bekeeblog

eleven days off soon!

the weekend went by quickly, again; at least it was nice out.

i came home to a gift box from matt's sister. i am now the proud owner of 1.5, 4, and 6qt crock pots! i want to make seitan stew in the 6qt ... hopefully it'll be eaten or frozen.

we woke saturday to about an inch and a half of snow. i didn't tell the dogs and let them figure it out once we got outside. they loved it!

we were home early all three nights, knitting and watching breaking bad, firefly, or how i met your mother.

we had a guest last night. kate was on her way back to chicago from her mom's place and got waylaid by the madison magnet. her visit prompted matt to go through the fabric scraps that she gifted him when she moved to nyc over a year ago. we found some pretty cool pieces, and hopefully it'll motivate us to do the soft goods room over break. i know i keep mentioning that; it'll happen eventually.

also, on the way to sunday brunch, this happened:

Posted by bekee at 6:35 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i feel like we got a lot done this weekend. on friday, i had a haircut and came home to beat my computer into submission to let me log into my work computer. i had it working a couple months ago, but it seemed to have stopped. with no documentation or help from work's helpdesk, i figured out what program needed to be updated and my mood was instantly transformed from surly to elated.

on saturday, we grabbed some grub and a dog and came home to dog sit for the evening.

matt cleaned and rearranged the bedroom while i picked up the first floor, did laundry, did a load of dishes, and caulked the tub!

there was an accident while we were at the grocery store, and we're not quite sure what carl got into, but i think he ate some cat presents... along with the wheat litter. apparently he made quite the mess at his home the next morning. :/

for dinner on saturday, we made clam linguini and i threw in some tomatoes from our garden that i had frozen; it was delicious.

yesterday, i met mom and geo for breakfast and came home to make more salads in jars, dal soup, and spritz cookies!

Posted by bekee at 12:38 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

now is the time of year that i am most grateful for quitting smoking. i used to have such a hard time seeing while driving home, especially when then ground was wet, that i had to drive through town which took sometimes an hour and half to get home. i'm thoroughly convinced that my not smoking has had a profound affect on my night-vision.

however! it's a huge pita to walk the dogs in the park at night. they're both black, and the park is black. especially since one of the "street" lights is out at my entrance. i reported it to the city of madison website on monday, but they haven't gotten out there to fix it yet. the park is pretty uncomfortably dark even with that light working.

so, i bought two led dog collars just to throw on before a walk. that way i don't have to keep yelling, letting everyone know that i'm a girl walking alone in a park. :/

i also bought some new biking gloves, the ones i got from machinery row a couple weeks ago don't feel like they'll cut it on a ride when it's less than 20°.

and a tiny ratcheting socket set. cuz i wanted to fix the stool i was sitting on last night and i couldn't. :x

Posted by bekee at 6:29 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i forgot to mention something sad... my friends (and old landlords) had to put their 13 year old australian shepherd down on friday.... sam was an insane dog with an insatiable desire to play fetch with pieces of wood not much larger than a matchstick. he was always cuddly, and sometimes kinda growly, especially when you were try to escape his herd. he didn't care for it when we got jones, but he knew we needed a fuzzbutt of our own.

he got very sick over the last couple months... joe had to carry him outside to go to the bathroom; he couldn't stand up and sometimes peed on himself. they decided friday was time. poor samwell. i will miss him.

Posted by bekee at 5:51 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had intended on not letting the blog go while i was on vacation, but it appears that i failed at that. i barely touched the computer except for to watch the office on netflix.

i just had a really bad panic attack standing in line at subway... it took everything for me not to leave the building but i knew if i did, i'd have to explain tomorrow because they know me by sandwich.

i didn't do a whole lot on my list of things, except for finishing the sweater. now i have to find an occasion to wear it.

we had a great holiday... probably my favorite in a long time. oyster stew and lots of fun time with friends, a house guest for a couple nights from new york, lots of dog walks and celebratory shots, and sushi. i tried crab legs for the first time, slept in a lot, ate out a lot, spent a lot of money.

i told a friend at work that we didn't get around to painting the room and he said, "you know what? that room ain't going anywhere." it made me feel less guilty.

i started getting this weird zappy feeling in the pad of my thumb... it actually started before break... i haven't felt it in a couple of days, but should keep track of it.

i've been lax in writing down my dreams; a couple i need to jot have to do with a blue sundress, a really old used toothbrush, and not being able to work a shotgun in my grandma's house in fennimore.

also, my scalp is really dry from the weather/furnace being on and it's annoying me.

and, this is the 16th entry i've titled "sorry".

Posted by bekee at 10:55 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

things i'd like to do better, more often, continue:

• braille! i've left it for so long that i'll probably need to go back to lesson 4.
• get out my paints and canvas. i've been admiring lawrence yang's work for a while now.
• go to the dog park at least once a month. we haven't been since may or june and i think the dogs forgot about it.
• get back to making worklunches.
• stop leaving the kitchen in such a mess.
• knit more. i still have a sweater to finish.
• watch movies all the way through in one sitting.
• read. at least an hour a week.
• enjoy time. i spent a large part of the year wishing [whenever] would hurry up. things are enormously better now and i should remember to enjoy every minute of it.

