Since I:
°Dyed my hair. I'm thinking of doing it very soon, as a matter of fact. I stopped dying it my senior year of high school and I'm due for a change; maybe even a new style with it but I'm keeping it long.
°Had a real, crazy vacation. I haven't been to Disneyland in over 4 years, I haven't been to the Grand Canyon in 3, and when I was in Mexico all I did was sit around at my grandparents' house on the computer. I want to go somewhere awesome for a week and go sightseeing.
°Did a hands on craft project for fun. A while ago I was going to make my own spiral tapers and I never did. I haven't painted in ages, or drawn something on paper, or written a story. The problem is I have little to no materials at the moment and no means of getting any.
°Got a tattoo! I realized the other day that the last tattoo I got was the one on my feet, and somehow that was already almost a year ago. I had really thought I'd be able to get another one before I moved, but that was during all the wedding/moving craziness and it turned out to be just impossible to find the time.
Growing up I had a bit of a hoarding problem. I call myself a pack rat as opposed to hoarder these days, but I think if no one stopped me I'd keep just about everything. Whenever I get a shoebox (every few years when someone buys me shoes because I won't, and the pair I won't stop wearing is falling apart) I fill it with "keepsakes": weird things I don't want to get rid of because they remind me of something that I don't necessarily want to forget. I have a terrible memory (though I remember a lot of the bad stuff) so every once in a while I look through it to reminisce.
The tag on my bag from my first trip to Supai in the Grand Canyon, various pins from my childhood, my pocket pikachu, and a very pretty fairy jar all of my teeth went in when I lost them. I associate different things with these objects, happy things.
From left to right:
1. The wrist band from my first successful 4th of July with Michael (kind of a crazy day but overall, awesome).
2. My high school IDs. Covered up my senior one because I look incredibly fat.
3. A bell my mom gave me that I rang a few times when I was too sick to talk, a patch from Girl Scouts, a two dollar bill, a Harry Potter bookmark.
4. The jewelry my lip was pierced with.
5. Tabs from Monster energy drinks when they used to put Ms into them for a limited time. I got a Monster almost every day Junior year for a while at lunch from Safeway across the street.
It's kind of lame stuff and Michael had to help me throw away a lot of paper stuff a few years ago as well as when I moved. I also keep things like movie tickets, foreign candy containers, jewelry that was made for me, polished rocks, and at one point I had a bunch of notes from high school but ended up throwing them away (after my mom went through them without asking).
Some of it I shouldn't keep. Some of it I know I should, and some I can never decide. I think I inherited this problem from my mother, because she almost never throws anything away, and tried really hard to make me pack up a ton of childhood things to bring with me here, which just would've ended up in our tiny storage outside, and I have a lot of unnecessary keepsakes as it is.
Honestly it probably doesn't help with my "living in the past" problem. I think about things that have happened too much, and a lot of this junk doesn't exactly help. But I really don't open boxes every day and cry about things, I promise.
I just can't let go of a loooot of stuff.
Foxy is a silly dog. She has a lot of issues and a big personality to go with them. She's pretty much the exact opposite of her sister. However, despite her chaotic nature she seems the most eager to learn things and understand us. She understands sit (usually) and knows when to "drop it," but I may work with her a little more when she's not so easily distracted.
She tries to grab her tail like this.
Her biggest problem is she's very very selfish. She does her best to overshadow Toki and I have to correct her all the time, though I'm not sure she gets it 100% of the time. She steals whatever Toki is enjoying and will literally jump on top of her to get attention if you're not petting her. Toki puts up with it most of the time but she's starting to nut up and copy her sister occasionally. I don't want the competition to get out of control but sometimes they just have to fight it out, I guess. I've seen them steal things from each other repeatedly for an entire afternoon. It's a rare occasion when they cooperate, but it does happen.
Foxy can be goofy and lovable as well as frustrating. I'm hoping she'll grow out of her selfishness but we also have to teach that that's what we want.
I've dealt with jealousy a lot in my life; not necessarily me being the jealous one, either. But I guess that's not what this is about.
When it comes to people, like Michael for example, since he's always been the source of jealousy in my life for the last few years, weird things make me jealous. I've seen crazy jealous girlfriends and I've always been careful not to be one. I don't spy on him or make threats to girls interested in him, any of that nonsense. Once when we were thirteen, I got a note on the bus (about Michael, the very same I married) that said "Your boyfriend is hott." I just laughed. I've never been vicious about jealousy.
