Bark at the Moon

We have 3 floor to ceiling windows at the front of the house.  Two on either side of the door and one on the side of the house.  Gimli adores these windows because it allows him to lie down and look outside.  In our previous house, the bottom of the windows were about a foot off of the ground so he couldn't see out unless he jumped up on the sill.

Needless to say, Gimli is now a neighborhood busy body.  No one can go by without his permission and he lets you know by barking and arooing.  He often falls asleep at the window with one of his many toys.

Tonight there's a crescent moon.

I came downstairs to see Gimli sitting in front of the window staring at the moon.

Then, he turned into this...

It must be close to Halloween, what do you think?

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 62.

Will I ever learn?

Its probably no surprise that I adore Gimli. Its hard to put into words actually, but its true.

I love stroking his back, giving belly rubs and scratching his ears.

He's a fluffy corgi, so his coat is much softer than a corgi's coat should be, as such, its great to snuggle next to him and rub my head into his back and neck until he looks up at me and grumbles in annoyance.

My most favorite thing to do, however, is to shower him with kisses... on his head, on his ears, on his snout, that spot in between his eyes.



All great places, however, I never know when to stop don't have the best timing and I have been headbutted many times. I've hurt my nose and busted my lip a few times.

Tonight was no exception, I went in to kiss him on his head, he jerked up and hit me squarely on my top lip. He continued playing without missing a beat. I now have 2 front teeth stenciled into the underside of my lip.

I love my dog!

DNA

Mike is the last of 3 boys. He was given up for adoption when he was a newborn. Therefore it goes without saying, there's no familial genes between Mike and the rest of his family, anymore than there are familial genes between him and I.

This weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada and while we're sitting around the table, this comment was made...

"Mike you're adopted but you must have the same genes as this family because you and J, (his brother), both have weight problems."

Riiight.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 61.

Its Loser, not Luser

On our morning walk today, we happened to pass by one of those green electric boxes that's erected every 5 or 6 houses. Crudely scribbled on the side were the words, "Daphnee is a luser".

Yes, you read it correctly. What's the state of the school system where childhood bullying isn't done properly?

I'm thinking Daphne probably knows how to spell, which is why she's a luser.


Complaint-O-Meter: On day 59.

Wordless Wednesday - WTF

I just want to watch my tv shows

Mike and I have a roster of television shows we watch on a weekly basis.

Family Guy
The Amazing Race
The Event
Little People/Big World
Law and Order: svu
Criminal Minds
Survivor
CSI: NY
CSI: Las vegas

We used to be on one particular television service provider, let's call it 'Ding Dong'. We were sharing this with friends of ours. we ended up switching because the satellite dish died and it was increasingly difficult to get channels added or removed.

We are now on a new television service provider, let's call it 'Tool'. This provider advertises time shifting so we can catch episodes aired in the Maritime provinces or episodes aired in the western provinces. It also advertises their On Demand feature, so you can catch up on episodes you may have missed.

This Fall, Mike are I are upside down and backwards in terms of television watching. We don't subscribe to the Sunday newspaper or to TV Guide magazine so we don't know the air days of the above shows. Yes, I know, we could have looked on the website, but bear with me on this one. Certain shows are on at the same time as others. In the past, we would utilize the time shifting so we could watch some episodes earlier or later than the EST time slot.

Each day consists of going through the guide trying to locate the show and its airtime and arranging our evening schedule around it. Well, we missed CSI:NY on the last two Fridays. We also missed Law and Order: SVU last week.

Tonight, Law and Order:SVU is on at 10pm, so, since its 7 pm now, we had the bright idea to see if we could watch one of those missed episodes on the On Demand service or online. No dice. On the American sites, it doesn't stream in Canada for some reason. On the Canadian networked site for Law and Order, it doesn't show either. I haven't figured out why, just that it shows clips and not the full episode. We checked the On Demand service, which we have used to watch Family Guy, so we assumed it would have the other episodes too, (that should have been my first clue since I was assuming), it didn't have either show.

As a last resort, we fell upon the time shifting feature. It seems to work for Law and Order:SVU. It doesn't seem to work for the rest of the episodes.