Posted by bekee at 10:23 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

also, the blog looks lame when i neglect it... here's jones lounging with me on a sunday morning.

Posted by bekee at 9:27 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

roommate julie has moved out and taken her two four-paws with her. i doubt we'll be able to tell much audible difference; she was a very quiet person or away from home a lot.

i'm excited for what we can do with the downstairs room; maybe we can chalkboard paint one wall for notes and inspiration. i also need to rearrange bookshelves to make room for matt's things and organize items into better piles.

the dogs have been very happy lately.

now to plan for the labor day party...

Posted by bekee at 8:47 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i left work early because the dogs hated me on tuesday for leaving them so long. we hung out in the park with neighbor david and his yellow lab, emma for about 45 minutes with the chuck-it.

then, i grabbed my bike and proceeded to tool around, but noticed my back tire was almost flat... so i biked it over to revolution and it was determined that i needed a new one. :/ so i waited a short 15-20 minutes while he installed it, and $42 later, i am the proud owner of a shiny new rear tire.

i hung out with some friends at mickey's and came home around 7 with the goal to not eat out because i had moved a bag of shrimp from the freezer to the fridge. i was successful in my endeavors:

i also finished alice in wonderland; helena was starting to annoy me by the end but it was entertaining.

Posted by bekee at 8:24 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i nabbed this video of jones dozing on the floor last weekend, it's on facebook, but if you missed it, enjoy:

Posted by bekee at 11:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

jones has gotten the hint that katrina doesn't have time for him and he's keeping a good distance. nora either doesn't notice her or she's a little smarter than jones and hasn't once tried to bug her.

got word from max's temporary place that he's doing really well. he's currently at happy dogz dog daycare and i just found a link to a webcam... we'll see if he's having a good time.

here's katrina from the top. whenever i bend down to take a picture from the front, she gets up and circles me.

Posted by bekee at 8:40 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we'd made arrangements for max to go to his foster home yesterday, but a little communication snafu had interrupted the plans. his foster home will be in janesville but she wasn't able to come get him, so she asked that we drop him off at a very close friends' house in madison. imagine my surprise when the door opened and i saw a co-worker! we also learned that max's new foster is the executive director of the humane society in janesville, so we know he'll be well cared for and that she has the resources to find his forever home.

Posted by bekee at 8:48 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we have three dogs and a cat at our house right now. the kitty (katrina) is doing very well. she's itching to go outside but we thought we should wait a couple days... she needs to establish her rank with jones. he's very interested in playing with her but she does not reciprocate.

also, i'm not allergic! it's great news to me... the last thing i wanted was to have to take claratin forever.

it's still a sad time tho, max (kurt's mom's dog) is getting picked up today to go to a foster home in janesville. kurt wanted to keep him but i don't think i can handle that big of a change... or that big of a dog.

Posted by bekee at 8:54 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the dogs had their annual wellness exam, heartworm check, and lepto shot yesterday. they both passed with flying colors. except that they could lose a couple pounds? i wonder if we should change their annual date to sometime in august or september after they've been running around all summer getting trim and fit, instead of march when we've all put on a couple pounds trying to keep warm.

Posted by bekee at 8:34 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

one more work-day and i'm off for a long weekend. i'm excited to spend time away from four-legged creatures; we've been dog sitting since the 24th and i need a break.

in case you're on the edge of your seats, there are still no charges from the company claiming to change everyone's lives.

also, i had an impromptu presentation yesterday morning to our director and i didn't freak out in panic. that was nice.

oh, and burrito drive has been out of fish since sunday. wtf? it's lent!

Posted by bekee at 8:27 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i was walking the dags around last night after work. heading up milwaukee street toward fair oaks, i see this guy on a bicycle; no one else is around. as soon as he gets out of my peripheral vision, i hear what sounds like a bike colliding with a parked car.

i looked.

it was him. he ran into a parked car because he was staring at me. i'd like to think it's cuz i'm hott, but i think he was just reading my shirt.

i also publicly shared my feeling bad for him on craigslist.

Posted by bekee at 8:15 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

there was a swarm on jones during the whole walk this evening. a quick google search reveals that an apple cider vinegar-water combo in a spray bottle once a day should be sufficient to keep them off. this, apparently, also works on people. in addition to adding it to their water, humans benefit from it as well! it not only helps get rid of the mosquitoes, but also encourages weight loss? i'm dubious about that, but it's harmless enough to try!

Posted by bekee at 6:10 PM | permalink | licks (2)

aren't generally this cold... and that's the one thing that bothers me right now. the other thing is watching nora react to the thunder. this is our first significant storm since getting her and she seems to be quite afraid of the rain splashing against the big window on the east side of the house.

now papa is home and she's fine. because she's distracted.