I guess the things I don't like are being compared to past girlfriends in anyway, and old pictures. Those two things alone drive me nuts. For example I don't understand when Michael puts up a bunch of pictures an old girlfriend took. Although to him, he just likes what's in the pictures. He doesn't think about who took them or what was going on in his life at the time. It's completely reversed for me. That's all I can think about and it really gets to me.
One day, a little while after we'd started dating I was wearing one of his sweatshirts with the hood up, doing some silly arm movements to make him laugh. He stopped and said "You look like [the girl I last dated] right now." Well, I got really mad and took the sweatshirt off. He said he'd made the comment because he thought I could handle it, or I was over it, something like that. I definitely wasn't. It took another year or two for me to even speak to the girl he mentioned, since we'd been friends also.
Any drama I've dealt with since high school has had to do with Michael. And before that of course I dealt with Michael vicariously. Things sort of lead up to him and I being together, though I had no idea it would happen. Everything changed later when Michael decided to join. We broke up for a while and saw other people, and that was pretty hard on both our jealousy meters. And with Michael so far away, I'd ask about any girl he mentioned (but they always end up being old with kids and unattractive, his words). By then I trusted him too much to really get worked up over who he talked to. It just wasn't worth the effort by then. We'd gone through so much and Michael seemed sincerely dedicated to having me in his life.
So I haven't seen much of the green monster lately, which is nice. I don't tend to feel jealous about possessions. Michael and I have some pretty cool stuff as it is, and there's not much on my want list at the moment.
That's all for Day 15! I keep delaying these, but I guess the blogs I read don't exactly update all the time. I'm a speed blogger compared to most. I'm also still cleaning gradually from the party. Without a dishwasher it's a little tough to arrange things to clean. But oh well! It's getting done.
After some stressing and a delayed dinner, we finally got everything started and people began showing up. Michael made corned beef three different ways and it was all delicious. Of course you gotta have cabbage and potatoes to complete the Irish meal, and I also insisted on carrots because I just really love cooked carrots. There was a lot of food. Way more than I think we'd planned. Most of the beef was eaten but sadly we had to throw some of the veggies out at the end of the night. I also have a sneaking suspicion that someone took my tupperware container of carrots and potatoes I'd put in the fridge, since it's now nowhere to be seen.
There was some really tasty sweet stuff to go with the savory meal. We called this an Irish milkshake, or Bailey's milkshake, as it's made with Bailey's (coffee flavored), ice cream, milk and chocolate syrup. We had two big pitchers of it and it went fast. Nom.
A couple was nice enough to bring us some cupcakes made with Guinness and Bailey's; there's still some left but I actually didn't get around to trying one. There was also banana pudding, squared off by yummy square cookies. Apparently you can really taste the alcohol in the frosting, and those shapes on top are crunchy candies!
Someone brought PBR, which I haven't seen since I left Arizona. I don't drink the stuff but it really made me miss home. Once we got a good crowd it definitely started getting rambunctious and loud. We taught everyone Thumper, a game I personally learned from Emily, and we had so much alcohol and people kept bringing more! There's definitely leftovers.
The guys got a bonfire going which made me happy. I love the smell and I love when everyone stands around it drinking. Yet another thing that made me think of home. Everyone was really responsible about it and someone was always watching it, although it's wetter here than Arizona and I wasn't all that worried about anything catching fire.
She couldn't finish it.
The jello shots we made turned out to be pretty strong, but overall successful. I tried to push them and got rid of a lot but there's a lot leftover of those, too. I guess we'd have to have another party to get rid of all the stuff we have left! It's crazy. But for my first time making jello shots I was pretty proud of them. Of course, it was also really simple.
Somebody brought "Wrecked," or the equivalent of Battleships with shots. People were entertained just watching and cheering. I couldn't bring myself to play--I felt like I needed to stay relatively alert since I was a host.
And of course King's Cup came up. We had this problem, though; everyone got really distracted part way through every game we played and nobody could finish a full game of anything. Smoke breaks, the bonfire, a different game...people just wandered off in the middle of things. It was funny, really.
We got really good feedback from the party. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it. The cleanup hasn't been that bad; Michael and I started last night and even after taking a break for a long breakfast at Cracker Barrel (a tradition after a night of drinking) I kept cleaning and it's nearly done. But we just have so much stuff leftover! I don't know what to do. Today I mostly just want to clean, drink lots of water and play video games with my husband.
But I'm so glad our first big party at our own place went well! :)
*As an edited side note, I started this entry at the very end of the night and didn't edit it much the next day. I've had to read it a few times to catch the fact that I kept saying "definitely" and "leftovers." Hopefully after some slight rewording it doesn't sound nearly as retarded as I thought it did.