My point is, I'm growing increasingly tired of having only two television companies to choose from. I'm tired of seeing the American commercials on the stations for programs that aren't available in Canada, case in point Shark Week. I'm tired of not having a choice and for being held over a barrel because Ding Dong and Tool know residents of Ontario don't have much of a choice in the matter.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 55.

Only 2 years...

2 years ago this weekend, we drove 2 hours west to pick up Gimli. We came home with a small ball of fur who cried for about 45 minutes on the drive home.

He went for his first mini walk up and down the street, then fell asleep in his crate for a few hours.

After many sparring matches with those pointy puppy teeth and plenty of puppy cuddles, we have this little monster.


2 years isn't a long time at all, but it feels like he's always been with us.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 53.

Wordless Wednesday - Brooding

Beware the Moors!

Earlier this evening, around 6 o'clock, Gimli and I went on our evening constitutional. It started like it usually did, put on the leash, picked up the poopy bags and headed out. I had to go back to put on a heavier coat because it was windy. Windy and cold and overcast.

We started down our usual side street. Gimli urinating at the usual spots, the wind whipping past us. Further up, I could see a dark figure approaching with an equally dark figure next to him. I moved off to the side and put myself between Gimli and the smaller dark figure and continued walking. Somewhere a dog barked loudly to send Gimli hopping forward in fear. The dark figure was closer now, but it was only a man in a hood walking a black dog. We continued on for a bit until we reached the park.

We started up the path amidst the wind that was much stronger on this side of the neighborhood. The trees were shaking in the wind, the yellow leaves falling quickly to the ground. The clouds were low and dark almost to the point of kidnapping the sky. We stood on the small hill and looked around. It was dark, and the nearby streetlights did not help. There are no lights in the park either, its darkness concealing any number of things - discarded cans, playground equipment or something else perhaps. Somewhere far away, I'm sure, a dog barked again, but carried on the wind it sounded quite near.

I started to feel like we had ignored the warning and walked into the Moors on the English countryside. I expected at any moment for something, fleshy or bony or wispy to spring from the shadows and take us away.

Gimli and I continued on away from the park and up towards our street. We turned the corner and I saw another dark figure up ahead. We kept walking and the figure turned down the same side street and was gone. We went into the garage, closed it and the monsters outside disappeared.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 48. Although I almost lost it today when Google maps sent me to the wrong location, good thing I had the GPS, whose battery then died 2 streets over from where I was headed!

Bouncy Butt part 2

I've gone a full work day sitting on my exercise ball. I really tried to maintain my posture because I don't have the best posture, never have. My parents used to say I would be hunched over like an old crone when I was in my twenties. I'm not hunched over yet, but I know I don't have good posture. How? Because at least once or twice a day I become aware of my posture and I correct myself.

I know the exercise balls are not supposed to be used to improve posture because one can also slouch while sitting on them, but I found it did help me today. I hope to use it a bit more tomorrow. If all it does is improve my posture, I'll be glad.

In other news, Gimli was in the doldrums today. I have no idea why. At lunch time, he was lounging with a sad look on his face. I grabbed his pumpkin and tried to play hide and seek with him - he loves it when you 'hide' from him so he can come find you! I squeaked it, he didn't come. I peeked around the fridge back to him, he looked at me like I had a 2nd head.

I snuck around to the other side of the island, still squeaking the toy and peeked at him again. He gave me the, 'wtf are you doing woman?', look. I snuck back and heard him walk to the fridge and adopt his pouncy pose. I peeked at him again and he didn't move.

I hid behind the table and squeaked, he didn't move. I ran into the living room, me running usually gets him going, but no dice. He slowwwly moved to the living room, hid behind the wall and 1/2 of his face peeked around to look at me.

That was when I ran up to him and smothered him with hugs and kisses! Everyone knows corgi kisses are the best!

Then, I grabbed one of his feet and threatened to eat it because it was that cute. I made munching noises, to which Gimli whimpered as though I was really going to eat it tee hee.

Notice the lipstick mark on his cheek, this was his birthday kiss.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 43.

Bouncy butt

I've removed my office chair and for the entire morning I've been sitting on my exercise ball. So far so good, its a bit lower than the chair, so both arms are resting on the table to offer adequate support.

I still have 4 hours to go, we'll see how I feel at the end of the day.

Double needles!

