Wandering Aimlessly

Doesn't get better than a three-day weekend

2009-09-09T03:47:00Z

1 internet search (non-professional diagnosis for the win!) +
2 trips to the appliance store (thanks, Jim's Appliances!) +
3 repair amateurs (Go Team Kate/Gen/Steve!) +
4 hours (give or take) +
$46 in parts (I can only imagine what a repairman would've cost) =

One Fixed Washing Machine. YAY! I'm still proud of us. :D

Also accomplished in the Weekend of Productivity:
* Bedroom chandelier raised so certain people no longer run into it with their face.
* New bed frame purchased, painted, and put together.
* Bedroom rearranged.

See?

I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but the bed is almost waist-high, and I have long legs. Also, pretend those pictures are centered. They were once, and will be again.

There were also trips to the grocery store made, meals cooked, shopping accomplished, movies watched, dogs exercised, and fun had. A successful Labor Day weekend if I do say so myself!

Happy Birthday, Chloe!

2009-07-19T17:06:34Z

Today is Chloe's first birthday! It was November 19, 2008 when the very first posting on Take Me Home Rescue's website went up about a four-month-old timid little puppy they'd just found. It's been a long road between then and now! She's been with us just over three months, and I couldn't be happier. She's such a sweet, fun, loving puppy! Happy birthday, Chloe!

This is the story of us all

2009-07-13T23:36:03Z

Found this and thought I'd play along!

* Post 12 pictures you currently have on your hard drive that you think are self-expressive.
* NO CAPTIONS! It must be like we're speaking with images and we have to interpret your visual language just like we have to interpret your words.
* They must ALREADY be on your hard drive - no googling or flickr!
* You do NOT have to answer any questions about any of your pictures if you don't want to. You can make them as mysterious as you like. Or you can explain them away as much as you like.

A new BFF?

2009-05-14T05:00:24Z

Today, Chloe made a friend! Of the canine variety! She was finally able to properly meet Emma, the boxer next door. At first, Chloe was a little timid and she really didn't know what to make of Emma's energetic lunging and pouncing. It wasn't long before she tried it out for herself, and pretty soon they were tearing around the yard, tugging their respective people around by the leash, and the tails were wagging wildly. It was pretty fantastic!

I'm pretty sure now that Chloe's well on her way to becoming a normal dog. LOOK OUT, WORLD!

The one with the waggily tail

2009-05-13T05:23:56Z

Aside from not doing well when left unsupervised out of her crate for any length of time (I'll spare the details), Chloe's improving in leaps and bounds. Today we took our first walk *outside* the complex. There was a point not too long ago that we couldn't get her around the corner 50 feet from our door. Over the weekend, she was frolicking in the little field closest to our condo! Prancing and running and rolling and it was ADORABLE. *g*

My mom emailed me specifically to ask for Chloe pictures, so here, have a few:

Passed out on the couch, she cracked her eyes open for the camera. Sleepy Chloe.

Taken today after our walk. Happy Chloe! (Um, next up, Grumpy, Dopey, and Sneezy. Maybe.)

More Chloe-Pup

2009-04-22T05:16:24Z

Today was my day off work, but we were a little short-staffed, so I went in for half a day. I left at 1:00, came home and had lunch, and then went back -- with the dog. I think she needs to meet people and experience new places.

She did really well! She didn't know how to get into the back of my car, but once she was there, I think she enjoyed the ride. She actually seemed excited to be out in the parking lot at the office, and she *almost* came off as not scared at all inside with my coworkers. (I'm going to ignore the fact that she started to poop on the floor--woops!)

The tail has been wagging so much lately. I think she's becoming a normal dog. I'm so proud of her! :D

A few more pictures below, because I couldn't resist that FACE. :)

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Hoppy Easter!

2009-04-13T03:33:35Z

Today has been all about Chloe, even if she's oblivious to it. After hauling her out of her crate--she does NOT want to come out, but once she's out, she's fine--I spent the entire day parked on the couch while she dozed on her blanket on the floor in front of me. I tried to get her up and out of the house for a little bit, so we went out onto the front lawn, but a scary woman with her scary pigtailed toddler walked by aaaaaaall the way at the far end of the sidewalk, and that was the end of that. Back into the house we went.

We did work on "come" and some mat training, and just being comfortable outside, so it was a relatively productive day.

Monet has ventured down to the bottom of the stairs where the baby gate is a few times. Once, she came all the way into the living room, but as soon as she remembered there was a puppy there, she turned right around and fled back upstairs. I think she'll come around soonish.

For Mom, because the ears are from her:

And puppy makes five

2009-04-12T05:53:34Z

So, we have a dog!

The trainer brought Chloe over at about 5:30, and we did some mat training and some exploring of the kitchen, living room, and yard just outside the front door. She did extremely well, much better than I expected her to!

We've pretty much just been hanging out. We had our first accident, which I didn't notice until I slipped in it. Ew. Let's hope that was the end of that. Ha. Monet was getting curious, lurking on the stairs, so I brought her down and introduced them. Even that went pretty well! Chloe's now sleeping in her crate*, and she's SO CUTE OMG!

