I spent the night working on my final short story. My creative writing class ends tomorrow and while I'm kind of happy to be moving on (my attention span is pretty short), I'm also a little sad. I've had a chance to be more creative in this class and I like it. Who knew I'd be fair to decent at writing poems and stories?
I'm hoping I'll continue on my own. I'm hoping I'll write more than my blog. All I need is time. Ha!
But I'm tired now. My brain has gone on strike so I'm going to bed.
D
What did I even do?
Oh yeah, went out to breakfast with Sue, visited my grandparents and aunt/uncle/cousin, brought home lots of crap I don't need, unloaded lots of crap Sue doesn't need from the car, played with the baby all day, heard all about the Kenny Chesney concert from Aunty Kathy, cleaned the pool, wrote a story, did laundry, trained Tweak (who has the most disgusting gas right now), and played with the dogs.
I was all set to mow the lawn and wouldn't you know, a thunderstorm came through right when I was walking outside. Talk about divine timing. ![:]](http://dawnsdoghouse.com/b2evolution/img/smilies/icon_cheeze.gif){kind=icon}
Millie and I both had chiropractor appts. this morning. She was a little out of joint, not too bad; I was a freakin' mess - her words. 
She cracked the hell out of me and I have to say I feel great!
I was supposed to meet Pat for lunch today to go over one of the next tattoos I want. He was busy at work so we're going to try for tomorrow instead.
I worked from home, which was good. I have to admit that I like getting things done while surrounded by my dogs - it's pretty comforting. 
Once I realized what time it was, meaning, I could stop working, I switched into homework mode and gave feedback on my classmates stories.
Speaking of feedback, I received my teacher's comments today on my short story. They were amazing. And I mean absolutely amazing. Obviously I'm pretty happy about that. 
Tonight Tweak and I had our first Beginners II class. She did really well and I was totally surprised by it. I thought for sure she would act like she had forgotten absolutely everything just to embarrass me.
Dogs are so humbling. Cute, but humbling. 
D
I got to speak to my cousin today. I called her this morning to see if she was up for some breakfast and a trip to the butcher shop. I needed to get more bones for the dogs and was going to be in her area.
We spoke briefly and she said she had to call me back. For those of you with young children, you know that doesn't often actually take place.
So, I grabbed my book and jumped in the car to have breakfast down the street. She called me back 
while I was walking towards the door to the restaurant. After a few minutes of talking, I convinced her to come meet me, which she did. 
I miss having my cousin around. There are so many things that I want to tell her. I'll think of her and pick up the phone, but realize it's Neely's feeding time or Neely is sleeping or Neely is doing something that needs her immediate attention so I don't call, not wanting to interrupt. So, it was good for us to have a little girl time this morning.
After breakfast and a trip to the butcher, I came home, let the dogs out, and played keep away with them until things got out of control and Tweak, Pacie, and Freddie were in the middle of a blow out. The thing I was keeping away was me and they are all protective and jealous when it comes to me. It makes managing the household.... interesting.
Once they settled down, I grabbed my book and laid down on the couch for a little relaxation while it was raining. Reading when it's raining is the best thing ever. Having a round room that was my library with a built-in, well-padded window seat is the only way to improve that scenario! Maybe in the next house.
I guess I dozed off because I woke up a couple of hours later, book tossed on the floor, and covered in animals. I was on my back, Freddie was behind my one bent knee, Pacie as tucked between my waist and the back of the couch, and Tweak had her butt on my chest with the rest of her curled around my head. If there had been room, I'm sure Millie would've joined in the puppy pile we had.
Shortly afterwards, Sue called again. I was surprised to hear from her again - three times in one day! Woohoo! She said they were grabbing dinner at the little Mexican place up the street from me and would I like to join them. Of course!
During breakfast we had talked about that place saying neither of us had been and we wanted to go. Apparently that stuck in her mind for the rest of the day and she decided there was no time like the present. It was a good choice. The food was de-lish, the prices reasonable, the wait staff impeccably mannered and attentive.
After that, I came home, hung out with the dogs, and read a few stories I needed to for homework.
Let's recap my day, shall we?
I slept, ate, read, slept, ate, read and am on my way to bed.
What a freakin' fantastic day!!!
D
That hasn't happened in a while so I think I'm going to enjoy it!
It's supposed to rain today - it's in the mid-80's and very humid. Right now there's a decent breeze coming in through the window, sweeping across my sticky skin. I'm pretty sure this is perfect nap weather.