About a week ago daylight savings kicked in. Since I'm from Arizona I've never ever had to worry about it, and immediately I noticed it not only made no sense, but apparently was synonymous with the weather, which went from winter 40s and below to high 70s to 80s with several rainy storms in a row.
I only saw snow once! I wasn't ready for winter to end. I love the cold. I love warm drinks and hoodies and lots of blankets. It's not that I don't appreciate the occasional near perfect 75 and sunny days we see here, but I'm really thrown off by the extreme season jump.
However I guess I'd better prepare myself, because although this feels like summer and we're already using the cooler the summers here are supposed to resemble Phoenix heat. Last summer was so miserable. I changed my clothes three times a day from just sitting around sweating. I can't imagine this summer if it's going to be anything like that.
I also feel lazier knowing we're now an hour ahead of where we used to be and two hours ahead of Arizona. I guess this is home now, as hard as that is for me to accept, but knowing that if I were there I'd be waking up at 6:30 if I wake up at 8:30 makes me want to go back to bed.
I don't understand this place.
Since we got her Toki has improved immensely. For a little while we were concerned she might have parvo, but after a trip to the vet, one shot and a few pills later her energy level went way up and she's not nearly as lethargic and sad looking.
She's very sweet but her confidence is a little low. As I said before she gets very timid as though her previous owners beat her. Her sister Foxy also steals her toys and after one too many times Toki give up and lays down with a big sigh.
A little damp from rolling in the morning grass outside.
She's very cute and lovable though, and gets excited over silly things. She'll bounce up and down on her front paws with her tongue out or wiggle across the floor on her belly. She's not totally innocent though; she usually initiates play fights with Foxy when she's bored. I was glad to see this because I thought Foxy bossed her around 100% of the time.
So far she's doing really well but is still afraid of walking on a leash and doesn't understand when we try to teach her things. I'm not totally sure what to do but I'm taking it one day at a time.
I'll very likely feature Foxy next time I do this, both to be fair as well as consistent. Admittedly Toki is kind of the favorite, since she's very unlikely to do something bad and is a bit of a baby. But I'll update you later on Foxy!
I may have a problem. I might be just a teensy bit obsessed with playing that game Catherine I just reviewed the other day. It's all I can think about, and all I see when I close my eyes are blocks I have to move. The intensity with which I play it on top of watching two curious dogs has kept me far away from the computer.
So I decided when I got up I wouldn't even go to the living room till I'd gotten a few blog entries done. Hard life, right?
Anyway, my favorite meals usually involve bacon. The picture above is something I prepared myself. I could have breakfast food any time of day and be perfectly happy with it. I love lots of bacon, maple sausage, fluffy scrambled eggs and a toasted bread of some kind. One of my top favorites is biscuits and gravy. I never realized it, but Prescott is quite the early bird town. Meaning, it's sprinkled with the perfect amount of breakfast restaurants. Here the best place there is is Cracker Barrel. It's definitely better than Denny's, but I sort of miss going to shitty breakfast places like that with lots of people late at night. It's not really an option here. There aren't any cute obscure cafes to go to either.
Oo Instagram makes me a photographer right?
As for later-in-the-day meals I absolutely love Thai and Indian food. I used to like Chinese food before I'd really discovered the two, and now it's hard to go back because most of it is really bland and tastes...lazy. You know what I mean? There's a little hole in the wall carryout place in Prescott called Thaifoon and it's so authentic and delicious I could go there every day. Above is a version of curry Michael and I prepared. It's got chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a yellow curry paste with tomatoes. I always serve jasmine rice steamed with cloves with this kind of meal. If my mouth isn't burning after two bites it's not spicy enough. Thankfully, the first thing Michael did when we moved in was buy a ton of spices to kick up meals like this, as the packet we bought for it was pretty weak. We have variations of curry all the time and I'll never get tired of it.
The other meal I enjoy is sushi. I love Japanese restaurants. There's a pretty good one here called Kobe we went to the other night, but I forgot to take pictures, and I don't feel like Googling an image. I heard my favorite sushi place in Prescott is closing, which makes me really sad. At least I got to go there one last time for my bachelorette night. My friend Julio was serving us so he gave me alcohol, which was pretty awesome. I'm still not 21 yet, but I'm older than every other person I meet here.
Well, before I go totally off topic I should probably call it. On to more entries!
I could've sworn I did something like this already. I think I've just made a lot of entries on specific things I really like, not necessarily things I'm addicted to.
