My Life, As Told Between (Baby Cakes') Naps

Because I know y’all just can’t get enough.  Look, we got him groomed!  He’s even CUTER! 

He had his first training class today and had the attention span of a gnat, but the trainer said he was very friendly and sweet.  I think our mistake was feeding him before the class so he had no interest in the treat rewards. 

We wonder sometimes if we’ve gotten in over our heads with a Chow.  I read this quote about Chows, which, while funny and cute, is not terribly reassuring for first time dog owners!

“One thing that most people don’t realize about Chows is that they are ‘sentient.’  By that we mean that they are able to think for themselves. Most people forget that the Chow was raised to be a ‘working’ canine. They were supposed to go out into the field, size up the situation, figure out how to handle it, and then act upon it without any direction from a human or even being accompanied by one. Therefore, it should be no surprise that they do not blindly follow your ‘orders’ just because you have said so. They take what you have
‘requested’ under ‘advisement.’ If they deem it to be a reasonable request at that time, then they ‘obey’ . . . if not, well, they just kind of let you know they acknowledge your having spoken, they love you, but are busy at that moment and please get back to them another time. This can be a maddening response to some, but to those who understand the temperament of cats will just look at them, laugh, and understand that that is what is to be expected of the canine that is called the ‘cat of the dog world.'”

So far, so good. Alfie is still tugging on the leash and not responding so well to his name or any commands, but he’s quiet and non-destructive and gets along pretty well with other dogs and people. True to his nature, he’s a little obstinant and can be stand offish, but he’s not mean or aggressive. He’ll greet the other dogs at the dog park and then wander off to do his own thing, occasionally participating in a bout of chase if it happens to pass him. He’s gotten much friendlier with T and I. Last night, when I was sitting on the floor playing with him, he plopped himself on my lap. Keep in mind he’s a fifty pound dog, not a lap dog. I’m not sure if it’s something I should discourage (we’re going to take training classes soon), but it sure is cute.

Alfie has the added benefit of allowing us to meet more neighbors. We’ve met more neighbors in the day and a half that we’ve had him than in the nine months we’ve been living in our condo. Since everyone has a dog, it’s much easier meeting people in the dog park and walking around the neighborhood. The dogs give us something to do about and bond over.

And I’m not ashamed to admit it. T, on the other hand, apparently still likes to pretend he’s cool. =)

We’ve both been reading and enjoying the first book in this sci-fi/fantasy series (which may be coming out as a movie next year). As is often the case in sci-fi/fantasy books, dragons play a pivotal role. I casually brought up, over lunch at Baja Fresh, that I had a question about how the dragons in the book learn English.

Rather than respond, T briefly froze, then quickly looked around the room, mumbled something unintelligible under his breath and hurried us out of the restaurant (fortunately, we’d finished eating!). Apparently bringing up dragons in public is a huge social taboo because it outs him as a dork. Or at least the guy eating with a dork. =)

We got a dog! His full name is Lord Alfred, but we’re planning to only call him that when he’s being bad. =) He’s a Chow mix and is about three years old. He seems super friendly, and has the cutest little hop when he’s excited, although he’s a little sad now since the woman who’s been fostering him for three months just left. She got him from a pound so we don’t know what his history is, which is a little scary, but according to her, he hasn’t been destructive and doesn’t jump on people, which is good, but he tugs on the leash a ton and doesn’t understand “come” or “stay,” which is not so good. We’re planning to take him to doggie (and people) training school as soon as possible. We’re hoping with daily brushing, he won’t shed a mountain of hair everywhere.

Right after I got over the excitement of getting a dog, the weight of responsibility starting sinking in. I hope he like us. I hope we can train him. I hope he’ll be happy here. For the time being, he’s confined to a relatively small space when we’re asleep or not there (which he’s not happy about). We plan to give him free reign of the house, or at least the downstairs, after he’s gotten use to us and his new home. We’d gotten a Chow mix because Chows are supposedly a little more independent and feline in temperment. Hopefully he’ll be okay home alone on the days both T and I work.

How adorable!  (Apparently, I can’t resist any story that involves clothed penguins.)

T and I as South Park characters. (Courtesy of this site.)

