Gray mist

Last night's dog obedience class didn't go as well as the others have. The ADHD in my dog showed up and he would not stop trying to eat the grass, or something in the grass, or pay attention to me very much at all. Ok, it wasn't really that bad, he was still one of the best behaved there, but it was a little out of character for him, and I expect a lot from him. So, this week we are going to have to work some extra to see if we can not have that happen again. He did do very well with leave it though. He was in a down-stay and the instructor came around dropping treats in front of each dog to see what they will do, and he stared at the treat really hard for a while, but didn't move. Good boy!

We continue working on our newest command, stand. Bleys has a hard time with this one because his instinct by now is, when in doubt - sit. This comes from him having to sit to be petted, or jump on the couch, or the bed, or whatever else, this being a "nothing in life is free" kind of household. He is about 50% on the stand command now, but I'm just not sure that he's got it, so, we will have to keep working on it. I would also like to teach him some silly tricks, so when people ask me, does he do any tricks I will have something. So far I've focused mostly on the behaviors that are useful to me, but most people don't find them terribly impressive (even though they totally are).

I'm attempting to be outgoing a little later today. There is a group of local divers (and some out of town guests) getting together later this evening for a cookout/get-together, and Dave and I are going. Hopefully it will be a good time. I only know one person who will be there (that nice lady who went shore diving with me on Wednesday), so I will need to put on my extrovert pants for the meeting of new people. I am also bringing my homemade marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate for some s'more action. I soaked some wooden skewers in water earlier and now they are drying off so they will be ready for the flames. Who knows maybe I will meet some more people who need a dive buddy.

On another note I saw the Colbert Report last night and they had a story about my favorite restaurant...The Melting Pot. It wasn't terribly favorable toward it although the whole piece was clearly tongue in cheek. Well, what isn't on that show, right? What I can't figure out is how they came up with how much it cost to eat there. In the story a couple went out to dinner for the woman's birthday and theoretically it cost 150 dollars. I keep trying to make that work out, but the only thing I can think of is that they didn't do their research very well and neglected to notice that the meals are generally priced by the couple (not individually), hence it 'cost' twice as much as would normally be the case. Or perhaps they had two other people with them that they were paying for, but we didn't see in the footage? Or maybe they got some really expensive wine? It was a funny bit, but it won't stop me from angling for The Melting Pot every time someone asks me where I want to go for dinner. Ok, maybe not every time, but clearly many times out of ten.

Please

I got to go diving today! Woot + 1/2! It was a very nice shore dive with a person I met on a diving message board. She lives up in the Palm Beach area and was nice enough to not only drive down to Ft. Lauderdale to dive, but to let me borrow a tank as well. So I dove for about 3 dollars in quarters for parking. It doesn't get much better than that. Maybe she will want to go diving again! I think she is a bit younger than I am (and a whole lot thinner) and seems very interested in diving. She also mentioned that the reefs up near Boynton Beach are sweet, so maybe I will drive up there to try again.

Today was a shallow dive, which means we could stay down for a long time (I think we ended up around 1:45) and we saw a buncha-buncha fish. I don't know the names of many any of them but in honor of Roland I started naming them things like Kite Fish and Kissy Face Fish. This made me really want the ocean life ID set I found at Amazon. Too bad it's mega expensive. I guess if I had to pick one of the three I would get the fish ID book as they are what catch my eye first, although I would like to know about the other stuff too. In any case it was a lovely day which made me think:

Jason - you have to come back and go diving again! Maybe this time we could take Nitrox?

Crack Puppy

Bleys loves to sleep in the cracks:

Grrr

I woke up grumpy today, it got better during the day, but now I'm actively angry. What turned the tables? My stupid apartment complex. Now the "pool is closed until further notice." For crying out loud.

In case you were wondering, yes the treadmill is still broken so now, not only can I not walk to get some exercise (it's simply too hot for me to walk outside without danger of a heat stroke, plus I liked the incline so I could make it a cardio workout) I can't swim either. I guess it wouldn't bother me if I didn't pay a bajillion dollars a month in rent. I don't get any equity out of it, so I feel like they should be darn sure that the extras they promised are available...well, at least half of them would be nice.

Other things they aren't doing:

This is theoretically a gated community, although the gate has been broken since before we moved in and there has never been a guard.

The tennis courts have been closed/locked up since last October.

