Confessions of a One-Track Mind

Mb invited me for Chinese food on Tuesday. We discovered when we got to Melbourne that her favorite Chinese Buffet has closed. Oh dear...we ended up at Cici's Pizza, which is AYCE. Mediocre pizza, but the price is right. Also, I discovered they have free wifi for the win.

Wednesday, J and I had a dog. It's a myth that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. You certainly can---IF you know how to go about it. However, teaching an old owner? Forget about it. This one was boohooing about not wanting to be "mean" to the dog. *eyeroll and gnashing of teeth* Having rules and letting the dog know what they are is NOTNOTNOT being mean. So we doubt we'll hear back from this one. It's the dog I feel sorry for.

Got confirmation about house-sitting next weekend, oh yay! I said YES quite smartly. I know they're having work done on the house, but I'll deal with that. I need the money AND the change of scene and air, glorious air! I'm also looking forward to a nice, flat driveway so I can clean out my car, which is a hot mess, literally. I'm also hoping I can scrape together a few nickels and see The Expendables 2, which is my kind of movie.

More running around with J on Thursday, including her comping me lunch at Five Guys Burgers, which was fabulous. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had beef. They were really sweet. When I said that the fries weren't very fresh, the counterperson immediately made us a fresh batch. Mmmm! I'd go there a couple times a month, if I could afford it.

Friday, I was kinda fatiqued from all the running around of previous days. I did some laundry, not much else.

Yesterday was canasta at J's, and it was a hoot. The first hand we played, I was getting skunked. J, her BFF and I were playing cut-throat, which is every player for herself. We got down to the bottom of the deck, and BFF got the last card in the pile. In the variation we play, the next player, which was me, can take another turn if they're able to pick up the pack of discards. I lamented that unless BFF discarted something I could use, I was screwed. BFF waved around the cards she had left; the highed value card she had was an 8. "They make lovely discards," I said breezily...and she promptly discarded it. I pounced. BFF couldn't believe it. J was laughing her ass off. I just smiled and completed a wild-card canasta from the pack. It was an awesome moment. I didn't win, but it put me in second place.

The second hand, the deck was getting low, not more than two or three turns left, and I just wasn't getting the cards I needed to complete sequences. I sorted things and realized I could go out if I didn't draw anything too unfortunate on my next turn. Sure enough, I got cards that would work with what I had, and proceeded to go out. There was some fussin' and cussin' for sure! I won that hand neatly.

When I got home, around 1AM, an odd thing happened. I walked into my living room, and it felt a little cleaner than I expected. Nothing had been moved, the elves hadn't magically come in and tidied up for me, it just seemed less dingy, more welcoming. I have a long way to go, but I could tell that there's been progress.

Today was church. The speaker was someone who's new, and she gave an interesting talk about the erosion of civil rights. Hospitality was plentiful; there was a Buddist retreat at the church this week, and there were plentiful leftovers. Enough that we all ate, and most of us got more to take home. I have a bag of salad greens, a bag of cooked brown rice, two onions, some grape tomatoes and two hard-boiled eggs. Woohoo, I'm set for the week!

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Tossed and turned and moaned and groaned trying to get comfy in bed. Left Hip hurt abominably. Ibuprophen is my friend. Note to self, do NOT try to sleep at J's again until she has a new couch, which is alledgedly going to happen in the next couple of weeks. Although I have noticed, it seem to only be here at home that I hurt....

OTOH, she's STILL going round and round about the grant that was supposed to get the dog training company official premises since November. And it's been longer than that since I saw a nickel out of the biz. Speaking of dogs, I signed up to give a presentation about service animals at church this Sunday, which means I need to get my ass in gear and actually write something.

I should also gear up and start doing laundry---unearthed a lot of bedding while excavating my bedroom, and I've been climbing over piles of it for a week now. Fortunately, that's not ultra time-consuming, so I can run back and forth from my desk to the garage.

Although, come to think of it, I'm getting peckish. And I've got an arse-load of stuff on my DVR that needs to be viewed and cleared. Ah, well---thanks to my mid-day nap, I'm sure to be up all night!

