It's Done

Finally, I thought it would never happen but my Christmas shopping is officially finito! Well... kind of I still have to get my grandpa a small gift and get CornyT's present but we always get our presents after the holidays because it is just cheaper and easier. For some reason I was really stressing about Christmas shopping this year. Maybe it was because everything that was going on, getting a new job etc but I just didn't have the energy to look for gifts. In fact, I think I spent more time thinking about how much I didn't want to go shopping than I spent actually shopping. Lots of misspent energy. I think some people have a gift for effortlessly finding the perfect gift and I unfortunately was not bestowed with such a gift. The only thing I hate to shop for more than Christmas presents are souvenirs when I am on a vacation. I can never find the right thing and I always feel so ripped off. but enough whining. The shopping is done and I can enjoy the rest of the season. Mmm bring on the Christmas dinners and treats. Thats my favorite part of the season. The eating!!

Shelter Happenings and Golden App

Casey

The shelter is closed to the public Saturday mornings so I have had little experience talking with potential adopters and in fact my time at the shelter is usually kind of conversation free. I have gotten to know the other volunteers and we do chat briefly about the dogs on occasion but usually when your in the runs or out in the field with a dog everyone respects your one-on-one time with the dog. This is something I really appreciate about the shelter. I really enjoy connecting with the dog and not feeling obligated to make small talk with people. Don't get me wrong I love chatting and socializing but the dogs need my attention more when we are together. Anyway, today for some reason I encountered so many chatty volunteers and inquisitive members of the public. One volunteer talked my ear off in the run complaining about the numerous rules and regulations at our shelter. I tried to be sympathetic to her complaints but also supportive of the shelter. I think the shelter has valid reasons for limiting what dogs new volunteers can walk. I don't think it is too much to ask that people are really dedicated and at least a little trained before they are asked to walk more energetic and potentially problematic dogs. Anyway, I felt terrible because we spent so much time talking that I didn't notice that her dog Chechi and mine, Mimosa, were getting a little agitated and before I noticed it they started fence fighting. Teeth bare and snarling. Yikes. That was actually the first fence fight I have encountered. I gently draped my leash around my dog's chest and tugged a bit. This distracted her and she came right to me but the other dog was still barking aggresively. Both are incredibly sweet, calm dogs- just not too into eachother. Anyway, after that I took Mimosa out to the field and while we were sitting on the grass a guy came right up to us asking if he could volunteer. I informed him of the new volunteer class every first weekend of the month and told him to go to the website. Just weird. Then I had to lead a couple of girls through the shelter to receiving so they could pick up a cat. It was just kind of odd all the encounters with people. Usually it's just me and the dogs. I did get some really quality one-on-one time with Casey a spunky Sharpei mix who is becoming my favority shelter dog. She is so smart and knows just what she wants. If she doesn't want to go back to her kennel or out to the field, she steps on the leash so you can't go forward or she just sits down and refuses to move. The behavior is of course not what the shelter is trying to promote and I always correct her but I am so taken by her intelligence. She really just wants to spend all day in the auditorium playing with toys. When you take her to the hallway she goes straight to the auditorium door and sits down. She is going to need a really strong leader to adopt her but as long as she knows who is boss I think she will make someone a great dog. In fact, we are going to have her come over for a sleep over Tuesday night so she can get some RR from the shelter and we can see how Livia reacts with a big dog in the house. I can't wait. I also have a phone interview with the Golden rescue group about adopting a dog. Oh I think I may be making the big adoption commitment soon:).

What part of Christmas are you?

Lately, I would say I am the cranky, crumudgeonly part of Christmas. I have been so stressed by the pressure to buy good gifts and make all the travel arrangements, that I have expressed little Christmas spirit. In fact, I have been trying to convince people that we should only celebrate Christmas once every 2 years. Like the Olympics it would be more special if we had to wait a little while for it. This little test however has proved that underneath my grinch exterior is a little Christmas "angel". ha ha Wings would make it easier to get back from the wild holiday parties. Inspired by Silver's site

