Don't Drink the Opinions

AWOL

2011-10-13T09:34:00.003-05:00

Wow, no posts since August 31st. What's wrong with me?

I've been busy. Truth be told, I'm always busy, but I've been busier than usual lately. My work commute got longer with a new client, my dog-volunteering life got swamped by a website makeover I've been working on for GALT (with the help of My Tall Guy), and a few other things have kept me hopping.

So no blogging, among other things. I even took a couple of months off from Tae Kwon Do. But I returned to TKD last week (and I'm feeling the push-ups, let me tell you). So I guess I felt the need to post here too. Even though I don't have anything really interesting to say.

Quote of the Day

2011-08-31T14:05:00.000-05:00

Today — do not be angry.
Today — do not worry.
Today — be kind to yourself and others.
Today — be honest to yourself and others.
Today — work diligently.

– Usui Sensei

Quote of the Day

2011-08-17T16:16:00.000-05:00

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

~ Albert Einstein

Mini Book Reviews - The Non-Fiction Edition

2011-07-07T09:23:00.000-05:00

The Toothpick - Henry Petroski
A long book about a very small object. Interesting tour of history, culture, and engineering, but it's not for everyone. It gets a little repetitive, but kept me reading - albeit in small chunks at a time.

It's All Too Much - Peter Walsh
Decent book about uncluttering. If you've read others, like Unclutter Your Life In One Week or Organizing From the Inside Out, then there's nothing new and earth-shattering. But it's a quick read with entertaining writing and good tips.

59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot - Richard Wiseman
Read the book instead of listening to the audiobook - there are exercises and quizzes that don't translate well to audio. But it's an interesting angle on how to make your life better. Small changes based on psychology experiments that could make you a happier person.

Ace - Adopted

2011-07-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

Ace was with us for less than a month! He was a surprise addition to our foster list - he came to GALT suddenly when his previous owner turned him in to a vet clinic before moving out of the country.

He's a very tall boy and loves to investigate the kitchen counters. A real lover boy, he always greeted visitors and made them feel special without being pushy about it. It didn't take long for him to steal someone's heart, and now he has a new home with a greyhound brother. Hopefully this one will truly be forever!

Isis - Adopted!

2011-07-01T15:10:00.000-05:00

Itty-bitty Isis is now named Zoe and is on her way to her new home!

Isis was one of the painfully shy fosters we seem to be specializing in lately. She's still afraid of people, but had started to trust us more and more. She'll have another adjustment period with her new family, but I think she's gone to a very good home. She has a spunky little personality buried in there somewhere, and I bet it comes out within the year!

Frantically Busy Lately

2011-06-16T09:45:00.001-05:00

That is all...

The Broke-leg Brothers

2011-05-31T09:34:00.000-05:00

Our newest foster is a duo - littermates, no less! They acquired broken legs on the track within two weeks of each other. How's that for family togetherness? Wagner and Levi are stunning 2 1/2-year-old boys. They share an x-pen at night, so far without any brotherly squabbling.

Both have impressive prey drives and shrill barks. Levi is a little needier than Wagner, but both have a stubborn streak and are fed up with this hopping-around-in-a-cast thing. They're getting weekly bandage changes for the next several weeks.

eBooks Have Arrived

2011-05-19T15:39:00.001-05:00

Amazon is now selling more eBooks than print books! Amazing... Since April 1st they've sold 105 Kindle books for every print book, and that includes numbers for print books that have no Kindle edition and excludes free Kindle books.

I guess I've done my part - all of my Amazon book purchases this year were on the Kindle (then again, I've rediscovered the library so I haven't bought as many books). Last year, if I include the books I purchased as gifts for other people, my Amazon book purchases were split 50/50 between print and the Kindle.

Ducks in the Pool - Year 2

2011-05-16T13:13:00.000-05:00

About a year ago, I took pictures of ducks in our swimming pool. I got pictures again this year! I wonder if they're the same pair...

It was also a great chance to try out the telephoto lens on my new camera. Wow, what a difference a nice camera makes!

Rambo - Adopted!

2011-05-16T12:48:00.000-05:00

Rambo's awesomeness was obvious, and he's already moved on to his forever home! Congrats to Bo, his new sister Sissy, and his doting two-legged parents.

Rambo

2011-05-09T15:43:00.000-05:00

No, not the movie, our new foster dog! He's a pretty fawn boy, five years old. He had a short racing career, and was very ready to get out of boarding and into our house. He had been there waiting for several months - we had quite the backlog of dogs for a while.

Rambo is sweet, confident, and has obviously taken to retirement like a fish takes to water. He doesn't so much walk as amble. He thinks he has a god-given right to get up on the couch, and we're trying to convince him otherwise. He's catching on fast with where to go potty, but still needs some work on investigating yummy smells in the kitchen. Playing with toys is something he's getting into with gusto - it's hilarious to watch him bounce around with a toy, and the squeaky ones are his favorites. He crates nicely when we're gone - no fuss until we get home and he reminds us he's waiting in there.