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First of all, the UU picnic went well. I almost weaseled out because the weather looked like crap, but it cleared up. The park it was held at is lovely; the pavillion where the event was held was situated so that all the views were good---whether of the river, the woods or the coast. I may not have met Mr Right, but I'd happily hold the wedding there!

Thurday's dog and her very satisfied owner showed up at an event J did over the weekend. Owner is thrilled by the change so far, and has referred us to a friend. Yay, another client!

In other great news, J's business is about to radically expand. She's been writing a grant proposal for the last few months, and she just got word that she's going to "get" a building. (Actually subsidized rent and utilities for up to a year.) This will get us out of J's living room, for starters, and enable us to give classes and seminars and clinics and stuff like that. Oh boy! I look forward to a parking space of my own, unlike her current sitch, where my bumper is hanging out in traffic. I'm also really excited by the prospect of A Chair of My Own, because J has the most godawful uncomfortable seating ever.

And in the biggest and best news, Mb is giving me an early Christmas, courtesy of Jazz the Wonder Akita: *Next week*, we are spending five days at Disney! Details are being worked out, but the idea is that they'll need someone to hold her leash while they're on non-dog friendly rides, like coasters. I'm thrilled to pieces! I haven't been on a real vaction in ages. My last so-called vacation was going up to NY after my brother died. Before that...1991. A weekend at a tattoo convention in Pittsburgh, of all places. (I *do not* count house-sitting as a vacation!)

Mb is lining up a budget motel, something with a continental breakfast and a pool. Lunch and dinner are included in Jazz's "gift", I'm going to get to see a couple of the parks I haven't been to at all (MGM and Animal Kingdom), I went to Epcot right after it first opened---almost none of the international exhibits were open, I'm dying to see Norway!---and all the other countries, but especially the land of my ancestors. I've been to the Magic Kingdom, but that was more than 20 years ago, with Peter. I really want to see the new and improved Pirates of the Caribbean ride!

I dug out my camera last night, and I'm a little concerned it's on its last frames---I'm hoping it's just the battery. It doesn't want to turn on and stay on, and I'll be very vexed if I can't take pix! Mosat get fresh batteries and pray....

Things are going good for a change. Let's all hope they stay that way.

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Yesterday's dog was a little shih tzu/poodle mix with a barking problem, the result of deep-rooted insecurity. Her owner seems to be the take-charge type 9former teacher(, so I think they'll do well. It was great to go out on a call again, it's been ages. J says the company is about to expand---she's been filling out endless paperwork for a grant---and I'm hoping that means I'll have an actual income capable of paying the bills soon.

Mb is out of town with SO, and I miss her something awful. I look forward to hanging out with her and catching up on the stuff she's DVRed for me---I'm anxious to see what's going on with Sons of Anarchy.

Haven't gotten any more laundry done, although when I went out into the garage this afternoon to find something to wear, the relative order (compared to a couple weeks ago) was a pleasant shock.

Sunday is the All UU picnic, where all the congregations in the county get together. This will be the first time I've gone, since in prior years it was held waaay out in the south beaches. This year, it's in mid-county, so I'm going to give it a look. Who knows, maybe I'll meet the love of my life.

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Laundry. Holy, crap, have I been doing a lot of laundry. Digging and washing and sorting and hanging and finding hangers! And more hangers! And more frickin' hangers and more frickin' laundry---yesterday, I was pulling stuff from down under the hanging bar that spans my garage. Found stuff that had fallen off hangers, stuff that had fallen off the ironing board, stuff and more stuff, and just when I thought I was getting to the end of it, I parted the clothes on the bar, like parting the Red Sea (or in this case, the Pink Sea), and discovered to my utter horror a pile of bedding, spreads and comforters and blankets---at last three, more like four loads all by itself. *whimper*

Mind you, I found a nice skirt I'd completely forgotten I owned, TEN pains of panties, which is a Very Good Thing indeed, and some stuff that made me go, "Why do I still have THAT?!" So I'm benefitting from my industry and making progress, it's just not happening as fast as I'd like it to, but then, what ever does?

