Category Archives: whatnots

Today is the Day

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Later today the little guy goes for his doggy sleepaway camp interview. I’m so nervous. I was asked over dinner last night if I was one of those dog moms. You know, the way over the top kind of moms? I might have been slightly offended, but then I realized that no, I’m honestly not one of those moms.

I think I’m just nervous because well, I want this to work. This place seems cool and is much more fun and accommodating compared to our regular boarder. At his regular place, he just has an outdoor run and doesn’t really get to socialize with any other dogs and I doubt the owner goes outside to visit all that much. But, he loves it there. He goes crazy as soon as we turn the corner and is so happy and jumpy when the owner opens the door. But his regular place is really, really strict about pick up and drop off times (between 8:00 and 9:00 AM only!). And well, those of you that know me, know that that’s way too early for us, but we do it.

This new place is open 9:00 to 9:00. It’s free reign with crazy pups everywhere. It’s staffed 24-hours so there’s always a human looking over things. It’s half indoors and half outdoors – with misters when it gets hot and heat when it gets cold (this is huge since his old place is just outdoors with nothing and well we typically have over 100 degree summers and our winter nights can get down in the 30’s). They also have webcams where you can check out your little one to see what’s going on – 24 hours. And if you were one of those moms (or quite possibly in this case, dads), you can call and they’ll get your little one and bring him to the phone. How fun is that?!?!

So yeah, we’re really hoping he does well at his interview. I think this would be a much more enjoyable experience for him. Especially when we’re gone to Ireland in November. I just hope and pray he doesn’t snap at anyone while he’s there. Feel free to send some good vibes our way around 2:00PM Pacific time.

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Okay, enough of that. The past couple of days I’ve been on a bit of a cleaning kick. First my closet and a couple of drawers. Then the back room/office (we’ve since been drinking us some wine!) And yesterday it was the bathroom. I finally cleaned the glass doors in the shower. Man, what a huge difference that makes! I also finally managed to vacuum. I’d been putting it off because I kept telling myself that I was going to get a cleaning lady (I still am, at some point). But I just couldn’t take it any more. I won’t freak you out by telling you just how full the Dyson canister was with cat hair – just remember it’s shedding season. But really, things look quite lovely! I think today I might even go on stain patrol in the living room.

Today’s focus will be on stopping my eyes from this damn allergy-induced tearing; shaking what seems to be a migraine before it evolves; writing up some blog posts for my site (though I can’t seem to think of any particular topics right now – any suggestions?); writing a professional review for a friend that’s up for an entreprenurial award; sending out some author interview questions; and doing some more basic cleaning here in the office. Here’s hoping that it all goes as planned.

Those Dog Days

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While I could be addressing our early, unseasonable heat wave (we’ve been in the 90’s the past couple of days) I’m really just talking about the pupster. I’ve got to take him out today to get his shots updated and pick up some flea meds for the pupster and the kitkat.

You see, the little guy has his interview tomorrow with the folks at his soon-to-be doggy sleepaway camp. We’ve decided to reach out and try a new place for our upcoming Memorial Day weekend to Sonoma trip. But before you can leave your dog in a free-range facility, he needs to go through an extensive interview process. I’m actually quite nervous.

While he has a great knowledge of many commands, well, we’ve all gotten lazy here and haven’t really enforced the whole single command thing. So while he knows exactly what “sit” means, he’ll just look at you like you’re crazy instead of just sitting his butt down. Though more often, if you have a treat in hand, he skips “sit” and goes right to “beg”. Then of course, there’s “down” – man, as a pup in class he was the example of how to break your dog and teach him who is in charge (he peed he got so scared). So to this day, if you say “down”, he’ll talk back. Eventually, he’ll get down, but not after some complaining and it will be totally half-assed. Funny thing, if he’s in bed or on the couch, he will totally do “down” the first time you ask, and even understands “head down”. But on the floor, he hates it.

So do you think they’ll be impressed that his best command is “no squeak”? I mean, he loves those squeaky toys and they drive me crazy. So he knows when we say “no squeak” that he drops it and grabs a silent toy instead. It’s actually pretty cute to see. But I’m guessing it’s not an official command so it probably won’t win him any points, huh?

Oh well, I guess I’ll just continue to work with him. I have until 2:00PM tomorrow to get him to listen on the first command. It could happen. I mean, if he wasn’t so damn contrary – let’s home they welcome contrary at their facility.

Imagine this little face being the model for contrary pups back in his school days…

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Why Do We Wear Belts? And Other Random Thoughts

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I bought one for the first time last week.  My girlfriend kept giving me a hard time for my (brand new) jeans being too big and my always pulling them up.  So I figured what the hell, I’ll buy a belt.  Um…why?  I mean I love that my jeans now stay up and joy of joy, they don’t drag on the floor any more.  But what’s the point if my belt keeps riding above the loops of the jeans and sticks to me?  I’ve already loosened it as much as I can.  Any looser and well, no need for the belt.  I just don’t really get it, but oh well.

