The Cliffnotes Version
Currently Reading: The Serpant's Shadow by Rick Riordan
Currently Watching: Game of Thrones: Season 2
Well, I suppose that should be Sparknotes version since I work at Barnes and Noble.
Ack! It's been such a crazy three weeks since the last time I posted. Quite literally every single day and night off I've told myself I was going to do a quick update. And then things just pile up that need to be done and before I know it, I'm out of time. So, I'm finally taking advantage of the nice weather, my backyard swing, and the fact that my wi-fi easily extends out into the yard to sit outside with the kittehs and type my entry.
*First, Miss Java Jaynie! We've had her nearly three weeks now. She got the Java added on to her name courtesy of our next door neighbor Larry due to her the color of her coat and her tendancy towards getting the zoomies. I don't think this dog is nearly as old as they thought she was... I don't even think she has a year. She acts very much like a puppy. A puppy who never learned some basic manners. We're working every day on her three big problems and she's very slowly getting better. Well, four big problems.
1. She's a mouther. She wants to sit with you and cuddle, but she can't settle, so it turns into chompy playtime instead. She just loves you so much that she wants to give you millions of hugs with her mouth.
2. She's highly leash reactive. Frankly, I wonder what it would be like to have a dog who wasn't. I marvel at the people who walk down the street with their calm, quiet dogs. How do they do that? I train and train and train and get minimal to no improvement. I've just given up on Sophie. At least now she contains herself to just grumpy/growly instead of outright losing her mind. That's a compromise I can live with. Jaynie still completely flips the fuck out when she gets within 100 yards of another dog on the leash. We're working with her, but so far we've seen no improvement. The adoption agency said it was a big part of the reason no one wanted her. Poor baby, it's not her fault. They suspect it comes from the fact that she was abandoned chained up in a yard and she developed this habit to defend herself. Which, fine. But, she couldn't have been chained up there more than a couple of days or she'd be dead. Why can an animal learn a behavior in no time, but training them back out of it is harder than hell? Our neighbors are no help at all. I swear sometimes they're deliberately making it harder by refusing to just walk by us with their dogs. Instead they linger and loiter and stare and throw unhelpful comments our way as if they have any idea what the situation is. Shut up, Neighbors. We're starting her in obedience class next week and we're really hoping that helps us get a handle on the situation.
3. She hates to be groomed. Our vet had to give us tranquilizers so we could give her a bath. She had to be muzzled and pinned to the vet's table to have her toenails clipped. She screamed the whole time. We were given medicine to put into her ear to clear up a yeast infection and I learned that despite being overweight, I don't have the heft to successfully subdue 22 pounds of frantic, scared dog. It was horrible. We got the medicine in finally, for six excruciating nights and I have the battle scars to prove it. She has longer fur, so she has to be brushed every day or she gets mats. So far, we're failing here too. With a kong filled with peanut butter, she'll allow it, but she never stops moving to get away from the brush. So, she has mats under her ears... not at all sure what to do about that except to keep working with her.
4. She desperately wants to chase Smooshie-Mooshie. She's pretty good with Syd - getting better every day, in fact, but poor Smooshie is a problem. She always is. We faced the same ordeal with Sophie and it worked out perfectly in the end, so I'm really not too worried about that. It just takes time. It was six months before Sophie and Smooshie could be in the same room completely peacefully.
I guess I knew this is what I would be in for when we got a rescue dog. Right now at this very moment I still have that worried feeling that we've made a mistake, despite how carefully we thought it out and picked the dog from the 100s we looked at. But, again, I felt that way about Sophie for a good three or four months and now I love her to pieces and she brings me nothing but joy. We're determined to make it work because despite all these problems, she's a sweet dog who deserves a good home. She's smart. We've already taught her sit, down, stay (working on this...) and fetch. She doesn't have any potty problems when we are away all day and only a few when she gets excited while we're home. After a few initial tiffs, Sophie loves her and I think they will be great friends. She doesn't seem to be especially destructive. Much less so than Sophie was when we first got her. When there are no other dogs around, she's a pleasure to walk. She'll go as far as I want without complaint (Sophie) and just merrily trots alongside. She really wants to cuddle, but right now she has serious problems settling anywhere for more than a minute or two. In fact, I've bought GNC Dog Relax Supplements to help her chillax.