Millie is on the couch with me devouring a bone. The kids are in their crates for now - I wanted to give the cats a little one-on-one time before Tweak came out and harassed them.
Yesterday I left work early so I could go to the concert. But first I took a dip in the pool and spent far more time in it than I was planning on it. A friend stopped by and we talked while hanging out in the water. It was very relaxing.
I picked up Jay and off we went. We hit some traffic and decided we should stop and eat before we got to the show. We stopped and had a burger and a beer.
They actually had good beer there! We were both pleasantly surprised and simultaneously disgusted at the price. They only charge that much because they can, and we, foolishly, fed into it. It was good to have a Magic Hat tho'.
We got there too late to see all of the bands, which was ok by me. We did manage to see one of the opening bands - Atreyu. They had good music, but I wasn't so much into the screaming lead vocals. The drummer was the back up vocalist and he had a great voice. I would've preferred him to sing all of the songs.
We went to get another beer when they were done. Low and behold we saw Sarah there, supervising the beer vendors. It was a really cool surprise! We hung out talking to her for a while.
Evanescence came on stage after that. They were great, performing songs from both albums, all of which I knew. I was kind of surprised they ended on the song that they did tho'. I would've thought they would end with a really popular song, y'know, leave the audience wanting more kind of song. They were still great tho'.
Korn came on afterwards and I was so damn excited! I haven't seen them in about 10 years or so - back when they played an all ages show at Avalon in Boston. Back when they could play Avalon, now they're just too big.
They did a good mix of old stuff and new stuff. The only unfortunate part being that the new album just came out and I haven't had a chance to get it yet! So now I just have to go get it.
The thing I love about seeing live music is watching the musicians play their instruments. I am a big fan of Fieldy and it thrilled me to no end when I got to see him play close up (via the screens when they focused on him.) I love seeing how they become one with their instruments during a song. All of the emotion, all of the feeling, all of them can be seen when their just playing their instruments.
All in all it was a very, very good day and is just another to add to my string of content days.
While driving to work this morning, traffic came to a fairly quick stop. There was a state police car on the side of the road, just sitting there - he didn't have anyone pulled over.
A few minutes later, I saw another statie on the side of the road coming towards me, in reverse. Also coming towards me was a dog. Walking. On the side of the highway.
I tried to open my side door but I couldn't get it to open fast enough with all of the stupid child safety things on it. Once the Statie got past me, I pulled over, opened the door, and grabbed a crate out of the back of my van.
I walked in front of the Statie while he watched where the dog went. The dog got trapped between the 2 police cars and headed towards the highway. At that point I started running. I was far enough away that I wouldn't spook the poor thing.
He safely crossed one side of the highway and then the other. The cars on the other side were driving at normal speed, but thankfully didn't hit the dog.
Two guys (animal control I'm assuming) crossed the highway as well. They were all, literally, playing in traffic on 495. The dog came out from the trees on the opposite side and one of the guys started running after him. I started yelling, "Don't chase him!", since, that's the last thing you want to do when you want a dog to come to you. It either becomes a game (you can't catch me) or it puts the animal in flight mode (fight or flight.)
They all came back to the side of the highway I was on. The dog ran into the trees on the side and one of the guys went in after him. I started walking along the trees, calling out in a high-pitched voice and clapping my hands. One of the Staties said I probably wouldn't want him to come to me because he was a Pit Bull and probably wasn't too friendly.
Now, I get that police don't always see dogs like this in a good way. They probably see them once they've been abused and are a danger to society. But, you can give the dog the benefit of the doubt while still protecting yourself in case anything happens. The situation doesn't need to be met with force automatically, only if necessary.
So, I walked along the trees, calling and clapping for some time, hoping to get another glimpse of the pup. I think it was a he, but I'm not sure - I'll just refer to him as a he. He was a medium sized Pit Bull, fawn and white, skinny but not in a completely starving kind of way. He had natural ears that hung down and a normal, erect tail. He wasn't growling at anyone and he didn't charge at anyone, he just tried to get away.
After 20 minutes or so, he didn't re-appear from the trees. The animal control guy said he was going to go look on some street that the highway was next to. Apparently that was one of the few stretches of highway that didn't have a fence blocking wild life from entering the highway.
I really hope that pup is ok. I hope someone with a little understanding finds him, sees that he's scared and doesn't automatically string him up because of his breed.
I wish I could talk to animals. 
D
I had a productive day in work. I had an ok commute home - nothing spectacular.
