Warning: Venting and Ranting!

Have you ever had one of "those" weeks? You know, the ones where each day somehow ends up being slightly worse than the one before it. Considering that my hormones are out of whack this week anyhow (I love being a woman!), I don't think that's helping my situation.

Monday - class doesn't start until 1:00pm. How can that be a bad thing, you ask. Well, consider that a thunder storm woke me up at 7:00am . . . and all of a sudden life isn't as good as it was half an hour prior to that. Then, to make matters worse, the Oilers lost the Stanley Cup. Granted, that doesn't really have an effect on my life, but it was disappointing. I sure was rooting for them, but the 'Canes just outplayed them.

Tuesday - an obscenely long line-up of traffic to get downtown. What is happening to my city? As I'm sitting in my car, my glasses are putting pressure on my right eye (as if they're bent in towards my eye a bit). So I take the glasses off to try and bend the frame slightly, and they snap in half across the nosepiece. Hmmmm. Not so good. Especially considering these are my back-up glasses - my good ones broke in Shanghai and I haven't had them fixed yet. But still, I walk into class wearing glasses with a broken lens. I kind of like the extra attention they bring me! At lunch I go to the mall, to see if I can get the lens replaced. Turns out my eyes were done just over 2 years ago (yeah, like 3 seconds longer than 2 years) and so they won't even consider fixing my glasses without a new eye check-up, to the tune of $78. Fabulous. I just love walking around with broken glasses! So I book an eye appointment. After school I run to Safeway (grocery store) to try and get a gift card for a friend whose birthday is coming up (Starbucks). The girl tells me (with a completely straight face, too) that they are out of gift cards, so I'm out of luck. With this I head home, cause I'm just cranky.

Wednesday - Somewhat better than the other days . . . but only somewhat. I take my oldest dog Quigley for a walk. This dog hates heat and has almost no stamina left (he's 10, but acts 15). Why do I take him for a walk? Am I even thinking? Apparently not. They are spraying some kind of noxious chemical on the walking paths, so we walk on the sidewalk. 10 minutes into the walk, he decides that he should be carried. Umm, I don't think so. So I drag him home. Fun stuff . . . . glad I'm trying to give him better quality of life.

Thursday - wait, that's today! End up having to go well out of my way to drop something off at my brother's house, despite the fact that they have TWO cars and at least one of them could have stopped by our house instead. No call of thanks . . . hope they got what they needed. Go for lunch, and almost get hit from the side by a classmate. And get this, this person is mad at ME! Well excuse me, but when was it legal to whip around cars simply because they're signalling and slowing down to turn into a parking spot? And if you were REALLY watching, wouldn't you have seen the person in front of me whip into that space (since the car was twice as big as mine), forcing me to drive forward instead of turning? But according to this person, I should have stopped and allowed them to go around me. Guess my idea of traffic laws is skewed. Go for an eye exam, so far so good. I still have two eyes, and I can see out of both of them (better with corrective lenses, mind you). Have to bargain and plead with the lab tech to get the new lenses tomorrow, otherwise I have to wait 2 weeks. The good news is that it all only cost $300. Great.

So for laughs (and stress relief) I took all 3 dogs for a walk today. Yes, even the old one that has no stamina. What was I thinking? Was I thinking? I walked 3 dogs with one leash (and three extensions), and made it home in one piece. It was actually the highlight of my week.

At least tomorrow can only get better. Stay tuned . . .

Go Oilers?

Well, as great as I think it is that the Oilers made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I just don't think they're going to win. I'm rooting for them, of course, but the game is just not being played well by Edmonton at all. Granted, I'm an armchair fan - I couldn't skate and manage a stick for any amount of money. But after seeing a phenomenal Game 6 from the Oilers, this game is just disappointing.

The good news is the cooler weather. Woke up to raging thunderstorms this morning - even Farley was a bit taken aback by the noise. None of my dogs has ever been afraid of storms, but Farley was on my chest when I woke up, shaking a bit. Poor baby. He settled down once he realized that I wasn't worried, but it was an interesting way to wake up. So much for sleeping in this morning. It got sunny through the day, but it's cloudy again now, so hopefully it stays cool through the night.

Back in school this week - Business Strategy is the course. It's our Capstone course, which means it's meant to pull together everything that we've learned to date. So far it's pretty interesting, although we've only had a few hours of lecture so far. Our first case study was actually a military case study, which pulled together the various elements of strategy, fit and implementation nicely. I think it's going to be a good class.