MER!

Marshans

For reasons I can't explain, I felt the need to make marshmallows.



I think they turned out pretty well, but I think the powdered sugar you need to shake them in (due to the extreme stickiness) makes them a little too sweet. I'll have to see what Roland thinks though. Do they make strawberry extract or something like that? I think flavored 'mallows would be nice.

Guess Who!

Are you ready for some cutitude?

The other morning I woke up before Roland (well, that happens a lot) but this particular morning Bleys missed Roland...a lot.



Seriously, he laid there with his nose pressed against the door, waiting for Roland to get up for at least a half an hour. Later that day, after using the computer for a while with Bleys sleeping at my feet, I got up and went in the other room and when I came back...



Gak, the cuteness! The chair-stealing cuteness! Then he got really comfortable.



"Your chair? I haven't seen your chair anywhere. This is my chair, isn't that obvious?"
Then the last one was from a little while ago, but since I'm posting a Bleys-fest I figure it fits in.



To quote Cute Overload: ehn, ehhhnnnn....

Anne! Anne! Anne!

Did you see this?

Susan and Roland sittin' in a tree

Roland took me on a lovely date this evening. We went to see The Lake House and out to dinner at Panera Bread. Now some of you ladies are out there thinking, good job on The Lake House, but Panera Bread? Couldn't you find something better? And the answer is no, he couldn't. I really like Panera Bread and he doesn't like it that much. So, not only did he take me to what was clearly going to be a chick flick we went to dinner someplace for me as well. What more could you ask for? My husband is simply the best. I ate too much, what with the popcorn at the theater and dinner, but boy was everything tasty.

When I came home I went swimming for a little bit, but didn't stay long because it was later than I normal go and it got to be too dark. I get a little paranoid about being out by myself after dark. Roland is usually nice enough to take the dog out for his before bed constitutional so that works out well (for me anyway). In other swimming news I'm really digging the new goggles I got. They weren't very expensive, and really do allow me to keep my eyes open (and not irritated) while swimming. It increases the enjoyment of swimming a lot.

VBD

Well, I didn't have a very good day today. I got up this morning with plans to go diving up in Boynton Beach. Just a little 2 tank morning trip to a nearby reef (supposed to be some nice diving there). However, things did not go according to plan. First, I got a little lost on the way there. Not too bad though, I think the exit numbers on I95 have changed in the recent years. The place on-line said exit 44 and it was really like exit 57. I got a little worried when I had passed exit 50 without seeing it so I got off the freeway, went into a parking lot, and re-checked the map I keep in my car for just such an occasion. Lesson for anyone visiting SE Florida - maps and mapquest are your friend. Do NOT go anywhere and figure you can just wing it, or you will see it eventually, not-gonna-happen. I figured out the difference and moved on. No biggie right? I got to the place a little later than I had planned because of that stop and the fact that their entrance was closed and there was a detour to a new entrance. I wanted to get there about 9:15 and ended up there about 9:30, again no biggie. However, when I went to pay for my excursion the dude told me that he only took cash or check. Oops, I don't generally carry around my checkbook and I didn't have that much cash on hand. I had enough for general purposes (and tipping) but not for paying. So I ended up heading back home, dive-free.

Even a year and a half ago I don't think this would have fazed me, but since moving down here, I've gone into a bit of a hermit mode. People down here aren't necessarily super friendly (at least not in the same way as my midwestern peeps), and I'm getting progressively more and more introverted. This all leads to me not going out much and evidently not coping with situations like that well. I was stepping outside my (new) comfort zone by 1. going diving 2. without Dave and when it didn't work out well, it really got to me. So today I've been a bit down and I think I'm going to go swimming.

Post-class

Tonight we worked a lot on heeling, and the various stays. Bleys has picked up the bad habit of going to a down during a sit-stay which we are working on correcting. I think it's just more comfortable for him, but he needs to not break the stay until I say so. When we have a choice I always put him in a down-stay so he won't be as likely to break it. He also struggles with the distractions during a stay. Well, only one distraction really. When someone else comes up to him and pets him...forget it. He totally loses track of the stay, me, or anything but that wonderful person come to play with him. The problem is that it is hard to practice that without other people to be the one petting him. Maybe I can go to the pet store with him and find some willing/bored workers there? I wish more places were dog friendly around here. In some large cities there will be certain restaurants that will allow dogs on the patio, or independent book stores that allow you bring in your dog. So far, no luck here though. They seem more uptight about it here than in Michigan. Anyway, class went well and I hope this bodes well for us passing the test at the end.