I jumped in the pool when I got home and read a book while lazing about on a float - The Vampire Queen's Servant.
Now, I'm showered and dressed, waiting for a friend to pick me up. We're heading to a little Irish bar close to home.
We'll have a few beers, play some pool, and laugh. It should be a nice, relaxing night.
The only thing that could improve it is picking up a guy for some uncomplicated aerobics of the bedroom variety. Don't stay the night, lock the door on your way out. 
Sorry Mom, but it's my blog and I'll blog what I want to. 
D
Yesterday I woke up feeling like my old self. I wasn't tired, I felt refreshed. I wasn't stressed, I felt content, happy even. Apparently it takes me longer to get back into the swing of things than it used to.
I was feeling a little water logged last night. I took a shower in the morning, took another shower after going to the gym in the afternoon, and then vacuumed the pool for an hour when I got home from work. Boy it looks good tho'!
Today it's supposed to be 90 and sunny so I'm planning on a dip in the pool when I get home. Dina and I are going out for a beer afterwards. You'd like her ecd.
There's really not much to report! I hung out with the kids last night while writing another story for class. I figured I'd try my hand at sci-fi but I'm really not that thrilled with how it's coming out so far so I may scrap it and start again. "They" say to write what you know so I should probably follow their advice.
I'm leaving work early tomorrow to go to the Family Values Tour. Korn and Evanescence are headlining with about 6 opening bands and another 6 on the second stage. I'm dragging Jason along with me because Terrie was a boob and bailed.
Life is good!
D
The quote of the weekend:
"I am only a chew toy from the neck down."
Doesn't that just make you want to run out, get a Border Collie, and compete in flyball? 
D
I'm still playing around with the new blogging software. So far I'm pretty darn happy with it!
Now I'm just trying to get the permissions right on uploading pics so I can bore you with dogs and flowers once again.
A picture of my little girl the day I took her home. My breeder sent this the other day.
D
The short story I had to write for class....
The Box
"Crap."
She stood looking at the calendar, willing the days to change. She started counting again - 27. Not good. She flipped back to the beginning of the year and counted each month, January - 24, February - 23, March - 21, April - 21 until she gave up, her stomach in a knot. She flipped to the current month and counted the days yet again - 27. Crap.
The dread built in her stomach, making her thoughts swirl in chaos. The relationship is too new. I'm not ready. I don't want to tell him. I don't know what to do. I could be wrong. I could just be stressed. This isn't happening. Please God, this can't be happening.
She remembered seeing a small box in the bathroom closet months back. Do they expire? Even if it is expired, will it still work? She walked to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, silently praying for strength. "There's no time like the present" she whispered as she stared down the hallway. Getting up the courage to follow through with that statement was another matter entirely. She didn't want to know.
She walked down the hallway and opened the bathroom door. With a sigh she stepped through the threshold, feeling the stress take painful residence in her shoulders. She stared at the bathroom closet, contemplating which door to open. She noticed that the paint had started to chip off of the small wooden knobs. I should take them off and repaint them, she thought. Her hands in her pockets, shoulders slumped; she wondered if she had any paint left.
Her stomach lurched as she opened the bottom door and sat on the floor. She was eye level with the first shelf, looking at the bottles of sunscreen, lotion, perfume, and body wash. No box peeked up from behind a bottle. She wondered if sunscreen had an expiration date and started to reach for a bottle to check. She stopped herself, knowing she had to concentrate on the task at hand.
Her gaze slowly drifted down to the bottom of the cabinet - the place she thought she had last seen the box. A jumbled pile looked back, mocking her. She took the hair dryer off the top of the pile, wondering why she kept it there since she hadn't dried her hair in the last 2 years. She preferred to wash and go. She removed the bag filled with travel size products. She hadn't used it since they spent the weekend at a beach house two weeks ago. Memories of the weekend flooded her mind, making her smile despite the knowledge of that weekend being the cause of today's apprehension. The reality of the moment hit her like an ice bath, wiping the smile from her face.
She squared her shoulders and went back to the pile. Feminine care products were next along with a heating pad. The irony made her chuckle sardonically. She finally got to the bottom of the cabinet; the last layer of stuff hopefully hiding what she was seeking. She pulled out a curling iron and hair straightener, wondering when it was she had last used either. Another bag filled with travel-sized products was next. She always got these types of things in her holiday stocking and saved them, knowing she'd eventually use them. She started to open the bag, thinking it would be good to check the expiration date on everything in there. It would be good to weed out the bad products.