Not much else to write about . . . life just isn't that exciting. But whether or not the Oilers win tonight, I am damned proud that they've made it as far as they have. It's been a great ride!

Hotter than Hades!

Well, my southern friends are laughing at me, but Fort McMurray is enduring the first "heat wave" of the year. Granted, for most people, this is just barely warm, but for us it's hotter than heck! It's been close to 30 Celsius all week (around 86 F), and the dogs are melting before my eyes. Poor Quigley struggles with the heat every year, and it seems that as he ages, the toll it takes just intensifies. This week he's been sleeping and slowly following us from room to room, admonishing us with his eyes (damn humans need to stay in one room!). He is drinking plenty of water, but not doing much else. Poor guy. Even Farley is hot - he is on and off the bed all night long, panting and restless. And I sleep in the basement . . . so this weekend he's getting a new haircut, something that allows him to tolerate the heat a bit better. Billy, well, he has finally calmed down. I almost dread cooler weather, since we are all enjoying the "heat-soaked" Billy of this past week.

I'm back in school next week - this time it's for a Business Strategy course. I've been slogging my way through the textbook, but I find it tough to get into reading a textbook after working all day. So it's slow going, and I have lots to get through before Monday. There are articles he wanted us to read too, so I have to look them up, print them out, and try and get them read before Monday. Always lots to do.

Other than that, it's pretty much the same old thing. Everything on TV is re-runs, and since I managed to catch most of my shows this year, there isn't much to watch. That's a good thing, since I have about 50 books to read (okay, I might be exaggerating a week bit), so I should get some reading done this summer. After this week of school I get almost 2 months off, so I should be able to get lots of reading done during that time. I welcome book suggestions too - I'll read just about anything (just not Anna Karenina again, it was painful enough the first time around).

Guess that's it for this episode of "the life and times of Kelly"

Back In The Swing of Things

Today was Billy's first trip to the dog park in over a month. Poor guy has been missing out, first because of my trip to China, and then because of dog shows. So today was a very exciting day for him. As we drove to the park, he was whining and wiggling with excitement (either that or he really had to pee, it's hard to tell). As soon as I let him out of the car, he ran a HUGE circle around the entrance to the park, barking his head off to announce his arrival. He played with his friend Roxie (from obedience school, a pit bull-lab mix), and he also played with a Bulldog puppy that was too cute for words. His friend the Bullmastiff wasn't around today, and neither was his buddy the Golden Retriever. But he managed to play pretty hard for about 40 minutes anyhow. Then we came home and he had a bath. So he's all soft, shiny and pretty again. For at least 5 minutes.

Not much is new for me personally, except the horrible news that I somehow deleted my entire website :( What a heartbreaker! I recently got a new laptop, so I had to reinstall all of my programs (there is still lots to be done), and that includes Front Page. So as I was playing around with trying to update and publish Billy's page, somehow I managed to replace my entire website with just his page. UGH! So now I have to start over, but I don't have any of my pictures yet (Staples is backing up my old hard drive for me), so I can't even do anything. What a pain in the hind end.

Small update today, but don't want to get out of my blogging habit, so here you have it!

It's All Fun and Games

Sheesh, where does the time go? Seems like just yesterday I was getting doing my last blog update, and it turns out that was 2 weeks ago! Yikes! I guess when I have dog shows, school and work to worry about, the blog takes a backseat. Sorry all . . . but I don't think people are flocking to the blog either, so it's not like I'm disappointing the masses.

So I'm finally over my jetlag . . . that took at least a week. I combined it with dog show fatigue the weekend of May 26th, so the lines between different forms of tiredness got blurred. I actually felt so tired some days that I felt sick to my stomach. Thankfully that has passed, and been replaced by dog show and work fatigue. That kind of tiredness I can handle. I know I'm still tired because I'm sleeping like a baby at night, and it's unusual for me to go a whole night without waking up once. So I'm enjoying the good sleeps, anyhow. Farley is too - because of the heat, he is sacked out every night, snoring and dreaming (I think).

