Just a Dog

Just A Dog

From time to time, people tell me, “lighten up, it’s just a dog,” or, “that’s a lot of money for just a dog.”
They don’t understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog.”

Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog.” Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog,” but I did not once feel slighted.
More of “Just A Dog” after the jump.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog,” and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it’s “just a dog,” then you will probably understand phrases like “just a friend,” “just a sunrise,” or “just a promise.”
“Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.
“Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of “just a dog”, I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.
So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.
“Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it’s not “just a dog”, but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a man or woman.”
So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog” just smile… because they “just don’t understand.”

by Richard Biby(From “The Versatile Hunting Dog” NAVHDA’s Magazine; February 2006)

Bring Your Pet on Vacation

Top 10 Places to Take You Dog on Vacation

1. Boston -- Take a boat or whale watching cruise. Walk the Freedom Trail, visit Salem and explore history at Minute Man Park. Your leashed dog is also welcome on the subway.
2. Vancouver -- Walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge and park. Take a walking tour of Historic Gastown. Take the ferry and visit nearby Victoria and beautiful Butchart Gardens.
3. New York -- Stay in luxury at many fine hotels. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Take a walking tour of lower Manhattan. Ride the carriages. Watch a morning show. Shop in famous stores.
4. San Francisco -- Luxurious hotels, outdoor dining, the Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach and many off-leash areas. Ride the cable car to the Fisherman's Wharf area and stroll with your dog.
5. Austin -- Visit Zilker Botanical Gardens, catch a horse and carriage ride, dine in outdoor cafes. See the bats leave the Congress St. Bridge at dusk. Use the city's many parks.
6. Portland -- Enjoy over 20 off-leash areas, an amusement park and the famous Rose Gardens. Dine at the Lucky Lab. Visit the Saturday Outdoor Market and hike in the Colombia River Gorge.
7. Northern Virginia -- Dine or enjoy happy hour in dog-friendly Alexandria. Take the Canine Cruise on the Potomac. Visit outdoor monuments in Washington and Virginia.
8. Orlando -- Stay at resorts such as the Portofino Bay and Sheraton World. Take a boat cruise, shop Winter Park, and dine at Sam Snead's where Jeb Bush signed the doggy dining law.
9. San Diego -- Off-leash dog beaches. Stay at Loews Coronado Resort. Shop at dog-friendly Otay Ranch Shopping Center complete with a dog park. Dine outdoors. Visit nearby Julian.
10. Dallas/Fort Worth -- Ride a carriage, visit Pioneer Plaza, take a walking tour. Visit Fort Woof dog park and the Stockyard in Fort Worth. Dine on Texas BBQ at outdoor restaurants.

San Francisco Weekend

For Memorial weekend I went to visit Wes in San Francisco .

Saturday:
We slept in and then walked around Japan town and had some great sushi. I decided to jump out of my comfort zone (which is getting just rolls) and get sashimi. It tasted great, but they put way too much wasabi on it that steam was coming out of my ears! After that I went shopping at H&M while Wes ran some errands. The line's were so long, it took about 45 minutes to even try on clothes. The rest of the evening we went to a BBQ inside, because there are no yards in San Fran :)

Sunday:
We rented a car from Hertz, which is a great place, but you will save about $20 dollars a day if you reserve your car ahead of time. After we got the car we started driving down highway 1 along the coast. First, we stopped in Santa Cruz and ate at this small little pizza place called Tony and Alba's. The second town we stopped in was Carmel. The town was hoppin' with people, kids, dogs, shopping, etc... Here is a picture of Wes and I on the beach at Carmel:

The third place we went to was Monterey. It seemed like a great place to live. It is also known as "The Language Capital of the World" with the U.S. Armed Forces Defense Language Institute. The fourth city we stopped in was Hollister. With there being a trendy store named after this town, I thought it would be a hip beach town, but it was actually a small farming town.

We then drove back to San Fran, through San Jose, Sunnyvale and Redwood City.

Monday:
Being pretty tired after our long adventure on Sunday, we drove around the Golden Gate Park and ate lunch at The Beach Chalet. This restaurant over looks the ocean and is at the very end of Golden Gate Park. After we ate, we went to two different look out points and I took some great pics. Here are a few:

'iPod Amnesty Bin'

Microsoft offers Zune team 'iPod Amnesty Bin'

Teaching an Aerial

This is a great video on teaching aerials in gymnastics.


How To Do An XSD Aerial - The funniest movie is here. Find it

Gelato vs. Ice Cream

GELATO = less fat + no air added = rich creamier taste

Gelato is very dense, has eggs, more milk and less cream. It usually melts in your mouth right away and actually has less fat than regular ice cream.

Cat IM'ing

This cat has more skillz on the lappy than I do!

Good Quote

Honore de Balzac
"The more you judge, the less you love."

Ladies Laptop Bags

I like how there are all different types of laptop bags for women. I really need to get one soon, instead of carrying around an old Roxy bag from high school. I KNOW, sooo not fashionable.