As I posted on Friday, Mike and I had to make a blood and urine donation to the lab in advance of our Dr. appointment next week.

Well, we made it to the lab 8 minutes after it opened, only to find about 7 or 8 people ahead of us. Sheesh, and I had to pee! we took our numbers, reminiscent of that Mr. Bean episode and sat down. Thankfully the line went quickly and we were called in. Mike went into one cubicle and I went into the ECG cubicle, which has a place to lie down.

The nurse performed the usual, cleaned the area, applied the rubber band got the large needle ready and got to work. She found the vein, (YES!), but then said, "Oh, you have wobbly veins! It wriggled away from the needle!"

I said to myself, "What?? I thought you had already started taking blood! That poke hurt woman!".

"Let me try again."

She rejabbed the needle, which now felt and hurt like one of those big ugly needles you see in the cartoons. "Ohhh, its still not going in properly." She saw me looking up at the ceiling and asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yes", I said meekly.

"Let me get a smaller needle."

She returns with a smaller needle and proceeds to take the rest of the sample. She finishes and asks me to cover the area with the cotton ball and to take it easy with my arm. I move the cotton and see this. I didn't know Dracula had a hand in this, what do you think?


Then, I have to give a urine sample. I'm in the stall, hadn't peed since late the night before and, now I can't pee. Grrr. I'll spare the details, but soon, we were on our way to the breakfast of champions, McDonalds!

A few days since, I have a nice bruise and my arm still hurts a little. At least my arm isn't as bad as Mike's, who has a large red mark because some of his blood leaked under his skin. Yeah, don't ask me how that happened.

Suffice it to say, Saturday was a write off.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 40.

Bleeding Me

At long last, this week is over. To continue on from Wednesday, the week became progressively crummier as I had a migraine on Thursday and Friday... yay. The one good thing to come from Friday was I received an Exceptional Survey from one of my customers. YAY!

Tomorrow Mike and I will be up at the crack of dawn to make our way to the lab. We are due at the Dr at the end of the month and we have to go for a blood and peepee test. Crummy thing is, its a fasting blood test... for 12 hours before... and the first urine of the morning, so we will definitely be zombie like by the time this ordeal is over. We stopped eating at 7 pm tonight, its now 9 pm and I'm hungry again. Gimli's corgi appetite is definitely rubbing off on me!

Mike is good with needles and blood, since he had to deal with so much of it when he was a child/teenager and had multiple surgeries etc. Me, not so much. I once had to have blood drawn and fainted clear away. Must have been the combination of the needles, blood, the fact the nurse didn't listen to me and chose the WRONG arm to poke and not find the vein. If she had listened and chosen the right arm, I probably still would have fainted, but it would have taken me a bit longer. Now, when I go to the labs, I ask to lie down for them to take the blood. They always look at me like I'm some sort of weirdo when I make this request...

Its not like I go in looking like this or anything... although if I did, Mike would probably faint due to sheer loss of blood on both counts ;)


Complaint-O-Meter: On day 37.

2 more days

I've had a crummy week this time around and its only Wednesday evening.

On Sunday, I realize my account for this MMO that Mike and I play was compromised and quite a bit of my items and in game money was stolen. For the most part, its been returned by the game provider, but still. I changed my passwords for everything and I've been watching my bank account like a hawk just in case, even though I know they could hold onto the bank information for an inordinate amount of time before they try something. We don't know how my information was compromised and Mike's wasn't seeing as we are on the same network.

For some strange reason, I've broken out in a large amount of zits. My skin care regimen is the same, I'm just getting some weird, under the skin ones that if you look at the wrong way will double in size. Yeah, I don't get the two symmetrical ones on my cheeks either. This is what I look like these days, except this picture doesn't show my frizzy cat lady like hair.


Work has been crummy, I'm always tired of late and a part of it is because we're always out on the weekend so its tough to get a chance to relax.

Here's hoping the weekend comes a bit quicker this time around and I can relax.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 35.

Gimli the minion

My dog does not like bag ladies. This morning on the walk, we passed a house where a lady was standing with a large black canvas bag. Gimli saw her some 5 or 6 houses away and immediately started growling. He's never done this before to a human anyways so it was a little unnerving to say the least. I gave him a few corrections because I didn't want him to get into the habit of growling at people who mean him no harm.