The weekend of May 26th I had a visitor - my good friend Vicky came, and brought her little Cocker girl Mercedes with her. Despite having major WestJet issues (let's just say the Fort McMurray branch SUCKS), we had a fabulous weekend. It was the Northland Kennel Club dog show, which is 6 shows in 3 days. Tiring, but a great chance to get points on your dog. Mercedes walked away with 4 Best of Breeds, a Group 1, a Group 2 and two Group 3's, so that was nice for Vicky. And Satan (yes, my own dear boy) managed to pick up 6 points from the Bred By Exhibitor class, so I was thrilled too. This is despite being skinny as a rail and refusing to gain weight. He is now eating the same amount as a small horse, so I'm hopeful that he won't be so skeletal when I take him to the Cold Lake shows.

Last week I had a one week intensive course for school on Bargaining and Negotiation. Just try and negotiate with me now! I'm a pro! Okay, maybe not a pro . . . or even very good . . . but at least I understand the principles and could argue myself into a better position than ever before. The class was very practical, with lots of trying of techniques, so I found it to be very useful. Two weeks off, and then another one week intensive on Business Strategy starts. The textbook is pre-assigned reading, so I'm slogging my way through that now.

Last weekend (yes, the one that just ended) there were back to back Cocker specialties in Edmonton, in conjunction with the NACA (Northern Alberta Canine Association) shows. Both days were lots of fun, and Billy even won a prize for being first in his class (never mind that he was the only Bred By dog LOL). It was really great seeing some of my dear Cocker friends again, and especially some of my friends in other breeds. Both Billy and Farley participated in Junior Handling, and for me, that was the highlight of my weekend. Farley looked so awesome with his friend Alyssa (whose mom has Shibas, but we won't hold that against her LOL), it was almost like he was never sick! I have to admit, I cried while watching him strut his stuff with his special girl. And Billy works so well for Coralee (who spent time with him while I was in China) that they are a fabulous team.

So now it's back to life as usual. Busy at work trying to catch up from being away for almost a month. And busy at home trying to get organized and get the clutter down to a dull roar. One more show for the summer and then I'm back on hiatus, so it had better be a good one!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Hello my dear friends, I'm back! Done my gallivanting around the world, and am back to reality. Except for the remains of jet lag, I feel pretty good! I managed to relax on my trip and NOT stress about anything (well, except for my Finance grade, but I passed!).

China was incredible, amazing, and everything in between. Yes, there was a significant amount of culture shock, but I think the fact that I have traveled before helped me out a lot. I wasn't unprepared for things to be different. Our first stop, Beijing, is a city of 17 million. That's just over half of the population of Canada! It seems so unthinkable to me . . . mind you, in a country of 1.3 billion, I guess that's a fairly small city.

We spent 5 days in Beijing, 1 day in Hangzhou, and 4 days in Shanghai. Each city was enjoyable, although each was slightly different. Beijing is a more serious city, the centre of China as far as government goes. The architecture is conservative, and so are the people. Hangzhou is beautiful - much smaller than the other two cities, at only 7 million people. It is close to the 3 gorges dam, and site of the West Lake and LinYing Temple. Shanghai is much more cosmopolitan, with more "outgoing" architecture and the people seem more relaxed. Shanghai is how I picture New York to be, with energy and flash. There are 19 million people living in Shanghai.

I promise to spend some time writing about my journeys and adventures, but for now, this small taste is all I can provide. I have a dog show this weekend, and two specialties next weekend, so lots on my plate!

I'm Leavin' On A Jet Plane

Yep, that's right . . . the big moment is finally here. My trip. The much anticipated "China trip." After planning and buying and packing and dreaming, the big adventure starts tomorrow. And I think I'm ready. I packed everything up today, and bought a few small odds and ends that I still needed. Tomorrow I drive to Edmonton to drop Billy off with his babysitter (hope we're still friends after she spends 2 weeks with Satan), and Tuesday morning I'm outta here!

Today started off well - the dogs let me sleep in, and I got packing done in a fair amount of time. We even had fun at the dog park, although Billy wasn't really into playing until his buddies arrived. Got home from dog park intending to have a quick nap, but Billy had other plans for me (he always does!). I took the dogs outside to play, and my dad was sitting in the hot tub. Does this sound familiar???????? Yep, he went flying in . . . no indication that he was taking the giant leap, yet there he went. BRAT! So anyhow, now he's clean and fresh for his stay with my friend. And I'm pooped, cause of no nap.

Oh well, at least life is exciting for me . . .

Another Day . . .