Quote of the Day

2011-04-29T11:00:00.001-05:00

Nothin' ever doesn't change, but nothin' changes much.
- Ok Go, "White Knuckles"

Quote of the Day

2011-04-27T11:38:00.000-05:00

This one is in honor of My Tall Guy!

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times. Always with the same person.

– Mignon McLaughlin

Emery - Adopted!

2011-04-25T20:18:00.000-05:00

Our latest foster, Emery, is adopted! He's a very special boy, and one we won't soon forget.

He'll be thrilled, though, to have more yard to run around in than we were able to give him. He's got two little dog sisters, and his name is now Beaux.

Best wishes to him and his new family!

Coy Chick

2011-04-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Day

2011-04-21T14:38:00.000-05:00

Never bear more than one kind of trouble at a time. Some people bear three - all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have.
~ Edward Everett Hale

Recipe - Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Pork Loin

2011-04-13T11:59:00.000-05:00

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Pork Loin

I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it was yummy! I'm going to make it again for Easter lunch.

1 boneless pork loin roast, 4 to 6 pounds
1 clove garlic, halved
salt and pepper
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

I made two small changes - I used a honey Dijon mustard and a pomegranate flavored balsamic vinegar. I also made a gravy by adding cornstarch to the juices instead of pouring them off, and it really made the dish sing.

Wash pork roast, trim excess fat, pat dry, and rub with garlic halves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then prick the roast all over with a fork or skewer.

In a bowl, combine 1 cup of the brown sugar, the mustard, and vinegar. Rub all over the roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours. Pour off the excess juices.

Combine the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar with cinnamon; Spread the mixture over the top of the roast. Cover and continue cooking on LOW for 1 hour longer.

Serves 6 to 8.

Size Curve?

2011-04-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

My first cell phone was pretty big and clunky compared to it's successors. Successive phones got smaller and more refined. Until my latest phone - the Blackberry is not clunky by any means, but it's the first time I've traded a smaller cell phone for a bigger one. And the Android phones I'm considering replacing the Blackberry with are equivalent in size or bigger.

It's a size trend that I just followed in digital cameras. The first one being fairly large and clunky. Successive ones becoming more refined and smaller. Until I went big with my latest camera purchase - a DSLR. Yes, branching out from the point and shoot, although I'm still very much relying on the automatic modes.

It's all got me wondering though, whether or not my next laptop will be a lot bigger than my current one! Or even if I'll (gasp) find a reason to own a desktop computer again...

Cindy Lou: July 29, 1997 - April 4, 2011

2011-04-05T11:55:00.000-05:00

Cindy Lou, aka Nice Girl, was born on July 29, 1997, joined our household on October 20, 2009, and left us for the Rainbow Bridge on April 4, 2011 at the ripe age of 13 1/2.

The Queen Mother

She had a long racing career and went on to have litters of puppies. When she came to us from a breeding farm, one of several super-seniors received at the same time, she was 12-years-old and looked older. Her teeth weren't so much teeth as a solid block of plaque and mineral deposits. Her gait was wobbly and she was quiet as a mouse.

Bright Eyed

Nice Girl was a pretty generic name for a girl in our house of five other girls at the time, so she became Cindy Lou - the littlest Who in Whoville. Pulling all but her canines changed her outlook on life, her appetite, and her quietness! She barked with the best of them whenever she wanted her faithful servants to come running because she wanted up on the couch, down off the couch, needed a treat, or wanted to go outside.

Her mobility was still not the best due to arthritis between her spine and her pelvis. She put up a good fight, but slowly lost the ability to get up from lying down, or to squat when doing her business. A rear end harness helped her retain her dignity, and we happily picked her up and put her on her feet whenever needed.

Cindy Turns 13

She ruled the roost in spite of her small stature and four remaining teeth, giving the other greyhounds what-for when they needed it. They respected the queen mother in return. Our sweetie was a little pistol.

She taught us a lot, and we miss her terribly. The last year and a half of her life was a gift, both to her and to us.

Sleeping was an Adventure

Lee - Adopted!

2011-03-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

Lee, our first broken leg foster, has been adopted! He goes from having a short name, to a long one - Dolce Gambino. He's going to be a pampered pooch, and he settled right in after roaming the house and mastering the stairs on the first try.

Lee was our foster for exactly 100 days, half of that in a cast and half without. It's actually been quite a while since we adopted a foster out - we've gone through a series of fosters in need of extra TLC that moved on to other foster homes. I feel really good about Lee's new home, and that always makes it easier to say goodbye.

A Picture Is Worth...

2011-03-15T14:17:00.000-05:00

This is the other reason he's called Smalls. Cindy Lou is not a big girl, but she makes Smalls look, well, small.

