Music Choices

Lately I've been downloading some new music for my iPod. As my friends know, I have what could be called eclectic tastes. My friends will understand my most recent music choices, but others might not.

~ Britney Spears, "Circus" . . . not what anybody would call a mature or classic music choice. But the songs have a really catchy beat, and hey, I've never claimed to be mature! I especially like Womanizer and Circus.

~ Cirque de Soleil, "O" . . . what sounds like a blend of Bollywood and French, the music is haunting and mysterious. It also brings back incredible memories from my recent trip to Vegas. I have my best friend to thank for sharing the CD with me!

~ The soundtrack to "Slumdog Millionaire" . . . definitely very Bollywood, but also with underlying dance/techno tones. The Oscar nominated songs (Jai Ho and another one whose name I can't remember) are really memorable and make me want to sing out loud.

~ Taylor Swift, "Fearless" . . . a really nice follow-up album to her debut album. More twangy country songs, but with her innocent, pretty voice. I do recommend it, but not if you don't like country music. Even her nice voice, the twang could be TOO much for you.

What's new on your iPod? Please recommend some catchy tunes to me!

On The Road

Ya know, there's nothing like driving for four hours and entertaining a kid. Granted, she's a really well-behaved kid, but still . . . I listened to a song about gummy bears over and over and over again. It's a techno song (or something like that) and I think I'll be hearing the beat for days on end, in my waking and sleeping hours.

Thankfully, my best friend made up a snack bag for my niece, so she had things to eat. She got a lot of mileage out of the goldfish crackers - at one point she was pretending they were boots and finger puppets. I really don't quite remember ever being that creative. She really did a great job entertaining herself, for the most part.

I have realized that my music choices on my iPod are not always appropriate for 4 year olds. My niece is now telling everybody that Britney Spears' "Womanizer" is her favourite song. Great. Double great LOL Mix into that some Mamma Mia as well as this Gummy Bear song. The excitement was overwhelming!

Anyhow, I'll be back on the highway on Thursday . . . taking my niece home and heading out to another dog show. After that I might be all dog showed out.

Monsters vs. Aliens

First of all, I wanted to clarify that while I'm heading to Pomona, CA in July, none of the dogs are making the trip with me. It's almost impossible to fly dogs into California at that time of year due to the temps, and I would rather just sit back and enjoy the show than have to worry about grooming and nerves and everything else. So Farley, Grace and Jack Jack will be staying with my parents while I travel. Thanks for the vote of confidence though!

Tonight I went to see the latest Disney Pixar release, Monsters vs Aliens. I was lucky enough to be able to see it in 3D. Now, I may lead a very sheltered life, but I have never seen a movie in 3D before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Let me tell you, it's COOL! They give you these glasses (not the blue and red ones that you use to read 3D comic books - these are grey), and it just makes everything pop right off the screen! I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

The movie is filled with laughs and grown-up humour. We went with a 4 and a 5 year old, and I'm pretty sure that 85% of everything was a bit too mature for them. Maybe more. Personally, I thought it was hilarious (highlights include Seth Rogen as a blob of jelly and Stephen Colbert as the US President). The cast is excellent, and full of stars. I laughed a lot.

If you enjoy Disney and/or Pixar presentations, I recommend seeing this one. Don't go in with high expectations of the plot or character development - it is Disney after all. But do expect a fun movie that is entertaining for kids and adults alike.

California, here I come!

I have been debating for months about whether I should attend the American Spaniel Club (ASC) Summer dog show in Pomona, California. On one hand, this show is finally close enough to home that it won't take all day to get there (the show moves around the country every year, to different host zones). On the other hand, California is hotter than hell in July, and it's also not cheap. I have gone back and forth on this since last year, with no real decision.

Well, as you can tell from the subject line, I've made my decision. I'll be heading to Pomona, CA (which isn't too terribly far from LA) in July 2009. My good friend (Jack Jack's breeder) convinced me that it would be a wonderful trip for us to do. We'll be meeting the owner of Jack Jack's sister Barbie, who now lives in Australia. We'll also get to see some fantastic dogs. AND (this really, honestly was the selling point) we're going to Anaheim on the Monday following the show, so I can go to Disneyland. When my best friend suggested that, she KNEW I'd say yes :)

Despite the heat and having to save like a fiend for this, I'm super excited. Only 104 more days to go!