Yes, I am running out of interesting things to write about. Unlike my friend Vicky, I haven't even had any good dreams lately! I think the stress of final exams, not being ready for my trip, and work are all working together to prevent any form of creative thought in my head. Which is just great, since I have an article to submit for the Cocker magazine, and no particularly good ideas. Lovely (insert a disgusted face here)

We just finished up with 2 days of rain, so the dogs are very antsy. Billy is driving everyone nuts with his incessant pestering. He really is a good dog, but confinement just doesn't suit him well. He needs to get out for walks, playtime and a chance to stretch his legs. Poor guy is just going nuts with boredom right now!

Quigley needs significant prodding to even stick his nose out the door. He's a firm believer in NOT getting wet, and will hold it for days, if needed. Of course, that just doesn't work for me, so I spend many minutes trying to entice him outside. Even the best treats are not enough to convince him, so invariably I have to physically haul him out the door.

Farley doesn't care - he just goes where I ask him to, without hesitating. Have I mentioned that he is the best dog in the world??? It's not that he enjoys going out in the rain, it's just that he wants to do what I ask of him. I know, I'll never find a man that can measure up to the obedience and loyalty of this dog. Why on earth do you think I'm still single?

So, I should be working, but my mind is on overload. So I think a good cup of hot chocolate and I might be ready to start my day by noon LOL

Leave It To Beaver

Yeah, I'm sure you're wondering what on earth a beaver has to do with American Cockers . . . me too. The other day I was having dinner at a friend's place, and she asked to see my tattoo. If anybody doesn't know, I have a tattoo of an American Cocker in show coat on the outside of my left ankle. Anyhow, my friend looked at it upside down and promptly asked me if it was a beaver. Huh? That is BY FAR the strangest thing I have had it called. So, because everybody was drinking except for me, the talk got . . . bawdy, for lack of a better word LOL And somehow, it became accepted that I have a nice beaver. Not something to advertise, especially to the parents, but it is funny. I've always wanted a nickname, just didn't think that was quite how I would get it. Beaver . . . but my good friends call me Beav ;)

On another, much more exciting, note ~ I bought a new car today! I have been thinking about downsizing from the Caravan for some time now, and I finally bit the bullet. I am the very proud and excited new owner of a 2007 Dodge Caliber! It's silver, with a grey interior, and a ChillZone compartment. The compartment acts like a mini-cooler, for water or pop. How cool is that? I pick the car up on Monday (it's Friday now), so I wonder if I'll be able to sleep between now and then? This is just too cool! I took a couple of pictures with my cell phone, so they're at the top of the page. This is my first brand new car, and I'm very happy about it.

So no dog news today . . . can't fit anymore excitement into my day at this point :)

Billy, P.H.D.

Well, Billy's last obedience class was last night. He now has two "titles" behind his name - PHP (pretty hot puppy) and PHD (pretty hot dog). I sure wish my MBA had only taken 8 weeks and cost $120!!!

Anyhow, I was SO PROUD of him last night. The teacher set up an obedience obstacle course that included walking over ex-pens (which are like wire playpens fr dogs) laid on the ground, heeling around big gates, running through a tunnel, waeving through pylons, a 5 second down stay, a small jump, and then a recall. He had no issues walking on the gates, or heeling through the barriers. He is so good.

He got smart on the tunnel . . . went in fine and then turned around and popped back out the "entrance" as I ran down to the other end. Smart aleck! The teacher ended up having to block the entrance, and then he ran through fine. Did the weaves through the pylons okay, and the 5 second down stay. Needed encouragement to do the little jump, as he's never seen one before.
But my proudest moment was the recall. Billy is not an expert at stays . . . he finds it hard to sit still and he doesn't like me walking away from him. But he was the ONLY puppy to hold his sit stay until I called him!!!!! Yahoo!!!!!!!

We start the next set of classes (a repeat of these ones, actually) next week. We'll miss two weeks while I'm away, but it'll be fun anyhow. I just LOVE obedience classes!

Devil Dogs!

I don't know if this past weekend was a full moon or what, but the dogs were sure brats! Mom and I got home from work on Friday to find the wire crate (that all 3 dogs spend the day in) with a gaping hole. Quigley had bent the "bars" the week before, but I didn't realize they were that weak (or maybe he has jaws of steel?). Anyhow, he broke one end of the bar off, and the bar was sticking into the middle of the kennel like a spear. Lovely. Those damned kennels are $80 a piece, and this one barely lasted 6 months. He also broke a tooth almost in half, so now I have to watch him for infection.