She again stopped herself, staring at the bag as her eyes started to water. She shook her head, zipped up the bag and tossed it aside, determination in her eyes. There were only a few small items left on the bottom of the closet. Nothing big enough to hide the box she desperately wanted. She hated the fact she needed it. She didn't really want it. Nope, not at all.
She carelessly tossed everything back into the closet. The disorganized pile mimicking her thoughts. She stood up and opened the top door. Makeup and hair brushes took up the entire bottom shelf. No need to look there. She eyed the top shelf with scorn and went to grab a chair to stand on. Why couldn't they build houses for short people? She put her hand on the kitchen chair and noticed the day’s mail sitting unopened on the table. She picked the pile up and started opening envelopes. She created two piles, one for bills and the other for recycling. Picking up both, she walked across the kitchen and dumped the recycling into the paper bag she kept just for that purpose. She brought the bills to her office, putting them in order of due date with the other pile that was already there. That done, she sighed, walked back to the kitchen and picked up the chair, dreading the walk down the hallway.
Standing on the chair in the bathroom, she could see the bottles of pet shampoo and conditioner on the top shelf. She also saw his shaving cream, deodorant, a razor, and a box of condoms. They had been there for a couple of months, she should be used to seeing them by now, but she wasn't. She grabbed the box of condoms first, frantically looking to see if it had an expiration date. It did. A date from a month and a day ago stared back at her. Her stomach dropped to the floor, taking her sanity with it. She angrily tossed the box into the sink and started tearing everything off of the shelf. When it was empty, with no box to be found, she stared at the black hole wishing she could dive into it.
She started to get dizzy and got off the chair. Falling in the bathroom wouldn't be in her best interest right now. Or maybe it would? Her leaden limbs brought her to the floor once more, her back against the cool porcelain of the tub. She stared at nothing, wondering what to do next. Wrapped in despair like an old fur stole, she sat there staring at nothing. The thoughts in her mind were a force like none other, whipping around, creating a tornado of panic and desperation. She sobbed in frustration. Her shoulders shook as the terror took hold and shook her like a dog with a steak. It was too much to think about, too much to bear. Her body gave up staying upright and curled itself into the fetal position on the cold, tiled floor.
She lay there for an hour, not knowing what to do next. Her mind and soul were numb from confusion and fear; her body chilled from the bathroom floor. As she contemplated joining the world of the living, she felt a warm, familiar pain shoot through her abdomen. Her eyes the size of dinner plates, she dared to hope the cause of the cramp was what she thought it was. Thirty seconds later, she had confirmation there would be no lasting effects from the broken condom. Her memories of their weekend away at the beach were safe.
Catching up after that many days away is brutal! Both at home and work.
I have that Demi Moore thing going on with my voice. But that's better than the Peter Brady going through puberty thing that I was doing yesterday.
I caught up as much as I could on homework and submitted the short story I wrote. I'll post it up here separately afterwards so you can tear it apart or sing my praises.
Tweak is back to tugging now that her mouth isn't hurting as much anymore. She finally lost the last 2 puppy teeth and her adult teeth are almost fully in. She gets excited when I start saying Reeeeeaaaaaaddddddyyyyyy! It's pretty darn cute if you ask me.
I took Millie to her second chiro appt yesterday. She did wonderfully again. That divot she had in her back is gone and the muscles are starting to loosen up a bit. I have to continue massaging them and the muscles in her neck. Her and I both have an appt next Monday morning.
Yesterday was a blur. I slept a lot, took a nap, caught up on work email, home email, flyball email, and myspace. I took a nap in the afternoon - I was so damn tired. I brought Millie to her appt around dinner time and then stopped by my grandparents to say hello. My grandfather is doing rather badly and I'm afraid that he doesn't have much time left. 
Millie was ridiculously happy to see us when we got home. I still can't tell if she was more happy to see me or the puppy. Pacie hasn't left my side since I got back. I have to find a way to be able to bring them all when I travel. I'll have to see how much it is to rent an RV until I can afford to buy one. With Millie getting older and Pacie being sick, I really don't want anything to happen to them without me being there. That would just crush me.
I bought the last Harry Potter book but I haven't started reading it yet. Hopefully soon.
D
Freddie, Tweak, & I pulled into the driveway around 12:30am Sunday night/Monday morning - depending on your viewpoint.
To say that we were tired is an understatement to say the absolute least.
