Winter Procrastination

Sad Bailey is Sad

Not much is going on in my life at this moment, Internets, except my own procrastination. I am sitting in front of my fireplace, drinking a cider (with a teenytiny shot of cinnamon whiskey), looking at our Christmas decorations, and thinking about paying some bills.

I'm enjoying having evenings off.

Yes, the chickens have stockings

We ate fondue and put up our tree on my day off yesterday.

Abe cut off my feet when he took my picture, so I cut off his in retaliation.

I love wintertime.

Cold weather and house pictures

Y'all. It's so cold and windy outside.

Abe went to Costco, but I prefer to experience the howling of the wind from the comfort of my pajamas. I don't know about you, but I believe that people who live in places with months of 100+ degree weather should be allowed to whine and sit inside by the fire when it gets cold enough to kill the aloe vera plants.

Ergo: wah!

I got sort of bored with whining (who knew that was possible?), so I decided to take some crappy cell phone pictures* of the kitchen/dining area of our house in its still-in-progress state.

*I still haven't packed and moved my camera charger because I'm lazy.

This is the kitchen/dining area:

Likes: the fireplace, the big window, over the sink, the color of the kitchen cabinets.

Dislikes: SoMuchBrick!, tile floors, kitchen lighting.

I'd like to paint the brick and take down the mantle, but 1.) I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to do that, and 2.) I'm afraid we might be overwhelmed by too much white space on the walls.

The tile floors would be great, except that they weren't sealed well when they were installed, and are prone to staining and sucking in dirt like weird little tile vacuums.

I'm not sure what we'll do about the lighting.

This is a better picture of the kitchen:

(Note the little bird salt and pepper shakers to the left of the fruit bowl. Love them.)

We painted the kitchen and dining area much brighter colors when we moved in (previously, the rooms were a combination of beige, dark grey, and wall-to-wall wood paneling). I love how bright the kitchen is.

On the other hand, I wish the countertops were solid surface instead of tile. I also have a love/hate relationship with the mini blinds. While the kitchen gets fantastic light during the day, and I love being able to open the blinds to let the sun in, the mini blinds are sort of ugly. Abe hates curtains, so I'm guessing we'll end up getting Venetian blinds or something similar.

I doubt that we'll upgrade the appliances (except maybe the fridge) since it's not our house.

So that is that.

In other news, here is a picture of Bailey looking pensive by the fire:

And here he is doing his Mrs. White impression:

"Fl- flames... Flames on the side of my face!"

And I think it's time for me to put the cell phone down now.

In which I get into dog politics

As I mentioned yesterday, one of my friends just bred her dog. She asked me if I thought she was a bad person for breeding her (far from show quality) boxer, and I didn't know what to say.

I have strong but mixed feelings on dog breeding.

Both Bailey and my childhood dog Kahn were adopted from our local (kill) animal shelter. I intentionally chose to adopt mixed breed dogs both times (yes, even as a seven-year-old). For one thing, purebred dogs are more likely to be plucked out of kill shelters by rescue groups and I wanted to save a dog from euthanasia; for another, Bailey and Kahn were exceptionally cute. I also felt that mixed breed dogs had some advantages over purebred dogs.

I will be the first to admit that my anecdotal evidence is not valid scientific evidence. However, I will say that Kahn was exceptionally healthy for a large dog: he was 16 when he got arthritis and had to be put to sleep. Aside from a bee sting (which cleared on its own before we could get him to the vet), he never had a single health problem before the arthritis. Bailey just turned 8; although he has a nervous stomach and some allergies, he is an otherwise very healthy large dog with great joints and teeth, and is routinely mistaken for a 1- or 2-year-old puppy. I believe both dogs benefited from hybrid vigor.

On the other hand, both Kahn and Bailey grew much larger than predicted by the animal shelter. Both times, we thought we were getting 30-40 pound dogs, not 65 pound miniature ponies. We had no idea what to expect of their temperaments, coats, or exercise requirements. (Since both dogs were what my old vet Dr. Hot referred to as "a mix of every type of dog you'd expect to jump a fence in [a questionable Austin neighborhood]", we should have probably expected the following: strong prey drives, athleticism, and exceptional guard dog abilities.) Both dogs grew double coats that were not ideal for the allergy sufferers in my family. There were times when unexpected problems (Bailey's worship at the altar of non-stop barking, unexpected small animal aggression issues in both dogs, questions about whether mixed breed dogs by their very nature violate homeowners insurance rules against pit bulls) made us question whether or not we ever should have gotten dogs in the first place.

My experiences owning Bailey as an adult and helping raise Kahn as a child led me to my current position on dog breeding and adoption:

• The ideal first dog is an older dog from a shelter or rescue group. You won't have to worry about its personality changing or it suddenly growing a double coat. Frequently, older dogs have had some (or lots of) training. Older dogs are (generally) a lot less work, and a lot easier for beginners. (Yes, they love you just as much. OMG. Seriously.)
  
