Pupperinos

Pictures of the pupsters. Click on the image for a much bigger version. Oh they are so cute.

I am a crazy person

I volunteered this weekend to foster 2 5-week-old Chow puppies for 3 weeks and surprise, surprise they're a lot of work. I love watching and being with them but phew they take a lot of energy. They only sleep about 5 hours a night, which isn't bad but could be better. Work is so kind to let me work from home in the afternoons so I can let them out of the crate after the long morning. Their names are Kia (tan girl) and Mazda (black/grey boy). The shelter woman got a kick out of naming the whole litter after cars. Some of theirlitter mates include Datsun, Nissan, and Mercedes.

So far, they have impressed me with their ability to pick up paper-training but I wish they would enjoy being in their crate more. Every time I put them in they scream bloody murder but slowly I am showing them that going in the crate is not always a bad thing. Right now I feel so bad for not being with them. They are probably miserable. I better get back to work but check back for puppy updates.

Blue BRATT Training Week 2

The best dog I walked on Saturday

My Saturday at the shelter was fairly eventful. One of my dogs, Domino a beefy Dalmatian mi, refused to go back into his kennel. All the treats and sweet-talking could not convince him the kennel would be an all right place to go. Poor baby. I finally had to just pick him up and lug him into the kennel. After already feeling like a bad dog handler, I took Bono a cute 6-month-old lab mix. I should have just stopped with Domino and waited for my 9:30 class to begin. But oh no I thought I would take one more dog out. Bono was a MESS. First he jumped like crazy and when I turned my back on him he just tore my sweater practically off my body with his teeth. He then thought pulling my sweater was a fun game and tugged and tugged and pulled and shook it. I kept saying I don't know how to correct him I haven't had that class yet! Finally, at the advice of a higher level BRATT, I stepped out of the run until he calmed down. He was visibly bummed that I was no longer in there to "play" with him and that was just the kind of "punishment" he needed to realize that what he was doing was not acceptable. I then took him back to the kennel and the other BRATT followed after me showing me how to hold his leash and collar so he couldn't bite it. Just as we made it to the kennel door she said, "you did a great job" with him and before I could say thank you BONO slipped out of his collar and ran down the hall. What a pain. I had to carry him into his cage as well. I then stumbled into the training class with a hole in my jeans and a bruise to my confidence. The training didn't do a lot to improve my confidence. We were taught the commands for sit, down, and come. Only one of my practice dogs actually did those things. Oh well, mistakes are how you learn right. Hopefully, next week I will do better. One thing I did learn was the "green" dogs really were easier to handle than the blue dogs. The scary thing is that wacky BONO was a green dog.

Book Club and Other Reads VI

Friday night was book club at my friend and neighbor A's house. She lives only a block and a half away and I love that I can just walk to her house for book club. Her husband is so sweet, he always hangs around and chats with us and he gave me a flash light for my walk back because he was worried I would get hit by a car. Sweet. I didn't really need it though. They live in the cutest little purple house (the only purple house in our neighborhood for that matter) with a gigantic kitchen that I completely covet. When A and her husband moved in to the neighborhood they didn't hit it off very well with the bossy, overbearing neighbors. The neighbors presented them with a litany of things they didn't want them to do with the house but out of the goodness of their hearts said "oh we don't care what color you paint your house as long as you don't paint it a horrible color like purple." The next weekend her house was purple.
Book club was a lot of fun even though it was again a small turn out and I wasn't all that crazy about the book, One Writer's Beginning by Eudora Welty. I thought it was kind of boring and not really about writing but it was only 100 pages so I can't complain too much. I am looking forward to the next book The History of Love by Nicole Krause. Mostly, I am excited about this book because the other suggestions sounded so depressing (a book about racism in Texas and another about food production) that an easy modern fiction piece sounded fantastic!! Right now, I am reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. The recent movie Capote was based on his experiences while writing the book and I really wanted to read the book before I saw the movie and I finally found it in a used book store a couple of months ago. So far it is a real page turner. In fact I am going to rush over to my big hotel bed and read it as soon as I finish this post. I am in Maryland right now and will be here until Friday. I can't wait to get back to Tx though it is an obsece 55 degrees here. Yikes! In Austin it is 70 and I think on Friday it will be 81 ah now that is fall! Ok I do admit the autumn colors here are just breathtaking. I guess a little chilly weather is worth something.

