Ollie

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail conversation I had with Dan today, centered around a childhood toy.

Dan: WTF was this thing named? Ollie?


Me: no, I think Ollie was an amorphous horse-like thing we sat on.

Dan: Best Sentence of 2009: "I think Ollie was an amorphous horse-like thing we sat on"

Me: OMG



Dan: OMFG

Me: To find a photo I googled "80's ride toy yellow" and it came up immediately. Ollie impacted a lot of lives. You can get one@ http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/bab/1288384838.html

Dan: I will get this for you if you will keep it in your backyard and ride it when you are hammered.

Me: Dude I absolutely would. No doubt. I'd also bring it to work and leave it tied up to a post outside my cube, no explanation.

Dan: It would be awesome bringing it on the plane as carry-on

Dan to Craigslist seller:

Greetings,

Do you still have this toy? If so, I would like to purchase it. I lack a vehicle to pick it up though, so would you consider delivering it to my residence in La Jolla?

Also, you mention the nose is completely broken off. Do you have the nose? Or is it lost forever?

Cheers

irony

Saw this on the way to work, I heart my Volvo too.

hide-n-seek

Jim has this game he plays with the dogs that he used to always play with Auron too. It’s a version of hide-n-seek that goes like this:

He'll start playing with the dogs until they are completely hyped up. He throws one of their toys across the house, and while they run for it, he hides.

His usual spots are in the shower, in a closet, etc.
The dogs then return to continue playing, but Jim is missing. Bruno usually panics.

It’s so funny but kind of sad because they can so clearly smell him, and know he was just there, but they don’t really put it together to really look around for him.

They’ll often come into the room he’s in but only look straight ahead when he’s right behind them. Then, as soon as they run out, he makes a noise and they’re back again.
On average it only takes about two minutes for Jim to be discovered, at which point the dogs insist on licking him obsessively for several minutes (they worry he is dirty from hiding).

Happy Hour

"Whoever invented happy hour should have a religion named after them or something. It's the hour after work when you realize life doesn't suck anymore."
-Daniel White 7.22.09

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I love baking and this bread is one of my absolute favorites. I got the recipe from Elissa's mom years ago when we lived together. Her mom used to send up loaves for us after Thanksgiving but I'd lose self control and eat it all by myself. Eventually I felt guilty so I asked for the recipe in order to restore what I'd consumed.

I know it's the middle of July, and this is more of a winter recipe, but why conform. I have two loaves in the oven right now for Bailey's birthday tomorrow.

Random note: canned pumpkin is great for a puppy with a tummy ache. They love it and it soothes their aches away!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease two standard loaf pans OR 3 disposable loaf pans (I use Pam for Baking)
3. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl:
- 3 and 1/3 cups flour
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
4. Mix wet ingredients together in another bowl:
- 1 cup corn oil
- 4 eggs
- 2/3 cup of water
- 2 cups canned pumpkin (one can)
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients 1 cup at a time, after all mixed stir in a cup of chocolate chips
6. Divide batter equally into pans and bake about 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out dry. Takes just over an hour in my oven.
7. Let cool for at least 1 min,. before removing from pans.

tunes

My favorite singer of the moment: Eric Hutchinson.

I know next to nothing about him, but love every song on his albums. Even the names. I think this guy must be cool as can be, and hope and pray he's not the next rise-to-the-top-then-wind-up-in-rehab. I think my Eric's too good for that nonsense. Find him on itunes, or leave a comment and I'll email you some songs.

low maintenance volunteer work

You may have noticed my hair is getting quite long. I admit, it's slightly mop-like right now, but it's all for a good cause. I've always had aspirations to grow out my hair and donate it to Locks of Love. However, they require at least 10 inches, and that's a lot of mop for me. Fortunately, Anna recently told me that Pantene has their own hair donation program and they only ask for 8 inches. Bingo.

Here's a shot Jim took tonight: right now it's 8 inches from the hair tie down, but I think I'll wait a few more months so that I'm not left with a mere poof of hair after the chop.

Extra perk? I'm not spending $150 every 8 weeks for a cut and color. Stay tuned.

Heinous

Ready for a game?

Are you sure?

Ok. It's called, "How Many Things are Wrong with this Photo"


This is a legit pic, came across in doing some fitness research. I apologize for any permanent damage or nightmares it may inflict. PS - don't miss the backdrop.

Today's List

To distract myself on my run this morning I tried to keep a running tally of the positive aspects of the run, since it's not entirely enjoyable to wake up at 6 to run and it's already in the 90's.