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Onto the next topic…crazies on the road!  No really, each time I went out today, some crazy driver did something stupid or totally inconsiderate.

At the farmer’s market, all these big SUVs that barely missed scrapting the ceiling of the parking garages would crawl like a snail through the garage, taking forever.  The would inch over the speed bumps, hanging out their windows hoping they won’t scrape the ceiling.  Maybe they shouldn’t park in parking garages then.  And when I finally did manage to find a parking space, I have to pass it by since some SUV took up all of their space and some of the space next to them to park their monstrosity so it’s not like I could park after all.

At the grocery store, same weirdness.  First, some kid on a bike, talking on a cell phone total whizzes by completely disregarding the 4-way stops that the we all have to stop for.  So you go to make your turn, at your turn, only to have this kid, not paying attention, yammering away on the phone, blow by so you have to slam on your breaks.

Then when it’s finally time to park, I pull into the lane, empty spaces on both sides.  The gal in front of me turns WIDE making me think that she’s going to park her itty bitty car on the right side, so I wait to park on the left side.  She starts waving for me to go around…hello, spots on both sides here, I’ve got on a blinker, either way, I wouldn’t be going around.  I motion that I’m taking the spot on the left so I can’t go around, she pulls up, then proceeds to back into the space on the left.  What?!?  Two spots, wide open on the other side, and yet she still feels the need to swing all the way, nearly into the spot only to back into a space on the left.  Whatever.  I was parked and out of my car before she even managed to finish parking.

On the way home, some chick decides not to take the turn on the yellow and sit through the red.  That’s fine, no need to risk a ticket or whatever.  But she doesn’t even pull up to the line.  She’s half a car length away.  I toot my horn and motion for her to move up so that I can make the right on red (totally legal).  Nothing.  I wait a minute and toot again.  Again, nothing.  One more toot, the passenger in the backseat turns to look at me, I motion to move up, I’m already half into the turn lane so it’s not like they don’t know what’s going on.  Again, nothing.  I give up.  Right before the light changes, she finally pulls up to the line and I pass to make my turn.  The woman is glaring at me.  What?!?

So yeah, seems like there just might be some crazy, inconsiderate people on the road today. Don’t even get me started on our wacky neighbors and how little they understand the basics of street parking.

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And today’s much happier and final topic…I found workshop space!  I kept telling myself that since things with LWL took off so quickly and without my thought behind the process (it’s all about timing), that I was going to spend the month of May figuring how to get more business.  In particular, how to find the right space to teach workshops.  Well, I seem to have lucked out yesterday and found a whole slew of affordable (and local) spaces.  Can’t wait!  Things are really beginning to take off and I’m loving that feeling.

Not Much To Say Lately

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It must be something in the water. I notice that many of the bloggies I follow haven’t been all that chatty lately. Even my email seems quiet lately.  I’ve been busy. I’ve been going to shows, hanging out with friends, reading books, taking pictures, watching movies and even doing some shopping. I’ve been planning my birthday, our anniversary and my birth-a-versary. I’ve been working, networking, meeting new folks. Really, just keeping busy.

But I just don’t have much to say about anything. Interestingly enough, the same is true on the phone with friends and even face to face with my husband. I just don’t have all that much to say. The funny thing, I’ve got about 25 or so drafts started in here that I could probably just writing something about. But I just don’t feel the need or the urge, or the desire. I guess I’m just riding the quiet wave.

I will say that I’m thrilled that decent TV will start back up again this week. It’s about freakin’ time that ABC is bringing their line-up back! I don’t even think I remember where we left off with GA or with Lost and that’s pretty sad if I do say so myself. But of course, I think I’m most thrilled that my guilty pleasure, Gossip Girl will be back! That’s a big’ol WooHoo!!

On that note…I’m out of things to say…

XOXO

LA is Just Too Damn Big!

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How is a gal supposed to find that perfect restaurant for her birthday celebration when the city is so large? Finding something centrally located aside, we still have too many kinds of restaurants to choose from. I’ve been Yelping nearly all day trying to find a place.

You’d think that as often as we dine out (sad, I know) that I’d at least have some ideas about where I might want to go to try for the first time. Or to at least know of a place that I enjoyed so much that I just have to go back again. Thing is, I want a good atmosphere, good food, good prices and good drinks. Oh and not to hip and trendy. Not too much to ask for, right?

It might just be easier if I didn’t also have our anniversary dinner to consider. Though I did decide that since our friend bought us a kick ass bottle of wine for Christmas that we’d drink it for our anniversary. So the actual night of, we’ll just stay home and enjoy the wine with something I’ll make (I’m open to any elegant, yummy, easy, non-salmon recipes or suggestions).

