend. :p

D

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

surprise - more wet

I actually got to spend an hour and a half in work today before heading back home. Once I got to work, I heard the Merrimac had flooded - which usually floods after the Spicket (the one across the street from me.) So I called my friend at the Mayor's office to see if he could give me an update on my street. When I left this morning, the water was almost blocking the road but it was still passable.

My friend said that they were having a meeting at 11am to discuss the situation. A little while later, he told me that Armory St was under voluntary evacuation and it looked like my street was going to be closed. Damn! So, like I said, I was only at work a short time before heading on back here.

It was a good thing I came home when I did - the road was pretty flooded by then. I had one of those "Hmmm...maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." about half way through the puddle from hell.

See?


Yeah. That's my street.

I did get some entertainment tho' while here when a woman in an SUV thought it would be safe to drive through the CVS parking lot and got stuck. I felt bad, especially since she had a dog in the car and didn't want to get out in the 2 ft of water.

While I was out there taking pictures, my friend on the police force came by to take a look at the area and check up on me. She's so nice. :)

Puppy update: Tweak learned how to jump up on the furniture yesterday. :) She's too short to just jump up, she instead figured out that she needed to jump up on the ottoman, then on to the love seat, over the chair, and finally over to the sofa to get to me. How clever!! Jason wasn't nearly as impressed by that as I was since I was chatting with him at the time of discovery. Whatever, it just proves she clever and smart. :)

Today Millie's tune changed towards Tweak a little bit - in a good way even! Instead of begrudgingly becoming a jungle gym, she eagerly became the jungle gym multiple times! At the same time, Freddie is still a shit towards her and Pacie still loves to play with her. The cats, well, they're doing a lot of hissing, understandably since Tweak herds them and then plays the bitey game with them. They aren't fans of the bitey game....not even a little bit. I wish they'd smack the shit out of her (without claws) so she'd stop but they don't. Captain does bite her ears but clearly that's not a strong enough message for her!

Y'know, everyone said I was in for it when I got her. That owning a Border Collie was just so different than anything I've experienced. I bought into it in the beginning, thinking that she was going to be hell on paws. But now, nah. For all those people, I have news for you. Having a BC puppy in the house is *nothing* compared to having 10 rescued Min Pins running around the house! Maybe my tune will change with time, maybe it won't. Only time will tell. But, for now, she's a puppy. A typical, go-go-go until I drop type of puppy. Yes, she has high energy. Yes, she needs a job. Yes, adolesence will be challenging and trying. Allll normal stuff. :)

I ain't worried. And her one, kinda floppy ear is really cute. :)

D

Monday, April 16, 2007

wet

Today was the day of being wet. I woke up thinking, 'I didn't know my alarm clock had a waterfall sound.' Guess what.....it doesn't. What I heard was the wonderful sound of water streaming into the sump pump hole, which was already filled with water.

Yay.

So I spent the first couple of hours being awake moving things around in the basement so they wouldn't get wet. Bunch of fun. While I worked, the amount of water increased. Needless to say, I worked from home today, squeegy'ing the rivulets towards the sump pump holes every 1/2 hour to an hour. I don't even know if rivulets is a word, but it sounds like it would fit in that sentence so I'm keeping it. :)

That was my day, in a nutshell. Moving water, listening to the sump pumps go off every 3 minutes, and working the rest of the time.

I started working with Tweak on spinning in a circle. It's a good way for the dog to learn, and get used to, having their body in a tight turn. It helps build a great swimmers turn and it's a pretty cool trick to boot. :) Since I'm not sure which way is her dominant, or natural, turn (I'll explain that later), I'm having her spin both ways. I haven't put a hand signal or voice command on it yet, that happens when she is a little more consistent with it.

In other news, both *T*s are no longer prospects and I am again ready for a break from dating!! I'd rather put the time and energy into Tweak and the upcoming house projects I have planned.
Tomorrow is tax day. No more putting it off, I have to pay my taxes. Sigh. I can see a few drinks in my future.

It's late, I'm tired, and it's time for bed.