Ugh, how is it Monday already? This weekend has flown by. We had a lot of fun and got a ton done (but left even more undone). I’m feeling exhausted today. It probably didn’t help that I skipped my long run this weekend, and my shorter run this morning, and have been eating badly the last couple of days.

T’s high school friends came to town on Friday so we had dinner with them and then played video games all night (which I realize doesn’t sound super exciting but considering we’re often in bed by 9:30 on a Friday night, this was quite an adventure).

Saturday, we hung out with his friends at our place. Then while the boys went off to play football, I started putting together our wedding programs.* Later that day, we met with our friend H for engagement pictures at UCLA. We also tried to take some on the beach in Malibu at sunset but were thwarted by the fact that the sun sets behind a mountain in Malibu and there were no pretty beach pictures to be had. After chasing the sun for an hour, we all got frustrated and gave up, opting instead to have a nice, relaxing dinner at Duke’s.

On Sunday, we met up with T’s friends again for lunch before they headed out of town. Then we ran errands. Or tried to. We successfully bought a new desk chair, hairdryer, laser level and stud finder. We failed to find any dog adoption fairs (although we found several cat ones), failed to buy a rug (the one we liked having been discontinued), and failed to buy a doormat (last one in the store was damaged). Since we’re spoiled and things weren’t going our way 100%, we sulked a bit.

Fortunately, we perked up in time to meet up with H again. H, being a phenomenal friend, had volunteered to rescheduling our Malibu beach picture session. Unfortunately, we may have choosen the windiest day of the year to try and take beach shots. Nevertheless, I wore my cutest sun dress and tried to smile through the pain as ferocious winds whipped past us. Lucky for us, H is a genuis and the pictures turned out great!

* I’m kind of enjoying the craftsy aspects of the wedding, although the programs have been more work than I intended, mostly in tracking down the specific discontinued paper I’m using for the cover. Even that’s been fun since I find it satisfies my neurotic, obessive compulsive side. However, it may not so much for my friends, whom I’ve sent out on a massive paper hunt.  Luckily for them, I recently tracked some sheets down in Malaysia so I’m only 10 sheets away from calling off the hunt!

Just got back from a fantastic trip with my Quad friends! This marks our fourth annual Quad trip. A few years ago, the four of us were able to get away for a weekend trip to Vegas. We realized during the trip that since we see each other so seldomly throughout the year, and usually with significant others and friends in tow, we really needed to make an effort to spend some quality time reconnecting and strengthening our 19-year friendship. History alone wouldn’t always be enough.

So far, we’ve been to Vegas (’05), Tahoe (’06), and Santa Barbara (’07). This year we went to Mendocino. Just north of Napa, Mendocino has gorgeous bluffs and beautiful vineyards scattered between some amazing redwood forests.

On Saturday, we went hiking along the bluffs, got massages and facials, had a delicious dinner at the Stevenswood Spa Resort (the cute bed and breakfast where we were staying), and played a rousing game of Taboo. On Sunday, we went on a wine tour and sampled wines at Husch, Lazy Creek, Navarro and Esterlina, had a picnic at one of the vineyards, relaxed in the hot tub when we got back, grabbed dinner in Mendocino, and roasted s’mores in the wood-burning fireplace in our room (um. . . but definitely did not set off any fire alarms. . . twice).

Between it all, we took a ton of cheesy pictures (thanks to the indispensable gorillapod!), caught up on a year’s worth of life and made memories to sustain us until the next trip. Love you girls!

Battlestar Galactica’s back tonight! Yay! Yay! Yay!!!!! After watching the entire series on DVD last year, the prolonged wait for the new season has been excruciating. I want to be sitting at home wallowing in the series and preparing for tonight’s episode. However, I’ve got this pesky work thing.

Plus, T’s got his first softball game tonight and then we’re trying to meet up with some friends visiting from out of town for drinks (unfortunately the only time that works for all of us), so we’ll have to catch it on Tivo later this weekend. I don’t know how I can possibly wait!

Hmmmm…it’s not like I HAVE to catch T’s first game of the season, right? And it’s not like I’ll NEVER see my out of town friends ever again, right? =)

Awwwww.

(I came across the article on this site.)