Okay, back to Yelp. I’ve got some work to do. Happy Friday everyone.

Sometimes Music Videos are Still Good

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Even on a slow day, I can have a three-way. I’m so much cooler online…

I’ll listen to pretty much any kind of music. I’m not a fan of hardcore rap or of funkadelic jazz (no matter how many times I see Herbie Hancock live), but otherwise, I’m not too picky. I love 80’s new wave – what can I say, music was fun back then. Day to day (well, first and foremost, LA radio sucks worse than any market I’ve lived in before) I listen to mellow, singer songwriter stuff or country. Considering we don’t have an AAA station out here, that pretty much rules out listening to the singer songwriter, cafe kind of stuff. So country it is.

The other fun thing about country, they still do real videos and actually have channels that play them! Which of course means that those guys now how to have fun with videos like back in the day (man, sometimes I sound old). The latest video that’s cracking me up is Brad Paisley’s Online. It’s got a great all star cast and completely matches the humor in the lyrics. William Shatner cracks me up – is that blond Marcia Brady??

Check it out (sorry it can’t be embeded, it’s put up directly by BP’s people).

Not Fair!!

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Consider yourself warned that this will be the post where a grown adult bitches about zits…

Really.  How is it even possible that continue to get zits when you’re damn near pushing forty?  Isn’t it bad enough that I blessed with horrible skin through most of my adult life.  Isn’t the fact that I have to pay a pretty penny to see a dermatologist (not covered by my basic co-pay) on a regular basis painful enough?  What about the $60+ prescriptions that bleach my clothes and my bedding?

While I don’t mind the occasional, monthly, PMSy blemish from time to time.  But really, the painful ones?  The ones that take nearly a week to surface at which time you’ve dried up half your chin with the prescriptions, yet it’s still there?  Come on, give a gal a break.  Let me have some clear, blemish (and crater) -free skin for longer than a month please.  Shouldn’t I at least be rewarded in some way for getting older and getting even closer to 40?  When is it going to stop?!?!?!

*sigh*

I’m a Prisoner in My Own Home!

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I hate this waiting.  Just sitting here, not able to leave.  Why?  Well, because I’m expecting a wine shipment.  Knowing my luck, if I leave, I’ll miss the UPS guy and then I’ll just have to wait around yet another day.  Interestingly, my UPS guy is normally here before noon.  And now, well, now it’s nearly 4:00PM.

I guess I should be thankful that we have something for dinner so I won’t have to run out last minute.  Of course, I’m going nuts without the milk.  I’m craving tea like crazy since I can’t have a cuppa of course.  But I can always just walk up to the corner – after the wine gets here – and pick some up.

Onto to something totally unrelated…purses.  I’m currently shuffling back and forth between three and can’t seem to make up my mind as to which one to move into already.  Of course, I really, really want a new purse (some might call it a little bit of an addiction), but I’m doing my best to not go there.  Then again, I’m having issues with just how much some purses cost these days – which is code for I’m lusting after a Cole Haan – and why is a decent patent clutch costing $7oish these days?

So how many purses do you own?  More importantly, how many purses do you actually use?  Do you buy new ones each season or each year?

What I Am Doing VS What I Should Be Doing

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What I Am Doing

I’m transferring all my blackberry photos (man some of them really suck) to the memory card so I can add them to flickr.

I’m sitting her (dressed for once – yoga pants still count as being dressed, right?) putzing around reading blogs and other online stuff.

I’m twittering and twittering – basically talking to myself.

I’m waiting for the UPS guy to deliver our wine shipment – of course it was a 9:00am – 5:00pm window.

I’m sitting her shivering just a bit with cold hands because I’m out of milk and don’t feel like herbal tea.

What I Should Be Doing

I should be writing an article on blogging for LWL.

I should be catching up on some business reading so I can prepare for my next workshop.

I should be editing the interview I did months ago so I can get that up on my site.

I should be writing up a slew of interview questions for various authors.

I should be writing up and editing a couple of blog posts for my site.

I should be responding to the emails I have sitting in my inbox waiting for me.

I should be finding a location where I can lead paid workshops.

I should be folding the laundry properly and washing the current batch.

I should be vacuuming – or at least scheduling a cleaning lady.

I should be looking for something to make for dinner tonight and tomorrow (and buying that milk for my tea!)

Well, it looks like there’s more that I should be doing than I currently am doing.  Guess I should get busy then, huh?

Dork!

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My husband is a big ol’ dork.  He just got out of the shower and while getting dressed decided to bump me at my desk.  I asked him what he wanted, thinking that, oh, I don’t know, he might have wanted something and he said “nothing.  I just wanted to push you.  What, you gonna go blog that now?”

Um…yeah, I think I will.  And then I’ll go do laundry.