The Cost of Digital Memory

2011-03-08T14:08:00.000-06:00

Storage space, that is. This BoingBoing post has a breakdown of the amazing drop in price of a gigabyte of digital storage space over the past 30 years.

YEAR -- Price of a Gigabyte
1981 -- $300,000
1987 -- $50,000
1990 -- $10,000
1994 -- $1000
1997 -- $100
2000 -- $10
2004 -- $1
2010 -- $0.10

My first PC had 40 megabytes of disk space. I'm pretty sure my current cell phone has a gigabyte. My current laptop computer has over 10,000 times the space my first desktop computer had. Amazing stuff.

Smalls

2011-02-27T09:38:00.000-06:00

"You're killing me, Smalls!"
-- The Sandlot

The girls have a little brother! Smalls, formerly known as Lenny, is officially home. And our house is officially full. We'll still be able to foster, but will have to cut back a bit.

Smalls is still shy of people, but improving every day. He gets along fabulously with the girls, barks when people come to the door (a plus in My Tall Guy's eyes), and has a playful, silly side. He's even recently started sleeping curled next to David on our enormous bean bag chair.

We both liked him as a foster, and had tossed the idea around, but had not had a definitive conversation about it. But David decided to surprise me with the adoption papers last night at the big GALT gala. Several people were in on it, but I had nary a clue so it was a well kept secret!

Smalls is the youngest dog we've adopted - around 3 years old. Quite a change from those middle aged brindle girls we were collecting before. :-) Welcome home, Smalls!

Restaurant - O`live

2011-02-24T21:33:00.000-06:00

We tried O`live in Richardson on Arapaho last week, (Lebanese Fusion), and it was delish! Highly recommend it all the way from appetizers to desserts.

The appetizer platter we started with was fresh and tasty. My Tall Guy had the Chef's Special Fish (Tilapia with pistachios and walnuts) and I had Chicken Curry. Both had wonderful flavors, and were cooked to perfection. In fact, I ended up having them box up the chicken and we polished off the fish. The curry was every bit as good left over, and the fish wouldn't have been.

Because my curry was delayed a few minutes (really, not enough for me to notice) they brought out some complimentary baklava. Even though we were full-full-full from dinner, it was too good to leave on the plate. Little bites of honey-soaked heaven!

No alcohol on the menu, but there was a table with wine bottles, so I think it's a BYO place - something we'll have to take advantage of the next time we go.

Amazon Prime Streaming

2011-02-22T11:37:00.000-06:00

Your Amazon Prime membership now includes unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows at no additional cost.

Sweet! I think I'll watch Helvetica first.

Stand In the Place Where You Are

2011-02-20T10:25:00.000-06:00

Chick's favorite place to stand to make sure I can't go anywhere without her:

Mini Book Reviews

2011-02-11T16:21:00.000-06:00

The Dervish House - Ian McDonald
It took me a looooong time to get into this book. It did finally coalesce, and I did get to the point of caring about some of the characters, which is why I finished reading it at all. It had interesting concepts and eventually built to a feverish pitch. But I just can't recommend it.

Seeing Further: The Story of Science, Discovery, and the Genius of the Royal Society
Edited by Bill Bryson, this book of essays is beautifully put together and has a fabulous list of science authors. The individual essays are interesting, and do tie back either loosely or tightly to the main theme of the Royal Society. However, they're not light reading at all. I'd recommend this book for serious science and history readers only, and it's better to space out the reading to a couple of essays at a time. I checked it out from the library, and would have liked a longer time frame to read and digest.

The Smart Swarm: How Understanding Flocks, Schools, and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making, and Getting Things Done
This book gets a solid 'A'. Very accessible science writing - it bops right along and I found it fascinating.

Crawling Between Heaven and Earth - Sarah A. Hoyt
Science fiction/fantasy short stories. Very thought provoking and well written. I'll be checking out her novels for sure.

99% Invisible

2011-02-10T09:57:00.000-06:00

One of my new favorite podcasts - 99% Invisible with Roman Mars:

A tiny radio show that explores the 99% invisible activity that shapes the design of our world.

The episodes are usually around five minutes long - compact and easy to listen to.

Google Art Project

2011-02-07T16:17:00.001-06:00

Art Project is a cool concept - show high res pictures of fabulous artwork, and utilize Google maps navigation to 'walk' through various museums around the world.

It's a little slow to load, and the actual navigation can be slightly frustrating. Some of the museums only loaded one or two galleries (rooms) to walk through and a lot of the pictures on the walls are intentionally a little blurry up close. I did enjoy wandering the Rijksusuem, the Uffizi, and the Palace of Versailles. But I think after wandering a couple of galleries, I'd rather look at the paintings available in high resolution from each Museum.

I can't wait to see how the project grows!

Lee Update

2011-02-01T09:50:00.001-06:00

Our foster with the broken leg, Lee, got his cast off!

