AOL, Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook, Fantasy Football, Etsy, Blogspot, My Space, Twitter, Daily Sudoku, Daily Futoshiki, Beading Daily, Crochet Me. Need I go on? I can't keep up with all the websites and e-mail accounts I use!
The website I just signed up for today is Ravelry. And now I can't get off it! I'm searching free crochet and knit patterns. There must be thousands of them on the website. I could spend the rest of my Christmas (yes, Christmas, not winter) vacation just searching for free patterns. Yesterday I spent a few hours searching free jewelry projects. Thankfully, many of the sites I use now allow you to save into your own "library" so I don't have to save them to my desktop.
It's a good thing I'm a multi-tasking maven! And that I know how to use tabbed browsing on my computer. Because without it, how could I watch football on t.v. and follow my Fantasy Football team, the Seahawks, and the Redskins on the computer all at the same time?
Okay, back to Ravelry. Oh and, BTW, I notice that a lot of the people posting crochet and knit patterns on the internet have cats.
A hui hou!
=^..^=
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
WHY & R
WHY do I keep watching The Young & The Restless?? I ask myself this almost everyday yet I keep viewing that darn soap opera first thing when I come home from work. Some of the characters and storylines are completely uninteresting to me but I keep coming back for more!
"The Naked Heiress." Really? A teenage rich bitch who's trying to become popular by exposing herself in public and putting the vidoes online. Not interested!
A woman who wants to remarry her controlling ex-husband for the fourth time? Get some self-esteem and self-respect, used-to-be-stripper!
A woman scorned who started a blog (ahem...) about the "tramps" in her hometown after her husband left her. Yet she had an affair with said husband when he was married to someone else. Who's the tramp?
Victor, who professes his love for family yet turns his back on his daughter on her wedding day -- actually has her arrested for something HE did. Adam. Where do I even begin with Adam?? Pretending to be a homosexual to gain his gay attorney's trust, trying to drive his stepmom crazy, causing said stepmom to have a miscarriage only to convince her that she didn't, taking his future wife's baby (telling her her baby was still born), and giving that baby to his stepmom.
And, I know this is nitpicky, but I hate the show's hairdresser! The women on the show are always needing to flip their flat-ironed hair out of their faces. My anal retentive self is starting to count how many times this happens in each episode.
So why do I watch? Well, Y & R does have some riveting and relevant storylines like teenage drunk driving, cancer, and surrogacy. And I was rooting for Sharon and Nicholas to reunite until the writers dragged it out too long. Now I'm rooting for Billy and Victoria, even though Billy has been mostly a good-for-nothing, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. I think his character can be charming and he brings some comic relief to the show. Like when Billy wanted to get "Victoria" tatooed on his back but the tatoo artist keeled over from a heart attack after only writing "Victor" (who is Victoria's dad and happens to despise Billy). And when Victor saw this, even he smiled ... and then paid another tatoo artist to finish the "ia."
Thankfully I have a DVR so I can fast forward through the boring segments of the show. A part of me wishes I could stop watching (after all, I did stop watching Days of Our Lives after the storyline about demonic possession). Maybe it just makes me feel better about my life. Maybe I just need to get away from reality for a little while. But until the day that I can just say "no," I'll faithfully turn on the DVR when I come home from work and curse at the television when Sharon doesn't just walk away from Adam or Victor yet again alienates his children. Is there a 12-step program for soap opera junkies???
A hui hou!
=^..^=
"The Naked Heiress." Really? A teenage rich bitch who's trying to become popular by exposing herself in public and putting the vidoes online. Not interested!
A woman who wants to remarry her controlling ex-husband for the fourth time? Get some self-esteem and self-respect, used-to-be-stripper!
A woman scorned who started a blog (ahem...) about the "tramps" in her hometown after her husband left her. Yet she had an affair with said husband when he was married to someone else. Who's the tramp?
Victor, who professes his love for family yet turns his back on his daughter on her wedding day -- actually has her arrested for something HE did. Adam. Where do I even begin with Adam?? Pretending to be a homosexual to gain his gay attorney's trust, trying to drive his stepmom crazy, causing said stepmom to have a miscarriage only to convince her that she didn't, taking his future wife's baby (telling her her baby was still born), and giving that baby to his stepmom.