An addiction is an abnormally strong craving, a dependency on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, whether it's an activity or a feeling.Thankfully I've never tried any hard drugs in my life and I quit smoking right before the wedding so all that's left are those really dumb every day things that I can't stop doing.
I mostly have a serious problem with the internet. I repeatedly check things, refresh pages, and never close my Tumblr or Facebook tab. I don't even know why. I feel myself getting bored with it but it's really hard to just pull away and stop.
Facebook mostly just annoys me because a)occasionally my mother just goes on a commenting spree on all of my stuff and uses FB like a spaz and b)all I see are people with babies and other annoying things. I keep it because I do like to know what people are up to in Arizona or wherever they've ended up. I should probably do another friend sweep and minimize again, though.
Tumblr is definitely a stupid addiction. I was able to pull away this week but only after getting a new video game, another thing I spend too much time doing. I guess when I get addicted to something I don't half ass it. On the other hand I follow my brother and people I actually know as well as a military significant other support blog, and I do genuinely enjoy those. But I constantly refresh and mess with my layout and it's like MySpace all over again for me.
When I get bored on the internet but can't leave I get way too curious for my own good. It's not even out of spite anymore, just terrible habitual curiosity. Oh well. I don't think I'm the only one with this problem. I suppose we all have a right to access public things and snoop. It's human nature.
I also have a hard time going anywhere without having some form of candy. I get cravings for certain kinds of candy, and watching a movie triggers cravings really badly. The good thing is as I've aged I can't eat three boxes or bags of the stuff like I used to; I'm actually able to make it last or just share it. But if I see a candy store it's incredibly difficult not to go in and get a medley bag of whatever catches my eye. I also love trying new candy.
And if you haven't guess I'm kind of addicted to making blog posts, even if no one cares. I guess it's kind of a therapy for me but it's hard to go a day without writing about something on my mind.
Just the other day Michael told me about this game and he bought it shortly after. I had no idea it existed before then. I guess it's been out since last year. I have trouble finding a game that'll keep my attention for longer than an hour or two, but when I read this case I could already tell I would enjoy it.
The Story:
Catherine is a mostly story based game with a puzzle platformer smooshed in between the layers. You play a guy named Vincent who starts having these really strange dreams right around the time his girlfriend implies that they should get married or break it off already. But one night when he wakes up from one of these dreams, he wakes up to a girl who is not his girlfriend (but has the same name!).
So the antics ensue as Vincent struggles with the fact that he's cheating while dealing with nightmares that demand he climb a tower of blocks, because if he doesn't he doesn't just die in the dream, he dies in real life. Meanwhile, other men are dying from the same nightmares.
Gameplay:
I discovered when I started I didn't just like the game, I fucking loved it, and if it weren't for the fact that it's Michael's turn to play games on the weekend I wouldn't be on the computer, I'd be playing Catherine.
I'm kind of a lesbian for games that involve a guy and choosing between multiple girls. If you hadn't guessed by the cover this is a Japanese game; it's immediately apparent by the places the characters go, the food they eat etc. The Japanese like to make these games a lot, and this one has an especially weird twist. It's right up my alley and I can't. stop. playing it.
You spend some important time in a bar where several crucial things can happen before it's off to the nightmare of the night. You have a cell phone, which lets you save, replay levels, view awards and most importantly reply to texts from the two girls you're seeing. You can talk to the bar patrons, all of which you pretty much need to or they might not be there later, they might be on the news instead! The texting sounds strange, but it's really just choosing a specific prewritten message to send. This and your responses to questions determine how the game plays out, and there are three endings to each girl, plus a few more. This means that after you play once, you can go back and make different choices. In other words I may never stop playing.
The nightmare sequences are the real challenge. Making choices is fun and all but there is real work to be had. You have to shift around these blocks to get to the ringing bell and door at the top. Certain blocks do certain things, and sometimes there's a monster from Vincent's subconscious chasing you. Climb faster and you get more points. Climb too slow and the bottom will drop out from under you, as it's falling row by row anyway.
I don't have much to complain about other than the fact that this part may cause serious rage. It's definitely a puzzle, and some levels are more of a pain in the ass than others. But it's so rewarding when you get to the top that it feels worth it. I get really determined to finish a level if I'm having trouble with it, especially because I want to continue the story. There are three levels of difficulty and after finishing Easy I'm on to Normal. Even Easy was challenging, and Normal isn't a cakewalk either. I can't imagine what Hard will be like.
Vincent sees all other men in the dream as sheep, and vice versa. Hence the horns.