Weekly Poem 2

I bet you thought I was going to forget to post a new poem this week. (shaking head) What me start something and not continue it...? pshaw Ok so it was close, I know but I did I find another poem. This is from Jane Kenyon a strong, imagistic poet who passed away from cancer in 1995. I have been reading her a lot lately because her voice and themes really resonate with me. really love how effortlessly she paints such tangible scenes that depict the details of life. I hope you enjoy this bold and vivid poem.

The Wash

All day the blanket snapped and swelled
on the line, roused by a hot spring wind.
From there it witnessed the first sparrow,
early flies lifting their sticky feet,
and a green haze on the south-sloping hills.
Clouds rose over the mountain. At dusk
I took the blanket in, and we slept,
restless, under its fragrant weight.

Jane Kenyon

New Recipes

Oh how did it already become Friday? Whew this week went by fast and I have been so bad about posting too. I don't even have a good excuse. Last week I posted more frequently and I was a lot busier. Well I guess it helps to have something to write about. This week we just stayed at home and watched a lot of TV. Last night, I did make a really involved meal that took up a good junk of the night.

For the last month, CornyT and I have been playing a "game" where one of us makes a brand new recipe a week. So CornyT started the first week by making a Chicken Curry, the following week I made an Indian Chicken dish and CornyT followed up with a very yummy Chicken stew with artichokes. This week it was my turn. Since we had leftover cabbage from CornyT's scrumptious wonton soup I thought I would try my hand at Lebanese cabbage rolls.

Ah how I love the cabbage rolls my Aunt Rosie makes and I have not had them in so long. My version of the dish was merely mediocre. First, my cabbage rolls were more like cabbage pockets. When CornyT made the soup he had cut the head in half across rather than length-wise. This left me with stubby little leaves that I tried to patch together. Not that I am blaming him, how did he know I would need a big leaf. Anyway, this left me with a lot of extra filling that I kind of just shoved into the already overstuffed pockets. However, I cannot blame CornyT for the bland filling. Maybe I just spent too much time in NM and have an exaggerated need for spicy food, but I thought the rice and hamburger was just a little too mild. Next time I am going to add more tomato paste, garlic and onion. Hopefully, that will help. And anyway I don't remember Rosie's cabbage rolls being bland. What I did enjoy was the smell of the rice and meat mixture as I was cooking it. The moment I added cinnamon and cumin it just smelled liked middle eastern food. mmm yum yum.

Dogs are Amazing

When I first started volunteering at AHS, they had a nine year old chow named Cole who was just a big sweetie. She was at the shelter for four months and a full month after I started before she finally found her new home. Her new "mom" recently called the AHS staff to give them an update on how Cole was doing. The update pasted below is so touching I thought I would share it with all of you.

I received a call from the woman who adopted Cole, the beautiful 9 year old Chow that was with us for 4 months. She had such a sweet story to tell us all.

Her father had been very ill and was dying when she adopted Cole. She said Cole quickly bonded with her father and laid by his bed every day during his last 3 weeks before he passed. She said Cole brought much comfort to her father. She felt that Cole knew her father needed her to watch over him and did not want to leave his side. Now that her father is gone, she and Cole are very close. Cole is helping her during this grieving period in her life. She said she adopted the most wonderful, loving dog and can't imagine her life without her.

Stories like this are what help keep us coming in to do the work that we do as volunteers. What a wonderful success story for a great dog who had a long journey getting home!

Blue BRATT Training

Today I started my 5 week training to be a more advanced volunteer at the Austin Humane Society. Currently, I am a green volunteer meaning I am responsible for walking well behaved dogs that don't pull on the leash, fight with other dogs, or just exhibit generally bad behavior. As a BLUE volunteer, I will be responsible for walking the more challenging dogs, giving them basic training (sit, down, stay etc.) and spending a little more time handling and socializing the dog. In addition to working with the challenging dogs, I will also be asked to help train new volunteers.