They really wanted it to stay on a bit longer, but greyhounds are very prone to pressure sores from the casts and Lee's were growing and getting infected. They just have no natural padding! Hence the cone of shame for a week - no licking... He's been a bit of a whiny-hiney, so I'm hoping that not dragging the cast around and not having it pressing on those sores will help.

So he'll be limping along for several more weeks - he needs to be leash walked while his leg continues to heal. No sudden zoomies allowed, or he could re-injure his leg. Right now he doesn't want to put any weight at all on that leg, and we're told that this is completely normal.

Winter Sunning

2011-01-31T14:13:00.000-06:00

This was a particularly warm weekend for January - it had several dogs out sunning themselves. Here are all the fawns in a row - Cindy Lou, Lenny, and Emery (front to back):

Cindy Lou is 13 1/2 now! Lenny is a shy sweetheart - he was a stray for quite some time. He's wary of people, but has a delightfully playful personality with the other dogs. Emery is with us temporarily - he wasn't doing well at the kennel. He's a big boy, and quite the snuggler.

A Blast From the Past - Rome

2011-01-26T12:29:00.000-06:00

A little over ten years ago, my Tall Guy and I were in Italy visiting Rome, Venice and Florence. Here are a few pics from Rome.

Studying the map:

On top of St. Peters:

At the Coliseum (two tickets, anyone?):

Layers of History:

Squeeze

2011-01-23T07:49:00.000-06:00

The biggest dogs try to fit into the smallest dog beds...

Attempt 1 (fail!):

Attempt 2 (success!):

Wine Woot

2011-01-21T11:42:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted about Wine Woot in quite some time, but I've been buying wine pretty regularly there. They used to just have one selection a week, but they've bumped it up to a different deal every day. It's not wine all the time - sometimes it's food, or a wine-ish accessory.

I don't usually go for the more expensive offerings, I stick with the ones that average about $10 a bottle - good everyday table wine. I haven't been disappointed yet. They've all been drinkable, and some have been quite a bit better than that.

The shipping can't be beat - $5! In the summer, they bump the shipping up to $7 and use little frozen gel packs to make sure the summer heat doesn't ruin the wine. I still don't order wine in the *Texas* summer heat, but when our spring and fall temps are like summer elsewhere, the little gel packs do an okay job.

Tagxedo

2011-01-18T09:24:00.000-06:00

File this under fun to play with: Tagxedo! It makes very cool word pictures from a web page, web search, or a user provided list of words. Here's one that I made by giving it the page of GALT dogs:

You can play with the shape, colors, font, and layout. Fun stuff!

The Snuggler

2011-01-18T08:58:00.000-06:00

Caesar would snuggle up to anyone who would let him... I kind of miss the big lug (except for the adventures in chewing). He's in a new foster home, one that might end up being his forever home! I'm pulling for him, even though they might want a more active dog. If they eventually decide not to adopt him, then he'll be bouncing back to my house.

Kindle Book Loans

2011-01-14T09:54:00.000-06:00

Well, this is a step in the right direction - Kindle books can be loaned now (if the publisher has enabled the right to do so).

You can loan a book to another person for two weeks. While they 'have' it, you can't read it on your Kindle. Sounds good, yes? A lot like lending a real book.

However, it only applies to 5 of the 29 Kindle books that I own. (That publisher enabled thing...)

I guess a step is a step, but more steps in the right direction, please!

Chew This Over

2011-01-13T14:42:00.000-06:00

We were really spoiled by our foster greyhounds for the first couple of years. A few potty training issues, but no really destructive behavior.

Until now, and we have a double dose! Caesar is a sweetheart and a big lug, but he is also shameless about pulling food off the counter. After losing a couple of very good loafs of bread to him (from our new neighborhood bakery, Rachael's), the bread is now kept inside a cabinet. Then we found out that food is not the only thing he'll pull off the counters. He chewed up the handle to our good bread knife, thankfully with no serious injury to himself, but really? A bread knife? We've caught him chewing on papers that were on my desk, a book off the bookshelf, shoes, etc. Caesar is crated when we're gone for his own good and for my sanity.

Adding Lenny to the mix just doubled the trouble. Lenny is also avid in his search for food on the counters, loves chewing on rolls of paper towels, and picks apart the edging on dog beds. I lost a pair of slippers to him as well as the TV remote. His latest trick is bringing in chunks of ice from the backyard to chew on. Which is at least not destructive property-wise, but does lead to wet spots of melted ice.

In spite of this we love both of them, but part of me is a little relieved that Caesar is going to a new foster home on Saturday. (A home that hopefully will end up being his forever home if he passes his trial run period!) One 'chewer' is enough for our house.