I guess some of the movement can be really irritating. You can hang from blocks and swing around the back of the tower, but when you do the controls are reversed. There's also a lot of unintentional falling. It can happen so often you may want to sit in a corner and cry a little bit. Boss battles are also really cheap; you have to be super clever or they won't hesitate to bring down a creative death upon your slow ass.
This game is adult oriented and lemme tell you I wouldn't want my kids to play it. There's a monster made out of lewd body parts, partly naked girls, and lots of alcohol use. Drinking makes you move faster in the nightmare later; kind of a terrible message (alcohol enhances your performance). On top of that it's a little bit sexist at times but the comedy of the game makes up for it. It questions how you feel about relationships and certain aspects of them, and a lot of it I really don't think anyone under 17 would have the necessary experience to answer.
I suppose my biggest problem is the love interests aren't all that appealing. Katherine, your original girlfriend, is bossy and controlling. Catherine, the little blonde that stalks you, is also a piece of work. They're both pretty psychotic in their own way. Sure they can both be attractive, but their personalities really suck. Good thing one of the endings is dumping both of them. I just feel it sort of promotes bad relationships. You get either the controlling bitch who demands things from you like your mother would, or the crazy bitch who won't leave you alone and you can never remember letting her into your apartment. Hm. Where's the girl that's perfect for him? Because I don't think either one is.
Katherine has long hair and Catherine is the blonde.
But this isn't a game to be taken seriously, so there's really no use in picking it apart. It's got a monster with an ass for a face for God sakes. I think that pretty much negates any meaning from the events that take place.
As for aesthetics, Catherine has fairly good voice acting (with some necessary cheesiness) and looks really nice. There's even several high quality animated sequences reminiscent of Death Note. The soundtrack is also noticeably varied and enjoyable. I'm really impressed with this game and how fast it reeled me in. If I find myself bleary eyed, in need of food and a shower but keep telling myself "one more level" it's a good game, at least for me.
If you're into this kind of thing or this sounds interesting, it's totally worth a try. I'm going to be playing this game for quite a few dedicated weeks trying to get all the endings. However, a nice feature of the game is you can skip scenes you're tired of and even some levels, as long as you have the Gold rating from last time you played. So maybe it won't take that long.
And hey, once you're done with all that, there's several bonus modes to complete. Hooray! Catherine forever!
Now here's a take on it from my favorite game reviewer:
I use YouTube pretty much every day. Funny videos, educational videos, people doing crazy shit, animals, game walkthroughs, you name it. But there are a few videos I could watch over and over, and some people I'm subscribed to that I watch religiously. I felt like sharing because one of my favorite games to play with people, especially people I'm just getting to know, is "have you seen this video?"
I really love Jenna. She brings joy to my Wednesdays when she posts a new quirky video, usually about a certain topic, sometimes an impersonation, and once in a while a really ridiculous song. I just think she's really endearing and would love to meet her.
I show this video to everyone. I don't even watch My Little Pony or listen to much Wu-Tang but I just think it's really well done and always cheers me up. I guess people do this a lot with MLP which is funny.
There's something really relaxing and fascinating about watching people put together Japanese candy kits. I could watch them for hours. I found a website where you can buy a lot of the stuff you see in videos like this. I'd like to get a few one day!
Just the other day I found these videos on Youtube called The Joker Blogs. I actually got pretty into it. It's about the in between time when the Joker goes to Arkham Asylum. Apparently it's super popular and by the time I finished it (the videos are only a few minutes long usually) like many others I was excited for the next series. I guess it's happening soon! But if you like Batman and you know a bit about the story it's definitely a treat.
Those are my main vices these days on Youtube. Hopefully you found something new!
I'm a bit behind on my own blog challenge, which I didn't think would happen but that was before we had two new additions to our family! Although the first few days were really rough, they've shown so much improvement it's almost as if they've been here the entire time.
I won't go on too much, since even I get annoyed when people talk too much about their pets or kids, but I really am amazed by how much better they are. They have more energy and seem happier, they come when they're called, they get into their kennels willingly, and all kinds of other stuff. I took them to the vet the other day and was worried because Toki wasn't eating well and seemed sick. She got a shot and we got some pills for her and she was immediately 100% better withing 24 hours. We were really scared it was parvo (pretty much puppy stomach cancer, really expensive to treat and often fatal) so it's such a relief to see her all perked up.
Anyway!
Day 12: Your best traits and worst habits. I.E. the pros and cons of my personality.
This is some vain shit, who came up with this?