In today's training, we learned how to establish a mark word when training the dogs. AHS promotes using positive training to reward and reinforce good behavior. Two of the techniques we learned today were the before mentioned mark word and the attention game. To establish the mark word you say the word- in this case "yes" - and you immediately give the dog a treat. This tells the dog that when he/she hears this word they should expect something good. Essentially it bridges the action with the treat in the dogs mind making it easier for the dog to learn and replicate the good behavior. The trainer can then give the dog a command, mark it when it is done, and then treat them. We practiced this with the attention game. The attention game rewards the dog for giving you his/her undivided attention because you can't train a dog if they are not looking at you. We start in front of the dog with our hands behind our back and quietly wait for the dog to make eye contact with us. Once the dog makes eye contact we say the mark word and treat them from one hand, we then wait for them to make eye contact again and say the mark word, then treat them from the other hand. Depending on how distracted the dog is this can take a while. Once the dog has it down with hands behind the back, we bring our hands to our sides and wait for them to stop looking at our hands and make eye contact with us. After he/she can do it with your hands to your sides you move them in front of you (closer to him/her). A well trained dog will just look at you and not your hands but that of course takes a while. The rest of the training was devoted to learning breed specific behavior and how to tailor your training around specific breed traits. Next week we cover dog development and more training techniques.

Dinner Party

Last night CornyT and I hosted a dinner party here at the house for a few of our friends including CornyT's former professor. We had been meaning to invite Debra (CT's prof) to see the new house for a long time and we finally got around to it. The kitchen really seemed small with CornyT and I both trying to cook in it. Actually, I find cooking in that kitchen easier by myself but it was nice to only have to make a couple dishes. I made a roast pork which turned out to be a little too dry and I told every one too, Chinese broccoli, and peach bombs for dessert. The Peach bombs were fairly successful and a good dish to make for Diabetic guests. Take 4 peaches, wrap them each in about half of a deep dish pie crust and bake at about 350 for 45. You can serve drizzled with powdered sugar like I did (for non-diabetics) and I bet they would also be really good with vanilla ice cream. CornyT made a Chinese noodle dish, wonton appetizers, and we bought a premade roast duck - yum yum. Overall, I think it was fairly successful. We had a nice time chatting after the meal and I really enjoyed having a house full of people. That being said though I am kind of looking forward to the rest of the weekend Twin Peaks and Prison Break. A perfect thing to do on a overcast weekend day.

Hubbard Street Dance

This evening Crishauna (my BBBS little sister) and I saw a performance of the Hubbard Street Dance Company. One of Crishauna's interests is dance and I thought that even though this might be "good" for her she also may actually like it. While we were waiting for the show to begin I aesked her if she had ever seen a ballet. She had and the symphony too. She fell asleep through all of them though. At the end of this show she was still awake. Score one for modern dance. I say modern dance but don't get me wrong this wasn't a bunch of morose artsy types enacting the mysteries of the human condition through variations of the Robot. No, along with the lush, fluid, and athletic movement this performance mixed the poignancy with a healthy portion of humor. The music was also modern and whimsical making the numbers more engaging than a typical dance troupe piece. Anyway, it was something fun to do with C and now that she is 13 it is getting harder and harder to find things she is interested in doing with me. It was also nice of UT to donate the tickets for the kids.

Weekly Poem 1

Ever since last week when I was compelled to include a poem here I have been thinking why not try to post a poem every week? So, here it goes. Below is one of my favorite poems of all time from the poet, William Carlos Williams, who truly says so much with so few words.

This Is Just to Say
by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Lennon's Birthday

In honor of John Lennon's birthday everyone should leave a little time for Watching the Wheels and while you're at Imagine no need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man.

Peace

Ahh I love those two songs. I could listen to them all day.

House Fire

On my way back from lunch today, I noticed a trail of thick black smoke above the hills near my office. As I got to the highway leading to my office I looked to my left and nestled in the trees I witnessed bright orange flames devouring a structure. From my vantage point I couldn't tell if it was a home, an office building, or an apt bldg but I could definitely it was a big bldg. I have never seen a raging structure fire quite that close to me and it was quite an impressive site. Later I found out it was in fact a home and thankfully no one was there at the time of the fire. I feel for those people who have just lost their house and their belongings. How devastating.