Still, the Universe was very good to me yesterday. I got dressed and dragged myself out to pay the light bill (FPL--Florida Plunder and Loot). I checked the mailbox and found a darling card with a picture of a black Labrador Retriever* on it from pwcorgigirl and an equally charming GC for Aldi's.

I hit WalMart first for another phone card, then Aldi's, where I invested in some things that food stamps doesn't cover. Went above and beyond the GC, planning to pay the difference with food stamps. Except the register wouldn't ring it up that way, there was no manager in store and lines backing up. They wrote off the overage just to get me out of there. $14 worth of goodies! They've got their Christmas delicasies out, so they're especially yummy.

Then I took care of the FPL bill and went home with a sense of accomplishment. Spent a quiet evening, then this morning I put a load of laundry into the dryer, stopped by Publix to get a raincheck on some diet Cheerwine at the current sale price and on to J's for a meeting about dog training. Fingers crossed, it looks like there *might* be some money in it!

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* Or as a photographer of my acquaintance calls them, "black light-sucking dogs", because either they're a black hole in the picture or they're washed-out looking; apparently it's very tricky to get the exposure Just Right.

My big plan for today called for a visit to my local Kelly Services...and then I discovered that they're no longer where they were when I last availed myself of them. They're halfway to freaking Melbourne. This does not mesh with my plans to get together with J to discuss my finances. Since I have a workshop already scheduled for tomorrow (and confirmed by phone this morning), that's going to have to wait til Monday.

Saturday, we have a doggy event---a new vet's office is having a grand opening, and is showcasing local vendors, including us.

I have a stiff neck, which is irksome. They say growing old is not for sissies; clearly, I'm a wimp. If I'm this lily-livered at 50, I can just imagine what a ray of sunshine I'll be at 60. Assuming I don't get hit by a bus first.

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I've spent a lot of time with J over the last few days. Thursday, we had a dog, first in quite a while. Actually, four dogs belonging to a family, and as we surmised, the dog they called us is NOT the one instigating the trouble---and the one who's instigating is being set off by the owner. Fun-fun, IF the owner will let us help. She's somewhat resistant.

Friday afternoon, J and I went out after running around...she was overheated, and proposed a cold beverage. Then we ordered appetizers---quesadillas---sat and talked for a couple hours, and ended up ordering dinner (Au jus sandwiches, very nommy).

She wanted to know what's wrong with me; I've not been up to par for a while---y'all may have noticed---and I dumped. The lack of a job, finances, house going to seed again, persistant depression---all that shit and more.

Have I mentioned that, in addition to dog psychology (in which she is self-taught), J is also degreed in people psychology? She's a good couselor as well as a good friend, and she's proposed a plan whereby I will show up at her place every weekday morning at 10AM, just as if it was a real job, and from there, I'll do all my job search stuff, and she will also advise me on my finances.

Being at the end of my rope, I agreed to it. I've got to do something. Otherwise, I'm going to self-destruct. You guys are great, but I need a real-time cheerleader/whip-cracker. I need structure. And at this time of year, I need air-conditioning!

Saturday afternoon, though, I went over to her place for purely entertainment purposes: DVD night. So far, we've screened episodes of Trauma (Cliff Curtis, yummy!), Justified (Olyphant and Goggins, ditto) and in addition, this evening I screened Live Free, Die Hard, which she hadn't seen. It was a hoot---it took her about four seconds to recognize Cliff Curtis (FBI Deputy Director Bowman) but about ten minutes to ID Timothy Olyphant (Thomas Gabriel). I teased her that she didn't know him without the cowboy hat, but she insisted it was because he looks much younger in LFDH.

Church in the morning and cleaning committee afterward...very glad it's not a potluck Sunday---we had, like, three in a row, and I was running low on cheap, bomb-proof recipes.
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Saturday, after I posted Five Things That Have Made Art Mullen Old Before His Time, I went over to J's and soldered for my supper. She's got an old computer (Mac) she's been trying to repair, and that was my third session soldering in new capacitors. I got all-you-can-eat barbecue and corn fritters out of it, so YUM.