And, I know this is nitpicky, but I hate the show's hairdresser! The women on the show are always needing to flip their flat-ironed hair out of their faces. My anal retentive self is starting to count how many times this happens in each episode.
So why do I watch? Well, Y & R does have some riveting and relevant storylines like teenage drunk driving, cancer, and surrogacy. And I was rooting for Sharon and Nicholas to reunite until the writers dragged it out too long. Now I'm rooting for Billy and Victoria, even though Billy has been mostly a good-for-nothing, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. I think his character can be charming and he brings some comic relief to the show. Like when Billy wanted to get "Victoria" tatooed on his back but the tatoo artist keeled over from a heart attack after only writing "Victor" (who is Victoria's dad and happens to despise Billy). And when Victor saw this, even he smiled ... and then paid another tatoo artist to finish the "ia."
Thankfully I have a DVR so I can fast forward through the boring segments of the show. A part of me wishes I could stop watching (after all, I did stop watching Days of Our Lives after the storyline about demonic possession). Maybe it just makes me feel better about my life. Maybe I just need to get away from reality for a little while. But until the day that I can just say "no," I'll faithfully turn on the DVR when I come home from work and curse at the television when Sharon doesn't just walk away from Adam or Victor yet again alienates his children. Is there a 12-step program for soap opera junkies???
A hui hou!
=^..^=
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Picture Day
Those of you who know me, know that I don't wear make-up everyday. I like make-up, I love to buy new make-up, and I have a lot of it. But when it comes down to it, I get tired of putting it on and taking it off every day. I'm really low maintenance at heart. (At least when it comes to make-up and hair!)
Today was picture day at school so I did the unusual and put on make-up because, in addition to being low maintenance, I am also vain! Especially when it comes to having my picture in a yearbook that will be around for years and years. And I knew what to expect from my colleagues and students. "You look so pretty!" As if they are shocked that I can sometimes look okay. I know people mean well when they say that, but what I hear in my head right after that is, "You look crappy-to-mediocre every other day." Oh well, I just accept the compliment for what it is. And know that the following day I will not wear make-up and not get any compliments.
At least they don't tell me, "You look tired." To me, that may be the only thing worse than "You look so pretty."
A hui hou!
=^..^=
Today was picture day at school so I did the unusual and put on make-up because, in addition to being low maintenance, I am also vain! Especially when it comes to having my picture in a yearbook that will be around for years and years. And I knew what to expect from my colleagues and students. "You look so pretty!" As if they are shocked that I can sometimes look okay. I know people mean well when they say that, but what I hear in my head right after that is, "You look crappy-to-mediocre every other day." Oh well, I just accept the compliment for what it is. And know that the following day I will not wear make-up and not get any compliments.
At least they don't tell me, "You look tired." To me, that may be the only thing worse than "You look so pretty."
A hui hou!
=^..^=
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Today was a momentous day in my "career" as a volunteer at Pet Orphans of Southern California (POSC) -- I was promoted from dog socializer to dog coach! When I first started volunteering, I was most interested in socializing the cats. They are calmer, quieter, and I can visit 15 in the same time it takes to visit 4 dogs. This I did for a couple of years before I got up the nerve to socialize the dogs.
I have two dogs but I was still not as confident in my abilities to keep control of a dog. I had visions of a Pet Orphans dog getting out of its kennel as I entered and running away from me, and me chasing the dog around the kennels as all the dogs barked hysterically (probably cheering on the canine escapee). But I've found out that this has happened to other volunteers so having a dog make a prison break is not as scary to me as it once was.
So when the opportunity to take a 5-week Adoptable Dog training course came along, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to build my confidence in working with the shelter dogs and learn some techniques to use with my own dogs. As I mentioned in a previous post, I worked with Astro, a 72-lb shepherd mix who sometimes got the better of me but I persevered and we earned a B- in the course.