Therapy Class

Well, I'm just about to leave for dog obedience this week. Last week was fine, but again a little boring. I think we are just going to think about this structured distractions and leave it at that. Since Bleys doesn't get to see as many people here as in Michigan it's good practice before we take our test. My only wish is that this could be inside. An hour outside doesn't seem like it should wipe me out, but boy howdy, by the end I'm d-u-n-done. And we aren't even doing anything strenuous. Makes me wonder how the people I see out running at noon do it.

I'm actually kind of surprised that the instructor hasn't tried to get Bleys into a Gentle Leader. She is very into them and has just about every other dog in the class in one. Personally, I love the gentle leader, for unruly dogs. But I kind of feel like if you are going to be going into an environment like a nursing home or hospital, you should have control over your dog without one. The national tests don't allow head halters, but I guess Broward does. I can't use one with Bleys anyway. Gentle Leaders work on a couple of principles, the biggest of which is where the head goes, the body follows. Another one is pressure points, the leader rests across two different calming points on dogs, which is very helpful for the rambunctious dog. However, Bleys pretty much goes to sleep when I put his on. Taking him for a walk is really hard because he keeps trying to lay down and go to sleep. If you have him in a sit with it on, his head starts drooping and he is very sluggish. He's pretty well behaved without it so, we don't use it.

Well, it's time for me to go...

Splash

We went swimming again this evening, it might have to become a daily occurrence. Although, I wish they made a pool cooler, because the water is pretty warm. It would be more refreshing if it was a little less the same temperature or higher than the air. It's kind of nice to get outside though and the only way I think that is going to happen is if we are immediately going into the water and the sun is on its way down. We've been going about 7:00 or 7:30 in the evening, so it is still light outside, but no direct sun rays (of death).

We didn't have the pool to ourselves this time though. There was a couple of families there with their children playing with one another. They were very well behaved, but funny to listen to. They were making up games like kids do and the rules changed by the second. They added rules and took away rules. A couple of my favorites are:

"there are no time outs"
"you automatically lose"

Floater

Roland and I had a nice swim this evening. We managed to find a time when the pool was empty and the sun was down. I was just hoping for a pool that was not crowded, but we got lucky and it had it all to ourselves. The pool was quite warm and made me realize that people down here probably don't have much use for pool heaters or solar covers. I did some floating, some treading water, and some actual swimming. It was fun and nice to have a sort of mini-date with Roland.

I see and hear people out at the pool everyday in the peak hours of sun exposure and I just can't imagine being out in it. It is often a lot of kids in the pool and adults sunbathing, seriously out in the direct rays of the sun. Not even in the shade! Holy hotness Batman, how can they stand it? I just don't get it.

BFB

Or Big Fat Bummer. I got a note in the mail yesterday that they aren't going to be making Jo-Ann Magazine anymore. I really liked getting this magazine and usually found some project I wanted to try in each one. It had a nice balance of sewing and other crafts and showcased a lot of stuff that the Jo-Ann stores have. Dave asked me if there was a replacement magazine that I could get and I can't really think of one. Most of the others are very specific to a certain craft (beading, knitting, crochet, etc.) and I liked the fact that Jo-Ann had bits of a lot of different stuff. Plus, Mom C. usually got me my subscription as a present and it was cool to have that to share.

Science = Fun

As a former science teacher I would like to share this with you, courtesy of Anne. I could never justify this demo as biology teacher, but for those of you who don't know, fun things happen when you add Mentos to diet soda. If you are feelin' like giving this a try and you value your possesions, try it outside. Trust me. Well, these intrepid scientists do the only thing that could be done with this knowledge. Viva Las Vegas!

Georgie Girl

As a blogger I find it interesting to see who visits my blog, from where, and how they got here. To this end I use Site Meter and one of the cool things it does is show you the searches people do (on Google, MSN, or whatever) for which the result is your blog. Recently someone searched for "Kate Leggett," a high school/college friend, and they got my blog entry about Breckenridge and wanting to go back out west someday for more skiing, and as an added to possibly meet up with Kate as she is out in Boulder now. I have no idea if that is the Kate Leggett they were looking for, but it got me emailing her to say hello. She emailed me back and is settling in to Boulder well. I wish her well and hope that maybe someday she will feel the call of Disney again and we can read romance novels intellectual essays by the pool once more!

