Kerriann's gone and done it. She's purchased a new TV. A DLP model - projection screen. That supposedly means it won't burn out as fast as a plasma screen TV, but isn't quite as pretty. She batted her eyes at the Best Buy guy and got him to knock an extra 10% off the already rock bottom deal she found. It's huge. 42". Which may not SOUND huge, but compared to our 21"er, I mean, like wow. She won't have to sit two feet away from the screen on a folding chair anymore. That means more cuddling with me on the couch. I guess the TV is on okay purchase after all. Now if we could only afford cable...
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Weekend Update: Gone fishing with suicidal dog
Kerriann, Ripley, and I spent the weekend at Lake Tahoe with K's father and sister. The drive up was frustrating for me and scary for Kerri. Against my urgings, she scheduled an eye doctor's appointment for Friday afternoon so she could get out of work early with a justifiable excuse, instead of just wanting to beat rush hour traffic. (our last trip to Tahoe took us 6 hours instead of 3.5 because we left too late). So she got her eyes dilated. The problem is that over the past few years she's developed this intense fear of driving in the dark. Or riding in the dark. Especially on windy roads. So on top of riding on windy roads in the dark, THIS time she couldn't really focus on anything for the entire trip. On straight freeways. In the bright sunlight.
After much arguing and holding on to the oh-shit handle of my car, we found the cabin. It was themed. We'd seen pictures online, so sort of knew what we'd asked for, but I had no idea how crazy it would be. My maternal grandfather would have been in heaven with all the fishing gear strewn about the place, meant to be decorations. Ripley was right at home because of all the animal skins lying about the place. Much lab report grading ensued. There was more puppy frolicking in the lake. Money was lost in casinos. Uno marathons were played. We soaked in a possessed hot tub (the jets would turn on by themselves).
We went to Austin's Restaurant for dinner Saturday night. This place caters to the mountain man, with entrees like chicken fried steak (breaded, deep fried beef), chicken fried chicken (that's right, not just fried chicken, but *chicken* fried chicken), pork chops (3), 16 oz. of salisbury steak, etc. I tried to go veggie, ordering the French onion soup, a house salad, and the marinated portabella mushroom. I was stuffed halfway through my soup and salad. Good solid eats. Check them out (they're in Incline Village).
We packed up Sunday morning and were just about to leave when I realized I couldn't find my cell phone. We searched forever, then decided to retrace our steps from Saturday night. We checked the Wells Fargo ATM - no dice - then headed back to Austin's. When we returned to the restaurant, we were met with a sign telling us they had just closed the night before for two weeks for a vacation. That's right. Not opening again until November 20th. How do these things always happen to me? The great part is I could *HEAR* my phone ringing. No mistaking my ringtone of Madonna, loud and clear through the door of the restaurant - "ring, ring, ring goes the telephone, I'm done. I'm hanging up on you." A nice woman at the apartment complex next door asked to help. She knows the owners. She made some calls. They were all already out of town.
So don't try me on my cell for two weeks.
The drive home was uneventful. More urging from the passenger seat to slow down, more insistance from the driver's seat that we weren't going very fast.
I dropped Kerriann off at hospice on our way home. In an effort to unload the car alone sans dog, I left her in the house unsupervised for about five minutes while I made a second trip downstairs to get our stuff. I opened the door with an armload of luggage and food to find a very guilty looking dog who immediately slunk out onto the porch. I found half a leftover Enteman's chocolate cake in an overturned box on the floor of the living room.
Anger mixed with intense worry.
Chocolate is toxic to dogs.
Right?
Is that an exaggeration?
How much is too much?
It's Sunday. Our vet is closed.
Google search "chocolate dogs"
"You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there's increased absorption of the toxic substance, you'll see an increase in the dog's heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting. This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death."
How to treat a dog with chocolate poisoning:
Induce vomiting - use hydrogen peroxide or syrup of ipecac
We don't have any
Old fashioned way?
Yuck
Dogs have no gag reflex
Call emergency vet
For a 35 lb. dog, a toxic dose of milk chocolate is 4 lbs. (wow!)
Of dark chocolate it's 10 oz.