Near the end of the course, to my surprise, I received an e-mail invitation to attend training to become a Dog Coach at POSC! I guess that even with the lowest grade in the class, the trainers saw potential in me! Maybe working with Astro was like attending Punahou -- a B- at Punahou is like an A- at almost any other school. At least, that's what we Punahou graduates tell ourselves! I was flattered but also a little apprehensive. Could I really train the other dogs? Could I keep them under control on walks where they might run into people and things that would frighten them? Did I have the time to commit to such an endeavor? Did I have the patience? What I did know was that I wanted to help these dogs become better behaved so they could be adopted quickly.
So I took the plunge and said YES, I wanted to become a dog coach. Today I went on a walk with some other dog coaches as my formal evaluation and afterwards earned my brown leather leash (POSC's equivalent of an Oscar) for successfully completing training and working well with Joselyn on the 2-mile walk.
The next time I walk into POSC, I will proudly carry my brown leather leash and walk confidently down the street with Joselyn or Brenna or Candy or Astro (another blog coming soon about Astro's progress). They may not always behave for me and they may pull at the leash, but I have the tools to work with them and the determination to be the alpha dog. And I know that, with each step we take and every sit, stay, down & watch me that we practice, that dog will be closer to finding its forever home!
A hui hou
=^..^=
I have two dogs but I was still not as confident in my abilities to keep control of a dog. I had visions of a Pet Orphans dog getting out of its kennel as I entered and running away from me, and me chasing the dog around the kennels as all the dogs barked hysterically (probably cheering on the canine escapee). But I've found out that this has happened to other volunteers so having a dog make a prison break is not as scary to me as it once was.
So when the opportunity to take a 5-week Adoptable Dog training course came along, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to build my confidence in working with the shelter dogs and learn some techniques to use with my own dogs. As I mentioned in a previous post, I worked with Astro, a 72-lb shepherd mix who sometimes got the better of me but I persevered and we earned a B- in the course.
Near the end of the course, to my surprise, I received an e-mail invitation to attend training to become a Dog Coach at POSC! I guess that even with the lowest grade in the class, the trainers saw potential in me! Maybe working with Astro was like attending Punahou -- a B- at Punahou is like an A- at almost any other school. At least, that's what we Punahou graduates tell ourselves! I was flattered but also a little apprehensive. Could I really train the other dogs? Could I keep them under control on walks where they might run into people and things that would frighten them? Did I have the time to commit to such an endeavor? Did I have the patience? What I did know was that I wanted to help these dogs become better behaved so they could be adopted quickly.
So I took the plunge and said YES, I wanted to become a dog coach. Today I went on a walk with some other dog coaches as my formal evaluation and afterwards earned my brown leather leash (POSC's equivalent of an Oscar) for successfully completing training and working well with Joselyn on the 2-mile walk.
The next time I walk into POSC, I will proudly carry my brown leather leash and walk confidently down the street with Joselyn or Brenna or Candy or Astro (another blog coming soon about Astro's progress). They may not always behave for me and they may pull at the leash, but I have the tools to work with them and the determination to be the alpha dog. And I know that, with each step we take and every sit, stay, down & watch me that we practice, that dog will be closer to finding its forever home!
A hui hou
=^..^=
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
You know school is about to start when ...
1. I'm not able to check FB or AOL for an entire day and have 250 unread e-mails.
2. I don't eat breakfast (and sometimes lunch).
3. I have dreams about school or wake up in the middle of the night thinking about school.
4. The car breaks down.
5. Matthew hets hurt.
6. There is a three week gap between my blog posts.
7. I start drinking more margaritas! ha ha ha
8. I work unitl 9 at night to get my class web page in order.
9. I work for another 30 minutes cutting therabands to the correct length.
10. I spend another 30 minutes looking at ballet choreography.
11. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of choreography.
12. I start repeating myself.
13. I start wishing it was June.
2. I don't eat breakfast (and sometimes lunch).
3. I have dreams about school or wake up in the middle of the night thinking about school.
4. The car breaks down.
5. Matthew hets hurt.
6. There is a three week gap between my blog posts.
7. I start drinking more margaritas! ha ha ha
8. I work unitl 9 at night to get my class web page in order.
9. I work for another 30 minutes cutting therabands to the correct length.
10. I spend another 30 minutes looking at ballet choreography.
11. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of choreography.