Sunday/The First Day of Spring!!! at church, I gave the finally-finished wallhanging to the gal with the new home. This is the finished version:



The tapetry was from eBay. The small stars came from my craft supplies, the big silver stars were repurposed from some old earrings. The necklace came from my craft supplies, too---smallish gage chain and a sterling pentacle charm.

The broom was made as part of a CUUPs craft project a few months ago. The handle was one of a bunch provided by CapeGypsy's husband. The bristles are made from pine straw gathered on the church grounds. The twine is hemp I had on hand.

She accepted the bag I had it in graciously, but didn't look at it. Classy, but disappointing. I'd've liked to see her initial reaction.

Today was the food pantry, and I went from there Directly to J's. I was a little early---we were going to go see about a dog at noon---but I couldn't afford gas to run back and forth.

The dog was a Rottie, advertised as "dog aggressive", which he wasn't. His owner is anxious when other dogs approach, which sets the dog off. Owner is wanting to train him as a service dog, and he's already performing very well. Owner is on disability and can't afford J's services; today was a freebie evaluation of his temperament and advice on what Owner needs to do to train him: Document hours and locations spent training, etc. Goodwill for us, but no money.

J says she doesn't do it for the money, which I think is admirable. I, on the other hand, am highly motivated by profit.

Y'all, if I don't post or respond to comments right away, don't panic. Today was the day I promised my internet-cable provider I'd pay them, and I flat-out don't have it. Won't have it before the 1st at the earliest. I haven't gone into detail about the go-round I've been having about my benefits, but the bottom line is, I haven't had anything from them since EARLY February and EVERYTHING is due.

Right now, I'm just breathing in and out and repeating the Serenity Prayer. J says they don't immediately turn things off in case the check is really in the mail. Me, I'm just hoping things don't go pear-shaped while GK is here.

Never a dull moment!
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J collected me shortly after noon on Thrusday, and we drove over to Orlando, both quite excited about the scheduled Cesar appearance. We got there well before the event, scheduled at 3:30, and hit a Chili's on I-Drive for lunch. Chicken, bacon and ranch quesadillas, yum!

The AARP event was...well, put it this way, Cesar Millan is awesome, and it probably would've been even more so if we'd gotten there BEFORE his presentation started. We lingered a little too long over lunch, then hit every light on I-Drive and *then* we got to the convention center.

May I just say (not for the first time) that whoever designed the Orange County Convention Center is/was a fucking moron?! And the AARP geniuses aren't that bright either. I mean, what dingleberry puts handicaped parking on the opposite side of the far end of the freaking building? And sets it up so that you have to take an elevator up a story from the parking lot, walk a quarter of a mile or so, take another elevator down and walk another quarter of a mile to registration?

And then, Cesar was appearing in the Valencia ballroom on the fouth floor, but not all elevators GO to the fourth floor...like I said, MORON. Oh, and they're all SMALL elevators that barely had room for scooters/wheelchairs, of which there were a helluva lot.

So we joined our program already in progress, and it was NOT the cozy little gathering of a few dozen people that I envisioned---no, try several hundred. Big enough that they had screens on either side of the stage doing a simulcast (with captioning, which was *quite* entertaining, as when they kept typing what the dog was sniffing as 'pea'...).

Cesar was very energetic. A lot of what he had to say was more or less verbatim from what he's said on the show or in his book, but his energy in person is incredible. Alas, there was no meet-and-greet afterward, but seeing him was still very cool. And the fact that it was free with our food donation was, you'll excuse the expression, gravy.

We investigated the exhibit hall for the remaining half-hour---a lot of it was to do with finance and investments, although I did see the chest-deep bathtub I'm going to install as soon as I hit the jackpot.

Getting out of the building was a challenge, at least for J. I just said "Follow me!" and kept going. She was in a motorized wheelchair, I'm the one who was hiking leagues! She'd be going, "I don't think this is it...oh, wait, I recognize that now...I'm sure glad I'm with you. This is why I don't travel alone."