On a funny note: She's obsessed with the dead jellyfish at the beach. We have to have constant vigilance or she'll nom one.
Right now JJ (Java Jaynie!) is getting the second kid short end of the stick picture wise. We've taken a few, but since she never holds still they are all blurry. Hopefully soon... when the obedience school starts to kick in.
* The meeting with the lady who supposedly had freelance illustration work ate up an entire weekend and resulted in exactly nothing. As I suspected, it was a disaster. How can one be 69 years old and have no idea how things work? Contrary to what she told my mother, she does not have a publisher and what's worse, she already had someone illustrate half of the first book before they ran out on her! So, it's a godawful mess. Even worse? She's one of those Type-A, Extroverted, Networking individuals that I just can't get along with. They just run all over people like me. Fortunately, my sister and mother were running backup in this particular meeting and we eventually set her on the right path. We convinced her she must have a publisher and taught her the steps that needed to be taken to get one. I told her if something works out, I would still love to work on her books (since they're actually quite cute), but I'm not going to hold my breath. So, it's back to square one again. Some more.
* Speaking of square one. Jackie the horse lady I met last September in Ohio finally emailed me back about doing some design work for her trail ride business. After I quoted her some prices last fall, she disappeared. As per usual. I was surprised to hear from her again. So, I answered right away. This was two weeks ago and I haven't heard back. *Sigh*
* My last full time Music Seller and good friend Britt quit last week. She got another job that pays 63% more than she's getting at the store, offers full benefits, and lets her be home nights and weekends with her kids. I would do the same thing. But, it makes me sad because now I'm the only person left. I simply can't do it myself. Fortunately, one of our new hires is very interested in working in Music and she wants full time, so I'm hoping I can steal her away from the Bookfloor.
* On the plus side, Music made plan for the year! In this economy! We were the only department in the store to do so and for once, we actually got recognized for it. I have to give Fabio that much - even if I still don't think much of him as a Store Manager. I'm very proud. It took some doing, let me tell you. And I certainly have to thank Downton Abbey - I know it was a huge part of the boost. It also gives me a small piece of mind because as they continue to close down Music Departments, the ones that actually made plan will not be at the top of the list.
* We went and saw How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying last night at the Arts Center. I really enjoyed it! What a fun show. It's been an uncharacteristically lackluster season at the Arts Center this year, so I was so happy to finally see a home run. And, oh, I didn't know Scott was moonlighting as a musical star. Seriously, the actor playing Bud Frump looked and acted so much like him that I just had to giggle. He stole the whole show from a very talented cast.
* Spent a week trying to muddle through A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I don't understand how this book could have come so highly recommended. It's terrible. I don't know who the publicist was who got this thing rave reviews in Time, EW, Newsweek, the NYT Book review, and a spot on the BN Recommends shelf, but they deserve a huge bonus because I've never been this mislead and disappointed in a book. It was marketed as a riveting fantasy/gothic mystery... but it's actually a poor man's version of Twilight with an incredibly flimsy "plot" line. At least Twilight was fun to read for the lulz, Discovery is just boring, boring, boring. And it's long. It's 600 pages of the two main characters (a witch who is the worst Mary Sue I've seen outside of bad fanfic in... ever and a vampire who acts like a wolf.) drinking a lot of tea, and doing a lot of yoga, and riding a lot of horses... and what else. Oh yes. Sleeping. with in depth descriptions of all these things. I still plan on finishing it since I never put a book down in the middle, but I don't expect my opinion to change. Ugh, avoid at all costs.
There's more, but I'm out of time again and this is already far too long already... so, to be continued another sunny day!
Finally, is Bronn the new Al Swearengen?
"There's no cure for being a cunt."