We have the same black canvas bag at home so I don't know what his problem was. Maybe she had a streak of evil and Gimli spotted it, although since he hasn't picked it up on me, he's a worthy minion I suppose. tee hee.

I want one of these, I really believe I'm the coyote in sheep's clothing. Paraplusch - Psychiatry for abused Cuddly toys.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 34.

Woof!

We finally received our new washer and dryer yesterday. When we moved into this house last Halloween, my Mom gave us her old washer and dryer since she moved into a condo and didn't need it anymore. It was always the intent to get a new front loader washer and dryer pair once the finances were back in order. Finally they arrived yesterday, the washer & dryer, not the finances!!

These are some new fangled gadgets, let me tell you. There seems to be a setting for every. type. of. clothing. There's the standard categories like whites, delicates, colors etc, but then there are these specialty settings that provide options such as, jeans, blankets, sweaters etc. Sheesh, the way this is going, pretty soon I'll be doing a load of 2 sweaters followed by a load of one pair of jeans!

Seriously though, Mike and I hooked them up last night and somehow channeled our Samson strength to push the washing machine into place. This thing weighs a ton, probably due to all the settings, and I have no idea how one of the delivery guys was able to take it off of the truck without much help.

Yesterday, while Mike was connecting the dryer, it was Gimli's feeding time so I had started getting his food ready. Gimli was seated in his usual spot, in front of the island, where he waits for the all clear to go after his food. Mid food prep, I went into the laundry room to see how Mike was coming along. A few minutes later, I heard a 'Woof'. I returned to the kitchen, fully expecting to have to correct Gimli for barking at nothing, when to my surprise, there he was still in his spot, but reminding me he was waiting for his food.

Moral of the story: never mess with a corgi and its food!

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 32.

Not easy bein' green

Yes, my friends, appliance envy will make even the most normal of people become shallow as they realize the world no longer revolves around them.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 29.

What's your name again?

Gimli has a great many nicknames. Here they are in no particular order:

Gimmo
Mr. Goo
Gimli fluff
Gimli puff
Gimli bear
My/Little bear
Gimli Boo
Mr. puff
Mr. fluff
Boo
Mr. Fox
Fluffy pup
Lord Gimli! Yes, said just like that for when he's been naughty.



Complaint-O-Meter: On day 28.

Whaaaaat?

Woke up in the middle of the night from a dream where I was pregnant and had a girl who was born with thick black hair.

Very odd to be sure, because she was only in the dream for a short time, because then the dream shifted to me walking two corgis, one a red and white and the other a tri color. The red and white one had a red collar and leash just like Gimli, but I can't quite remember the collar and leash on the other one.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 24.

Puppy power or Puppy pouting?

I was a huge Scooby Doo fan, but the 60s Scooby and the associated cartoons of yesteryear, not the ones out now. I was never a huge Scrappy fan, I just tolerated him. One of the things I remember from Scrappy was his line, "Da da da da da daaa, Puppy Power!"



At times, Gimli acts like Scrappy. Very opinionated, very vocal, always in the middle of things. Except, while Scrappy has the guts to go after the person in the bad costume, Gimli does not. Gimli's a talker and a show off but when the chips are down, he's run off to hide behind Mike or myself.

Today, we lost power for about 10 minutes. It had been raining for about 1/2 hour prior so Gimli was already a little off due to the rain and thunder. The power went out and he came running up to hide under the desk. I went to find my cell phone to tell Mike the power had gone so he would call on the cell when he was leaving work. Gimli followed me to the bathroom, what I had to pee!, then downstairs to my phone, then back upstairs. I was one the phone with Mike when the power came back on and the smoke detector emitted a long beep when it came back online. This beep sent Gimli flying under the desk again. This time, he was shivering and shaking with fear. I finished up at work, logged off and came downstairs. Gimli was still next to me, still shaking. I even thought he had hurt his front leg at some point because he raised his leg and was shivering.

He was scared out of his mind!

I sat on the couch to wait for Mike, Gimli was next to me.

Even now, its thundering and lightning outside, Gimli's lying next to me.

Yes friends, if only there was a way to remind him of this when he pretends to be big and bad.

Complaint-O-Meter: On day 22.