• Since just about everyone will ignore that advice (because OMG puppiez!!)(I am also guilty), I think there are two other good options:

1. Research dog breeds that suit your lifestyle (think 10 years from now, not just 10 minutes) and buy a puppy from a reputable breeder.
   
2. If you are a bit more flexible in terms of your requirements, adopt a puppy from your local animal shelter.
   

• Please don't get a purebred dog from a breeder on the side of the road. Please don't get a puppy from a friend-of-a-coworker who "forgot" to get her dog spayed. While I'm sure both are probably perfectly nice people, they are contributing to the problem of unwanted dogs in shelters. Please, please don't buy a dog from a pet store.
  
• Unless you know what you are doing and have an exceptionally healthy, high-quality, purebred dog, your dog needs to be spayed or neutered. The dog will be healthier and you will be saner. Bob Barker would thank you. Don't breed your purebred dog unless you have prearranged, well-screened homes for the puppies.
  

All of this is a long-winded way of asking you, Internets, how I should tell my friend I think she's made a terrible decision? How to I (gently) advise her against breeding her dog again?

"Millie" has always been a fairly responsible dog owner (aside from not spaying her dog). She loves her dog the way we should all love our dogs, and takes excellent care of her. I have no doubt that the puppies and mama dog will get proper veterinary care, and that Millie will do her best to try to find good homes for the pups. On the other hand, Millie's giving one of the puppies to her brother, who is notorious for keeping dogs until they are no longer puppies and then losing them or giving them away. She's also not entirely sure that she has homes for the other puppies.

I am not allowing myself to meet the puppies, because I'm afraid that with our new big backyard and Abe's love of boxers, we'll end up with one. I am not immune to puppy kisses.

Sigh.

On my mind, pt. 1

Achilles (I think I'm just going to start calling him Abe from now on) and I are moving in a month or two.

We're going to live in my grandmother's house because it shouldn't sit empty; because it has a huge backyard for Bailey; because it's cheaper and closer to work.

We can't sell the condo right now, so we'll rent it out. I'm not sure that I want to be a landlord, but I think the move will be a good thing. Abe, Bailey and I aren't exactly cramped in the condo, but we'll definitely enjoy a little more room to breathe. It'll be nice to have curb-side recycling and a garden that isn't planted in pots. I'll have a compost bin, and my dad said he'll help me get started raising a few chickens.

Still, it breaks my heart a little to leave my condo. Sure, I joked that ghosts broke every appliance in my first year of home ownership, but I love the high ceilings, the natural light, the safe neighborhood, and the friendly neighbors who tell me over and over how much they adore Bailey.

My grandma's house is older, and a bit dreary. Our new neighbors have emphasized that they are not dog fans, and that they expect that Bailey will not bark. The neighborhood... is a little sketchy, sometimes.

Most likely, things will turn out fine. Most likely, we won't end up with tenants from hell who destroy the condo. We'll clean and paint my grandma's house, and it will feel just as bright and happy as our condo did. Most likely, we'll get along with our neighbors. Maybe they'll even learn to like Bailey, or at least to get along with him.

Most likely, it'll be a good step.

I'm just a little scared to pick up my foot.

Top 5 Tuesday

Dear Internets,

Firstly, thanks for letting me know that I'm not the only person who says "vicious cycle" instead of "vicious circle." Yesterday, I did my best to break out of my vicious cycle by eating three healthy meals and going to CrossFit. Unfortunately, I also had one of those awful nights in which my mind was going 95 miles an hour (or... a lot... of kilometers per hour) until 4:30 a.m. I only got about three hours of sleep, but I'm going to try to avoid letting that derail me.

I thought I'd try something a little different today. Back in the days of my second blog (I didn't really know what I was doing, so I started with TypePad blog and my own domain, then took a giant step backward to a MySpace blog), I used to do a weekly post called "Top 5 Tuesday." It was like my bullet points posts, only better organized. I thought a Top 5 Tuesday post would be a nice change of pace for this blog. (Like ham for Thanksgiving or something.)

Without further ado, here are The Top 5 Things That Kept Me From Sleeping Last Night:

5. Imaginary blog posts. For some reason, I start mentally composing blog posts when I can't sleep at night. I used to get up and actually write down my late night ideas. Then I realized that "great ideas!!" from 2:00 in the morning are rarely even coherent ideas the next morning. They still keep me awake though.

4. Work stuff. I've been stuck on a problem at work. It's boring and computer-y so I won't get into it, but it is not so fun.