Oh right.
I do this because it can be hard for me to come up with good things about myself. I like making myself and other people realize what's good about them.
Best traits:
1. I'm really open minded. I'll agree to disagree or won't judge when you think I will. This makes me a good listener.
2. I'm honest, but can sometimes be too honest. I try to speak the truth respectfully or say what I think people need to hear. I still think it's a good thing.
3. When I care I care a lot. Here I find myself taking care of pretty much strangers out of this unexplained concern I have for their well being. I find the good in everyone. If I decide I like you I stick to it unless you do one too many things to push me away.
4. I like to make people laugh. Some people I meet bring this weird side of me out and all I want to do is act like a moron to cheer them up. As a child my mom called me "Coco," the name of a french clown, because I was so ridiculous and laughed all the time.
Bad habits: I actually made a small post about this a while ago. I felt weird about it because I felt like certain people were judging me for things and probably thinking of a lot more bad things about me.
Which brings me to my first bad habit:
1. I'm so paranoid. Problem is I'm right more often than wrong so it doesn't help anything. But I'm not just paranoid about what people think about me. I feel watched when I'm alone and lock my doors when I'm inside and assume strangers will do bad things because I believe people are too unpredictable to trust. Wee.
2. I'll go ahead and mention my bad habit of being too dramatic again. I really have to keep myself in check. You'd think since I'm married I might not care as much since "he can't leave me so I can do whatever I want, I don't have to impress him anymore" (I seriously heard a wife here say that) but I'm actually a lot more conscious and honest about my behavior. Still, I do tend to be a bitch in a bad mood and pout now and then.
3. I quit smoking but replaced cigarettes with snacks. I know smoking is worse for me but sometimes I feel like starting again so I don't eat so much.
4. I keep failing at working out. My routine was thrown off by the dogs and I'm having a hard time starting again. This always happens though.
I'll stop there so I have an even amount of facts. Still I think my worst habit is thinking so many bad things about myself. I'm too hard on myself. It's a good thing Michael is so encouraging and always says nice things to make me smile.
That's all for Day 12!
Yesterday was crazy. I don't know how I even managed to make a blog post because I was so busy watching the two babies of the house. I've learned a lot about them in the last 24 hours.
1. Although definitely intelligent, they have just about zero training. Seven months old and all they really know is when they're doing something they shouldn't. Foxy understands "drop it," which is good. But Toki is very very anxious and afraid of anything she doesn't understand. Which is a lot.
2. If it's not their idea, they don't wanna do it. They're starting to respond to their names more and more, but if you call them to a room or call them outside, you have to wait a few seconds for them to decide they actually want to do what you're suggesting.
3. Foxy is extremely selfish. If Toki has something, despite the fact that it's usually the exact same thing she has, it must be better. She hoarded all of their edible chew toys last night! Toki got so bored without them she chewed up a shoe I'd accidentally left out. Then one of them took some stuffing out of one of the brand new dog beds. So.
4. Toki was probably abused at some point. She gets very submissive when people come near her and if you walk towards her too fast she starts to run off. She doesn't like climbing stairs or making effort to jump up onto things even when she's supposed to and it's obvious she can. She needs confidence, both to stand up to her sister and to function in daily life.
They have the potential to be better dogs with a lot of patience and guidance. Adopting dogs from a previous owner usually comes with these kinds of problems. It's very frustrating but we can't give up. I've been using lots of positive reinforcement and praise when they do good things and thankfully after a trip to the petstore last night we have a few things to distract them from chewing on basic household items. When Foxy gets in Toki's way for a treat or attention I simply ignore her and give her a closed fist when she tries to lick me. Sometimes though she really has to be held away.
I have a theory that maybe Toki did a few bad things inside the last owners house and possibly got hit for it, and both of them got banished outside for long periods of time where they developed their own independence and survival. I really am not sure but whatever happened it was fairly neglectful. We gave them a bath last night and they were so happy they ran around like crazy for the first time. Now they're really soft and fluffy! I actually didn't realize how dirty they were :(
I just made a vet appointment for them to make sure everything is alright. It's mostly Toki that I'm worried about. She can get really lethargic sometimes but also has clear anxiety issues. They both eat grass outside, but Toki more so, which I hear is how dogs self medicate. Whether it's illness or nerves I don't know.
I'm only able to write all of this because we got a doggie gate and I can keep them in the same room and not worry about what they're doing. I'm surprised they didn't try to knock it down but they figured out pretty quick that they couldn't just leave and do whatever they wanted, which is the message I'm trying to send. Today I'm reinforcing their names with treats and rewarding them when they come when they're called, sit, and when they quiet down when I tell them to.