Excuse me while I be a proud mommy. *g*

*I have to say, I never imagined I'd have a crate for my dog. It always seemed like doggie jail! I guess with a shy-to-the-extreme pup, it's her Safe Place. She obviously likes being in it, so we'll see how that goes.

I thought those were extinct!

2009-04-11T17:03:34Z

I had a major geek moment at work this week. A work geek moment, which I never, ever thought would happen. But! A customer came in to deposit some cash she'd found in her house after her husband passed away, and she had a $500 bill. That she was just going to deposit! LIKE THAT!! I had never seen a $500 bill. I knew they'd once existed, sure, but I kind of figured they were extinct like the dinosaurs. (I had lunch at Subway, and they have a sign posted saying they won't even take bills over $20 anymore!)

Anyway, this was a 1928 $500 bill in pretty good condition with verbiage on it saying it's redeemable for gold. I googled it and found three 1928 $500 bills for sale on ebay; one was going for $3,750 and the other two were a set, going for $39,500. I MEAN. !!!! She was going to deposit it. For $500. That piece of paper is worth anywhere for a couple thousand to a couple dozen thousand dollars! Holy cow. (She ended up keeping it, by the way.)

It was totally the most exciting thing to happen at work since probably the day we accidentally tripped the alarms and the smokin' hot practically-SWAT team showed up.

PRETTY COOL, HUH? *g*

Supernaturally

2009-04-11T16:40:47Z

Since I'm catching up on the last several weeks, March 29th was the Los Angeles Supernatural Convention. Last year, I went to the whole weekend and it ended up being kind of stressy. This year, I decided to only go to Sunday's panels to hear Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, both of them together, and Misha Collins speak. It was a lot of fun, totally stress-free, and I'm glad I did it this way. It was part of my Taking Advantage of Living in LA thing.

(Click for the whole set of pictures)

Mom & Dad

2009-04-11T16:32:49Z

I totally meant to post about this earlier, but somehow the days have just squeaked by me without my noticing! Back in March (the weekend of the 20th), Mom and Dad came to visit. We did around-the-house things like fixing my ceiling fan and raising my shower head so it doesn't hit me in the neck and putting up vertical blinds in my bedroom. These are all things that were on The List, and it's sure nice to have them done! The few List items that are left are actually fairly far off in the future, like replacing the bathroom floors or the kitchen cabinets. We do need to repaint the front door... that could be done soonish. Hmm.

Anyway! Mom and Dad and I went down to Redondo Beach to have dinner with my cousin Phil (at El Torito on the pier overlooking the Pacific Ocean at sunset), and to the Reagan Library (the Magna Carta is there until June, and 1980's Air Force One is always there, and the gardens and VIEWS are always gorgeous), and to the Getty Villa in Malibu (more breathtaking views and beautiful gardens, and I'd never been before). It was a short trip, but really nice.

Here's Mom and Dad at the Reagan Library:

Joshua Tree

2009-03-14T15:58:57Z

On Thursday, Gen, her visiting Aunt Mimi, and I drove out to Joshua Tree National Park. We arrived via the south entrance and drove the two hours north through the park, stopping at exhibits and interesting spots along the way. We took the trail to Barker Dam, which is pretty much just a puddle of sludge at this point. It was absolutely gorgeous weather, our cell phones didn't get reception, and it was pretty much the perfect way to spend a day!

I took about a million pictures, but the set here was whittled down to a manageable number. ;)

Day at the Getty

2009-02-09T06:31:24Z

Today was Getty Center Day. It started out cold, a little rainy, and a lot grey and cloudy, but as the day wore on, the sun came out a bit. It was still windy and chilly at the top of the hill, but it was clear enough to see both downtown Los Angeles and the ocean, so I count it as a win.

There was a rather strange exhibit on Russian avant garde poetry and illustrations called Tango with Cows that I just didn't get, and a really neat exhibit on photography from the 1800's--it was an amazingly complicated process, photography, and I honestly don't know how people managed!

We really spent most of the day wandering around and taking pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. I whittled down the hundred and seventy-some I ended up with to about thirty I liked, here.

A preview:

Raindrops on... cala lilies

2009-02-08T07:03:42Z

So, it's been raining in Los Angeles, which we really, really needed. Not only does it leave the sky clear and the air smelling fresh--I actually thought to myself that it smelled like people had been doing laundry, and then realized that maybe all that "rain fresh" detergent actually does smell like rain!--but it can make for some really neat things you don't often see. Like my neighbors' cala lilies. See?

Project 52+

Ring 'Round the Moon

2009-02-08T06:33:53Z

Wednesday night, on our walk home from dinner, we noticed the moon was amazing! I ran into the house and grabbed my camera and by the time we got out into the neighborhood where there are fewer lights, the ring around the moon was fading. I took a couple pictures, but sadly none of them turned out as cool as it looked in person.

This one probably shows the ring the best, although I think it's a little overexposed. I was laying on my back on some poor person's driveway, trying not to breathe while my camera did its thang. Rings around the moon! What causes that? Kinda cool, huh?

Project 52+