Lazy Dogs and Foster Orientation

Jethro

Yesterday was the first Saturday of the month and as I was quickly reminded by the unusually full parking lot that means new volunteer orientation at the shelter. The volunteer orientation is held in the auditorium so no playing ball with the dogs but at least I could take them out for walks. There were more green volunteers than usual and only about 4 green dogs in the whole shelter. I am not sure why there were so many more volunteers but I had to walk one of the dogs twice because there just weren't a lot of dogs to walk. You would think that would make the dog happy but the one I took out twice, Breun , a little shepherd mix I think was very bored with me. The moment we got to the potty runs she hunkered down and would not get up for a good 15 minutes. I tried coaxing her with treats, calling her excitedly to the gate, and gently pulling on her leash and nothing worked. Everyone who saw her resisting me began to worry she was sick and I have to admit I worried she was sick too. Eventually she got up and we wondered off to the field where she was a little more energetic. I did however write down in the log books that she was so lethargic. The other two dogs I walked were Jethro, a very large and energetic dog that I think will be moved to blue because of his tendency to bite the leash and pull and Crash, a sweet basset hound that I think may also be a little sick though. Poor guy. After my regular volunteer shift I took the foster orientation. Now I will be able to help the shelter by temporarily taking care of dogs that for any reason can not stay in the shelter. I am looking forward to getting to bring a pup home soon and I think it will be good practice for Mike and I and for the cat to get used to pups around.

Breun (lazy bones)

Lost Premiere

Last night was the Lost season premiere and we decided to get off of our couch and really honor the sensation that has swept the nation. And how did we do that you ask? By driving 20 minutes across down to sit on someone else's couch to watch it and play a drinking game:). A drinking game? Yeah I know I have been out of college for over 7 years but I just took little sips on my wine every time Sawyer or Jack got in a fight. Actually having funny things to look for during the show made it even more fun to watch. What was really hysterical is that the first drinking game rule is to drink if the show starts with a close-up of someone's eye and sure enough the first shot was someone's big ole eye. I never noticed they frequently started episodes like that but I guess they do. Also, I should clarify that when I said "we decided" it really was more like I decided and convinced CornyT to come along with me to my coworker's apartment. I think all and all he had a good time and it was good for us to meet some new people. Although, we probably stayed about a half hour to long and he was starting to get a little tired. It was a work night and 10:30 is a little late. My coworker and his friends are a good 5 to 10 years younger than us but they are really sweet and I think we have a lot in common, being avid TV fans being the biggest commonality. Overall, the Lost episode was just ok. I am sure a lot of people disagree with me but other than the revelation of the others living in a suburban type community replete with book clubs and sprinkler systems I don't feel like they really showed us anything new or interesting about the characters. That being said I am still going to watch it although I think I will let CornyT record it so we can fast forward through all the commercials next time.

Reflections and Gratitude

Today, I find myself feeling very sad and frustrated about the ephemera of life. All the cliche's are right it really is too short. At the same time, this feelilng gives me an even stronger sense of gratitude for the gifts that are all my friends and family and the little things, like a strong cup of coffee, a good conversation, a bite of dark chocolate etc... What is a little thing you are grateful for? Post in the comments.

While I was taking a break I found this poem that although is not perfect sums up a lot of what I am feeling today. Enjoy.
(PS in an effort to be an organized blog...expect more daily themes to make an appearance here:)

A Man In His Life

A man doesn't have time in his life
to have time for everything.
He doesn't have seasons enough to have
a season for every purpose. Ecclesiastes
Was wrong about that.

A man needs to love and to hate at the same moment,
to laugh and cry with the same eyes,
with the same hands to throw stones and to gather them,
to make love in war and war in love.
And to hate and forgive and remember and forget,
to arrange and confuse, to eat and to digest
what history
takes years and years to do.

A man doesn't have time.
When he loses he seeks, when he finds
he forgets, when he forgets he loves, when he loves
he begins to forget.

And his soul is seasoned, his soul
is very professional.
Only his body remains forever
an amateur. It tries and it misses,
gets muddled, doesn't learn a thing,
drunk and blind in its pleasures
and its pains.

He will die as figs die in autumn,
Shriveled and full of himself and sweet,
the leaves growing dry on the ground,
the bare branches pointing to the place
where there's time for everything.

Yehuda Amichai

Happy Birthday Aunt Viola

I would like to wish a very happy birthday to Vi today. They are throwing her a big bbq back in SD tonight and I so wish I could be there. Have a great day Aunt Vi!