She's probably safe, but may just have GI tract problems.
whew.
Is this what it feels like to be a parent all the time?
After much arguing and holding on to the oh-shit handle of my car, we found the cabin. It was themed. We'd seen pictures online, so sort of knew what we'd asked for, but I had no idea how crazy it would be. My maternal grandfather would have been in heaven with all the fishing gear strewn about the place, meant to be decorations. Ripley was right at home because of all the animal skins lying about the place. Much lab report grading ensued. There was more puppy frolicking in the lake. Money was lost in casinos. Uno marathons were played. We soaked in a possessed hot tub (the jets would turn on by themselves).
We went to Austin's Restaurant for dinner Saturday night. This place caters to the mountain man, with entrees like chicken fried steak (breaded, deep fried beef), chicken fried chicken (that's right, not just fried chicken, but *chicken* fried chicken), pork chops (3), 16 oz. of salisbury steak, etc. I tried to go veggie, ordering the French onion soup, a house salad, and the marinated portabella mushroom. I was stuffed halfway through my soup and salad. Good solid eats. Check them out (they're in Incline Village).
We packed up Sunday morning and were just about to leave when I realized I couldn't find my cell phone. We searched forever, then decided to retrace our steps from Saturday night. We checked the Wells Fargo ATM - no dice - then headed back to Austin's. When we returned to the restaurant, we were met with a sign telling us they had just closed the night before for two weeks for a vacation. That's right. Not opening again until November 20th. How do these things always happen to me? The great part is I could *HEAR* my phone ringing. No mistaking my ringtone of Madonna, loud and clear through the door of the restaurant - "ring, ring, ring goes the telephone, I'm done. I'm hanging up on you." A nice woman at the apartment complex next door asked to help. She knows the owners. She made some calls. They were all already out of town.
So don't try me on my cell for two weeks.
The drive home was uneventful. More urging from the passenger seat to slow down, more insistance from the driver's seat that we weren't going very fast.
I dropped Kerriann off at hospice on our way home. In an effort to unload the car alone sans dog, I left her in the house unsupervised for about five minutes while I made a second trip downstairs to get our stuff. I opened the door with an armload of luggage and food to find a very guilty looking dog who immediately slunk out onto the porch. I found half a leftover Enteman's chocolate cake in an overturned box on the floor of the living room.
Anger mixed with intense worry.
Chocolate is toxic to dogs.
Right?
Is that an exaggeration?
How much is too much?
It's Sunday. Our vet is closed.
Google search "chocolate dogs"
"You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there's increased absorption of the toxic substance, you'll see an increase in the dog's heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting. This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death."
How to treat a dog with chocolate poisoning:
Induce vomiting - use hydrogen peroxide or syrup of ipecac
We don't have any
Old fashioned way?
Yuck
Dogs have no gag reflex
Call emergency vet
For a 35 lb. dog, a toxic dose of milk chocolate is 4 lbs. (wow!)
Of dark chocolate it's 10 oz.
She's probably safe, but may just have GI tract problems.
whew.
Is this what it feels like to be a parent all the time?
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Delayed and Dismayed
So here I am, sitting in the Las Vegas airport, tired, bored, and getting increasingly annoyed by the doo-doo-doo-doo noises from the Wheel of Fortune slot machines that are everywhere. You know the sound - the one that plays as a new puzzle is framed on the TV screen and Vannah smiles her plastic smile.
I'm waiting for the last leg of my trip to be over. My first leg was delayed leaving Oakland by an hour. Luckily Southwest was kind enough to hold my connecting flight to Tucson so I could actually get to my destination Friday night. While I was exceedingly happy about it, most of the people I passed on my long trek down the aisle of that plane were bitching about having to sit on the plane at the gate for an extra half hour waiting on ten random strangers to show up. One man's trash.... So for the return trip I got to fly through Vegas instead of LAX. Leg 3 was late, and the plane for leg 4 still hasn't arrived at my gate. I probably won't get home till close to 1 AM. But I'm impressed that Southwest was 0 for 4 for my trip. I'm not looking forward to the trip to Seattle in a month, but at least it's a direct flight.