The best laptop bags uncovered

Microsoft Buys aQuantive for $6 Billion

Seattle-based aQuantive is celebrating this morning after Microsoft agreed to buy the company for $6 billion dollars. This is Microsoft's largest acquisition to date. I think they are trying to show up Google who recently bought DoubleClick.

http://www.aquantive.com/news/releases/dowjones_031223.asp

Looks Like a Nice Condo

This Seattle Condo looks nice, but kind of small.

2524 Boyer Ave E #446
Seattle, WA 98102
List Price $329,950
Listing# 27055976 Beds 2 / Baths 1 / Fireplaces 1
Appx. SQFT 769

Where should you work?

This is pretty dorky, but I know my boyfriend would appreciate the post.

Google vs. Meetup

Math Teachers

This one's for my brother-in-law: Certainty

No More FreeHand

Adobe/Macromedia FreeHand has reached the end of its road. Illustrator CS3 is the design program that will take its place completely. Here are some facts about why they are doing this: MACROMEDIA© FREEHAND© TO ADOBE© ILLUSTRATOR© CS3 MIGRATION

Adobe Freehand goes EOL

Faster Dad Faster

Funny Squirrel

I just thought this picture was sooooo funny, I had to post it!

Seattle's Georgetown Castle

Here are a few stories about this castle in the Georgetown area of Seattle.

1. Peter Gessner who ran the Central Tavern in Pioneer Square committed suicide here in 1903 by drinking a caustic acid. He had lived here for about 1 year.

2. The house became a brothel between 1903 - 1912. Georgetown was the red light district area during this time.

3. Dr. Willis Corson was the next owner of this house after 1912. He has just retired from being the Superintendent of King County Almshouse and Hospital. Many of the deaths at this hospital were caused by cases of tuberculosis. The hospital was demolished in the 1950's.

4. A crazy old lady has been seen choking herself with one hand and hitting witnesses with the other. Her eyes have been said to 'burn like coal'. The lady is believed to be a Spanish woman who killed her illegitimate babies and buried them under the porch .

5. This castle has quiet a few ghost stories.

6. This house was renovated in the 1980’s.



Mid Beacon Hill's Blog Post About Georgetown's Castle

Blake Lewis Rapping with Sir Mix a Lot

More about Blake Lewis in Seattle

Blake Lewis in Seattle

Wes and I saw Blake Lewis (from American Idol) perform today in Seattle at Westlake center! OMG, it was the best lunch EVER. Sir Mix A Lot came out and they sang "Baby's Got Back" together, it rocked!


Now i'm feeling SICK :(

Freezing Poop

Check out this article: Freezing Poop. You actually freeze your dogs poop and it makes it easier to pick up. One customer reviewed Poop Freeze and said that Poop Freeze “actually makes picking up poop fun!” SICK

This reminds me of the movie Envy with Jack Black and Ben Stiller. It's about two best friends who create a Vaporizer, a spray that literally makes dog poop, or any other kind for that matter, evaporate into thin air. It wasn't the best movie I had ever seen, but it did make me laugh.

Sony Ericsson S500 & T650

What do you think of these two new Sony Ericsson phones?

1. Sony Ericsson S500


2. Sony Ericsson T650

H&M Might Come to Seattle

H&M is one of my favorite stores and it has not made it to Seattle yet. According to an article from the Seattle Biz Journal Stylish H&M eyes Seattle, we might get one in Seattle! I have only shopped there once and I spent hours in the store in San Francisco. I came back to Seattle and was devastated when I found out they didn't' have an online store.

Pasta Freska

Last night I went out to dinner with my boyfriend, his friend and his wife. We went to Pasta Freska, this great little Italian pasta/seafood/pizza place on Westlake. Everyone else had been there before, but it was my first time. We sat down and Wes's friend told me there was no menu. At first I was freaked out, but then I realized I didn't have to make any choices and they just kept bring me different plates of food. It was almost like sampling 5 to 8 different delicious dishes.

This is what we ate:
1. Eggplant with a great creamy sauce and cheese on top
2. Italian and Greek Salad with cucumbers, feta cheese and a tomato.
3. A Whole Lobster taken out of its shell, sitting on top of it. It must have been cook in some good sauce, because this was the best dish.
4. Steak, but I didn't eat this dish. (No bloody meat for me)
5. Pasta with red sauce and meat or I had Spicy Pasta with artichokes, red/green peppers, onions and olives.
6. A small round piece of Chicken, stuffed with cheese, pine nuts and spinach. There was a brown sweet sauce over it that looked like gravy, but didn't taste anything like gravy. I'm sure this one wasn't healthy, but it tasted yummy.
7. Salmon with red tomato sauce on the top.
8. Dessert - Tiramisu, Berry Gelato and a Chocolate Cake

Furry 5k

Don't forget to register for the Furry 5k this year. I have done this walk for the past few years and it is a lot of fun. It's usually a nice sunny Seattle day where you can walk your dog around Seward Park in South Seattle on Lake WA.

There are so many funny, cute, goofy, big, small, calm and/or crazy dogs there! Every time I go I'm amazed to see there are other dogs like look like my dog Kokanee!

Dog Lounger

I really need to get this for my dog Kokanee: Guardian Gear Canopy Lounger. It's not like Wes and I spoil her enough already ;) She would seriously feel like a princess in this Lounger.

Here's one place you can purchase it.