Scrap-Bag Afghan

2011-01-09T13:36:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how many years ago I started crocheting this scrap-bag afghan. It's ridiculously big, so it took some time to finish. And I usually only pulled it out to work on when the weather was cold. But now, I'm calling it done! Just in time for this year's snowfall. It's the kind of hideously multi-colored thing that will never be displayed with pride, but will probably get a lot of use.

Playtime

2011-01-07T11:57:00.000-06:00

Sometimes greyhounds play quietly...

And sometimes they don't!

TeuxDeux

2011-01-07T09:29:00.000-06:00

My new favorite to-do list app is TeuxDeux. It's simple to use, and allows you to assign tasks to specific days, or to general categories using the columns at the bottom of the page. Uncompleted tasks automatically move to the next day.

Check out a demo video to see how it works:

TeuxDeux Part Deux from TeuxDeux on Vimeo.

Orange Balls

2011-01-05T10:52:00.000-06:00

This was a dessert hit over the holidays - recipe courtesy of a coworker.

Orange Balls

½ cup butter

1 box of vanilla wafers

6 oz. orange juice concentrate

1 lb. powdered sugar

shredded coconut

Melt the butter. Crush the vanilla wafers with a blender or food processor. Mix the melted butter, vanilla wafers, orange juice, and powdered sugar together with a mixer.

Chill dough for a few hours. Roll chilled dough into balls and then roll them in the coconut. Refrigerate the balls in a closed container.

Octopuses? Octopi? Octopodes?

2011-01-04T13:40:00.001-06:00

Just what is the plural of octopus? Inquiring minds want to know, or at least I do. Plus I found a fun new way to geek out about language via the Merriam Webster "Ask the Editor" videos.

Irish Beef Stew

2011-01-01T15:18:00.001-06:00

We've tried this recipe for Irish Beef Stew twice now, and it's simply delicious.

Mini Book Reviews

2010-12-30T09:06:00.000-06:00

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime
Very amusing if you like Jasper Fforde's sense of humor - absurd and intelligent at the same time.

Thirteen Orphans
Interesting modern fantasy incorporating a Chinese-like magic system. First of a three book series - part magical adventure, part coming-of-age story.

The Silver Cage
'Normal' guy gets pulled into a magical world. Thoughtful twists on fantasy standards plus an adventure/quest that rolled right along. Sure to be a sequel, since some of the novel felt like it was setting up the characters for future stories.

A Country Mile

2010-12-29T09:07:00.000-06:00

The second painting I found on DailyPainters.com that I couldn't do without. This one by Tom Brown.

Blue Christmas

2010-12-26T13:24:00.000-06:00

I'm indulging my beading side today:

DailyPainters

2010-12-22T14:03:00.000-06:00

Artwork can be a difficult thing to shop for - art galleries can be intimidating and expensive, posters can feel too much like college-dorm decor, and there's an overwhelming amount of art out there to peruse.

Recently I became acquainted with DailyPainters. This website has a nice selection of artists and styles - each day there's a different selection of art to look through, or you can browse through a particular artist's gallery. A lot of the paintings are available directly from the artist, and the prices are reasonable for original artwork.

You can save the paintings you like in a wish list, and the thumbnails are updated with a red dot when paintings are sold. It's a fun, non-overwhelming way to shop for art, or just to get a feel for what you like.

This painting is by Diane Whitehead, and it's the first one I couldn't resist:

Max and Lee

2010-12-21T15:44:00.000-06:00

I've gone a while without any dog news, so here's some four-legged updates.

Max has been adopted! I miss this sweet boy... His new name is Diesel and he has a wonderful family.

We're trying out a new foster situation - a broken leg. Lee broke his right rear hock (a very common race track injury) and is staying with us.

The Big 4-0

2010-10-25T09:16:00.000-05:00

I'm waving goodbye to my 30s and saying hello to 40 today. It seems like such a big number, but at the same time, I don't *feel* forty.

My 30s were good years - hopefully the next 10 will be as good to me!

To celebrate, I got my haircut this weekend, sadly, I don't have a better picture of the results yet.

Santa Fe - Part 4

2010-10-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

Sunrise

Rain

Sunset

Yes, I saw both sunrises and sunsets on our vacation - sometimes on the same day! We saw a lot of variety in the weather - cool, hot, clear, cloudy, rainy. It was all beautiful in it's own way, but I can't do it justice with my little camera.

Santa Fe - Part 3

2010-10-13T12:42:00.000-05:00

We were lucky enough to be in Santa Fe for the Indian Market weekend. One weekend a year, 1000+ artists, 600+ booths, shopping galore! Tens of thousands of people come from all over the world for this.

And not just shopping but cultural events - costumes, dancing, singing:

It was a little overwhelming, and by the end of the weekend I had pottery and turquoise overload. But we definitely didn't walk away empty handed. And I even added a turtle to my collection:

Quote of the Day

2010-10-01T13:13:00.000-05:00

What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.