And now comes the comment about the absurd rules in place at airports that are meant to help with security. Check it out. You can have as many bottles holding 3 oz. or less of any liquid, as long as they fit into a quart sized, sealable bag. But the kicker is - the bag must be transparent. Nevermind that the security workers can pull out the bag from your suitcase, individually inspect all the bottles that are less than 3 oz. and confirm that they do not in fact contain liquid explosives. If they can't put them back into a clear bag, you throw them all away. The intelligence of the rule floors me. Needless to say, I lost all my travel sized toiletries on my way to AZ. On the way back, no one bothered to check. Good thing I had my ziplock bag with me.
I'm waiting for the last leg of my trip to be over. My first leg was delayed leaving Oakland by an hour. Luckily Southwest was kind enough to hold my connecting flight to Tucson so I could actually get to my destination Friday night. While I was exceedingly happy about it, most of the people I passed on my long trek down the aisle of that plane were bitching about having to sit on the plane at the gate for an extra half hour waiting on ten random strangers to show up. One man's trash.... So for the return trip I got to fly through Vegas instead of LAX. Leg 3 was late, and the plane for leg 4 still hasn't arrived at my gate. I probably won't get home till close to 1 AM. But I'm impressed that Southwest was 0 for 4 for my trip. I'm not looking forward to the trip to Seattle in a month, but at least it's a direct flight.
And now comes the comment about the absurd rules in place at airports that are meant to help with security. Check it out. You can have as many bottles holding 3 oz. or less of any liquid, as long as they fit into a quart sized, sealable bag. But the kicker is - the bag must be transparent. Nevermind that the security workers can pull out the bag from your suitcase, individually inspect all the bottles that are less than 3 oz. and confirm that they do not in fact contain liquid explosives. If they can't put them back into a clear bag, you throw them all away. The intelligence of the rule floors me. Needless to say, I lost all my travel sized toiletries on my way to AZ. On the way back, no one bothered to check. Good thing I had my ziplock bag with me.
Monday, October 09, 2006
The Fall Lineup
I'm going to be busy this fall, so try not to expect too much on the blogging front. Well, you can expect, but expect of Kerriann. She's not been holding up her end of the blog. Remember, it's big, it's heavy, it's wood. I need help.
So what am I up to? Next weekend the fam (K and Ripley and I) are going up to Tahoe with our friends, the Ickies (that's Mikki and Vicki, in case you don't know) and their two pups, Tigger and Kaya. Kaia? Hopefully we'll return with pictures and a pocketful of money. Gambling will ensue next weekend.
The following weekend K's on her own with the pup while I travel to sunny (hopefully) Tucson, AZ to conduct a Princeton Review training.
The weekend after that I'll be camping in the Mendocino Woodlands at the 10th annual Camp Swing. This has become the last vestige of my dancing hobby. I used to be good. Now I can just barely remember when I used to be good. It's tons of fun whether you're a new dancer or a vet though, so I keep going year after year. And my cabinmates and I have to defend our title - we've won some type of award in the cabin decorating contest two years in a row.
The following weekend we'll be back in Tahoe vacationing with Kerri's dad and sister. And then I think I get to do something that doesn't involve me driving my brandy new car three to four hours twice during a weekend.
So what am I up to? Next weekend the fam (K and Ripley and I) are going up to Tahoe with our friends, the Ickies (that's Mikki and Vicki, in case you don't know) and their two pups, Tigger and Kaya. Kaia? Hopefully we'll return with pictures and a pocketful of money. Gambling will ensue next weekend.
The following weekend K's on her own with the pup while I travel to sunny (hopefully) Tucson, AZ to conduct a Princeton Review training.
The weekend after that I'll be camping in the Mendocino Woodlands at the 10th annual Camp Swing. This has become the last vestige of my dancing hobby. I used to be good. Now I can just barely remember when I used to be good. It's tons of fun whether you're a new dancer or a vet though, so I keep going year after year. And my cabinmates and I have to defend our title - we've won some type of award in the cabin decorating contest two years in a row.