3. Second job stuff. Things have been weird there lately. One of the office staff people called me about a minor problem a couple of weeks ago when Bailey was sick. I shouldn't have answered the phone (I'd been crying all day) but I did, and now I feel like they think I'm some sort of crazy emotional weirdo. I don't know whether to try to repair the damage or cut my losses and just have one job for a while.

2. Bailey. As I've mentioned before, he got really really sick a couple of weeks ago. The vet had no idea what was going on, and was saying scary stuff about possible liver or kidney failure. For a few hours, I really thought we were going to have to put Bailey to sleep. He is doing much better now, but he lost about 10% of his body weight, and the vet still isn't sure what happened. I have to make sure Bailey gets enough exercise for stress relief but not so much that he loses any more weight (he was a skinny dog before he lost any weight - he's skin and bones now) and be really careful about what I feed him. I'm sure worrying about the situation isn't really helping anything, but I can't help it.

1. Early onset wedding stress. Before I got engaged, I figured Achilles' and my wedding was going to be a completely low stress and fun celebration. I was not going to be a bridezilla; everyone, including my (one) bridesmaid, would wear what they wanted, eat cupcakes, and dance to fabulous music (even the Macarena, if they really wanted).

Ha. Hahahahahaha.

Internets, something turns screwy in people's brains when they hear the word "wedding." Among other things, I've already been told that I'm too old to wear white (I'm 28), our budget is "ridiculous" if it doesn't include fancy table linens (I don't even have the energy to summon words to express how little I care about table linens in any way, honestly), and that I'm nuts for wanting to allow kids (my 3-year-old nephew is one of my absolute favorite people in the world - I don't care if you have kids at *your* wedding, but I'd like for him to come to mine and Achilles'). One person already threatened not to come to the wedding over one of those three issues. The crazy part is, I'm sure the same people would freak out if I wore a red/pink/blue dress or we spent a ton of money or we *didn't* allow kids. It's hard (for me at least) to believe it, but there are actually people out there who want to be everyone's hop on backseat wedding coordinator.

***
Thanks for letting me vent, Internets. You're a real trooper. I'm feeling much better now that I wrote this all out.

Yours much less stressed-ly,
Jane

You rock, Internets

Dear Internets,

Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I am very excited and only slightly overwhelmed, which I figure is pretty much standard for this stage in the game.

I've been working on writing a post about how Achilles proposed, but it's taking me longer than I planned. Firstly, there's a lot of back story, and I'm not the world's greatest storyteller. (I don't tend to be a very linear thinker, which leads me to write stories that don't have a beginning, middle, and/or end.) Secondly, Bailey had a bit of a health scare this week, and I've been a little shaken up about it. He's much better now, but I still get a little weepy sobby thinking about the whole ordeal.

Anyhoodles, thank you so much for being awesome, Internets. You pretty much rock my socks off.

Love,
Jane

Washers and Dryers, pt 397

Dear Sears,

Here's hoping your repair service is better than your delivery service.

Your friend (at least for now),
Jane

***

Dear Dryer,

Why do you hate us? We have shown you nothing but love. However, I do thank you for breaking while still under the manufacturer's basic warranty.

Love,
Jane

***

Dear Self,

Maybe next time you shouldn't be so smug about declining the extended warranty, no matter what you may have read on Consumer Reports.

Love,
Jane

***

Dear Bailey,

Please don't bite the washer dryer repair guy. Or the plumber. Or the guy who's coming out to dig the tree roots out of the sewer line.

Love,
Mom

***

Dear Inventor of the Monday Morning Meeting,

You and I are not friends. I mean, really.

Jane

***

Dear Internets,

Here's hoping your week is off to a slightly better start than mine!

Kisses,
Jane

Dog days of November

Dear Internets,

I just deleted a post about how awesome the "PediPaws" tool is. It sounded like an advertisement.

But for reals, if you have a dog who 1.) would love nothing more than to have an excuse to sit in your lap, and 2.) turns into Cujo when he gets within 20 feet of a pair of nail clippers, it's worth checking out.

Deep down, Bailey is just a lap dog in a horse's body.

Exhibit A:


Exhibit B:


I think Bailey and I are going to head out for a walk to enjoy the dreary (but lovely) fall weather. Achilles is brewing beer right now, and the whole house reeks of hops. Hops have a fairly pleasant smell, I guess, but right now I sort of feel like I've fallen into a fermented feed silo.

When we get back, I'm going to make ham, cheese, and cornmeal muffins for dinner. I think they'll be delicious served with black beans.

Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon, Internets!

Love,
Jane

Bingo was his name-o

Dear Internets,

Ooh look! Bullet points! With whining!

