Fat Tuesday

I have never gone out for Mardi Gras. So I decided this year I was going. It just happened to fall on a day I had off. Lucky for me to have Tuesdays off huh? Anyway, I didn't want to just sit at home, so Geoff invited me to go with him to Rock Bottom.
I got there around 8, and Geoff was starving, so he'd already ordered. After munching down on some club sandwiches and nachos, we went over to the bar area to watch the show.

A band he'd been recently turned on to was playing. Intervision 5 they were pretty cool.. I got a very Jamiroquai vibe. They did some covers as well. From John Mayer, Dave Matthews, and my personal favorite of the evening, Cake's Short Skirt, Long Jacket.

I took this picture off their site, because my camera phone takes VERY crappy low light pictures.

A little while later, Geoff's friend Staci and her crew showed up. They were a fun bunch of people, and we had a good time dancing. Geoff had to leave to go to work, but I decided to stay a bit longer and hang out with Staci, McKenzie, Katie, and a few others. It was low-key but good fun. The best part of the night though, was when I was standing outside. There were bicycle cops all over the place, and somehow I managed to find the really nice ones. One of them even mentioned having some beads... I said, "I would so flash you just to say I flashed a cop and got some beads!" The cop says, "Don't tempt us, we may be back later!" (I didn't do it by the way, but I would have, just for the story.) I didn't flash anyone. I left with my shirt in place the whole night... but someone did give me beads anyway.. yay!

Here's the few pictures that SORTA came out inside the bar.....

Staci and McKenzie

Me, Geoff, Staci and Katie

Staci and Katie (they were drunk, so it's ok the picture is blurry. :P)

and then she was gone....

I adopted Rikka because she had to find a home where she would be happy and secure. When I took her, she was an insecure little puppy who would pee anytime someone came near her, due to her lack of any human contact for the first 5 months of her life.

I gave her the best home that I could. A loving, yet disciplined home, where she learned basic house manners, as well as self-asteem. She seemed happy here, except for the fact that Wesley just played too rough with her. She eventually spent most of her time either defending herself from him, or hiding under the couch. That was no life for her.

So, as much as I love her... it was time for me to find her a home where she would be able to be truely happy. A woman I worked with fell in love with her the first time she saw her. Every time I saw Dolores, she would ask, "How is my little puppy?" She always assumed ownership of her everytime we talked, so naturally, when it came time to find a loving home for Rikka, she was the only person I asked. She seemed so happy about it when I spoke to her.

So today, was the day. I drove out to her beautiful home, and Rikka and Dolores spent some time getting to know each other, while I told her all she needed to know to provide Rikka with a similar environment to what she was used to, as well as all her little quirks.

Rikka's new home:

A neatly landscaped backyard for her to roam safe from other animals:

and a loving little old lady, who will cherish her to pieces.

It was a sad drive home, but I know in the end it was the best thing I could have done for her. A final gesture of love. Give her to someone who needs her as much as she needs them.

Date Movie

It doesn't make much sense to go see a movie titled this, with my last posts... BUT.. It was a good time. The movie is so ridiculously stupid that it's funny, because it makes fun of a whole bunch of movies I'd seen and laughed at. The cat part was so over the top you couldn't help but snicker, even if you got mad at yourself for doing it.

Bless Allyson Hannigan. It's funny, even all done up in a fat suit, she's still adorable. (Far better than Gwenyth Paltrow in Shallow Hal.) I was also impressed by the fact that she could still dance her ass off in that fat suit. Holy crap that must have taken quite some effort!

I also loved the Kill Bill scene!

I've been tagged!

Cameron tagged me!


Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Willow
2. Supertroopers
3. Boondock Saints
4. The Notebook

Four jobs I've had:
1. Bank Teller
2. Kennel Girl
3. Photographer
4. Dog Trainer

Four places I've lived:
1. Arizona
2. California
3. New York
4. Washington

Four TV Shows I love:
1. Beauty and the Geek
2. ALIAS
3. LOST
4. Veronica Mars

Four places I've vacationed:
1. Sedona, Arizona
2. Sacandaga Lake, NY
3. Los Angeles, CA
4. El Paso, Texas

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Fetuccini Alfredo
2. Chicken Cesar Salad
3. any kind of Steak
4. Chicken Parmesan

Four sites I visit (week)daily:
1. Hotmail
2. Myspace
3. friend's blogs
4. Online Banking

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. At the dog park with Wesley
2. Australia
3. on a beach somewhere warm
4. in a certain someone's arms

Four bloggers I am tagging: (In no particular order)
1. Eldon although he won't respond! :P
2. Ge-off
3. David
4. Justin

Critiquing strippers...