Likewise, getting back to the highway, I'm the one who spotted the sign of 528 East in time for us to make a major lane change. It's like I told J, I loathe driving in Orlando traffic, but I *do* make a pretty good navagatrix.

We collected her service dog from his sitter, dropped him off at her place, then she took me to Steak'n'Shake as payback for me picking up the tolls. Note: Their butter pecan milk shakes are freakin' orgasmic.

Got home and was so beat that I crawled into bed and was asleep by 11 PM, which is unheard of for me. Woke before &, but napped a bit midafternoon. Despite the hiking and abbreviated presentation and everything, I'd still give it an 8 out of 10.

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I'm quivering with anticipation. There is a positive side to turning 50, and that---don't laugh!---is AARP. I got my membership packet a few weeks before the big day and kind of cringed. That changed when one of the blurbs on Yahoo popped up with Cesar Millan---AARP @50+ Orlando.

There's a big AARP Expo going on this weekend at the Orange County Convention Center, and Cesar Millan is one of the featured speakers. I spent a while on the phone this afternoon nailing down details, but basically, we can get in free with a food donation (even though J is under 50), so she and I are going over there for his presentation tomorrow.

I have a copy of "Cesar's Way" to be autographed, I'll bring my camera so we can get pix, we'll take lunch with us, since everybody knows convention center prices are highway robbery, J is covering gas and tolls (and we'll see what parking is like when we get there.).

They're streaming it online for folks who can't attend, but thankfully, it looks like J and I will be in the audience! I told her she ought to bring her service dog, but she's demurring because she's concerned about him getting overheated driving over there in her un-a/c'ed car. Just between us, I think it's because she's worried he'll be rambunctious.

I'll let you all know how it goes....


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The weather today was perfect for Paws in the Park. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was cool without being cold, a bit of a breeze, just delightful.

Lots of dogs---more dacshunds than I've ever seen in one place, above and beyond the half-dozen or so from the Dacshund Rescue group right next to us---vocal little weiners! There was also quite a few reps from the Great Dane Rescue, Greyhound Rescuem and the Poodle people. There was quite a sampling of breeds: a half-dozen mini-schnauzers, three Corgis (one of which was paralyzed and got around with a little chariot under her tummy), several darling Cavalier King Charles spaniels, including a black-and-tan, two Rotties, a Gordon setter, a chocolate Dobie, and two of our clients, an English Bull mastiff and a pitbull mix. (There were actually quite a lot of pits/pit-mixes---this is Florida, after all.) Also two English bulldogs, and one Staffordshire bull terrier (Meatball!) This list barely scratches the surface: All the common breeds were there: labs, goldens, collies, shepherds, cockers, etc.!

While I was decluttering my dining room, I gifted J with a wolf cookie jar that howls when you tilt its head back. It was stocked with dog treats. There were also people treats: I brought a package of chocolate chip cookies. We handed out a lot of cards and a few people signed up to be contacted for more info on training.

As a reward for my honorable service, not to mention the free table, J took me out for lunch when we were done. We had Steak'n'Shake, and then she went off to some meeting or other and I headed over to Barnes & Noble for a while.

I'm back at the C's now, where I brushed Rosie for a while and watched part of The Stand on SyFy. I remembered a lot about it---the books is one of my Stephen King favorites, and I remembered Gary Sinise as Stu and Jamey Sheridan as Flagg---but I'd forgotten the magnificent mullet Jamey sports! Ah, 1994....

Not sure how much later I'm going to be up. It's been a really long day.
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The individual who called at least four times yesterday about the dog we were supposed to be training today has called to cancel. I'm not surprised, but I'm annoyed. Here's why:

The appointment was set up the week before last, and I know damn well that I TOLD him the 26th. He called last Friday and said he'd waited for us and we hadn't showed. (I didn't tell him that that was because I was at Kat's viewing, but I wish now that I had.) I reconfirmed it it was today, the 26th.

