on updating.

I believe a few weeks back, I made some reference to my hopes of getting some kind of regular posting plan down, so all of my posts don't sound like rambling nonsense.  Well, I am here to report that I am nowhere near accomplishing that but after just reviewing my previous post, I can see something needs to be done.

Until next time.

things

Simon has gone through a relapse the past couple days.  Monday and Tuesday he whined ALL NIGHT.  I mean, like every hour.  The first night I felt really bad, and ended up waking up at 5 for him.  By Tuesday I was just getting pissed off, and luckily last night he slept (I think) soundly.  I/Rob closed the door to our room, anyway.  And he was getting better with people, like way better.  I took him to Eden Park to go on a walk with my friend Sara and her dog, Penny (Sara just moved back from North Carolina - yay!) and Simon was TOTALLY NORMAL.  He was even jumping up to Sara and wanting her to pet him and stuff and I thought we had reached a breakthrough.  However, on aforementioned days, during his walks, EVERYTHING terrified Simon, once again.  He violently through himself toward the street when we approached an abandoned toy truck on the sidewalk.  Every person we passed he obviously suspected as a dognapper/murderer.  And kids?  Nervous breakdowns.  He can't even handle them.

Has anybody had any similar experiences with their dog?   Specifically fear of people (especially children) that they have overcome?


In other news, I love my new schedule on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  I have 2 hours purely to myself in the morning and it is glorious.

Also, Rob and I will be attending some fundraising gala and whatnot at freakin' MUSIC HALL on October 1.  It is honoring composer Philip Glass and his induction into the American Classical Music hall of fame, but also trying to raise money for a unique project that Rob's company has been hired to do for them.  Rob is even presenting at the event.  Needless to say, I am terrified.  We are not classy and I have to go out and buy all new fancy clothes just so I don't look like a savage at this snooty event.

more about simon.

Simon is doing so, so great.  We officially adopted him this past Saturday and he is such a great dog.  There are noticeable improvements every single day and he wasn't a bad guy to start!  Love this little dog :)

P.S. I promise I'm not going to be posting about my dog all the time now.

research

We have been speculating as to possible breeds that Simon may be.  I wish that we could know his breeds and also his age, but alas it will only ever be speculation.  However, I personally believe that our little friend here is part wire-hair jack russell terrier.  Firstly, he looks like one!  Proof:

This is basically Simon's face, minus the white.

Also,

Simon's brother looked EXACTLY like this.  His ears were huge and stuck up.  And he was this color.  I mean, if I didn't now any better, I would believe that is Simon's brother.

Secondly, Simon has hops.  And abundant energy.  I can take him on an hour walk, that is largely uphill, and when we get inside he won't even need a drink of water.  Seriously, this happened.  I walked the little guy through the hills of Bellevue for an hour and about 30 minutes after being home he moseyed over to the water dish and took about a lap of water.  And then he was done.  

I have house sat for some family friends twice and they have a Jack Russell terrier and the little guy, though more on the hyper-active side than our little guy, reminds me so much of Simon.  He wasn't wire-haired or anything, but demeanor and things were similar.  

Anyway, I really should be getting ready for work as opposed to google image searching wire-haired Jack Russell terriers, so off I go.

But not before I say how awesomely Simon is adjusting to us.  The first couple nights he whined, yelped, and barked for 20-30 minutes after we put him in his crate at night.  Then Monday night he only whined for about 5 minutes, and last night he may have whimpered for about 30 seconds.  He is so good!

Simon the Wise, Escaper of Crates

Guess what guys.....

WE GOT A NEW DOG.

His name is Simon, a little dog recently brought to Ohio from Tennessee, where he and his brother were picked up by someone who saw them being tossed out of a moving car.  He is a sweet, kind of skittish, but pretty well-behaved.  Last night there was about 15 minutes of on-and-off whining/barking after being locked up in his crate, and then when we got back from church this morning Houdini here made his way out of the crate and was just hanging out.  He only mildly chewed up this basket/tray thing he pulled off the coffee table and I wasn't even mad about it.

So anyway, without further ado...meet Simon the Wise, Escaper of Crates:

The little booger doesn't hold still long enough to get a photo so hopefully he mellows out over the next few days and we'll have some better shots.

weekend summary

Three day weekends are fantastic.  And this one was especially good.  Here is a recap:

Friday: My new German friend, Anka, met Rob and I at Dewey's and we partook of delicious, perfect pizza.  Afterward she came over and we watched a movie, introduced her to The Office and then Parks and Recreation, and then played Mario and Sonic Olympics on the Wii until TWO O'CLOCK in the morning.  Whew.  It was super fun though.  Her only question about America to me was, "Are American high schools really like they are in the movies?"

Rob thought we looked like idiots while sword fighting so he made a video to prove it.

Saturday: We went and looked at dogs!  Though we didn't see one that particularly captivated us, it is fun to start the search.  Afterward we went to my mom's house for a family cook-out in celebration of my Aunt's birthday.  We watched 3 Ninjas with my cousins.  It was awesome.  It's always awesome.

Sunday: I taught Sunday school for the firs time in forrrrrrrrrrrevs.  I wasn't supposed to teach this week, but to observe the current teacher to kind of get to know the kids and style or whatever.  Well, the night prior I had a feeling that maybe I should print out the curriculum just in case something came up and lo and behold, I get there Sunday morning to find out the teacher canceled the night before, so I was on my own.  It was fun though.

In the evening Rob and I went to our friend Andy's wedding.  Rob and Andy were in a band together (as most people reading this blog know) and so we got see a bunch of people we don't see all that often.  It was fun, even though the reception was basically a game show.  A really awkward game show with an obnoxious host.

Rob and I looking totally normal after the wedding.

Monday: We slept in until 11:30!  I haven't slept in that long in forever, and it was amazing.  When we woke up I did some laundry and other boring household chores and then we got ready to go to his sister's for a cookout with his family.  We played corn hole (terribly) and pulled our nephew Ethan around the backyard in his wagon.  I managed to choke on a piece of cake and then we called it a night.

Here's Rob pulling Ethan around in the wagon whilst Duke the dog bounds joyously about.

Anyway, my new littlegirl'sinschoolnow schedule is in effect and it has been a good day.  I got my pumpkin spice latte and I met Anka after work in Clifton to hang out a bit.  Today her question about America was, "So do Americans name their babies just anything like, Book?" (said as she carelessly picked up a book off of a shelf).  Good times.

my new favorite blog.

This girl is a genius.  A friend sent me a link to her blog yesterday and I have not stopped reading it.  And seriously EVERY post makes me laugh out loud.  It's perfect.