Okay, now for our regularly scheduled program: Day 11 of my blog challenge. The Best Day.
May 17th 2010
Good days always include:
♥A handful of Prescottonians
♥A walk to get food or coffee
♥Thai food
♥No shoes
♥Perfect weather
♥Driving with the windows down
♥A snack run with Serra
♥A bonfire
♥Mixed drinks, wine, or other booze
♥Hookah time
♥Video games
♥A marathon of certain shows or movies
It kind of sucks knowing that nothing will ever be the same. I don't know when I'll go to Arizona next, and most people I know there have moved away anyway. Everything is so different. Even a year ago I had no idea things would be this different. I wish Michael could have this job in Arizona, or at least have training there. Then it wouldn't be so hard for us to visit or for friends to visit.
There are a few good days here, usually on the weekends when we have people over (and I'm in the mood for it) and we get six packs of Smirnoff and whatever anyone else wants (but don't expect to find it easily) and we have pizza and play a game and watch a movie. It's good. It's just not Arizona good.
Everyone knows I've been obsessed with obtaining a Corgi. But I had no idea that not only would it happen sooner than I thought, it wouldn't be one, it would be two young Corgis we rescue! Meet Foxy and Toki!
Toki, on the left, was originally named Moxy, but we thought that was just too close to her sister name. We found them through an obscure add on a pet finding site, saying only that they were seven months old, free to a good home, and that the owner would like to see them go together, not separately.
The darker one, slender red Foxy, came bounding right up to us. But the lighter one slinked away and rolled on her back when we got too close. And they didn't seem to know how to behave on leashes, or what leashes meant. They'd clearly been left out in the hot sun for a while. They were lethargic and really thirsty. But they didn't really want to drink out of the bowl they gave us.
They lapped out of it a little bit but mostly refused, struggling to get water out of the bottle and off of wherever it spilled. We decided new bowls were in order. Once we got them home they seemed to settle in pretty quickly. After not making a sound the entire way they got in the backyard and dashed around barking at the neighbor dogs. We got them to eat some food we bought and introduced them to our neighbors and they seemed much happier after that.
But of course then we had to go to bed. After sleeping most of the day they didn't sleep very long through the night. I expected it really but it was still pretty rough. It doesn't help that Michael has to get up early as it is. They decided it was get up and play time around two thirty am. Ugh. Once they got out and romped a bit they were willing to come back into the bedroom and just hang out.
They get bored quick since we don't have much for them to play with. It was such an impulsive thing we weren't very prepared. But it was either leave them in a place they were ignored, waiting for someone to take them and wait a week to think about it, or just bring them home and give them lots of attention.
Both of them are super curious and Foxy seems to think she deserves more attention than Toki does. Toki is afraid to jump onto things that she very well could but after being so timid she's already warming up to us. I'm exhausted from keeping an eye on them during the night and I'm not sure if I can leave them alone to take a shower but I need one. They could use a bath too. I think I'll save that task for later when Michael can help me.
Although they're not baby puppies anymore, they're not quite full grown yet either. We're hoping to have them for a long time and teach them lots of cool things. I'm so happy to have them!
Happy March, by the way. This month is my Dad's and Grandpa's birthday (on the same day!) and Michael and I are hosting a big St. Patrick's Day party and having pretty much everyone we know here over. In the back of my mind though, it'll feel really strange because I really want to be home in Prescott, back in time at the Lawler apartments that no longer exist, chugging some awful beer to Flogging Molly and watching everyone dance around like fools.
Sigh.
Anyway, on to Day 10 of my blog challenge: My Childhood.
My brother and I
When I was really really little my mom says I was super happy and had no trouble making friends. As I got older, though, for some reason I developed this caution of the world and became really quiet and read a lot of books. Unless I was around my friends, of course. Then I turned into a sugar crazed screaming spaz.
My favorite movie was between The Lion King and Snow White; I had a Snow White doll I carried everywhere (it's still at my mom's house, old and worn with little girl love), and I remember reading The Wizard of Oz books with my mom, Goosebumps and Nancy Drew.
We went to my Grandparents for every occasion, and they still live in the same house to this day. My parents divorced with I was about four and my mom moved my brother and I to Prescott, where I spent 17 years of my life in the same house, in the same room.
I went to my dad's just about every weekend (in Phoenix) but as I got older I started missing a lot of sleepovers and parties because duh, the weekends are when kids in school get together to do stuff. I started to get really moody and threw a lot of fits because once I hit eleven I started puberty and suddenly had absolutely no idea how to be a human successfully.