D

Sunday, April 15, 2007

the weekend

This will probably take me 6 hours to write because I'm watching Eragon at the same time. :p

Let's see, Saturday seemed to be non-stop. I was out of the house by 8:30am - shopped for Kate's baby shower gift, Cam's Baptism/Christening gift, portabella mushrooms, salad, & green beans for Kate's shower, gift bags for the gifts, a card for Cam, & last but not least, a religious trinket thing for Cam's religious thing. I don't know what the difference is between a Baptism and a Christening so that's why I'm using the slash thing. Someone can correct me later but it was the one where you go to church and they pour water on his head to welcome him into something or other...the religion perhaps? I don't know. Whatever. :)

I got home, played with and trained the puppy, then started to prepare the food for Kate's shower. Jay was coming over to see the pup (rescheduled from earlier in the week) around 12:30 - 1'ish. He called when I was getting out of the shower and asked what he should bring. Huh? He assumed (I think?) since we were supposed to do dinner, that we would do lunch. I was thinking he was coming just to see the puppy and hang out. :p

So, I ran up to the supermarket, grabbed a few steaks to put on the grill and more beans to make figuring since I had to make them anyway, I'd just make more and have that be the side dish, along with a salad. Good enough! Not too shabby for a lunch planned and made in about 15 mins. :)

Jay came by and played with the puppy, admitting that she was really cute. Good. Now he understands why I speak about nothing else these days. ;p We had lunch, then played with Freddie and the kids outside, tossing the ball and watching the puppy run around. By the time we came inside, it was 3:30pm and time to go! We were having Kate's baby shower at 5pm and I had to get to Sue & Phil's house by then - an hour away. Plus I had to stop and get beer. No baby shower is complete without good beer in my opinion. :)

Harpoon has an Irish style red ale out - Hibernian I think - it was really good. :)

I'm not actually sure when Kate realized it was her baby shower and not a meeting. I was outside making sure Tweak wasn't going to have an accident in the house. Plus, Angelica & Greg brought their new Boston pup, Winston. Greg & I were outside letting the pups play when Kate & Dan showed up. Let me tell you, Tweak was a nasty-ass bitch when she first met Winston! The sounds coming out of her were ridiculous, which just made me realize that she needs more interaction with puppies, NOW. I refuse to have another dog that isn't good with other dogs!

Anyway, we all spent the night eating and talking, watching the kids and the puppies. We watched Kate open presents and I wrote down who gave what. Apparently there is a difference between wash cloths and burp cloths. Did you know that? How and why anyone would know that is beyond me.

About 9'ish we decided to head home. The day was full of playing with puppies and children and new people so we were both tired. :) We played with the rest of the kids when we got home (Millie was excited to see the puppy) and then we all relaxed on the couch. Millie in her corner, the Pins under the blanket, and the puppy laying on top me from chest to knees, stretched out as much as she could be thank-you-very-much. :)

She was still pretty tired this morning after a full night's sleep, which worked well for me since I had Cam's Baptism/Christening thing this morning. I picked up Aunty Kathy and went to the church. We almost went to the wrong one but figured it out at the very last minute. The church didn't burst into flames when I walked into it - always a bonus. :) Cam was good throughout the service, another good thing. :)

We went back to Sue's and started getting all of the appetizers ready. I have to say, 4 female family members working in the kitchen together is a crap shoot. Luckily we were like a well oiled machine - not once did we get in each other's way.

Food was great, conversation was great, spending time with family was great, watching Cam was great. He's smiling now all the time and when you ask him for kisses, he opens his mouth as wide as he can and leans toward you. It's pretty cute. :)

(Some of the acting in this movie is a little weak - only some of the scenes, but still pretty weak.)

I took pictures at both events: Kate's shower and Cam's thingy. (I'm still getting used to the new camera so there are a bunch of crappy pictures. Anthony was showing me how to use it today, which is why you'll see some whacko shots, and a few Freddie heads, while you peruse. :p )

I rescheduled to go out with *T* (the other one) tonight, but I haven't heard from him. We'll see what happens.

Well, it's taken me 1 1/2 hrs. to write this - in between watching the movie. :) It was an OK movie - glad I saw it, wouldn't buy it, might consider watching a second one if there is one. But now I have to feed the puppy, which means our training session is about to begin! I love a dog that will work for their dinner. :) I just have to stop calling her "puppy" so she can learn her name!!

D

Friday, April 13, 2007

bloody

Tweak got me good yesterday! We were playing tug and she missed. She instead got the meaty part of my thumb/palm of my hand with those razor sharp baby teeth and sliced a little chunk of it. It's small, but boy was it bloody!