- Bronn (Game of Thrones)
Currently Watching: Game of Thrones: Season 2
Well, I suppose that should be Sparknotes version since I work at Barnes and Noble.
Ack! It's been such a crazy three weeks since the last time I posted. Quite literally every single day and night off I've told myself I was going to do a quick update. And then things just pile up that need to be done and before I know it, I'm out of time. So, I'm finally taking advantage of the nice weather, my backyard swing, and the fact that my wi-fi easily extends out into the yard to sit outside with the kittehs and type my entry.
*First, Miss Java Jaynie! We've had her nearly three weeks now. She got the Java added on to her name courtesy of our next door neighbor Larry due to her the color of her coat and her tendancy towards getting the zoomies. I don't think this dog is nearly as old as they thought she was... I don't even think she has a year. She acts very much like a puppy. A puppy who never learned some basic manners. We're working every day on her three big problems and she's very slowly getting better. Well, four big problems.
1. She's a mouther. She wants to sit with you and cuddle, but she can't settle, so it turns into chompy playtime instead. She just loves you so much that she wants to give you millions of hugs with her mouth.
2. She's highly leash reactive. Frankly, I wonder what it would be like to have a dog who wasn't. I marvel at the people who walk down the street with their calm, quiet dogs. How do they do that? I train and train and train and get minimal to no improvement. I've just given up on Sophie. At least now she contains herself to just grumpy/growly instead of outright losing her mind. That's a compromise I can live with. Jaynie still completely flips the fuck out when she gets within 100 yards of another dog on the leash. We're working with her, but so far we've seen no improvement. The adoption agency said it was a big part of the reason no one wanted her. Poor baby, it's not her fault. They suspect it comes from the fact that she was abandoned chained up in a yard and she developed this habit to defend herself. Which, fine. But, she couldn't have been chained up there more than a couple of days or she'd be dead. Why can an animal learn a behavior in no time, but training them back out of it is harder than hell? Our neighbors are no help at all. I swear sometimes they're deliberately making it harder by refusing to just walk by us with their dogs. Instead they linger and loiter and stare and throw unhelpful comments our way as if they have any idea what the situation is. Shut up, Neighbors. We're starting her in obedience class next week and we're really hoping that helps us get a handle on the situation.
3. She hates to be groomed. Our vet had to give us tranquilizers so we could give her a bath. She had to be muzzled and pinned to the vet's table to have her toenails clipped. She screamed the whole time. We were given medicine to put into her ear to clear up a yeast infection and I learned that despite being overweight, I don't have the heft to successfully subdue 22 pounds of frantic, scared dog. It was horrible. We got the medicine in finally, for six excruciating nights and I have the battle scars to prove it. She has longer fur, so she has to be brushed every day or she gets mats. So far, we're failing here too. With a kong filled with peanut butter, she'll allow it, but she never stops moving to get away from the brush. So, she has mats under her ears... not at all sure what to do about that except to keep working with her.
4. She desperately wants to chase Smooshie-Mooshie. She's pretty good with Syd - getting better every day, in fact, but poor Smooshie is a problem. She always is. We faced the same ordeal with Sophie and it worked out perfectly in the end, so I'm really not too worried about that. It just takes time. It was six months before Sophie and Smooshie could be in the same room completely peacefully.
I guess I knew this is what I would be in for when we got a rescue dog. Right now at this very moment I still have that worried feeling that we've made a mistake, despite how carefully we thought it out and picked the dog from the 100s we looked at. But, again, I felt that way about Sophie for a good three or four months and now I love her to pieces and she brings me nothing but joy. We're determined to make it work because despite all these problems, she's a sweet dog who deserves a good home. She's smart. We've already taught her sit, down, stay (working on this...) and fetch. She doesn't have any potty problems when we are away all day and only a few when she gets excited while we're home. After a few initial tiffs, Sophie loves her and I think they will be great friends. She doesn't seem to be especially destructive. Much less so than Sophie was when we first got her. When there are no other dogs around, she's a pleasure to walk. She'll go as far as I want without complaint (Sophie) and just merrily trots alongside. She really wants to cuddle, but right now she has serious problems settling anywhere for more than a minute or two. In fact, I've bought GNC Dog Relax Supplements to help her chillax.