Social Saturday

Saturday afternoon CornyT and I saw Jet Li's Fearless with a friend. Although I consider myself a passivist and hate violent, gory movies, I love martial arts and boxing movies. The grace and athleticism of hand-to-hand combat can be breathtaking to watch. Fearless didn't fail to provide dazzling, athletic fight scenes. The movie is based on the story of a real Chinese hero named Huo Yuanjia. Huo Yuanjia's father was a master martial artist but did not want to teach him the art because he was sickly and thought he would be better off pursuing academics. Huo Yuanjia learned martial arts in secret by copying his father and later restored national pride to a demoralized China. The movie includes some stunning fight scenes, and although Jet Li is aging he seems as impressive as the first time I saw him in Lethal Weapon almost 10 years ago.
After the movie, we all had dinner at Madam Mam's Thai restaurant. I am pathetic every time I watch and Asian movie I always want to eat Chinese food after. The Thai place was so close so I figured it would satisfy the craving. Ah and it was excellent. It is so fun that we are getting some well established Austin restaurant's in our neighborhood. Madam Mam's original restaurant is across from the University and is a popular student eatery, so I really felt like our area was getting hip when they put in this one just down the road from us a couple of months ago. Soon after that they built a branch of another Austin favorite called Hyde Park grill next to. Yay Go property values!!:) We haven't been to Hyde Park grill yet because it is so crazy busy still but as soon as the hype wears down it will be a nice restaurant option after we watch a movie.
After dinner, we met another group of friends at a new Austin bar called Barton Creek Saloon. Located near some trendy Austin hangouts like Chuys (where the Bush daughter was arrested for MIP years ago) and Shady Grove and just a few blocks south of town down I thought for sure it would be a yuppie haven. Not at all, in fact this converted gas station still felt more like an old 7-11 than a nightspot and with the 90's heavy metal blaring all night we all felt a little like we were in our youth again and were hanging out behind the convenience store guzzling down a six-pack;). I was especially entertained by the giant Moose rack replete with skull holding an American flag in its mouth. Cute. It did actually make for a very relaxed night and we had a good time planning a pie partying and talking about one of our friend's nightmare teaching experiences. All in all it was a really fun day and it was such a nice end to a crazy couple of weeks.

Collar Anxiety

Yesterday was the first Saturday I had a twinge of dread about going to the shelter. The thought of getting the tight collars on those squirming dogs and taking them out to the field with the potential of losing one to the busy nearby traffic just horrified me. When I got there my favorite senior volunteer Amy was there and immediately empathized with my field fear confessing to me that she was also horrified the first time she took the dogs out on the leash. The first dog I took out was Elmer, and Amy checked his collar and assured me it was adjust perfectly for him. So I confidently strutted out to the field with pup in towe and the second we stepped out the door he sat down. He was not the least bit interested in going out to the field. "Ah Elmer" I said "your collar is perfect you have to go for a walk." Eventually, I lured him out with treats but our walk consisted mostly of him munching on grass and squirming around on his back begging for belly rubs. I did run into a little trouble when I tried to get his collar off- I couldn't get a good grip on the strap to loosen it up. I was so lucky that he just sat there patiently while I tugged at is neck for what felt like half an hour. Next, I took Ringo a pit-bull corgi mix, named for the adorable black ring- ala-little-rascals dog- around his left eye. This was a completely different experience. He couldn't get out to the field fast enough and we even ran up and down the field a little. All in all the fear of taking the dogs to the field was completely conquered by the end of my 2 hour shift and I am dying to get back out there next weekend.
For a little shelter news, I am happy to report that the two Katrina dogs, Shadow and Beethoven, we're adopted this week by a woman looking specifically for a pair of dogs. Shadow was starting to go a little kennel crazy, pulling on the leash and being a little dog aggresive so this is very good news for him. You may remember from my first shelter day, that Beethoven (aka Butter) was my first escapee. I will always remember him fondly and hope he and his buddy are very happy at their new home. On a slightly sad note, the shelter also had to put down a dog named Martin for excessive aggression and unadoptability. I didn't personally know this dog but I know a lot of the volunteers were very sad this had to happen. I am sure to euthanizations in one week was hard on everybody.