By the light of the computer

A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore. ~ Yogi Berra

Bath time

Atticus and I went to the dog park again today.  We had a much better time today because it was overcast so there weren't as many people there. 

However....3 days of getting strange dogs' slobber in his fur + 3 days of dog-park dust + who knows when the last time I gave him a bath was = bath time. 

Now, I don't know why I'm such a stickler about paying for things sometimes.  I don't pay to get my hair or nails or eyebrows done (and yes, it usually shows).  I don't pay for dog treats, for dog nail-trims, and if I ever get off my lazy butt and buy bone-meal, I won't be paying for dog food either. 

And I don't pay for dog baths.  I could pay $20 or $30 for someone else to hose him down.  Considering how little I actually give him a bath, that wouldn't cut into my budget.  There's also a natural foods petstore around here which provides pretty decent facilities for bathing one's dog.  However, that comes with its own set of obstacles...and a $17 fee. 

So, I do it myself.  Atticus now knows the bath routine, and while he isn't completely willing to be locked in the bathroom with me for an hour, he no longer puts up a fight when I try to drag him in there.  Its almost like he knows the sooner we start, the sooner he can leave.

But here's some proof as to why we don't do this more often...

The bathroom floor carnage.  What this picture doesn't show is a fine layer of condensation/water + dog hair all over the unprotected part of the floor.

Its spring.  Atticus sheds like crazy.  This is just a random sampling after being brushed.

A sampling of the bottom of my bathtub.  I literally just cleaned it yesterday.  *sigh*

Atticus's natural tendency is to be as dirty as possible.  Only his mission wasn't accomplished this time, as he was rolling around the living room carpet and not in a mud puddle.  This really doesn't show it, but he will never be cleaner than he is in this picture.

And there you have it.  Bath time.

Hoping to have a busy day tomorrow with a bunch of people.  

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. ~ Rita Rudner

The park

Its been a beautiful past 2 days...so Atticus has been treated to 2 days at the dog park.

I say treated because the park tends to drive me nuts:  the people, the dirt, the dust, the dogs that owners won't control, the people, the people, the people....



This dog wouldn't leave poor Attie alone yesterday. 



Ugh...people.  Atticus right in the middle.

Another dog trying to play with Attie. 

How did it get so late so soon?

It's night before it's afternoon.
December is here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?
~ Dr. Seuss

Back...

...and finally reunited with this guy....

"That was a lot of shenanigans for 21 cents." ~ K.B.

The next morning

So I made it through yesterday....barely.  Towards the end of class I ended up standing up in the back and shifting my weight back and forth (in a socially acceptable way of course) just to stay awake.  It was pretty brutal.  I wanted to tell the instructors "its not your fault!", but didn't.  I'm hoping my ability to stay awake today will reassure them they are, in fact, doing a great job.

For those of you wondering, I'm attending an academy class that teachers me, a trainer, how to train.  It promises to be very interesting and very informative.  After my initial anxieties with getting lost etc all gone, I can now relax and learn. 

I opted to treat myself to a hotel rather than drive back and forth every day.  I'm very glad I made that decision.  Especially after yesterday.  After teaching the front desk lady how to add up my sales tax (!?!), I got to my room, reclined on my super comfy bed, turned on the TV, and promptly fell asleep for 45 minutes. 

I woke up at 4am this morning (what?!?!), answered all the texts I missed last night (the problem with being a night shifter, is thats when people try to get ahold of you....), and am relaxing for a bit before I have to start my day.  Add a very unappetizing cup of hotel-room-coffee-pot coffee to that, and that about sums up my morning.

I'm actually looking forward to the continental breakfast.  And to class day #2.  And to finding a Starbucks. 

My huge hotel room.  Blurry picture, sorry.

This doesn't even capture all the walking around space there is.  Seriously, HUGE.

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught. ~ Winston Churchill

Turn-around

In what may be one of the worst turn-arounds in work history, I came home this morning at 8am from a 10 hour shift, took Atticus to the kennel, have forced myself to stay awake for several more hours (I'm almost at 1:30 pm!), because when I wake up from sleeping (I'm hoping for roughly 12 hours of sleep....although thats wishful thinking) I need to pack up and drive to Seattle for the week for training.  I start bright and early tomorrow morning at 8am. 

From graveyard to dayshift in 24 hours.  Now tell me thats sane.

My kitchen mess from yesterday...whipping up a batch of biscuits for Atticus to take with him to the kennel...

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. ~ Raymond Lindquist

Reason

My supervisor asked me tonight..."Whats the reason for wearing the sparkly shoes?"

I was unaware one needed a reason.

A rule that cannot be bent will certainly be broken.  ~ Robert Brault