Heading Home

Well, the glitz and glamour of Vegas will soon be a memory. As I type, I'm sitting in McCarran International Airport, waiting for my flight. It's been a great trip - I've been able to connect with old friends as well as meet new ones (well, sort of new - we've been e-friends for a long time). As with my last trip to Vegas, there has been lots of sightseeing, tons of shopping, and a healthy dose of shows.

Wednesday night we saw "O" by Cirque de Soleil, and were blown away by that. What an incredible performance! The music is enchanting and the athletics and artistry are mind-blowing. It was well worth the price - my two friends and I enjoyed it immensely.

Thursday was a less hectic day than the previous three were, but we walked a few miles (well, maybe not a few, but it felt like lots!). We meandered through the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, and took pictures. My "new" friend's nephew and brother-in-law joined us, so that was fun. It was nice to spend some time with them. After they left, we went for lunch at a burger place (although, oddly enough, none of us had burgers). We roamed the Forum Shops for a bit - had great fun at FAO Scwartz! - and then headed to Paris, where we had supper at Mon Ami Gabi. What a fabulous little restaurant!

Last night we took in the Donny & Marie (yes, of the Osmonds) at the Flamingo. The showroom is set up like a lounge, with tables, so that was cool. It's a pretty intimate venue . . . we could almost reach out and touch them! The show was a blast, and I know my one friend was in heaven that we were there at all.

This morning was all about checking out of the condo, getting luggage organized, and getting to the airport. Now comes the boring part of vacations - the travel. Fortunately I think I can watch "Slumdog Millionaire" on the flight, so that should pass the time.

Tomorrow it's back to real life . . . no richer, and maybe not a ton wiser either, but at least just a little bit more relaxed!

Vegas Days 2 & 3

So we are definitely enjoying Las Vegas . . . the weather is nice and hot (roughly a 60 degree difference between home and here!), and the sky is such a vibrant shade of blue. The hotels look awesome against the bright sky.

Yesterday started with some shopping at the Fashion Show mall that's just across the boulevard from the Wynn and Encore. Then we went to the Venetian and spent some time at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. It was so cool! The wax figures are very lifelike, and I even got to marry George Clooney :) Wedding pictures to come LOL We wandered around the Venetian a bit, and managed to find a lucky Liam (leprechaun). We got gold coins - chocolate ones!

We had supper at Margaritaville and watched a Micheal Jackson impersonator . . . that was kind of scary. Who'd want to impersonate him?

Then we went to see Phantom of the Opera: Las Vegas. It's basically the Coles Notes version of the Broadway show . . . 90 minutes of fast and furious singing. The falling chandelier was scary, since we were sitting right underneath it, but it was a great production. We all loved it.

This morning was a lazy morning, which is perfect for a vacation. We slept in and lazed around. After lunch we went to the Premium Outlets and did some shopping. Not much, but we did do plenty of window shopping. Now we're chilling in the condo until we head to the Bellagio to see O. I can't wait, it's supposed to be amazing.

Tomorrow we are seeing Donny & Marie Osmond, and I think we're hitting the Secret Garden at the Mirage. It should be a great day!

Vegas Day One

We're doing well and having fun. My cold has progressed from the painful stage (thank God!) to the snot-filled head stage. I can't breathe, and have to blow my nose every 5 minutes, but that's better than the pain. I picked up some great drugs at Walgreens that are helping. We also found rootbeer freezies!!!!!

Yesterday we went to Mandalay Bay and went through the Shark Reef . . . that was okay. I did get to pet a stingray, which was cool. We had lunch at the House of Blues. We went into the Luxor (the pyramid) and managed to get lost. We exited through the scuzziest stairwell I have ever seen. Maybe the seedy side of Vegas? We did the MGM Grand and looked at the lions there. I got some great pictures. We gambled in Mandalay Bay, the Luxor and MGM Grand. I'm down $30 . . . and I still haven't found any machines that are more than $1. I'm looking.

We went to M&M World and I got the cutest hoodie for my niece. I also got her a bag of orange M&Ms. No sugar-free ones, sorry! We went to the Coke store, which was very cool. We walked to Paris and walked around there for a bit. Then we were tired. Nicole's sister drove us to Fremont Street (old Las Vegas) and we watched the light show there and spent about 1/2 hour there. Then we came back to the condo and had supper. It was Pizza Hut, and the crust was SOOOO disappointing. Oh well.