I was supposed to meet *T* (a different *T*) for drinks last night, but I screwed up the time. I was there at 7pm, waited about 15 mins (patience isn't my strongest trait), and then said screw it. But, we were supposed to meet at 8pm. Ooops. It didn't matter much since he had to work late and got home around 9pm. Ah well. If the weather is crappy on Sunday, we'll go out then. If it's nice, I'm taking the puppy to an agility trial instead. I need to have her meet a ton more dogs and people. :)

I have to get my taxes ready to go so I can mail them tomorrow. Ick. I have a flyball meeting tomorrow night, which will be fun. I have to remember to stop and get food and beer!

My cousin is having Neely christened this weekend, I think on Sunday. Do you give gifts for that? I should probably pick something up anyway.

The puppy needs to go in for shots next week, that should be fun! Dr. Lisa hasn't met her yet, but she does know I have her. I think she rolled her eyes when one of the girls told her. That's to be expected. :)

More puppy playing & training, a shower, and then off to work for the final day this week. Yay!

D

Thursday, April 12, 2007

almost over...

Its Thursday and the work week is almost over. Between work and Tweak, Ive been falling into bed exhausted every night. I'm not really complaining, it's been a good kind of tired. :)

Pacie and Tweak are playing tug of war with one of the tugs right now. She's starting to understand the game better.... she's also starting to hold her own a bit more instead of constantly being trampled. :p

I started working on "touch" with her, which she's picking up pretty quickly! She's doing really well with sit, down, and come. I guess I should start teaching her her name. That would help, huh?

Jason didn't come by last night, he had some kind of business meeting or something. He's such a flake at times - one of my more unreliable friends. It's a good thing we're just friends because that would drive me insane otherwise. He's supposed to come by Saturday instead to see the puppy. She'll be grown before he gets a chance to!!

I worked with Tweak last night instead. :) She's getting better on the tug - she was doing this funny thing where she would tug like a maniac, but only if she was facing the same way as me and was between my legs. :p (She's using Millie as a jungle gym now) I've just been spinning her around in a circle so she's always facing me or to the side, which seems to be working. :)

Well, time to make her work for her breakfast!!

D

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

hahaha

Pacie was standing up in front of me so I could pet him. Tweak saw his little nubbin' of a tail wagging furiously, border creeped up to him, and started playing tug with his tail. Pacie was less than pleased with this and let out a really high squeek. :)

I think it was more amusing for me than for Pacie. ;)

Jason is coming over to see the pup tonight. I just can't believe how much she's grown. She went outside this morning with the other dogs and did her business while I watched from the door. :) Tomorrow I'll have to go out with her as I'm sure she'll be far more interested in eating the snow than she will be with doing her business. :p

Work will be crazy I'm sure. If I'm to get out at any decent time, I have to jet!

D

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Is it Friday yet?

I'd take Thursday, I really would! I thought today was Wednesday all day. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was Tuesday. Sigh.

It's 9:11pm. Millie is curled up on the couch, the Pins are under the blanket, and the puppy was torturing them all. :) I can't believe how much she's grown in a week! Amazing. She's amusing herself in the crate right now so I can type without worrying about her chewing on the cords. :)

Dogs are so much better than kids. You can't get arrested for crating them!

Work is ridiculous. Being at the conferences put me back about 3 weeks. I'm getting things done, but more piddly things keep piling up. Ah well. Stress is a part of life, right?

I've been in such a puppy state of mind that I haven't had much time or energy to think of anything else. I know there are random thoughts rattling around up there, I just can't keep focused enough to write them down!

Damn I'm tired. Sigh. But, it's a good kind of tired, like working out in the garden all day. :)

D

border creep

With a headline like that.... nevermind. :) So, Tweak is starting to show her instinctive qualities. :) Yesterday I saw her do the Border creep to a few stuffed animals, which was cool. :) She just did it to a ball on a rope, which is what made me think of it.


My sister took this picture on Sunday. I like it, it's kinda cute.

She was having none of the hair brushing this morning. Nosiree bob. Wasn't havin' none of that. So I have to pull out my trusty clicker and make grooming a fun time.... like everything else.

I'm utterly exhausted today - up too late on the phone. I'm pretty sure that not having stopped moving in the last week has certainly helped with that feeling. She's fun, but tiring!! Maybe I just need a nap. :)

Well, it's all been about the puppy and I'm too tired to go into detail so that's about it. :) Look at the picture again. Awwwww. How nice. :)

D

Sunday, April 8, 2007

bath day

The puppy is coming with me as I go to visit family and friends that celebrate this holiday. Just because I don't, doesn't mean I won't respect those who do. In the end, I really don't think it matters. :)

Anyway, because we'll be visiting lots of people, I decided it was time to give Tweak a bath. The beginning was interesting, with me getting more wet than she was. But, add the clicker and a little bit of peanut butter and bath time becomes a breeze! Ah...the power of the clicker. :) Gotta love it!