12. I start repeating myself.
13. I start wishing it was June.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Ginger snap
I've been volunteering with cat rescue groups for several years now. People ask if it's hard getting to know the cats then having to say goodbye when they get adopted. Of course I am thrilled when a cat gets adopted into a good home. But I will admit that there have been a few cats with which I've become smitten and was sad when they left the shelter. Sometimes with no notice -- I would go in expecting to visit and play with them, looking forward to sharing a few moments with that special cat, only to find them gone.
There was Oreo, a handsome black and white tuxedo who would follow me around. He loved attention, getting brushed, and playing with string. Shane was a beautiful orange long-hair cat that eventually warmed up to me would sit on my lap. He and Oreo became good friends and I often imagined the two of them joining my family! And there was a gorgeous, affectionate, playful white cat with blue eyes (probably deaf) that was adopted so quickly that I don't even remember his name!
Most recently there was Ginger. I remember the first time she arrived at Pet Orphans (with her stunning sister, Janey). She was so scared that she stayed huddled in the corner of the shelf with Janey. I thought Ginger and Janey were just about the most lovely cats I had ever seen. They are both tri-colors, Janey a long-hair and Ginger a short-hair. Eventually, they let me pet them and it was obvious that they craved attention. After a couple of weeks Ginger came down and she quickly became comfortable in her new surroundings and with her new roommates. Ginger turned out to be a playful and friendly kitty. She loved being petted and would roll onto her back and expose her belly for lots of rubs! When visiting Pet Orphans, I found myself seeking out Ginger first. She definitely had a special place in my heart and I called her my little Ginger snap.
Then one day she wasn't there! Sometimes the cats are taken to the vet so I didn't think too much about it, although I was disappointed that I didn't get to see her. But on the third visit I checked their name cards and hers was gone and my heart dropped! I knew then that she got adopted. When I got home, I checked the Pet Orphans website and saw "ADOPTED" written across her biography. That normally makes me happy, but a piece of my heart was missing this time.
Ginger's new family is very lucky to have her. But I will miss her friendly face and loving demeanor. But there's always (at least for now) her sister Janey!!!
A hui hou
=^..^=
There was Oreo, a handsome black and white tuxedo who would follow me around. He loved attention, getting brushed, and playing with string. Shane was a beautiful orange long-hair cat that eventually warmed up to me would sit on my lap. He and Oreo became good friends and I often imagined the two of them joining my family! And there was a gorgeous, affectionate, playful white cat with blue eyes (probably deaf) that was adopted so quickly that I don't even remember his name!
Most recently there was Ginger. I remember the first time she arrived at Pet Orphans (with her stunning sister, Janey). She was so scared that she stayed huddled in the corner of the shelf with Janey. I thought Ginger and Janey were just about the most lovely cats I had ever seen. They are both tri-colors, Janey a long-hair and Ginger a short-hair. Eventually, they let me pet them and it was obvious that they craved attention. After a couple of weeks Ginger came down and she quickly became comfortable in her new surroundings and with her new roommates. Ginger turned out to be a playful and friendly kitty. She loved being petted and would roll onto her back and expose her belly for lots of rubs! When visiting Pet Orphans, I found myself seeking out Ginger first. She definitely had a special place in my heart and I called her my little Ginger snap.
Then one day she wasn't there! Sometimes the cats are taken to the vet so I didn't think too much about it, although I was disappointed that I didn't get to see her. But on the third visit I checked their name cards and hers was gone and my heart dropped! I knew then that she got adopted. When I got home, I checked the Pet Orphans website and saw "ADOPTED" written across her biography. That normally makes me happy, but a piece of my heart was missing this time.
Ginger's new family is very lucky to have her. But I will miss her friendly face and loving demeanor. But there's always (at least for now) her sister Janey!!!
A hui hou
=^..^=
Friday, August 6, 2010
I found my inspiration!