• I'm really not very good at posting every day. I think if I do this next year, I'll make up some sort of game with prizes. Like blogging bingo, or something... (I am learning some verrrrry basic game programming - maybe I'll even make it fancy. A lot could happen in a year...)
• In other news, my ear infection rages on. My doctor called in a prescription for antibiotics, but it's still in the phase where it will get worse before it gets better. I am trying (mostly unsuccessfully) not to whine to much about it; I go through phases where I get ear infections all the time, and I don't want to use up everyone's sympathy on the first one. It is frustrating not to be able to hear out of one ear; it makes me realize how inconsiderate some people are toward people that have hearing difficulties.
• I am so ready for Thanksgiving break. I really want to take a trip out West - I love the desert and the mountains - but that's not really in the budget right now, and Achilles has a friend coming into town anyway. I am planning to sleep, eat, and drink cocoa.
• The 70's party was not really as much fun as I had hoped. I liked my outfit OK, but I didn't really feel up to doing wild hair and makeup, so I felt a little out of place. (Not being able to drink - stupid antibiotics - probably didn't help much either.) Also, Achilles was being a little bit of a dunderhead.
  

I'll stop whining now. Here's the Sunday Bailey:



Despite the creepy white eyes (stupid flash), I love this picture; I took it about 15 minutes after I gave Bailey that toy bumblebee. He looks so pleased with himself. I think he may have been a revolutionary in a past life. (Also, I miss having hardwood floors. Le sigh.)

I hope your weekend has been footloose and ear infection-free.

Love,
Jane

Is it sad...

Dear Internets,

Is it sad that I still have a MySpace account? I don't really look at it anymore. I figure I'll just leave it until all my "friends" drop off like flies and my only remaining MySpace buddy is Bailey.



Sorry... All I have wanted to do since Daylight Saving Time ended is to go to sleep when it's dark outside (i.e. most of the time). I swear tomorrow will bring a real post.

Love,
Jane

Sunday cop out

Dear Internets,

When friends visit my house, they always say Bailey looks a lot bigger in person than he does in pictures. The problem is, when I get on "dog level" to take pictures of Bailey, I get stepped on. And he is pretty big. And I am a wimp. But for you, Internets, I tried.

Big Bailey:


Small Bailey:


Don't let that innocent look fool you. He's a maniac.

Now I'm going to go eat a cupcake.

Love,
Jane

Distracted again

Dear Internets,

I went to Target last night, looking for a coat rack* and a shoe rack, and found myself drawn like a magnet to the after-Halloween clearance items. Dog costumes on sale for $4.99? Good news for Jane; bad news for Bailey.

*It is weirdly difficult to find a coat rack in Austin. Do we not need cold weather clothing organizational systems just because it doesn't get very cold here? If you blast us with icy winds, do we not shiver???

In other news, I think that I should maybe take my Obama bumper sticker off my car tonight. Don't worry! It's not what you think. It's just that I'm a pretty horrendous driver, and I'm afraid I'll negatively influence a last-minute undecided voter. Maybe instead I should just give myself an extra 30 minutes to get places and drive extra-courteously, in hopes of influencing an undecided voter with my politeness? Probably it doesn't matter - I live in Texas. Sigh.

I'm doing pretty well on my eating healthfully/being active during NaBloPoMo. Yesterday, my only activity was a one mile walk with Bailey, but I fared better with the healthful eating; I made dinners and lunches for the rest of the week. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep this up.

OK, time for a little bit of coffee...

Love,
Jane

Obligatory dog Halloween costume photos

dear mom,

i hates you.

love,
bailey



P.S. i hates kitty-cat costoom even more. did not fit. FAIL.



P.P.S. daddy? where u go? please to come rescue me now love bailey

.

Bullet points are our friends

Dear Internets,

I have a little bit of a headache today, so, um... high five for bullet points!

• I finished taking care of the ticket I got a couple of months ago. It was mostly painless to deal with; I took defensive driving and got my court records online, and then dropped everything off at a satellite police station. (If they'd only set things up so I could submit all of my forms online, I'd be one happy little lead-footed driver.)
• Because of the ticket, I should be saving some money on my car insurance. How backwards is that? (My insurance company gives a discount for completing defensive driving. My discount was about to expire, so getting a ticket wasn't as much of a pointless pain as it might have been. Again, though, I wish I could somehow submit the paperwork to my insurance company online.)
• I realized that I will be able to pay off the smaller of my two (consolidated) student loans this month. I want to be student loan-free before I'm thirty, so it will be exciting to see one of the loans drop off my monthly statement.
• Bailey's black cat costume came in the mail today. I think it makes him look more like Batman than Catdog, so I might return it. I'm going to get Achilles' opinion.
• I don't have any days off until Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, job #2 will pretty much slow to a complete stop until spring. I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself.
• I'm going to stop talking now before the Internets decide we can't be friends anymore.

Love,
Jane

Pictures of puppies make the Internets smile

Dear Internets,

I'd like you to meet Bailey, my bad dog.

Love,
Jane