On a funny note: She's obsessed with the dead jellyfish at the beach. We have to have constant vigilance or she'll nom one.
Right now JJ (Java Jaynie!) is getting the second kid short end of the stick picture wise. We've taken a few, but since she never holds still they are all blurry. Hopefully soon... when the obedience school starts to kick in.
* The meeting with the lady who supposedly had freelance illustration work ate up an entire weekend and resulted in exactly nothing. As I suspected, it was a disaster. How can one be 69 years old and have no idea how things work? Contrary to what she told my mother, she does not have a publisher and what's worse, she already had someone illustrate half of the first book before they ran out on her! So, it's a godawful mess. Even worse? She's one of those Type-A, Extroverted, Networking individuals that I just can't get along with. They just run all over people like me. Fortunately, my sister and mother were running backup in this particular meeting and we eventually set her on the right path. We convinced her she must have a publisher and taught her the steps that needed to be taken to get one. I told her if something works out, I would still love to work on her books (since they're actually quite cute), but I'm not going to hold my breath. So, it's back to square one again. Some more.
* Speaking of square one. Jackie the horse lady I met last September in Ohio finally emailed me back about doing some design work for her trail ride business. After I quoted her some prices last fall, she disappeared. As per usual. I was surprised to hear from her again. So, I answered right away. This was two weeks ago and I haven't heard back. *Sigh*
* My last full time Music Seller and good friend Britt quit last week. She got another job that pays 63% more than she's getting at the store, offers full benefits, and lets her be home nights and weekends with her kids. I would do the same thing. But, it makes me sad because now I'm the only person left. I simply can't do it myself. Fortunately, one of our new hires is very interested in working in Music and she wants full time, so I'm hoping I can steal her away from the Bookfloor.
* On the plus side, Music made plan for the year! In this economy! We were the only department in the store to do so and for once, we actually got recognized for it. I have to give Fabio that much - even if I still don't think much of him as a Store Manager. I'm very proud. It took some doing, let me tell you. And I certainly have to thank Downton Abbey - I know it was a huge part of the boost. It also gives me a small piece of mind because as they continue to close down Music Departments, the ones that actually made plan will not be at the top of the list.
* We went and saw How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying last night at the Arts Center. I really enjoyed it! What a fun show. It's been an uncharacteristically lackluster season at the Arts Center this year, so I was so happy to finally see a home run. And, oh, I didn't know Scott was moonlighting as a musical star. Seriously, the actor playing Bud Frump looked and acted so much like him that I just had to giggle. He stole the whole show from a very talented cast.
* Spent a week trying to muddle through A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I don't understand how this book could have come so highly recommended. It's terrible. I don't know who the publicist was who got this thing rave reviews in Time, EW, Newsweek, the NYT Book review, and a spot on the BN Recommends shelf, but they deserve a huge bonus because I've never been this mislead and disappointed in a book. It was marketed as a riveting fantasy/gothic mystery... but it's actually a poor man's version of Twilight with an incredibly flimsy "plot" line. At least Twilight was fun to read for the lulz, Discovery is just boring, boring, boring. And it's long. It's 600 pages of the two main characters (a witch who is the worst Mary Sue I've seen outside of bad fanfic in... ever and a vampire who acts like a wolf.) drinking a lot of tea, and doing a lot of yoga, and riding a lot of horses... and what else. Oh yes. Sleeping. with in depth descriptions of all these things. I still plan on finishing it since I never put a book down in the middle, but I don't expect my opinion to change. Ugh, avoid at all costs.
There's more, but I'm out of time again and this is already far too long already... so, to be continued another sunny day!
Finally, is Bronn the new Al Swearengen?
"There's no cure for being a cunt."
- Bronn (Game of Thrones)