It says it's for primates.

Ever questioned the frivolity of all those fancy kitchen appliences and utencils, like the refrigerator and dishes? Ever wondered if there was an easier way than to prepare meal after meal after meal? If so, and you have a little extra time and need a laugh check out this and the ones that follow.

I'm trying to think past the heat.

I found a website about the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot this fall. I really want my parents, and Anne and Karl for that matter, to come during that festival. It is in October (well, late September to mid-November) so the weather would be cooler. Although the threat of hurricane is a higher that late into the hurricane season, I think the trade off in not having to take any of us to the Mickey Mouse ER for heat stroke might be worth it. Plus, I think my parents would like the festival itself. Roland and I loved it last year, and I'm planning on making us go back this year (watch out Dave the puppy dog eyes are on their way). So I was perusing this site and found a bunch of really cool, but expensive things to do there.

First you've got your sweet bands: Survivor, Starship, Three Dog Night, and The Beach Boys to name a few.

Then there are five course dinners with a celebrity chefs, although it doesn't make clear how much of a presence they are.

On a slightly smaller scale, Lunch and Learn where you observe a guest chef prepare a three course lunch: Ming Tsai and Cat Cora among others.

A fun sounding buffet station type dinner with entertainment from Cirque du Soleil, La Nouba. That might get crazy.

Cooking school luncheons, how fun would that be?

Sweet Sundays - chefs make you three presumably insane desserts? Count me in...twice.

Spirited Ball - a masquerade ball (no costumes really, they just provide you a mask when you get there, although I suppose people kind of dress up and everything. On Halloween eve, spooky!

There is a lot more, but man does it make me want to go there. Last year we went at that time because we were escaping the aftermath of Wilma, so we didn't know what all was available. But the more I read, the more I think that is the perfect time for us to go there. Roland's parents have decided they are coming back to Disney around Thanksgiving. In fact I think they are flying in on Thanksgiving day, which means that we'll probably miss them that time.

Head of the class

Our first class of obedience for pet therapy was this evening. It runs an hour a week for the next 6 (now 5) weeks. There are certainly a lot of labs and lab mixes. There were three black labs and a yellow lab and one dog that I think might be part chocolate. The only other small dog was a cute little blue merle corgi, I didn't get a good look, but I think she was a Pembroke.

Tonight was mostly administrative/introductory. We did do a little work with the dogs at the very end, but it was all review (for us) so the instructor could assess our abilities. All owner bias aside, I'm pretty sure that Bleys is one of the best in the class. Some of the other people were asking their dogs to do things rather than commanding and not getting much as a result. One other lady actually told me she hasn't actually taken any other obedience because she dog 'has always been so easy to train.' Well, good luck with that. Since I was taking Bleys through the exercises I couldn't watch everyone, but most people seemed to be struggling with things that we use as routine training, though I saw at least one other CGC tag in the group. In addition none of the other owners seemed like more than level 1 people, well except maybe for one guy who was showing some promise. Every one else, not so much.

The instructor was pretty good although I disagree with some of the things she teaches. She seems pretty okay with people using other techniques though. She encourages people to wear treat pouches so that dogs associate them with training, which makes sense if you are going to give your dog a treat every time they do something for the rest of their lives. However, I'm not into that, I want my dog to sit even if I don't have my treat pouch, or even a treat on me. So I use a bridge (the same a clicker or the whistle that dolphin/killer whale trainers use. It allows me to immediately communicate what behavior was correct and then walk to where a treat is if he deserves one, but I don't give him a treat every time he does something for me. It's like the slot machines. People (and dogs) will actually engage in a behavior (putting in a coin and pulling the arm) MORE often if they don't win all the time or lose all the time. That uncertainty increases the behavior, just ask the casinos in Vegas.

I didn't discuss this with the instructor as I'm sure that it would be taken as criticism. But it makes me all the more grateful for the training and guidance I received from Mary Beth. As time goes on I understand more and more how incredible she was and I miss her. She was my kind of people. That in turn makes me miss Shannon, and wonder what sort of craziness she is perpetrating with her new partners in crime. I wonder how they are settling into their home with introducing the twin to their horde of pets. I hope Ronda is doing well and getting back to normal. That in turn takes me over to Katie, who is apparently now into maternity clothes. I hope that she posts some pictures as she moves along, so I can sneak a long distance peek.