The following weekend we'll be back in Tahoe vacationing with Kerri's dad and sister. And then I think I get to do something that doesn't involve me driving my brandy new car three to four hours twice during a weekend.
Marriage rights
The California Appeals Court decided that they should not be the ones deciding whether queer people can marry or not. It should be decided on by the legislature or the voters. California's legislature historically did just that not all that long ago, and the Governator vetoed it, saying the courts should decide. The people have already spoken with the outcome of Prop. 22 a few years ago. Where does that leave us? Back to educating the populace.
Wednesday is National Coming Out Day. Support your fellow human beings out there, and talk about it if you're queer. Studies show that the more people who personally know gay/lesbian/bisexual people are more likely to have favorable opinions about marriage rights, adoption rights, military service, etc.
Wednesday is National Coming Out Day. Support your fellow human beings out there, and talk about it if you're queer. Studies show that the more people who personally know gay/lesbian/bisexual people are more likely to have favorable opinions about marriage rights, adoption rights, military service, etc.
Car trouble
There seems to be something weird going on in the universe with respect to cars these days. First my coworker totalled his car leaving school at the beginning of the summer, then I totalled my car leaving work at the end of the summer, then another friend totalled her car not all that long ago, and finally, my good buddy had her car stolen from her condo parking lot. What gives? I guess this is how the car industry stays in business. I mean, if cars are super dependable and last a really long time, who needs to buy another one? Unless it gets crushed by some random bad driver, stolen by a joy rider, or you have a midlife crisis and decide you need to drive a European sports car (Kerriann, you do NOT need a Porsche).
The Matrix is awesome, by the way, and Ripley seems to be okay riding four feet away from me, in the very back hatch space. Much better than slip sliding around the entire back cargo area that exists upon folding down the back seats completely flat. While it's quite entertaining for me to slam on the brakes or drive in and out of my parking garage, she gets a bit upset. My little girl needs some security.
The Matrix is awesome, by the way, and Ripley seems to be okay riding four feet away from me, in the very back hatch space. Much better than slip sliding around the entire back cargo area that exists upon folding down the back seats completely flat. While it's quite entertaining for me to slam on the brakes or drive in and out of my parking garage, she gets a bit upset. My little girl needs some security.
Monday, October 02, 2006
My friend
My friend passed away yesterday. I had planned on seeing him today with my Mom but he passed before I got over there. It makes me sad - Pancreatic cancer goes so fast - 1 month from diagonsis.
He had his own blog maintained by the family to keep all of his friends and family updated on his condition. I thought it was a good way to keep everyone informed with out needing to call or email a lot of people.
Kerriann
He had his own blog maintained by the family to keep all of his friends and family updated on his condition. I thought it was a good way to keep everyone informed with out needing to call or email a lot of people.
Kerriann
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Where am I?
TV's best show is about to premiere for the season this Wednesday. LOST returns to baffle us all, and leave us wanting more. Both of my LOST-watching coworkers from last year have moved away, so I may be all alone in this little vice of mine this season. BUT, Kerriann has sucked me into watching this season's Survivor with her (she went to high school with Yul, one of the Korean guys on it this year). So far, Yul's looking good - he's found the immunity idol from Exile Island and is dominating the online popularity poll on the Survivor website.
Not sure which show I'm more embarrassed about - the one with the polar bear, horse, and talking black smoke that magically appear from the wilds on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, or the one with cuddle puddles and a ditzy roller girl that make stolen chickens disappear into the wilds of a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Stay tuned for updates.
Not sure which show I'm more embarrassed about - the one with the polar bear, horse, and talking black smoke that magically appear from the wilds on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, or the one with cuddle puddles and a ditzy roller girl that make stolen chickens disappear into the wilds of a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Stay tuned for updates.
Benefits
Kerriann and I have received our first domestic partnership benefits today. Not that we've actually filled out any paperwork to become legally "partnered" in the state of California, but we now have a single multi-car insurance policy and just saved ourselves $400 a year on car insurance. By the way, we love 21st Century Insurance. They were awesome with my car accident, gave me a GREAT price for the value of my car, and are quick, thorough, and friendly. Highly recommended if anyone's looking to switch.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)