So we (both of us!) have survived the first bath. :) Yesterday I worked on dremeling her nails, which wasn't looked at by Tweak with great enthusiasm. Again though, the power of the clicker. :) That will be a good thing soon enough.

But, like always, I'm running late and need to jet!

D

Saturday, April 7, 2007

yet another puppy pic

Great pic, huh? What a face....

fun filled day

Before I go into "puppy-talk-only" mode, here's what I've been doing the last 3 days. :)

The conference at the Hynes was good - not as good as previous years, but I still learned a ton. So much in fact that I've forgotten everything I learned! That's what happens when you try to feed useful information into a brain filled with useless shit. :p It's a good thing they give you a ridiculously huge book with all the class slides in it. :)

By Friday I was *exhausted* with all that book learnin'. And I still had to play with the puppy. Sigh. But, by the time I got home, I found the strength. :) I was ready for bed by 7pm however.

This morning, I did some work on the computer after playing with Tweak. Then I did some long-overdue shopping for house stuff. Went to Best Buy, PetSmart, & Big Lots. I was supposed to hit the supermarket too, but, I didn't.

--start puppy-talk-only mode--

Instead, I came home and did some training with the puppy! I started working on walking her on a leash. Can you say bucking bronco? It was pretty funny. :) Once we got to the park down the street, I took her leash off. We walked around the baseball fields for about 1/2 hr or so. Everytime she looked at me, she got clicked, Everytime she came towards me, she got clicked. She got spooked a few times and sat inbetween my legs, but she bounced back quick enough. She needs to meet other dogs, other puppies though. There was a guy walking his dog while we were there and she started barking at it. Time to get her in some puppy playgroups!

There was one point that she got gutsy and got pretty far ahead of me. I hid behind a thick pole so she couldn't see me, but I could see her. She got a little confused, looked all over, spun in a circle, and whined a bit. I peeked out enough so she can see me and she came booking it to me. She got a lot of treats and a lot of time playing with the tug. After that she stuck with me like glue. We need a few trips in the woods to continue working on that. In case your wondering, doing that works on her attention to me along with having her come to me. Having a dog that constantly checks in with you is a very good thing. :)

After that, she had dinner and a bone in the crate. Then we went outside and ran around a bit, came inside and tugged, tugged, tugged our heart out for a long time! Now she's having a nap in the crate and Millie and I are hangin' on the couch. I haven't much hangin' time lately! I did get quite a number of good pictures of her today tho'! I'll post them as soon as I get them in the computer. :)

--end puppy-talk-only mode--

I think I had plans tonight but I can't seem to remember what they are!! Well, if someone calls a yellin', I'm sure I'll remember real quick! Until then, I'm going to take advantage of the quiet time and watch a little TV. ;)

D

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

day three

Successful. :) I had a conference today at the Hynes, which was cool. I started the day playing tug with Tweak outside after she did all her business. She's very good in the crate and hasn't had any accidents, on top of sleeping through the night. :) Then she had breakfast, I got to shower, and we played a bunch more before heading out.

Since I wasn't able to bring her with me (boy did I want to!), Mary came by to let her out a couple of times during the day. They went for a walk and played the whole time she was here. I'm so lucky that she lives so close and is home during the day!!! I'll probably continue to bring her with me to work until the weather makes that impossible.

I fed her dinner in the crate and played with the other pups so they could have some one-on-one time. Then I worked on down a bit more until my dinner was ready. So far we've worked on sit and down, along with retrieving the ball for a tug reward. I just got a quick bite to eat so it's time to play with and train the puppy until it's time for bed!

I'd write more but I'm pressed for time!

D

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

sleep

I got plenty of it! Guess who slept through the whole night, letting me wake up at 6:30am? That's right, that would be the puppy.

Tweak is doing good. We did all our business outside this morning and then ran around and played until 10 mins ago, where she's learning what a Kong stuffed with food is in the crate.

Today we're heading to Dad's work, after I get out of work so she can meet a bunch of new people. I think the recommendation for really good socialization is 100 people in 100 days. By the weekend she'll have half of that. :)

Time for the shower while she's occupied. :)

D

Monday, April 2, 2007

day one

It was a whirlwind! Which is good since that's part of the flyball team name. :)

The puppy did well in the crate during the day. I worked 1/2 a day, came home, and started playing with and training the puppy in between her naps.