Yesterday, he started calling us again: To confirm the day and time, to get references---which no one has ever asked me for before, and at one point, he called the OTHER number and got J, who had workmen replacing her hot water heater and who managed to hang up on him. And he had questionions. Who was that, she sounded groggy? Was that the person who was going to come out to train his dog? How many trainers do we have? The person who'd referred him to us found us on Craigslist, was that right?

During the course of the phone calls, I explained that J is the trainer, that I assist, that we got started on Craigslist because J was alarmed by the number of ads for "Free dog, owner can't handle" on Craigslist, and because she's trained service dogs, she was moved to try to help and that's how she got started.

What I did not say, because J has told me not to, is that No, she probably wasn't groggy, she always sounds like that because J has a speech impediment. She has CP, and gets around with crutches and a wheelchair, which is the other reason she keeps me around (in addition to my mad phone skillz). Usually, we show up and let the clients figure it out for themselves---the dogs don't care, and once she started working her magic on them, the owners stop caring.

The references were hand-picked, of course, but I suspect they weren't coached not to mention J's disabilities. I think that individual learned about that, freaked out, and that's why he canceled. That's just my suspicion, I could be wrong, maybe his transmission went out or he has stuff going on for work, or they have out-of-town guests, IDK. I told him we're going to be doing an event this weekend, gave him the info with an invitation to come by and meet us. It's the least they can do.

And if not, well, he's still stuck with a problem dog. She's the one I feel sorry for.
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Today's poodle looked much like my icon. Cute little booger. And the really hysterical part---her owner and owner's friend were telling us about how naughty he is about this, that and the other---but he was an angel while we were there. Like, "He follows people to the door and gets underfoot and barks when they come in."...except that when I went out to the car for J's wallet, he sat next to his mama and didn't make a sound when I came back in. I was also the one who got the leash on him---I seem to have a knack---and it was really amusing to see the ladies jaws dropping. (Believe me, after Poncho, Puppy---yes, that's his name---was easy.)

We've also got a possible Boston terrier on the agenda---the couple who owns her is talking it over. He told me they were thinking of getting a second Boston to keep her company, and I tried to discourage them with the truth---if one dog has behavior problems, two are liable to set each other off; it's really better to work on the original dog's problems and when they're balanced, then get another dog if they want to get her companionship. I told J this and she applauded my learning curve. That was the right answer.

I'm not boasting so much as trying to bolster my self-esteem. I'm eating everything in sight, I'm not writing, I'm massively distracted and not getting anything much done around the house either. Part of it is the Kat situation, part of it is me feeling crappy, and YES, I KNOW I need to find a doctor or clinic or something, but it's true, when you have time, you have no money, when you have money you have no time.

Car du jour: I saw one of those new Chargers headed north on US1, and it was a total pimpmobile. Candy apple lilac, for crying out loud. With matching spinner wheels. Yikes.
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This morning, I stopped by J's and visited Poncho, whom I last saw Thursday evening. He's a completely different dog, you can see it in his body language. Instead of being a tense little bundle of nerves, he's a happy boy. I came in and sat on the edge of the bed, and when he realized it was me, oh boy! His tail was wagging like crazy---before, it was tucked so far between his legs, it was pointing toward his nose---and he started licking my hand, another first. I picked him up---something I would NOT have tried a couple days ago---and he started licking my face and otherwise showing how glad he was to see me. He's been visiting with her friend's dogs, been on walks and car trips and wonder of wonders, he's even eaten regular dry dog food! We're tentatively planning to take him home on Tuesday---then comes the fun part, training his owner!---we're both really happy about how well he's done in such a short time.
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Last night GK called (in the middle of WNTW, timing!) and announced that she was scheduling me for Kat-sitting duty. She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed has drafted me today from 2-9 and Wednesday and Friday from 5-9. I had my calendar handy and was able to verify that I/we have no dogs on those days.

Last night I even dreamed about dog training---I was in the backseat of a convertible with a yellow Lab puppy. The couple who owned him was in the front seat, talking about how he seemed to be afraid of car upholstery...the other side of the backseat was clawed down to the foam. I had him on my lap, and he seemed calm and happy. I'm not sure what I did about his fears....