Farley has done his share of bratty things too. On Sunday, as I was grooming a friend's dog, he found my dad's old golf glove (I think) and chewed the fingertips off. Great! I mean, the thing was probably some kind of antique . . . only now it's just garbage. He also peed on my dad's new slot machine (yes, gambling is a problem at our house) . . . and my mom's laminate floor lifted a bit. She was NOT a happy camper.

And Billy, well . . . he does many things that irritate us all. Friday night he hopped on to the kitchen table. I thought my mother was going to pass out. Oooops! And with his incessant marking (thank goodness for belly bands) he is making us all nuts. Of course, if my dad would actually put the belly band ON the dog, there'd be fewer pee spots to clean up. I keep telling him the secret is to actually USE the things.

Overall they're good dogs, and I can't complain. It just seemed like the twilight zone or something, with all the trouble they were getting into. Now every time I put Billy in the kennel, he sticks his head out the hole to say hi. My world is nuts!

It came!

So, I've always been the type to make fun of soccer moms or hockey moms, who get totally involved in their kids' sports, to the exclusion of all else in the world. Only now, I think I can officially be called a "dog mom." Yesterday Billy's very first show picture arrived in the mail from BC, and you'd think it was a million dollar cheque! I ripped the envelope open quickly (but carefully, so as not to ruin the picture), and then stared at the picture for what seemed like an eternity. I have to say, as pictures go, it's pretty good. I don't look angry (which I almost always do in show pictures, which is kind of weird, cause I should be looking happy), I don't have three chins (which I usually get, from looking down at the dog), the judge doesn't look goofy (in fact, she looks great!) and the dog looks pretty good. Of course now I can see how badly he needs to grow coat, as he looks like he's wearing stilts. But I like a tall dog, so I won't complain about that. He may not have won any points, or even Best in Sweepstakes (which is like a puppy showcase), but he made me very proud.

Just like he's making me proud in his obedience classes too. This dog is FAST at everything he does . . . this week we played a relay race. There were 4 owners/dogs on each team, and we had to run to three mats. At the first mat the dog had to sit, at the second one the dog had to lie down, and at the third one the dog had to sit-down-stand before running back to the start. Our team was almost a whole dog behind, but Billy and I were so quick that we won! He's such a little superstar :) I'm just glad that he seems to be showing some aptitude for obedience, cause that's a big part of his future with me.

So I finished my second-last assignment for the semester yesterday. It was so involved that I actually took a whole day off work to complete it. It was U-G-L-Y (yes, I am yelling out those letters!). I had help from friends, but it still took me all day to get it right, so that my program was spitting out appropriate answers. Sheesh! I need a break in the worst way . . . just one more assignment to go, and two finals. And then . . . China!

Not much else to report on, just had to share my boy's picture with the world!

Countdown to China!

Time is sure flying by now . . . only three weeks until I leave for China. I'm not really sure where the last few weeks have gone, I don't really remember much of them, other than work, eat and sleep. I imagine the next three weeks will be about the same, but cram some exams and last ditch assignments in. UGH. And I have to pack . . . that's the worst part of all. I imagine that'll be done the day (or night) before I leave. At least I'm a fast packer.

Not much is new around here. It was a very busy weekend, but what a treat to have that extra day off (it was Good Friday, which is a Stat holiday in Alberta). I went for a nice walk with my friend on Friday morning, and then on Saturday and Sunday we hit the gym. On Saturday I felt like I was dying on the elliptical, but Sunday morning was better, so I'm cautiously optimistic that I might be getting somewhat fit. Scary thought!

Billy is almost done his Junior High obedience classes now. We are signed up to repeat this level, since we are both enjoying the classes so much. He has already surpassed his mother's ability to hold a stay, which impresses me to no end (sitting still is hard for these little Cockers of mine!). And two weeks in a row he has won the "musical" mats game, which combines heeling with either a sit or a down when the music goes off. I didn't even think he could heel! So I'm quite proud of my little man . . . he's using that noggin of his for something.

I gave Quigley his annual "Summer Shortie Haircut" on Friday. I think I took enough woolly hair off for three dogs, so he looks very small now. But it will be cooler for summer, when heat is always an issue for him. And it allows his skin to breathe a bit better too. He's definitely showing his age - he is all grey now, and it's even more evident when he stands next to Billy, who is black. And he has warts and bumps all over. But he's still a calm, sweet dog (unless you happen to be food, and then he's mad!)