Girl's Night again

This Wednesday I had a much needed girl's night. We had dinner and drinks at a local restaurant and tavern type place called Freddies. The restraunt's centerpiece is it's large outdoor dining area that backs up to a creek. Huge oaks draped in christmas lights line the perimeter giving the whole place a real "back yard" feel. We of course sat inside. It may be Texas but it is still December and it does get a little chilly here on occasion. I did notice on the front door that every Sunday they host a stupid dog trick contest. Oh I am so going to talk CornyT into going there one Suday for that. Especially, after we get a dog. My hope is that will be very soon too. I really have my heart set on a golden. I think as soon as we get back from the holiday tour 2006, I am going to submit an adoption app to the local golden rescue. I feel bad for not adopting from my shelter but I really feel like a golden is the perfect breed for me. Anyway, girl time was great and it gave me a great opportunity to vent about the stress of starting a new job and the holiday season. Ah what would I do without girl friends.

Feeling Down

It's been a bad day and I needed something to lift my spirits. So, I went out for cheesy texmex (lactaid pills in-hand), watched News Radio, and looked at all the cute animal pictures I could point my browser to.



These pictures especially cheered me up. Hope you enjoy them too. If you need more you can find them at this site www.funnyanimalz.com.

Presents and Holiday Parties

I just noticed that my last post was my 150th post. Wow I just don't shut up do? I get such a kick out of writing this and I want to thank you all so much for putting up with my blabberings on here. Here's to 150 more, hopefully I can get there and bore you all with more of my yammerings.
Last night, Crishauna and I spent the evening at a local women's shelter wrapping presents for the families living in the shelter. I am not sure if she really enjoyed the present wrapping but I thought it was a nice way to spend our time together. And despite her grumbling I think she did enjoy talking to some of the other little sisters while we wrapped gifts. I was sad to hear from her that she got suspended for fighting again this semester. Her mom forced her to move to another school this year in hopes that she would have a new start and not get into trouble any more. Unfortunately, it looks like it didn't work exactly as her mom had hoped. Hopefully, she will out grow this aggressive behavior. Oh well all I can do as a big sister is to listen and try to show her that fighting is not the answer.
Tonight, CornyT and I went to a holiday party hosted by a local paper he occasionally writes for. Now that was one hell of a holiday party. They had free food, drinks, and a great live band. We ate till our bellies were bulging and danced our booties off. The band played great classic rock hits from bands like Led Zepelin, the Who, Aerosmith etc. So fun. We didn't know a soul at the party but still had a blast sipping our free (yet bad- get what you pay for) cabarnets and singing ourselves horse. Tomorrow, I think we are going to another party and listening to CornyT's students read there work at a city wide reading.
Tomorrow

First day of the new job and other stuff

The first day went fairly well. Everyone is nice and the office is kind of lively but quiet enough to get some work done. Being new and getting used to the ropes is always a little awkward. I am sure I will feel comfortable soon. The drive wasn't too congested at 7:30 but I am going to have to leave a little earlier in the evening. Thank goodness for books on tape, they make being stuck in traffic bearable. In fact, sometimes I enjoy just sitting listening to the stories. Crazy, huh? Today I started This Much I Know is True by Wally Lamb. So far it is dumb fun and it is 32 hours long. Phew that is a long time in traffic.
This weekend was a great one for the shelter. We had 18 adoptions and a kind, charitable soul dropped off a donation check for $6000! Nice huh? That is true holiday spirit.

Time off and Shelter Update Dec 3

This post is truly my yammerings and catching up with the last week. I had the last week off but I was still bad about blogging. On Tuesday. I drove Mamie back to Lake Charles, which took the whole day. On Wednesday, I volunteered at the shelter, spent the afternoon reading, and went to bookclub. Ah it was a very nice day. The rest of the week I caught a few movies, did some chores around the house and basically lounged around. The party is over now. Although, I am ready to get back to work, I am a little nervous about the new job. All the usual worries before starting something new; will I like it, will it go well... I feel a little like it's the night before the first day of school:). This weekend I did my first one-on-one with new volunteers at the shelter. I probably overwhelmed them with information but there is a checklist of about 15 to 20 things you have to teach them to do. The key things are to open the cages inward and always close the cages when you leave. I hope I reinforce those things enough. Hopefully, they won't feel quite as overwhelmed as I did my first couple of days.