Well, I'm getting kinda tired and since Roland isn't home I don't have much reason to stay up as late as when he is home, so gute Nacht.

Plink

Well, I'm on my own for the rest of this week. Roland is off having all sorts of legal writing teacher fun in Atlanta. What sort of fun do legal writing teachers have? Don't look at me, I'm not that kind of nerd. I'd imagine there are a lot of grammar jokes and composition hijinks, but I could be wrong. I do know that he is going to see Hamlet, and possibly going to that new aquarium there (OK, so I'm totally jealous of that one). And he called me this evening and before he totally broke up (apparently he was in a poor reception area) he told me that he and a bunch of people are at a Brave's game. Sweet.

I'm a little on the lonely/bored side though. Everything is so quiet without someone else around. I did a lot of cleaning today and made myself some sweet and sour pork. I started getting ready for the class that Bleys are I are taking for pet therapy. It starts tomorrow night so I cut up a bunch of liver treats for rewards. I've been working on his nails for the past couple of days so they are all Dremeled and I trimmed the hair between his pads. He is currently at his post watching for Roland to come home. He's been there on and off all day and now that it is after dark it is more on than off.

Tomorrow the plan is to go to the post office and mail Karl's birthday present. Sorry it's late dude, but it's your own fault for not having a reliable address. But, now that you have a new house I'll send it to you. Congratulations by the way on selling your old house and buying a new one. I know it's a lot of work, but it's also pretty exciting. Anne seems pretty excited about the new job and it's possibilities and being closer to a more populous area should be better for finding video jobs. It makes me a little jealous that they were able to buy another house. Not at them, at the housing market down here, which makes me want to cry. Well, this is taking a downward turn so I think I will call it an evening.

Just to prove it to you

Told you so.

A movie about radio

I had no idea this was in the works, but apparently it is in theaters this Friday.

Follow me

Time for some more pics from Disney? Who's excited? *chirp, chirp, other cricket noises* Sigh, oh well, here goes anyway. Dad C was kind enough to email some of his pictures, and I must say they are quite good! First are some shots of the various topiary and garden accoutrements they added for the festival at EPCOT.

Donald and Daisy sailing through a floral Tunnel of Love.


Mickey and Minnie at the entrance to the World Showcase.


Some awesome pandas eating bamboo.


A troll outside of the Norway pavillion.


Then we jump back over to MGM on the Star Wars Weekend (where I took most of my pictures, see my previous posts).

Roland and I magically transported to Narnia (although we seem to have brought some fierce sun along with us).


Here is that picture of me with Mr. Incredible.


Dave and I with some ramdom storm trooper (Roland what are you doing? You look kinda goofy.)


And last, but most certainly not least Marcie with her prize!


Michael, Marcie, and Christie all asked for only one souvenier. A giant Mickey head rice crispy treat. Mmmmm, good thinkin'!

Deoge

My parents, Anne, and Karl are on their way back today (yes, Roland they were on foreign soil). I'm excited to hear all about their trip and maybe see some pictures. I still don't know the situation with Dad C.'s pics from Disney, so I will have to call Mom C. and see if she can't nudge him. Both Dads take a lot of pictures so it would be cool to see some of the them.

In other news we ended up with a second dog for one night. There was a stray dog running around the complex on Sunday night. Well fed, no collar or evidence of there having been one, very friendly, and some serious arthritis or hip dysplasia in her hind quarters. She didn't look spayed, but didn't look like she'd had puppies ever either. To me, she looked like a smooth coated collie/husky mix. Apparently some other people had taken her in for a while and were trying to find her people, but then for some unknown reason gave up and let her go again. We kept her for the night and in the morning animal control was nice enough to come out and get her (and they were wicked fast too - like 5 minutes).

As it turns out, she is on a first name basis with the animal control people. She is named Chelsea and has been in puppy jail at least 10 times. Yikes. I'm glad she has people, but I kind of wish they would think about containing her better. She must be pretty smart/lucky not to have been hit by a car in all those adventures. Bleys was a bit riled up by the whole thing, but I think he handled it pretty well.