Here's a breakdown of our activity:
Friday
We arrived at the hotel in PA around 6'ish. I unloaded, took a long walk with the kids, and then went out to dinner with fellow flyball fanatics. I learned I'm not the only one in flyball who is crazy, crude & enjoys imbibing in a dark beer or two.
Saturday
We were up at o'dark stupid getting ready for the tourney and grabbing breakfast at Denny's. I've only been there twice in my life and both times were at PA tourneys. They have really good grits.
Freddie raced on one team, I called passes for our other team, and I ran a dog on another team. Talk about tired.
NET let me run one of their dogs to both help them out and get some experience running a faster dog. The difference between running Freddie and running a Border Collie is akin to a gentle spring rain compared to a tsunami. Ho-ly Shit. That pretty much sums it up right there.
Oh, but I did get a .000 start time. Beginners luck I'm sure, but boy was I pretty thrilled on that one. A perfect start. Amazing.
Vince, Nancy, & Donna came to watch for a bit on Saturday. I wasn't able to hang out exclusively with them for any decent length of time but they enjoyed the racing while I was busy. We went out to dinner afterwards to a place that was reported to have good food. It was....interesting. The food tho', was phenomenal! We were so totally shocked, but thankful.
We let Tweak, Gotcha, and Jigger play together Saturday night for a while. Watching puppies play is fun, until you become part of the play. I have the bruises to prove it.
Sunday
Again up at o'dark stupid to pack up the car and meet everyone for breakfast at the diner next door. I noticed that on these weekends, I *crave* carbs. Pancakes, hashbrowns, toast, anything rich in carbs.
Another day of racing for my team and helping NET. We finally finished up around 4:30 or so. I didn't stay for the awards as the drive back was pretty long.
Thankfully I have a couple of night owl friends that were happy to chat with me on the ride back and keep me awake!
Lessons Learned:
Although Jo looks innocent, she ain't.
That team is a boatload of fun.
I'm even more stupidly addicted to flyball now that I've run a stupidly fast dog.
Running on 3 teams is suicidal.
Bruises that occur because of flyball are like trophies.
A 7 hour drive home after a weekend like that is just plain dumb.
There was a quote for the weekend but I forgot it. Jo do you remember it? If you do, leave it as a comment.
D
The dogs were *fabulous* in the hotel. I couldn't have asked for any more, they were that good.
Tweak, not having Pacie or Millie to play with, keeps trying to engage Freddie into play. That's being received about as well as a fart in an elevator.
The conference is good - the sessions I went to were pretty informative. I have the general session for a few hours, one more session at 10am, and then I'm on the road to PA.
The weirdest experience has been the casino. It's very nice, things are somewhat affordable, and the people are super friendly and helpful. The one thing that makes me double take each time is that they're allowed to smoke there. Inside. On carpeted areas. Inside.
In MA, there are about 2 places left that people are allowed to smoke inside in. I know they can in smoke shops and so far they still allow people to smoke in their houses. You can't smoke in bars, clubs, malls, stores, restaurants, offices, or anyplace that people work.
It's been that way for a while and while I hated it when they first made the law, I've come to appreciate it while shopping and eating.
Here? They smoke everywhere. At the slot machines, at the tables, in the hallways, in the mall, everywhere. I can't get used to it. It's too weird.
Tonight we're meeting up and doing dinner at the Outback.
But first I need to find a Dunkin Donuts.
D
"Tweak, don't sit on the cat" followed by "Pacie, don't make me kick your little butt" were the last things I said.
All is normal at home.
I left work early today to take Millie to the chiropractor. Her neck was *really* out of whack and the middle of her spine was a bit off. She was great with the doctor though and didn't even really mind the activator or the thing that looks like a drill. She's so good.
Tweak, Freddie, & I are heading out of town at o'dark hundred am tomorrow. I really think it will be ok but I'm still a little anxious about it. I haven't brought dogs to a work conference before!
Friday I have the conference until noon and then we're off to PA for the tourney. My team and another New England team are meeting up for dinner Friday night. My friends Nancy, Vince, & Donna are coming by to visit and watch some racing Saturday afternoon. Then we're going out for dinner. Up early on Sunday for tourney day 2 and then a long, long ride home Sunday night.
I have Monday off, thankfully. Me thinks I'll be a tad bit tired. Millie has another chiro appt Monday night. The rest of the time will be spent making up for lost time with the pups.
I have laundry to do, have to change the litter box, empty the trash, change the sheets, pack for the conference, pack for the tourney, do homework, and pack the car before and while I test some web applications that are moving to production tonight.
Think I'll get it all done? Heh.
D
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