Something prompted me to try writing a welcome poem for my 7th grade advisees (refer to earlier post saying I wasn't feeling inspired) and it came rather easily, thanks in part to an online rhyming dictionary. I thought I'd share my poem with you.
Another summer has flown by,
I hope yours was a blast.
I read, crocheted, and volunteered.
Now time for school, AT LAST!
In 7th grade you'll make new friends,
Take mini-courses too.
Clubs will let you learn new skills
Like knitting and kung fu
(probably not kung fu but I needed a rhyme)
To help you finish The Graveyard Book
I made this bookmark for you.
It reminds me of a plumeria flower
From my home in Honolulu.
On August 31st we'll meet
For orientation and lunch.
Be ready for a year of FUN
Of that you'll have a bunch!
Corny, I know! But my poems usually are.
A hui ho
=^..^=
Another summer has flown by,
I hope yours was a blast.
I read, crocheted, and volunteered.
Now time for school, AT LAST!
In 7th grade you'll make new friends,
Take mini-courses too.
Clubs will let you learn new skills
Like knitting and kung fu
(probably not kung fu but I needed a rhyme)
To help you finish The Graveyard Book
I made this bookmark for you.
It reminds me of a plumeria flower
From my home in Honolulu.
On August 31st we'll meet
For orientation and lunch.
Be ready for a year of FUN
Of that you'll have a bunch!
Corny, I know! But my poems usually are.
A hui ho
=^..^=
Thursday, August 5, 2010
$25
This was the cost of two movie tickets at Arc Light in the Sherman Oaks Galleria! And one of the reasons we haven't been to the movies in about two years. Sheesh! But it was our anniversary so we thought we'd SPLURGE and spend $25 to watch a movie we could have waited three years to see for free on t.v.
Granted, the theater is very nice -- stadium seating (which I actully found annoying because the head rest angled toward me and made it uncomfortable to look UP at the screen), cafe & bar, gift shop, reserved seating, and of course clean bathrooms. It's in the Galleria which has lots of restaurants (PF Chang's, El Torito Grill, Cheesecake Factory, Hana Grill) and DSW (yea!). So I'm guessing the rent it sky high, hence the $12.50 per ticket. And that's the matinee price!
What was also surprising was that there were no employees selling tickets. There were a dozen or so kiosks from which we had to buy our tickets. I guess that's cheaper for Arc Light, especially since there really weren't many people there watching movies in the early afternoon. Our theater had about 20 people and another had maybe five people (according to one of my students who was in that theater).
I will admit that, before going to the movie I searched online for theaters showing Dinner for Schmucks and found one nearby that had tickets for only $6. So why did we go to Arc Light? you ask. Because I also read reviews of that other theater online and, shall we say, the reviews did not applaud the theater's ambiance and cleanliness. Sounded like the only thing going for this cheaper theater was the cheap ticket prices. In this economy that isn't a bad thing! I think next time, if there is a next time, we will try the cheaper one.
To rub salt into my open wound, yesterday I walked past a theater charging $3!!! Only $2 for a matinee! The catch -- the movies are not always the newest, big box office releases. And for us, it's about a 20-25 minute drive to get there which costs money for gas.
I now remember why I don't go the movie theaters. Luckily, there are a lot of shows I like on the telly. And with DVR, I'm happy staying home, watching Burn Notice, Warehouse 13, Modern Family, and Castle. And popping my own popcorn in the microwave. Oh yeah, the regular popcorn at Arc Light was $5.50.
A hui hou
=^..^=
Granted, the theater is very nice -- stadium seating (which I actully found annoying because the head rest angled toward me and made it uncomfortable to look UP at the screen), cafe & bar, gift shop, reserved seating, and of course clean bathrooms. It's in the Galleria which has lots of restaurants (PF Chang's, El Torito Grill, Cheesecake Factory, Hana Grill) and DSW (yea!). So I'm guessing the rent it sky high, hence the $12.50 per ticket. And that's the matinee price!
What was also surprising was that there were no employees selling tickets. There were a dozen or so kiosks from which we had to buy our tickets. I guess that's cheaper for Arc Light, especially since there really weren't many people there watching movies in the early afternoon. Our theater had about 20 people and another had maybe five people (according to one of my students who was in that theater).