And Farley looks the same . . . . fluffy, like a teddy bear pajama bag (a friend once told me he looked like a pajama bag, so I call him that now). He has been quite bad lately . . . he got into my dad's Macadamia nuts the one day (and then got an upset stomach) and then tried to drink his Strawberries and Cream drink from Starbucks on Sunday (got it all over the floor while I was out, I imagine that was a scene too). So he had to get stern talking too . . . little brat wagged his tail the whole time, I guess he knows I can't stay mad.

So that's all the news that's fit to tell . . .

Hah, I win!

Yes, I have finally figured out how to tire out Billy without having to take him to a dog show! I have a good friend that is undertaking a very cool pilgrimmage in Spain for 6 weeks (780 km ~ yikes!), and so she is training for that. Being a good friend (and needing to get off my duff), I decided to accompany her on her walks (now called "March of Death" by the way). On Saturday we did about 6.5km together, and I brought Billy along for the ride. He was quite happy to do the walk, and seemed a bit tired, but not too bad. Well, on Sunday we went out again, and did more walking. I'm not sure of the distance, but Saturday's walk was 90 minutes and Sunday's was just shy of 2 hours. So maybe another kilometer or two to tack on to the Saturday amount.

Well, when I drove home from the walk (and it's a very short drive), Billy fell asleep in the car. And then I put him in the kennel (he was filthy), and he slept quietly in there for hours. You have to understand - this dog does NOTHING quietly. I checked his breathing at one point, to make sure the walk hadn't done him in!

So although my calves are "mooing" (thank you Terri for introducing me to that term), and I am also pooped, I see more long walks in Billy's future. They're a good way to keep him out of trouble and in shape.

On another (unrelated) note, I went to see Lucky Number Slevin at the movie theatre with some friends. What a fabulous movie! I'm pretty wussy when it comes to blood and gore, so I didn't love some of the mob killing scenes, but the plot is just great, and the characters are good too. It's got some dark humour (well, lots), and it's well worth seeing.

We survived!

Yes, as you can see, Billy is tired. Four days after getting home, he still gets a vacant look in his eyes when he's not running after Quigley, trying to entice him to play. Billy had a fabulous weekend, and he misses his new friends. Especially Ripley, his special girlfriend ;)

We arrived at the airport on Thursday morning, all packed and ready to go. I was really hoping Billy would be able to fly in his Sherpa bag (NOT Shar Pei bag Lyndarae!), but the manager at WestJet said he was too big. I swear, that's the first time somebody has said he was too big for something! Yahoo!

Anyhow, Billy made the trip in his Vari-Kennel, in the cargo hold. I know he managed better than I did, since I HATE flying. Good thing one of us has a stable temperament ;)

BC was absolutely beautiful. Green grass and even flowers blooming. I haven't seen anything so nice in March (it was March 30 when we got there!) since I was in Denmark. Even the air was nicer (well, except for the pollution right in Vancouver). Even the rotten rain couldn't dampen my pleasure at the pretty surroundings. I have to say, I enjoyed the smell of grass again.

The shows went well for us. I had Billy in the building Friday morning (on a regular slip lead) and he was being a turkey. Lunging, dragging me around, and throwing his head to the ground. I was almost in tears at the thought of the upcoming embarassment. He must have felt sorry for me, because once we got into the ring, he behaved well. He stood really nicely for the judge on the table, and he moved pretty well for a 7 month old puppy. I was very proud of my boy.

On Saturday he actually WON his puppy sweeps class (and yes, there were actually other puppies entered), so I was thrilled to death with that. I even decided to splurge and get a picture with the judge (who had lovely things to say about my boy). I can't wait to get it in the mail! He held his own, and managed to show well for me, even though he must have been pretty pooped by the end of the day. I could definitely tell he was tired on Sunday (but then again, so was I).

The weekend was so much fun. We had a surprise birthday party for Vicky (related, through Farley & Chyna), and we went out for dinner with some fabulous new friends. I would say that this will go down as one of the most fun shows I've done . . . especially considering how tired we were by the end of it. I met some great people, saw some gorgeous dogs, and was able to show off my baby boy. Well worth the money spent to attend.

Now we have a break for a while, as I jaunt off to China. Our next show is the local one at the end of May, and then another set of shows the following weekend. Those will be busy too, since there are two specialties and 4 all-breeds. I might need a week off just to recover ;)

Thank you to everybody that made my weekend so wonderful - There's no way I could ever name you all, but I think you know who you are. Now it's back to the grindstone. Sigh.