Not sure what the game plan is for today, but I'm sure it holds many adventures for us!

Happy Birthday Little Man!

I find it very hard to believe, but my little dude Jack Jack Attack is one today! It seems like just yesterday he was born, and I was falling in love. I remember bringing him home and starting puppy classes with him. I remember his first dog show. SO many firsts with him, and more to come.

Today he gets a bath (much more exciting for me than for him LOL) and then I will take some birthday pictures. They will be pretty, as all of my Jack pictures are. It's the subject, not the photographer ;)

Good Luck!

It's actually Peaches that needs the good luck. We're hoping to restore the vision in at least one of Peaches' eyes. She's a doll. Both eyes now have a cataract. She hasn't had any applications on her lately.

We've come up with MANY wonderful items for our Peaches Raffle. We all know that it's a scary economy at this time, so instead of doing an auction, we thought (and hoped) that it would be easier for anyone to help us by just purchasing a 'chance' instead of an expensive bid on an item. So, if you could take a look at our raffle page, perhaps forward it to others that might be interested, we would appreciate it very much.

We hope we have something for everyone. Not just dog people. Although I can't imagine non-dog people!

http://www.cockersinneed.com/butterfly.html?1236018271484

Go Gracie-Lou!

Tonight was Grace's last Agility II class. So far she's had 16 weeks of agility (12 weeks, actually, since she missed a couple of sessions due to work travel), and she's doing really well. We're teaching weave poles using Susan Garrett's 2x2 method, and Grace is almost doing 12 poles straight! Not bad for only 6 weeks (we used channels the first session). This method of training is awesome for clicker dogs, as it uses the clicker to mark proper entry and execution.

Grace LOVES the wall and the bridge (A-frame and dogwalk), and goes flying over both pieces. Right now she's slightly ambivalent about the tunnel, but I think it has to do with us learning rear crosses, and her not being 100% committed to the tunnel before I turn. This worries her, as she thinks she'll lose me. She'll learn, though.

She's a fast girl, and we're both learning. I have to keep working on having her work on BOTH sides, not just my left (since obedience is all on the left, this is a struggle for me). We're both going to have to get comfortable with distance work too. But we have a great instructor, and lots of support. With any luck, she might be ready to trial next summer!

So proud

A couple of weeks ago my dad got great news - his brother had been offered the position of Judge in the Court of Justice where he resides and works. This is a really big deal - only the right person for the job is chosen, after lots of interviews, references and a review of their work. Not just any lawyer can become a judge, it requires something special. We've all been really excited for my uncle.

Today the excitement got just slightly more palpable - today the official invitation to the swearing-in ceremony arrived in the mail. Unfortunately, we can't attend, because it's far away and in the middle of the week. But feeling the roughness of the official invitation, and seeing the formal cursive script just makes it seem more real.

My uncle really is an example of a kid that grew up in the middle of nowhere and worked his way up. He was never too proud to do hard labour, and he earned the money he needed to get through law school. Student loans weren't so readily available when he was in graduate school. I am so very proud of my uncle.

Okay, I lied

Never mind that whole "March is coming in like a lamb" thing . . . it's bloody cold outside, with wind and snow! Okay, Mother Nature, I call Uncle and you win . . . . now please just back off a bit and at least tempt us with dreams of spring.

On other topics, my Canine Good Neighbour class that I've been teaching is done. I am so impressed with the students I had - they all progressed so well and learned so much. We had a lot of fun playing obedience games last night. There were lots of laughs. No more CGN classes until the fall, so I get Wednesday nights free.

In like a lamb?

I'm a bit concerned. March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb . . . which means kind of a rough start to the month (weather-wise), but a nice, spring-y finish. It's now the third of March, and it appears to be coming in like a lamb. I am very worried that it will go out like a lion - especially since that's entirely possible here in the arctic tundra. While I'm enjoying the milder temperatures, I don't want it to get cold again!



It may just be me, but this has been a long, hard, cold winter. It doesn't seem like we've had many warm weather breaks in between the sub-zero days (weeks!). I think pretty much everybody here is ready for spring in a BIG way. How about you?