First, let me say that if you don't want to hear about puppy stuff, you might want to stop reading my blog. :) I think I'll still be able to talk about other aspects of my life... I think. :p Probably not too much tho'.

Let's see, we had an attention exercise session with the clicker, then I rolled the ball and had her fetch it for the tug reward. Then we had a little grooming session, she got her nails trimmed and her fur brushed - rewarding with food for calm, accepting behavior. Then we just tugged for the fun of tugging. Then she had a little nap. When she woke up, we did potty outside (yay!) and then repeated the same sessions - switching out the grooming for collar work. I switched on the attention getting exercise for a session of come and then a session for sit. We did these for 5-10 minutes every 2 hours or so.

She had 2 accidents in the house, although I can't blame her for the diarrhea. She's had a stressful time being removed from her home and siblings, getting used to a new house and a new routine. It's very common for stress to hit their stomach. :) She should be fine in a day or so - hopefully. :)

Well, somebody just woke up from her nap and is calmly looking at me through the crate door so it's time to take her out while she's still calm and quiet. :)

She'll potty, we'll play, then it's bed time. A hugely successful day!

D

puppy break

I'm basking in the smell of puppy and puppy breath. :)

She went pee and we played chase and tug outside for about 15 mins. I was actually kinda smart today and brought a towel to dry her off with. No kidding, I'm pretty surprised too!

She crawled up my jacket afterwards, snuggled her head into my neck, and gave me kisses. I actually got teary eyed for a bit - it was just too sweet for words.

I think we're bonding well. :)

D

jealous...

The boys are jealous. They aren't quite sure what to do but do like the new toys, bones, and food that came along with her.

She's a yodeler. That's how she got me up this morning. She slept from about 11'ish to 5:30am. Not too shabby! Right now she's in the ex-pen in the kitchen yodeling and whining away. Millie doesn't quite know what to do. She keeps alternating between the loveseat and lying next to the ex-pen. I'm about to jump in the shower, so she'll have to yodel a bit more.

Then I'll play some tug with her (once she's quiet I'll let her out) and pack her up to spend the day with me. I'm in the office 1/2 the day today and tomorrow so I can help her adapt. I have the Photoshop conference Wed - Fri this week, which I'd skip if I could! Mary's going to visit during the day a few times to let her out while I'm at that.

Maybe I'll call her Yoda instead after that crazy yodeling she does. :) She's the best alarm clock tho'!

D

Sunday, April 1, 2007

another Tweak picture


Boy can this dog tug! I'll probably dislocate a shoulder someday... This will be a new experience. :)

I forgot to mention earlier that Millie *loves* her! She didn't snark once - not once! Millie was so excited when I brought the crate in she started chirping. I think I've only heard her make that sound once in the 10 years I've owned her!

Freddie kinda doesn't care about her. He was just jazzed that we got to go to flyball practice, then Grandpa's (where he got to chase the kitty), then to the pet store, then home where he got to run around in the nice weather while I went on poop patrol.

Pacie, the little shit, tries to get her to play with him, but ends up knocking her ass over elbows. They will not play unsupervised until she can kick his ass. :)

The cats aren't phased at all. :p

We've done 3 pees and 1 poop outside and 1 pee inside. I'm liking the ratio so far!

Fingers crossed that we sleep through the night. :) Ok, most of the night. ;)

D

Introducing.....


Tweak!! She's here! We're both tired and need a nap, but she's here!!

Look at that face....how could anyone not fall completely and totally in love with her? Impossible. Truly impossible.

Now, please throw those words back in my face when she hits adolescence and I want to throttle her. :)

I love her so much already. :)

Tweak!!!

D

counting down...

Hours left. Mere hours.

And then I get my PUPPY!!

Life will be chaotic. Life will be fun. Life will never be the same.

I'm so excited!!!

The room is re-arranged. Check.
Crate in the kitchen for during the day. Check.
Tug toys in one spot for easy access. Check.

Now I just need food, toys, bones, & a puppy.

I didn't win at poker - not really all that shocking. But I did make it further than I thought I would! I got bumped when the blinds were at 10 and 20. Shawna donated the $5 she would've won from me to the puppy fund - isn't that sweet?

Now I have to go get ready for practice so I can pick up the puppy right afterwards. :)

D