– George Eastman

Uncluttering

2010-09-18T17:03:00.000-05:00

One of the books I read on vacation was Unclutter Your Life in One Weekby Erin Doland, also editor of the Unclutterer blog. I'm re-reading now that I'm home with my clutter, and while it's going to take more than a week, I'm giving it a shot.

Last week I committed to choosing my work clothes the night before. This is working out extraordinarily well.

This week I gave myself permission to not keep old playbills for musicals we've attended. I took pictures of them and the tickets and threw them out.

Now I'm working myself up to throwing out old thank you notes and birthday cards with no meaningful notes written in them. Wish me luck.

Santa Fe - Part 2

2010-09-18T16:43:00.000-05:00

Watching the hummingbirds was an unexpected favorite activity of the trip. The house had a couple of feeders that were heavily utilized by the resident hummingbird population. I refilled the feeders at least 4 times.

One hovered right in front of me once, and it was just amazing to look at this tiny creature looking back at me. Their zooming, swooshing and hovering really does make a humming noise, and they chirp like crazy at each other too. Maybe it was the beautiful backdrop, but I found them very relaxing to watch. Try it yourself with this video:

Still Life With Wasps

2010-09-18T08:53:00.001-05:00

I went out to hang a bracket on our fence to hold a wind chime we bought in Santa Fe, and found a small nest of wasps right where I wanted to hang it. They were arrayed around the outside of their nest, buzzing their wings. When I came back with the camera, they were sitting still, holding out their wings. I wonder if they were drying off after the rainstorm.

Santa Fe - Part 1

2010-09-16T08:36:00.001-05:00

We took our second trip to Santa Fe, and once again rented a house and hauled the dogs with us. This was the second trip in the 'Hounda' minivan and the longest drive we've taken it on so far. It worked out very well indeed. There was ample room in back for the three girls, and the non driver could slip back for a nap as well. The drive was blessedly uneventful aside from a small difficulty in finding our rental house (our GPS was lost).

But once we found it - wow! It was an amazing house, and we'd definitely stay there again. It was about 10 minutes out of town, so it lacked the walking-distance benefit of the house last year. But it more than made up for that in amenities. Large patios with lots of lounging area, specific yard just for doggie business, almost 360 mountain views, beautiful landscaping and decorating, pristine hot tub, and more. The only downside I can think of is that there was no king-sized bed for My Tall Guy.

We leveraged the kitchen and only ate out for one big meal a day. A very wise choice for the waistline, since I could eat myself silly with all the good food there. But more on the food later... The weather was glorious compared to the 100+ in Dallas! That and the wonderful views made working a lot of the first week of our two week trip bearable.

Temporary Foster Visitors

2010-08-10T15:00:00.001-05:00

We seem to be specializing in temporary foster stays lately, in lieu of or along with our usual complement of foster dogs. Here's the roster!

Marin (1 week)

Lester (1 week)

Charlie (2 days)

Mustang (1 week)

Roger (2 weeks)

Michigan (10 days)

Dinky (10 days)

Kindle Book Prices

2010-08-06T17:24:00.001-05:00

I was browsing Kindle books for an upcoming vacation, and after finding several that were more expensive than the corresponding paperback edition I embarked on a fact finding mission.

I looked at all of the books on my wish list or to-read list that are available in paperback to find out what their Kindle edition status was. Here's the breakdown:

24% - Kindle edition is more expensive than the paperback edition
29% - not available in a Kindle edition
47% - Kindle edition costs the same or less than the paperback edition

What to glean from these non-exhaustive statistics? I discovered that I have a definite aversion to paying more than a trade paperback price for an e-book. The good news is that almost half of the books on my list are available to me at the paperback price or less, so I have plenty of good options for the upcoming vacation, even if a few books that I was hoping for won't make the cut.

And to address the new version of the Kindle. Do I wish I had one? Yes. Will I go out and buy one? No, the one I have works great.

Mini Book Reviews

2010-08-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

Once again, no time for long, thoughtful book reviews. So here's the nutshell versions of some books I've read recently.

The Fourth Bear - Part of the Nursery Crimes series, this is another funny, wacky, wild book by Japser Fforde. Take a skewed version of modern life, stir in a heavy dose of nursery rhymes and fairy tales, and add a dash of police procedural. I'll read anything Fforde puts on the shelf - entertaining and amusing break from real life.
Dog's Best Friend - I wanted to like this book, and slogged through the whole thing. But I wouldn't suggest it to anyone. One - it was more depressing than uplifting. The emphasis was much more on how humans harm dogs than not for at least 3/4 of the book. Two - Mark Derr tends to run on sentences and irritatingly irrelevant asides.
Tea From an Empty Cup - Murders in an artificial reality world seem to be spilling over to the real world. Full of cool concepts, but the overall experience was so-so.
Starfish - Dark, dystopian sci-fi. Well executed. Not one to read if you're feeling down about humanity, but full of interesting ideas.
Spin - Fascinating - check it out. Good characterization to go with the science.
Four and Twenty Blackbirds - Fantasy, but not the unicorn, magic wand, or Tolkein type. Southern gothic voodoo - couldn't put it down.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - The regency novel mashed up with zombies - well done and entertaining if you like the idea.
Dog-Ku - Like dogs? Like haiku? Then this will be cute, and it makes a good little gift book.