Joy.
I read a lot and I wrote a lot. I believed in faeries and dragons and unicorns and all that silly magical stuff so I was always writing some epic fictional story. By middle school I had a story about a dragon boy who kidnaps this girl that was like 70 pages long. I can't even do that nowadays. It was crazy.
Unfortunately once under the grip of womanhood I really stopped knowing how to interact with most kids my age and they weren't very nice to me. I have a lot of bad memories from about age seven to age twelve. Two words: The Bus. Enough said.
It wasn't all bad. I had a vivid imagination and enough friends to make me feel less weird. I actually had a lot of drive to do well and was always working on the things I knew I was good at. Somewhere along the way I lost that motivation and in my adult years find myself in a terrible rut wishing I could get in touch with this childhood motivation I used to have.
I collected Breyer Horses, polished rocks, Barbie dolls that represented other countries and once I memorized my times tables my dad bought me my first Game Boy: A teal Game Boy Color. I got my first game, Pokemon Yellow, and haven't stopped playing Pokemon since.
I loved summer. Especially pool parties. I loved camping, even though with my mom and then stepdad it wasn't the greatest experience. When my dad was married to his second wife I had two step brothers, and we used to go to Greer a few winters in a row and I'd ski, and my brothers would snowboard.
Some days were really good. I think some of my favorite memories are from 5th grade. I ran like crazy (something I hate to do now), hung out with Stewart, and had passion for a lot of things that I don't anymore. I started playing the violin. Everything was so innocent and fresh.
I feel like I knew more of what I was doing then than I do now. Life was structured. I can't deny that I miss it. But the way my teenage years went I'm sort of surprised I came out alive and more functional than ever. It was pretty rough. I pissed off a lot of people because I had no idea what I wanted or how to act.
Now I'm just sort of floating, waiting for things to make sense but they never do. Some days it seems like everything went by so fast, and I don't expect to see a 20 year old version of myself in the mirror. I have my own life, no curfew or groundings or recess. I'm married and I don't live in Arizona. It's so weird.
I'm sure my adult years have a ton in store, definitely more than my childhood did. It's been different and a little jarring at times as it is. I'm just taking it one day at a time.
I remember one of the worst stereotypical bad days I had in high school: the day I got dumped Senior year. I was so upset I went home early and sat in front of Grey's Anatomy eating a huge bowl of ice cream. (I don't actually watch that show, my mom was on a kick at the time.) It can be kind of interesting to know what people turn to when they feel terrible for a day, and just how different or similar it is to your own method.
In general I do turn to food for certain things. I love hearty soups when I'm tired on a rainy day, tea when my throat hurts, chocolate with hazelnuts in it when....you know. I like to sit in bed playing Pokemon when I'm too sick to move.
Most of all though I love watching movies or shows I've already seen when I'm feeling icky. The comfort of knowing lines or having favorite parts is really comforting to me. Things like:
♥Grease
♥Matilda
♥Hook
♥Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
♥17 Again
So you know, musical numbers, animation, happy endings. I've already mentioned the Reese Witherspoon thing so I won't go into that.
I also really really love Friends. I generally don't watch a few episodes here and there. No no. I go for marathons. Entire seasons. So, when I have a lot of time, maybe I'm really sick and can't leave my ten blankets, or I just need some warm and fuzzy nostalgia and familiar sarcasm from Chandler Bing.
I don't know what it is. I don't really get this far into shows this often. It's probably one of the only series I can watch over and over again.
The Ross and Rachel thing does bug me. The ending wasn't quite as disappointing as the ending of That 70's Show, but it was still a small letdown. That's okay, because there's just nothing like starting all the way back at season 1 and buckling down with some snacks for the night/day.
I always have to hold a separate pillow when I fall asleep, so I tend to look like a dork and take it everywhere I plan on sleeping.
I love wearing Michael's shirts and jackets.
I re-read the manga series Marmalade Boy every year or so since I started it when I was 12.
And of course I love re-reading the Harry Potter books every so often too. When I finish a book I watch the movie and start on the next one.
Playing The Sims is also really relaxing; I can sit and create things for hours, literally.
My mom makes these really awesome gingerbread cookies with cayenne and molasses every year around the holidays, as well as these crunchy peppermint cookies and I always look forward to them.
Anything that's simple and takes me back to a simpler time comforts me, as I'm sure is the case with most people.
That'll about do it for today, be back tomorrow for Day 10!
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