1. A house that had their children's artwork displayed all over the front door.
2. A church marquee that told me God loves me always.
3. These hysterical lawn gnome children's scooters parked in a yard.
4. Not getting catcalled on Glendale Ave (rarity).
5. Not rolling either ankle (also a rarity).
6. The satisfaction of not having to go to the gym after work.
7. The fact that when I got home my puppies jumped on me and left perfect muddy paw prints on my shirt.
8. Getting to say good morning to strangers who were also out exercising.

Cooollllleeerrrrr

It's fun to date Jim because sometimes you come home to surprises like a giant cooler. It's for fun, like stretchy pants.

I wish my bedroom looked like this

Lists

I love lists. LOVE them. Jim is constantly victim to them in the form of chores and schedules, but I also like to make them just.for.fun. To the extent that if I get stressed, or just really bored, I start listing cereals, or dog breeds, etc...

List of the Day:

Things that I Wish Were Healthy Choices but Clearly are Not.
1. Laying in the sun. Makes you look healthy while simultaneously killing you.
2. Ice Cream. Nuff said.
3. Getting very little sleep. I'd get so much more done if I didn't have to recharge.
4. Nachos. Cheese=always better melted.
5. Loud music. Why give me an ipod if I can't rock my head off w/o going deaf. Mean.
6. Driving fast. Um. I can hardly drive, period. Better stay sloowww.
7. Pop Tarts. So delicious.
8. High heels. I may be alone here, thanks to my ankles.
9. White cheddar shells and cheese. Heaven for Jessie
10. Having 10 puppies. It'd be a perma cute cuddle fest but the potty training and chewing stages would drive me mad.

morning musings

1. Bruno's training class is actually making a huge difference. I was more than a little skeptical about it having any impact but it's really helping. Minus the fact that he dragged his bed outside yesterday (through the doggy door - small wonder) and chewed it into a million pieces. Baby steps.

2. I spent several hours reading friends' blogs this week, and have become even more inspired to keep up with mine. If for nothing else, what a glorified way to remember the little things.

3. Home ownership continues to grow on me, but there are so many small incidents that keep the learning curve alive. For instance:
-What does one do when you find a lizard in your hall closet?
-Who says you can't vacuum your dog?

4. Jim will get embarrassed that I'm writing this but I find myself falling more in love with you all the time :)

5. I have the best girlfriends ever.

6. I am going to try my best to not complain about the heat this summer. What's the point.

7. Keeping up with two bookclubs is harder than I thought (see # 1)

newest obsession: etsy.com

I've heard a lot about this site but didn't really spend time on it until today. It's the best.

Buy or sell beautiful handmade crafts. G-E-N-I-U-S. Beyond impressed with the beautiful and unique things I've spent hours browsing through. I am a sucker for cool jewelry. Always have been. Even things I'd never personally wear, but sometimes just want because they look pretty. Anyone who ever needs to buy a gift for me (or anyone else I guess) should shop on this site. There are a ton of categories of stuff, but here are samples of a few of my favorite pendants. The prices are totally reasonable too!

Belize

I'm so overdue posting some shots from our trip to Belize. Here's a handful of my faves.



y la boda...

This Sh*t is Bananas

Today's mystery: On Monday I bought four bananas and brought them home. On Tuesday, Jim and I each had one at breakfast. Wednesday, the other two are missing. Either the dogs somehow ate them, peel and all, off of the counter, or one of us sleep walks and eats produce.

Horton Spring hike in Payson

Bailey and I ventured up north for cooler weather and an 8-mile hike. It was beautiful and there were so many butterflies!

sit.stay.come.

After a recent bout of destruction in our house, I made the decision to sign Bruno up for training at PetSmart. When I first got him, about a dozen people asked if I’d be taking him through training, and I would kind of nod and smile, while thinking in my head that I was wayyy too lazy to give up my precious free time.

However, as Bruno has grown, so has his energy level. Exponentially. He is a wonderful pup but absolutely insane with energy. I don’t want to curb that puppy personality; I simply want him to learn that I am the boss, and that my shoes are not made of rawhide.

I kept reminding myself that it’s only an hour a week, and in reality, my minimum expectation is just to teach him to come when called. He’ll sit, stay, shake, lie down and speak on command, but even with treat in-hand, I guess I’m more fun to play tag with then to obediently approach.

We had our first class last weekend, and although Bruno was the only one of six students to cry throughout the entire hour, I enjoyed myself. The instructor was animated and bless her heart; she didn’t scorn my puppy for his incessant whining and yipping.

We learned how to get our dogs to focus on us with the hand signal and words “watch me,” which Bruno picked up immediately. I’ve been working with him at home and it seems to have stuck. Success!

I’ll try to keep updating on our paw-gress and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed about our chances of graduating.