I will admit that, before going to the movie I searched online for theaters showing Dinner for Schmucks and found one nearby that had tickets for only $6. So why did we go to Arc Light? you ask. Because I also read reviews of that other theater online and, shall we say, the reviews did not applaud the theater's ambiance and cleanliness. Sounded like the only thing going for this cheaper theater was the cheap ticket prices. In this economy that isn't a bad thing! I think next time, if there is a next time, we will try the cheaper one.
To rub salt into my open wound, yesterday I walked past a theater charging $3!!! Only $2 for a matinee! The catch -- the movies are not always the newest, big box office releases. And for us, it's about a 20-25 minute drive to get there which costs money for gas.
I now remember why I don't go the movie theaters. Luckily, there are a lot of shows I like on the telly. And with DVR, I'm happy staying home, watching Burn Notice, Warehouse 13, Modern Family, and Castle. And popping my own popcorn in the microwave. Oh yeah, the regular popcorn at Arc Light was $5.50.
A hui hou
=^..^=
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The 3 Best Things About Teaching
June, July, and August! And June and July are already over. Yesterday I received e-mails about the start of the new school year .... sigh! I did not do nearly as much as I wanted to over the summer, but it's been relaxing and rejuvenating. As much as I enjoy teaching, I really need to retire soon so I can have time to do all my extracurricular activities hahaha!
One project I just finished was crocheting bookmarks for the 7th grade advisees I will have next year. At my school, the advisor teachers write a note to each student welcoming them to the junior high and we are encouraged to make it personal. Sometimes I write a poem (but I'm not feeling the groove this summer) and I always crochet this bookmark.
One project I just finished was crocheting bookmarks for the 7th grade advisees I will have next year. At my school, the advisor teachers write a note to each student welcoming them to the junior high and we are encouraged to make it personal. Sometimes I write a poem (but I'm not feeling the groove this summer) and I always crochet this bookmark.
This bookmark says a lot about me.
1) it's crocheted, which is one of my favorite things to do
2) it reminds me of a plumeria, the simple yet fragrant flower from home
3) and I love to read
As I make these bookmarks for my students, I know the end of summer is coming. But I look forward to the new experiences that the school year will bring. And I know that at the END of the school year, we go to Disneyland! YEA!! (I'm already thinking about next June)
This blog is kind of short because the groomer just called and my dog, Siobhan, is ready to come home!
A hui hou!
=^..^=
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Alpha Dog
I have a special place in my heart for animals and I will try to help them any way I can. So this summer I volunteered to work once a week for five weeks with a shelter dog in an Adoptable Dog training course. I do have to say that I am more of a cat person. From a very young age I fell in love with cats and would "lure" cats in the neighborhood to our house. There were times we had maybe six or seven cats at once! Cats just seem to fit with my personality. They are generally laid back, independent, and low maintenance. But they are also loving, affectionate, and QUIET (compared to dogs).
Although I now have two dogs (a greyhound and a Kerry Blue terror -- I mean terrier), I have to admit that I am still a little uncertain about my ability to be the alpha dog. This could be attributed to the fact that, 1) I always had cats and 2) I had a difficult experience in puppy school with our terrier. I DREADED Monday nights when it was time to take our hyper, strong-willed, stubborn, barking dog to class. I just knew we would be asked to leave the class. Thankfully, we weren't!
So it took a lot of guts for me to sign up for the dog training course. I knew they would give me a letter grade at the end and I had visions of looking at my name on the board, for everyone to view, and see a big fat F next to mine! The first dog that was assigned to me seemed really sweet and already knew some basic commands. I was feeling pretty good that I could get through the course with this dog. Then, two days before the second class (when all the real work started) she got adopted and my fears and insecurities came back.