Hormones are playing hell with me...signs that I may be getting punctuated after about nine months without---really, I'm OVER this. Ready for my cronage, thank you. It's probably contributing to the fact that I have been sleeping very badly and hurting a lot. Not so much the usual pit-of-the-stomach pain, but my shoulders---there IS no comfortable position, and they wake me up numerous times every night. My first action every morning is to grab the Excedrin.

Now to go find some breakfast, and take care of some "bidness" before I head over to Kat's....
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We were supposed to have two sessions today, but it ended up being one very, very long one. This dog was referred to us as "the chihuahua from hell"...snapped at his owner, wouldn't let her get a collar on him, let alone a leash, and led us a merry chase when we tried to do so. Last week, we cornered him and got a leash on him---by feeding the leash back through the wrist loop and getting that around his neck.

His owner is more of a problem than the dog himself is. She's in her mid-70s, has never had a puppy before just adult dogs---this little guys is a year old and spoiled rotten. The owner follows the line of least resistance---he doesn't want to wear a collar? No collar. He refuses to eat dog food? She lets him eat cat food---which btw is a BAD thing, in case you didn't know---it's too high in protein and can really mess up a dog's kidneys. He doesn't like riding in the car? She holds him in her arms and holds a peppermint stick for him to lick! She has little faith in his ability to change and doesn't seem able to carry out assignments from week to week, so today J and I took him for intensive one-on-one training.

Poncho hasn't given us nearly as much crap as we'd expected from his nickname. Today, *I* got a leash on him with a minimum of drama. We got him into a crate and he whined a little as we were driving, but not howling as his owner described. J has a friend with two small, happy dogs, and we took him over there for a brief visit. Her friend put a leash on one of her dogs, I had Poncho, and we walked them around the perimeter of her yard...by the time we got back to the front steps, Poncho's tail was up and wagging. We got him over to J's place, where she borrowed a small collar from another friend. She held Poncho, and I put the collar around his neck---and adjusted it a couple times to get the right fit---without snapping, snarling or fussing. (J is very happy with me.) She picked me up a little after noon, and I didn't get home til shortly after 8---it was a long day, but a satisfying one.

Oh, one other small annoyance: I got up this morning and found my water was turned off. Not just pink tagged, OFF. I had just enough in the bank to pay it up and get it turned back on, but I'm basically broke now. The only reason is because the extortionistic SOBs demanded a new $100 deposit from me...of all the utilities, I hate these guys the worst, because wtf am I supposed to do, flush with bottled water? Drill a well and pump my own? It's a fucking racket!
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The last few days have been intersting. The session with Thursday's dog, the chihuahua from Hell, went on for three hours while J and I tried to get a leash on him. We finally cornered him, literally---he was backed into a corner and surrounded on three sides. The dog we were supposed to meet with at noon on Friday was a no-show, but J took us out to lunch as an "oh well" bonus.

Of course, my microwave decided to die last night, so I have leftovers I've looking longingly at---but I'm down to my last five cups of soup, which is something.

Today---first dog of the afternoon was big, shaggy and goofy. Very Heinz 57. Owner had a lot of antique oak furniture and some decent repros...a bit more country than I would opt for if I could start from ground zero, but a little kitsch mixed in.

Second session: "Yappy Hour", a dog-friendly event at a local Mexican restaurant sponsored by a local rescue group. There were two absolutely gorgeous, immaculately groomed standard poodles, one black, one apricot---I was in love, as I grew up with a silver standard bitch. There were the greatest number of Shelties that I've ever seen in one place---I counted eleven at one point!---plus a variety of other breeds and crosses, including the Bull Mastiff pup (8 months) belonging to our client. He was very good---he didn't bark at all, didn't chase or jump on anyone---he's definitely a lot better behaved then when we started working with him a couple months ago!

From there, I got J to drop me off at Kat's, because GK is there...I finally collected my Christmas present---a rolling piece of leopard-print luggage---and hung out until she was starting to lag. At which point, she brought me home...I'm about DONE myself.
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