Cindy Lou Turns 13

2010-07-29T12:09:00.001-05:00

Cindy Lou (aka Nice Girl) turns 13 today! She's hanging in there for an old greyhound gal. She wasn't wild about the hat, but was very appreciative of the special treats. She's been with us for 9 months of those 13 years - a small portion time-wise but with a big portion of care and love.

She's wobbly in the back end, and often needs help getting up. But she has a huge spirit and is quick to tell us (quite loudly) when she's missing out on a treat or a walk.

We love you, Little Bit!

Netflix Revisited

2010-07-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

We've recently jumped on the Netflix bus again for another try. It's been an on-again, off-again relationship with them. It tends to work well for a while, and then movies start sitting on the counter for too long. I'm not a huge movie person, but I do like watching them.

But here's what I've watched so far:

Iron Man - Yes, the first one - did I mention the not-a-huge-movie-person thing? Very entertaining.
Avatar - Visually stunning for sure. Soooo long - watched in two sittings.
Alice in Wonderland - pretty enough to watch, but overall earned a 'meh'
The Tao of Steve - Enjoyed it quite a bit more than I was anticipating, and even stayed up later than planned to watch it, which is a big deal for me and my early morning wake-up time.

So far so good - we'll see how long the streak lasts. Waiting in the wings: Quantum of Solace and the South Park movie.

Max and Nicole

2010-07-13T14:49:00.001-05:00

Max and Nicole are our two new foster dogs. Yes, two. GALT just received eight greyhounds from a Fort Worth Animal Control cruelty investigation seizure. They are all in sad shape - very thin, patchy hair, open sores, and parasites. Volunteers spent hours and hours pulling ticks off all of them from head to toe and nose to tail.

Max is a happy 3 year old boy, in spite of all he's been through. He wags his tail and comes up to us for loving and attention.

We're not sure how old Nicole is - I haven't heard an estimate yet from the GALT vet. She's a tiny girl and very scared of people. But she does like to go on walks, and she's eating well.

Ray - Adopted

2010-07-12T11:10:00.000-05:00

This was a bittersweet goodbye for us - Ray was a wonderful foster dog. So wonderful, that someone else fell in love too and he went to live with her. It was very hard to let go.

Dog Milk

2010-06-08T10:32:00.000-05:00

A fabulous blog about fashionable dog stuff: Dog Milk.

My Memorial Day Weekend - By the Numbers

2010-06-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

24 Caladium blubs planted
5 big bags of yard waste filled
4 loads of laundry
3 long naps
2 books
2 necklaces assembled
1 trip to Costco and Target
1 Quinceañera attended

Leo

2010-05-28T10:08:00.000-05:00

Leo is a temporary foster, but he has certainly made a splash.

He's an excited boy who has a talent for being underfoot. He loves toys and loves to play with Delilah. He's a smart cookie too - he's already pretty much learned 'down'. I think 'sit' would be pretty easy to teach next. 'Stay' might be a problem because he's just so wiggly.

Leo has a lot of energy, and sometimes it wears me out. But he also makes me smile a lot.

Frankie's Mexican Cuisine

2010-05-20T09:36:00.000-05:00

A new Mexican food restaurant opened in our neighborhood. Yes, a good restaurant in walking distance of the house. We could be in trouble...

They have a small outdoor patio and a decent number of tables inside. We were seated right away and service was attentive.

The margaritas were excellent. The queso was a bowl of creamy, cheesy goodness. My Tall Guy devoured his salsa and my own. I ordered the seafood enchiladas with shrimp (salmon was the other choice). They were delicious - two cheese enchiladas topped with grilled shrimp and a tangy sauce. It came with rice and a nice side salad.

We'll most definitely be going back to Frankie's!

Zsa Zsa July 3, 2002 - May 5, 2010

2010-05-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

Zsa Zsa is running at the rainbow bridge - she went on her final vet visit this morning after a middle-of-the-night seizure that knocked out the remainder of her strength. She had been fighting an aggressive bone marrow cancer.

The first time Zsa Zsa came into our home as a foster back in December 2008, she and Delilah got into a fight. We were still fairly new foster parents at that point, and weren't quite up for dealing with that kind of dog drama. So she went to another foster home.

She came back into our lives six months later, supposedly temporarily, as someone was coming to pick her up the same day she got dropped off. That didn't happen as planned, and she settled in to our household much more smoothly this time. We had matured as foster parents, and our personal dogs had gotten more used to fosters coming and going. Before long, there was no way this sweet girl was going anywhere else except for an adoptive home.