I was assigned a new dog. He was 72 pounds of muscle. Barking, pulling muscle! But sweet! He just has issues with some of the other dogs and will bark at them and pull on the leash. The third day of class we were actally banned from the classroom. Okay, banned is a bit strong -- it was suggested that we stay just outside the classroom door so my dog couldn't see the other dogs. That didn't work too well because other dogs had to pass us on their way out of the facility for their walks. Fifteen minutes into the class, and after lots of pulling on the leash, I knew my bad shoulder was out of commission but I stuck it out. We ended up going in a corner that was partially blocked by a van.
Still, it was a struggle to keep my dog, Astro, focused on me and to stop him from barking at other dogs. All I could think of was, "Is it 11:15 yet?" After that class I knew my arm and shoulder muscles were going to be sore. But for FOUR days???!!!???
I came in during the week to work with Astro but I was still (I'll admit it) scared to take him out of his kennel and into the play yard because, to do this, we would have to pass in front of several other dog kennels. I did not want to deal with his barking plus my muscles were killing me!!!
Long story short, today was week four. I psyched myself up before going in -- ate a good breakfast and drank a Coke to give me the energy to keep up with Astro. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the stitches from his surgery came out and he was wearing the "cone of shame" to keep him from pulling out the second set of stitches. Luckily, Astro was able to keep the cone off for class. We stayed outside of the classroom again, in the corner blocked by the van. I had the pockets of my apron filled with lots of treats and I was ready to play tug-of-war with Astro.
But to my surprise, Astro had a GREAT training session! Even with people and dogs walking by, I was able to body-block him from seeing them and keep Astro's attention on me (with food, but I'll take what I can get). Astro may not have mastered the skills taught today (shake, bow, and catch it), but I consider today's class a SUCCESS! He seemed genuinely calmer and only gave one bark at the end of class when I wasn't fast enough to block his view of Clyde. And Astro even had two good sit/stays at the gate and door when going back into his kennel.
My confidence is back! I think I do have the makings of being the alpha dog! The key is being patient, stronger, and more stubborn than the dog I'm training. And I feel that Astro is on his way to learning good manners which will make him easier to place in a good home. He still needs work and I expect that there will be setbacks. We may not end up acing the class but, today I think we earned an A+!!!
A hui hou
=^..^=
Although I now have two dogs (a greyhound and a Kerry Blue terror -- I mean terrier), I have to admit that I am still a little uncertain about my ability to be the alpha dog. This could be attributed to the fact that, 1) I always had cats and 2) I had a difficult experience in puppy school with our terrier. I DREADED Monday nights when it was time to take our hyper, strong-willed, stubborn, barking dog to class. I just knew we would be asked to leave the class. Thankfully, we weren't!
So it took a lot of guts for me to sign up for the dog training course. I knew they would give me a letter grade at the end and I had visions of looking at my name on the board, for everyone to view, and see a big fat F next to mine! The first dog that was assigned to me seemed really sweet and already knew some basic commands. I was feeling pretty good that I could get through the course with this dog. Then, two days before the second class (when all the real work started) she got adopted and my fears and insecurities came back.
I was assigned a new dog. He was 72 pounds of muscle. Barking, pulling muscle! But sweet! He just has issues with some of the other dogs and will bark at them and pull on the leash. The third day of class we were actally banned from the classroom. Okay, banned is a bit strong -- it was suggested that we stay just outside the classroom door so my dog couldn't see the other dogs. That didn't work too well because other dogs had to pass us on their way out of the facility for their walks. Fifteen minutes into the class, and after lots of pulling on the leash, I knew my bad shoulder was out of commission but I stuck it out. We ended up going in a corner that was partially blocked by a van.
Still, it was a struggle to keep my dog, Astro, focused on me and to stop him from barking at other dogs. All I could think of was, "Is it 11:15 yet?" After that class I knew my arm and shoulder muscles were going to be sore. But for FOUR days???!!!???
I came in during the week to work with Astro but I was still (I'll admit it) scared to take him out of his kennel and into the play yard because, to do this, we would have to pass in front of several other dog kennels. I did not want to deal with his barking plus my muscles were killing me!!!