So tonight after work Bill and I went to dinner at some Chinese restaurant near his place. I don't remember the name, but the food was ok. Their sesame chicken was dry, and so was their eggroll. :( However the conversation was worth the less than stellar food.
As soon as we finished, he said, "you done?" I said "yeah" so he said "great, cuz I'm ready for a drink." That's when he told me we were going to Club 205. Hah!
I should have known that we'd end up at a strip club.
Bill has been a manager and a bouncer and a patron of nearly every strip club in the state, as well as some in other states... so he and I spent most of the night critiquing the dancing style of the girls.
There was actually only one girl worth watching. She moved incredibly well, almost in slow-motion, and was stunning. Ironically, she was the oldest girl in the club. Bill gave the most convincing argument as to the reason why we both thought she was the best one to watch. "When men daydream, they do it in slow motion... In every movie where they show a hot scene, they show it slowed down.." Sexuality is about beauty, not about looking like you're having a siezure on stage... remember that kiddies~!

I'm stronger than I thought I was....

All day long, the various cliche's I've heard over the years played out in my head... ones like:

"If you love something,

set it free,

if it comes back to you

it's yours,

if it doesn't it never was"

and

"I'd rather be alone for the right reasons,

than with someone for the wrong ones."

and of course, the ever popular

"that which doesn't kill you

makes you stronger."

In my last blog I wrote about giving up things that I love for the betterment of my future. Today I began the journey of removing things that hurt me. All my life I've let other people hurt me, because I'd rather be hurt than hurt someone else... However, I've come to realize that I deserve better than that. I AM good enough for someone to appreciate for who I am and what I am. I do deserve to be happy, and I refuse to sacrifice the happiness I deserve, just to make someone ELSE feel better. I'm a good person damnit, and I deserve better than the cards I've been dealt at the moment, and I know now that I'm the only one who can move to get a better hand. So, today I gave up the hardest of them all... because keeping it was tearing me apart. Perhaps someday it will return to me with the painful pieces removed... unfortunately only time will tell.

I never thought I was strong enough to do what I did today. Emotionally, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and my body is a complete wreck because of it. I even tossed my cookies at work between classes! (I'm sure you all needed to know that little tidbit.) I know I made the right decision, even though it was hard. I AM stronger than I thought I was. I stood up to something that was hurting me and said, I can't do it anymore... Hopefully it will invoke change, as it already has started to do in me. It took me having the guts to do this to realize how strong I am, and that I really can handle whatever life has to throw at me, even if I have to do it with only my big gray dog at my side.

A special thank you to Cameron, for inviting me over tonight and letting me talk her ear off. :) I especially liked having Wesley get to play with Noodle outside, and him pointing your bird! :)

Giving Up.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I've decided that not getting what you want is often a catalyst for change. This is definately true in my case. So unfortunately if I want to get what I want, I'm going to have to give up some of the things I love.

First off is my job. All my life I've done LOTS of different types of jobs. I managed a video store, I wrote warrants for people on probation who broke the rules, I worked at a clothing manufacturing plant, I worked at a bank, I worked at a vet office, I photographed children, and I thought I finally had found something I loved, when I got a break and managed to land a job as a dog trainer. However, it is becoming glaringly obvious that even though I love this job, I can't afford to do it anymore. I'm just not being payed enough to survive, (some would even argue that I'm not being paid what I'm worth.) So now, the search is on, to find a job that pays well.... even if I don't like it. That's I guess the sacrifice a lot of people make. They give up their dreams for financial stability. I guess that's what growing up is all about.

Then comes my dogs. I think I'm going to need to find a new home for one of them. I absolutely love Rikka, and I feel like I did the best I could for her well-being by taking her out of the situation she was in and giving her a loving home, but now I think it's time she goes to a home better suited for her. I don't know what I was thinking taking on extra responsibilities and an extra mouth to feed when I can barely feed myself. I was once again, thinking with my heart instead of my mind. (One of my biggest blessings and curses.) Besides that, I think she would be happier in a home where she was either the only dog, or had dogs of her size to play with. Wesley is too much for her, and she spends a lot of time hiding under the couch to escape his nose. Wesley too would be happier being the only dog. I absolutely don't want to give her up, but I think it would probably be the best for both of us. I couldn't even fathom giving up Wesley. He's been the light of my life for 2 and a half years, and he would be devastated, as would I if we were apart.

So concludes a very sad blog entry from someone who has to give up two things she loves, for the betterment of my life in the long run... Feel free to comment on my decisions, as irrational thinking is rampant for me these days, and I could use all the encouragement I can get to get through this.

Happy Birthday Eldon!!!!

Today is Eldon's birthday, but because it falls on a Monday, and that's pretty lame, he decided to celebrate it Saturday night. We went back to Aura. We got in before the cover, which was cool because we could also get a table, which we promptly stole one of the reserved signs from and managed to keep all night.

Cameron and Troy were already there when we arrived.

Justin showed up shortly after, and I had a really great appetiser pizza.

Justin gave Eldon a really unique gift. When you care enough to send the very best, give OWL PUKE as a Birthday gift.