Off to see the . . . show grounds?

Yep, you read that right, Billy and I are leavin' on a jet plane in the morning. Off to see the big wide world of dog shows (which is all new to him), and to make some more friends. I'm glad he's an agreeable fellow, since the lady we're staying with (in her motorhome) is bringing a few of her furkids too. Billy will be so tired by the end of the weekend, from playing the entire time! It really is a glorious life.

Lyndarae is already gone . . . she flew out today. I'll give her a call once we get there, and she can meet us at the show site. I am the first one to go, and I meet up with Jackie in Edmonton (owner of Billy's dad, and one of my best friends). We land first, and Vicky is right behind us, coming in from Calgary (another one of my closest friends). I think we'll enjoy a weekend away. I KNOW I will . . . I sure need a break!

So tonight I pack. Billy got bathed and dried last night, so now the grooming stuff needs to be packed, along with all of his stuff, and my show clothes and toothbrush. I hate packing, but as long as I don't leave behind something really important, I should be good to go. Hopefully. The first show I ever went to I forgot my show clothes . . . so I never forget those anymore. I hope I don't forget Billy this time!

No posts until sometime next week - but since 95% of the people that read this will be in BC anyhow, I'm not too worried about being missed ;)

Motivation

I'm trying to figure out the secret to staying motivated. Mostly because my friend and I are going to the gym tonight, and I have spent the last half hour trying extremely hard to come up with a reason not to go. The more I think about that elliptical machine, ready to give me a heart attack at the slightest move, the more I would rather stay home and park my butt on the couch for the evening. So people, what's the secret to staying motivated? Especially where exercise is concerned?

The other thing that sucks the motivation right out of my system is homework (this shouldn't come as a big shock to those that read this blog regularly). The further in advance I want to get an assignment done, the more easily I can find pretty much anything else to do. Take my latest finance assignment, for example. It was given to me on Monday, and every night I have found reason after reason to leave it sitting on the kitchen table, unlooked at. If I was smart, I'd be working through it now, but I just keep leaving it. I guess I'm hoping the homework fairies will do it while I'm sleeping. So far, no such luck.

The schedule was posted for Billy's first show (next weekend). There are going to be up to 14 males competing, of all ages and allowable Cocker Spaniel colour combinations. Some of them are champions in the US already, and some are being shown by professional handlers. It's sort of like a wake-up call for me . . . I think I was harbouring secret thoughts that Billy might win one day at this show, but I think the competition is just going to be too fierce. I should be giving my head a shake anyhow . . . at this age (7 months) it's more about having fun than winning anyhow. So now I have plenty of time to get used to the idea of not winning (which isn't necessarily losing, in my view), so that it doesn't bother me in BC.

Off to Edmonton tomorrow for a presentation about China. We should get our itinerary for our trip then, and the flight details and stuff. Very exciting! The unexciting part is that we are driving there and bad in one day, which means 10 hours on the road. UGH! For somebody who gets car sick, that's just not an exciting prospect. But, as somebody famous once sang, I will survive!

Back on the wagon . . .

So last night I went to the gym with my friend. I purchased a gym membership in October, and used it quite a bit that month. Then I fell off the wagon . . . my gym partner (my mom) was out of town a lot, and I was able to find too many reasons not to go. Bad girl! Anyhow, I was talking to my friend yesterday about something, and we decided to go to the gym together, to get motivated. When I last went to the gym, I was doing 25 minutes on the elliptical machine without too much trouble. So I headed for the elliptical, hoping to get 20 minutes on there before doing some weight machines. Wow, I am OUT OF SHAPE! I almost died after the first 3 minutes on the elliptical machine. My legs felt like lead, my chest was burning, and I was pouring sweat (yeah, that'll attract the guys LOL). So I put the difficulty level down to one, and managed to crank out 20 minutes. Pure hell and torture though, let me tell you.

All I can say is that I am very happy that I can't make it to the gym tonight. Between obedience classes with Billy and errands to run, I just don't have time. Maybe by tomorrow I can get the horror out of my mind and try again . . .

Snow Day

I have to say, this has been one of the warmest winters on record for Northern Alberta. It's sort of unreal to think of the temperatures that we've had, and realize that I can count the number of really cold days on one or two hands. Usually I need at least one hand just to count the really cold weeks! So this morning it was a bit of a shock to wake up to snow, especially since it's so warm. I expect that it will just get really slushy and mucky now, because the snow is melting almost as soon as it hits the ground. Oh well . . .