Posted by bekee at 9:31 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

there's an unwritten rule in pet-ownership where it's ill-advised to have more of them than there are of you. for the next 4 days, we will break that rule. sam is staying with us until the 26th while the people owned by him are in florida.

try to picture me walking three black dogs on leash in the blizzard that we're about to get.

though, they're the picture of perfect right now because we were just at the dog park for an hour and they're all zonked out.

Posted by bekee at 9:59 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, the everlasting fun ball has always been a highlight of the dogs' day... but the last 40lb. bag of food brought with it a free bag of dog treats which fit perfectly in the ball without having to be broken into smaller bits. i think they could be completely occupied for at least 2 hours. which is awesome if you have a dog.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i live by these people who have three border collies and they only seem to let them out at 7:30am and 9pm and they yell at them the entire time to "go potty! hurry up! knock it off!"

it's actually kinda weird how many people who live a stone's throw from our house don't seem to walk their dogs, but there are a lot of people who have to (and do) cross busy fair oaks to take their dogs over to the park.

i don't get people. really.

Posted by bekee at 9:09 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

apparently, if we discuss the previous wrongdoings with nora, she'll appreciate the severity of past discipline and not tear anything up. i didn't come straight home (and kurt was at work) and nothing in the house was moved.

so, maybe the webcam purchase today was premature, but it'll still be funny to watch them from work. i think.

Posted by bekee at 7:35 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i don't know what to do. i left the house for 10 minutes at the most and nora ate one of our netflix dvds.

so i had to give them $20 to cover it.

and she peed on the kitchen floor.

the frustration is around 7 out of 10.

Posted by bekee at 8:19 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

so this time, she got a bag out of the "office" which really belonged in the bathroom.. containing unimportant hair do-hickeys that i haven't used in several years.

she also tore apart kurt's wrist brace and the guide for the new cable machine.

i wish i understood what she is trying to do.. like, is she bored with her toys and wants to make a mess on the rug? or is she mad that she's not getting as much exercise when they're home with kurt?

either way, i'm wary to leave the house tonight.. i wanted to go visit kurt at the tavern (otherwise, i won't see him til i get home from work tomorrow) but i don't want to lock her in the bedroom cuz i feel bad. but if i leave her out and go, kurt will certainly be upset if she tears up any more of his dvds.

i'll probably just stay home.

p.s., i thought about getting a webcam but i don't think i can do automatic uploads to the server without special software. i'll look into it. she'll probably grab the camera off the table and chew it up.

Posted by bekee at 6:37 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we're sitting in the computer room with the door shut because the guy installing the dish is afraid of dogs.

Posted by bekee at 1:53 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so we came home to another catastrophe. apparently nora decided to tear apart the remaining dvds on the table (therein which lies a lesson for both kurt and nora).

what's interesting is that she left the plastic chopsticks completely alone. like they weren't worth damaging.

jones was, again, sorry and submissive.

i think i ought to get a webcam to ease our discontent. or to provide humor.

Posted by bekee at 9:00 PM | permalink | licks (2) | tracks (0)

i came home to a small mess this evening... it would appear that someone got into a (yet unpacked) plastic bag with sunscreen and ferret shampoo and they managed to keep all of the shampoo inside of the bag, thankfully. judging from the possible suspects' reactions, it would appear the guilty one was jones. this is unfortunate, because i know that it was nora. jones is just the one who knows that whatever happened was wrong and gave me the sorry face for it.

nora is definitely benefiting from being a "second-child". i did not scold her nearly as much as jones has had it in the past. mostly because she would have peed, but secondly because she probably didn't remember having been the culprit in the crime.

in an unrelated note, my back has a huge knot that i can't seem to get at.

Posted by bekee at 6:12 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

about having two dogs is that jones hasn't touched the garbage in two weeks. at the apartment, we had to put it out in the back hallway when we left the house, and now, it seems like he just doesn't care. who knows, though, it could be because we have a house now and he doesn't want to mess it up? we just kept putting it out into the back porch, for some reason, until Nora came along.

they're still "gettin-ta-know-ya", but Jones seems to be content with her presence and i think he secretly likes it. :)

Posted by bekee at 8:55 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

today, she made it all day without going in the house. and, she seems to have found her place with jones. at least as much as two days of learning can find a dog.

this week will be another test, since i won't be home all day. she is having a little trouble sharing me with jones, though... every time he comes over to get pet, she gets in the middle of us.

here's them being very good doggies:

Posted by bekee at 10:00 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

what it was like to have a one-year-old puppy. nora is doing okay. she had a hard time sleeping in the bed last night, as she's used to a crate.. so we're going to borrow one from mom and george to see if she likes that better. she seemed to be scared of the ceiling fan.

we've had a couple accidents.. mostly pee. wherever she wants. it's a little frustrating, but she's in a new place, and with new people.

we went to the dog park this morning, and she runs like a rabbit! for no reason! around and around.

we'll probably go back this afternoon. she loved splashing in all the puddles and rolling around in them. :/

Posted by bekee at 12:27 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)