Then Tad arrived, to give Eldon a birthday headlock.

Abby was the real trooper. She showed up, even though she had to work at 7 am!

Even Jason and Bekka made an appearance.

Eldon got lots of kisses throught the night.

He looks much like he was beaten with kisses!

There was dancing........

and lots of drinking.....

including some body shots!

Followed by the obligitory, "You're a beautiful man," "No YOU are!"

then Geoff showed up, and got promptly molested.

I even made him dance with me.

but then again, everyone danced with me!

Eldon's birthday wouldn't be complete without an"Eldon Moment", this time in the form of a lapdance!

Happy Birthday honey, I hope you enjoyed it.

Wesley went to work

It's been a while since I've taken Wesley to work with me, and it really showed in his behavior. He's been a monster lately. Just full of energy and somewhat destructive, as well as annoying the crap out of poor Rikka.

I've been doing a lot of working lately, so here's some random pictures from work.

This is Chandler.. a Tibetan Terrier puppy.

When he grows up he will look like this:

Someone brought in 5 six week old Jack Russel puppies to get their shots:

I got to hang with my buddy Rocky....

I saw someone with my dream dogs, both a Weim and a Dane

and Wesley met a ferret!

Old friends and Presents

I can't say what I did on Tuesday, because it involves a certain someone's birthday present, but I will say it was a lot of fun, and I did get to hang out with my friend Bill all day. He also took me to lunch at Red Robin, where I had a really great "mocktail" called Strawberry Essence. It was a mocktail of course because 1, I didn't really want to drink at lunchtime, and 2, I couldn't find my driver's license. Doh! (It was found shortly after by the way, for anyone concerned.)

After that, I was supposed to meet my friends Patrick and Sharon, as well as Eldon and Cameron for drinks at Rock Bottom. Due to a miscommunication, Patrick and Sharon didn't make it, and Cameron got detained.. So Eldon and I had our REALLY reasonable happy hour dinner and left. I was really looking forward to seeing Cameron, as I haven't seen her in quite some time.

Patrick and Sharon are old friends from about 5 years or so ago, who moved to Texas about the same time I moved to the east coast. I haven't seen them since the night we all went to El Presidente for some really bad karaoke and some really big drinks. I can't remember what the drinks were called, but they were always served in a pitcher. Chris and I were just talking about them the other day, and I still can't remember what they were called. Anyway, we had a lot of fun back in the day that night, and here's a picture I dug up from that time period:

(don't know the guy on the left, Patrick and Sharon in the back, my old roommate Paula is back there too, then me in my blonde phase in 2000, and Jason is the white blur in the front.)

So, I was disappointed that I didn't get to see Patrick and Sharon, but they made it up to me by showing up at my work today and met me for my lunchbreak. We went to this 50's style malt shop by my work, called "Boppin Bo's" and I had a fantastically fattening strawberry shake while we chatted for a few. I'm glad I got to see them again before they went back to Texas. They really are great people.

Superbowl XL

I could care less about football. However, Superbowl is a good excuse to have a party. At least that's what Ildiko thought. So, she hosted one. Most of the usual suspects were there, (minus a few) Ildiko, of course, Warren & Abby, Eldon, Brie, and even Peter. There was also, as usual when Ildiko hosts a party, way too much food.

We had little smokie pigs in a blanket,

Pizza!

and what Superbowl party would be complete without a keg?

This was of course a little mini keg that Warren saw at 7-11 and just HAD to have.

I'm not much of a beer drinker, so I had my own little superbowl drink of choice, Pepsi. Even it was festive with football laces on the cans.

The only people that actually cared about the outcome of the game, was Warren and Abby. They had a little wager going on the game, although both really wanted the Seahawks to win. Warren bet on the Seahawks, so Abby went for the Steelers, just to compete with him.

Abby gloats at Halftime

Warren, not very enthused about the outcome so far.

I don't think we watched much of the game though, as every chance we got, the TV mysteriously changed channels to the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. (I don't know how that could have happened.) *wink*

I was disappointed in the lack of good funny commercials this year though. For those of us who don't care about football, that's the only reason to watch TV on Superbowl sunday, except for the above mentioned Puppy Bowl! The group, shown here, mezmerized NOT by the game, but by the Kitty Halftime Show of Puppy Bowl.

In the end, unfortunately for the Seahawks, Abby won the bet.

Jesse was missing, because he was back in NY doing the whole school thing, so he called. We had a lot of fun telling him what he was missing, as each person who talked to Jesse got attacked by two people of the opposite sex while chatting with him.....

Ildi got her lovin courtesy of Eldon and Peter

Warren and Eldon got Brie really good

So good in fact, that they shared a high five after.

Then it was Peter's turn to talk to Jesse. Abby and I distracted him!

Eldon felt left out, being that he was never passed the phone, so Me, Abby and Brie made sure he got some luvin' too! I think that was his best "Eldon Moment" yet!

I love my friends!