I realized something as I was bathing Billy last week (other than the fact that he was really dirty, which I knew before I started). When I reach for his front leg, he picks it up and offers it to me! I have groomed a few show dogs in my day, and most of them are as used to being groomed as Billy is, but he's the first dog I've had that offers his paws for washing. Pretty smart, when you think about it! I was impressed, anyhow. Who knows, maybe I'm just easily impressed . . .

I took Billy to be looked at by some show friends of mine, people with different breeds. They both had nice things to say about him, but of course they would, since they're my friends. The true test will be once I start showing him. As long as I can get him to behave reasonably well, what the judges do as far as placing him in his class should tell me something. I don't expect him to do anything his first weekend in the ring, since it will all be new to him, but I'm kind of hoping he does something as he gets older. I think he's a good dog . . . but I'm biased, and it's hard to know how much of a role my bias is playing here. I really look forward to showing him off, anyhow. I just hope he doesn't embarass me too much LOL

I'm looking forward to the show in Surrey, BC. I've never been there, and it should be fairly nice at this time of year. And I'll get to see some of my "old" dog show friends, as well as meet some new people. There is one lady that I have been writing to (on email) for a couple of years now that I'm really looking forward to meeting. And of course, all the dogs. That's always my favourite part . . . seeing the new up and comers, or seeing some of those dogs that I've always wanted to see in person. There should be quite a few dogs from the Washington and Oregon areas, so it'll be nice to meet those people and dogs as well. It's just been far too long since I was at a dog show, with something to take in the ring. Almost a year!

Well, it's a nice, quiet Sunday afternoon . . . I think I will go snuggle with some Cockers and read a good book!

Ooops, out of the habit

Sorry for not updating for a few days now. Life is crazy-busy these days, and it appears that it's just going to get busier! Last week I had midterms (yes, ugly word!) and so I was furiously cramming for those. Luckily I had gotten a heads' up on the one midterm from a co-worker that is also a classmate, so I was able to prepare a bit more specifically for it. It made a world of difference in my studying! The Finance midterm wasn't pretty . . . I just hope I knew enough to pass the darned thing. For some reason my brain has a lot of trouble grasping the concept of stocks and bonds and capital assets. I think this is just confirmation that I shouldn't be doing any serious investing with an advisor :)

Things with the dogs are going about as well as usual. I had Billy on a nice long streak with no accidents in the house (thank God for belly bands!) but lately he has been pooping in the house again. I think he does it to keep me humble, because he's certainly old enough to know better. And he is the most "advanced" little dog when it comes to marking and humping. I feel so lucky! He marked my travel bag the other day, while it was on my bed . . . so I'm washing my quilts again. At least they're clean.

We started obedience classes again this week. It feels really good to get back into that routine. This course puts a lot of emphasis on clicker training, which I firmly believe is a great way to train Cockers. The clicker marks the action you want the dog to continue offering, and then the treat reinforces it. So when the dog is asked to sit, as soon as the dog's bum touches the ground, click and treat. All of the dogs that I have used it with (granted, only 3) have understood the concept really quickly, and have learned things with a happiness I was missing when I was using more correction-based training. Billy did really nicely with offering sits, started to learn the stand command (without me hand stacking him, which is what he's used to) and is slowly learning to stay. His recall, as always, was fabulous. That's the only bonus of owning a momma's boy!

Farley is doing really well these days. He has completely recovered from his peach pit incident, and his hair is even growing back on his abdomen and front leg where the IV was. He's back to eating whatever he can find, so at least I know he didn't learn his lesson ;)

And Quigley, well, he's aging. Still thinner than he's ever been, but he seems to be holding his own. He's such a gentle soul, he just sort of co-exists with everybody. He lets the other two dogs push him out of the way during cuddle time, so I have to take the time to spend some one on one time with just him. He appreciates that.

I have continued with my lifestyle program. The eating out hasn't been as easy to conquer, especially when there's nothing quick to make at home. But I'm making a real effort. I'm still walking at least 6 days a week, which I will cut back to 5 days now that Billy has obedience one night. I'm slowly losing a bit of weight, and the walks are good for me. With it warming up, and the sun staying out longer, it just feels good to be outside. I have seen a neurologist to work on my headaches, so if I can manage those, life will really be good!

So that's my update for now . . . sorry for the long "absence" of sorts, but I'm back in full force now.