Long story short, today was week four. I psyched myself up before going in -- ate a good breakfast and drank a Coke to give me the energy to keep up with Astro. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the stitches from his surgery came out and he was wearing the "cone of shame" to keep him from pulling out the second set of stitches. Luckily, Astro was able to keep the cone off for class. We stayed outside of the classroom again, in the corner blocked by the van. I had the pockets of my apron filled with lots of treats and I was ready to play tug-of-war with Astro.
But to my surprise, Astro had a GREAT training session! Even with people and dogs walking by, I was able to body-block him from seeing them and keep Astro's attention on me (with food, but I'll take what I can get). Astro may not have mastered the skills taught today (shake, bow, and catch it), but I consider today's class a SUCCESS! He seemed genuinely calmer and only gave one bark at the end of class when I wasn't fast enough to block his view of Clyde. And Astro even had two good sit/stays at the gate and door when going back into his kennel.
My confidence is back! I think I do have the makings of being the alpha dog! The key is being patient, stronger, and more stubborn than the dog I'm training. And I feel that Astro is on his way to learning good manners which will make him easier to place in a good home. He still needs work and I expect that there will be setbacks. We may not end up acing the class but, today I think we earned an A+!!!
A hui hou
=^..^=
Friday, July 30, 2010
"You're a genius!"
My husband told me this today so it MUST be true! NOT!!! I will be the first to admit that I'm no genius. Any smarts I do have are probably best attributed to perseverance, curiosity, and determination (some might call this stubbornness).
What led to my husband's statement was the fact that our scanner has been acting funny and I fixed it. Whenever we tried to scan anything larger than a postcard, the image captured was, well, the size of a postcard! So he was trying to scan something for work to send to a client but only a small corner of the document scanned. Now, he's been working on this for hours and having problems with his laptop. And then the scanner doesn't work! I knew I had to do something or be stuck listening to my husband grumble under his breath for the next two hours.
So, even though I'm no expert on the scanner, I thought I would face this most formidable foe. This is how I fix things on the computer: press a button and see what happens. I did this with the scanner. I started pressing buttons -- Reduce/Enlarge, Quality, and Options seemed like the best choices. AHA!!! The sub menu under the Options button had the selection Original Size. Guess what the original size was set at. 3 x 5 inches! Yes, the size of a postcard! Actually, smaller.
I don't know how, after having the scanner some ten years, that setting got changed to 3 x 5. (Probably happened when I was scanning pictures and pressing buttons, but that's another story.) But I changed the setting to Auto Detect and the scanner is working again and my husband was able to scan and send the document to the client. WHEW!
Like I said, I'm really no genius. But I do have a big brain...
A hui hou
=^..^=
What led to my husband's statement was the fact that our scanner has been acting funny and I fixed it. Whenever we tried to scan anything larger than a postcard, the image captured was, well, the size of a postcard! So he was trying to scan something for work to send to a client but only a small corner of the document scanned. Now, he's been working on this for hours and having problems with his laptop. And then the scanner doesn't work! I knew I had to do something or be stuck listening to my husband grumble under his breath for the next two hours.
So, even though I'm no expert on the scanner, I thought I would face this most formidable foe. This is how I fix things on the computer: press a button and see what happens. I did this with the scanner. I started pressing buttons -- Reduce/Enlarge, Quality, and Options seemed like the best choices. AHA!!! The sub menu under the Options button had the selection Original Size. Guess what the original size was set at. 3 x 5 inches! Yes, the size of a postcard! Actually, smaller.
I don't know how, after having the scanner some ten years, that setting got changed to 3 x 5. (Probably happened when I was scanning pictures and pressing buttons, but that's another story.) But I changed the setting to Auto Detect and the scanner is working again and my husband was able to scan and send the document to the client. WHEW!
Like I said, I'm really no genius. But I do have a big brain...
A hui hou
=^..^=
Random Introductions
As you can see from the title of my page, I need therapy! And I love shoes! But blogging is cheaper than both of these. I have so many random thoughts going through my head that I decided to start a blog. I'll ramble on about work, growing up in Hawai'i, living in California, my pets, my hobbies (crocheting, knitting, reading, jewelry making, ballet). I hope someone will read (and enjoy?) my posts!
A hui hou
=^..^=
A hui hou
=^..^=
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