Zsa Zsa was a racer for one season and then went on to help other dogs as a blood donor for several years. She was in the GALT system for a year and a half, and was our foster for ten months. She had a wonderful personality, she was just the cutest girl. Zsa Zsa could play with a tennis ball like nobody's business. She accepted attention with quiet dignity, but didn't really seek it out. She did seek out treats - a fiend for food! She had a surprisingly deep bark for a little girl, but we didn't hear it very often. She loved to use our couch as a back scratcher (video). While not the most reliably house-trained dog we've had, she was perfect in every other way.

Zsa Zsa had been on seizure medication since coming to GALT. The medication controlled them perfectly for about a year. But she started having breakthrough seizures about five months ago, and we went through several iterations of adjusting her medication to try to get them back under control. Initially we thought she was having trouble acclimating to her newest medication, but it became clear that it was something more serious. The past few weeks have been trying times with vet visits, blood tests, and keeping a 24-hour watch on her. She remained stoic to the end.

Zsazsie, we miss you, we love you, we feel privileged to have been your forever home.

Ray

2010-04-19T15:25:00.000-05:00

Ray is the youngest dog we've fostered so far - 14 months old. He's a gorgeous boy, and very sweet.

He's shy, but he's made progress already. He'll take treats from our hands now, and approach us when we're not standing up. He's a wiggly whirlwind in the morning! He likes to follow you through the house, but doesn't like it when you walk towards him. Loves squeaky toys, and is learning that the TV remote is not a toy. His house manners are improving in leaps and bounds.

He knows that a leash means a walk, and is very happy about those. He knows that the clanking of the bowls means meal time, and that's something he's also very happy about.

I'll post a picture soon, when I can get him to stand still for one! In the meantime, follow the link at the top for his GALT pictures.

Recipe - Fruit Salad

2010-04-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

I started with this recipe from allrecipes.com and modified it a bit. I think it's a great basic fruit salad. And keeping the bananas and apples from turning brown is a big bonus. I thought about adding some poppy seeds for interest, but I was out of them.

Ingredients

2 (20 ounce) cans pineapple chunks, juice reserved
3 small apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used two Granny Smith and one Gala)
1 (21 ounce) can peach pie filling
3 small bananas, peeled and sliced
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin orange slices
1 bunch seedless green grapes
1 quart strawberries, sliced

Directions

In a small bowl, toss the chopped apples in reserved pineapple juice. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

In a large salad bowl, combine the peach pie filling and pineapple chunks.

Remove apples from pineapple juice and add to pie filling and pineapple mixture. Add chopped bananas to reserved pineapple juice and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove bananas from pineapple juice and add to pie filling mixture.

Reserve some strawberry slices and grapes to decorate the top of the salad - mix in the rest. Arrange strawberry slices around the edge of the serving bowl and decorate with grapes.

Chill and serve. This made a large bowlful - perfect for a big gathering.

Tony - Adopted!

2010-04-03T20:22:00.000-05:00

Our latest foster dog, Tony, has been adopted! I knew he wouldn't last long. This snuggling sweetheart has been very easy to have around the house.

We're going to miss the big lug! But he has a fabulous new dad and greyhound sister. He settled right in, and I feel very good about his new home.

Are you a nerd? a geek?

2010-04-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

The nerd/geek/dork/dweeb Venn Diagram explains the difference graphically!

On Books

2010-03-24T13:46:00.000-05:00

There are some books that I like to re-read periodically. Some of them make me laugh, some make me cry, some make me think, some do all three. Just like old friends, I know their strengths and weaknesses, and they're comfortable as a favorite pair of PJs. But they wouldn't make the list if I didn't also find something new in them with each read.

Of course, there are also books that I have no desire to re-read. That doesn't necessarily mean they were bad books, just that one trip through was enough. They touch my life with varying degrees of intensity, and may have long ranging impacts or I may forget about them the next week. But I don't reach for them again.

Some books are just a struggle to read. The ones that are poorly written are easy to discard. I used to feel I had to finish every book I started, but now I value my time more than bad prose. Others are well-written, even engrossing, but still a struggle. The problem seems to be in the timing. Some might require a lot of deep thought, when all I have the energy for is a light read. Others evoke emotions that just don't mesh well with the other happenings in my life just then. Returning to these books when I have the energy to match can make them rewarding instead of draining, and who knows, they may even end up in the re-read category.

Unheard Of, Absurd

2010-03-21T08:15:00.002-05:00

Snow...

in Dallas, Texas....

in March....

not just March, but late March....

not just little flurries, but enough to stick around....

Unheard of, absurd!

Did I mention it was sunny and in the 70s on Friday?

A Sharper View

2010-03-18T12:13:00.000-05:00

I had four years glasses free, thanks to Lasik. But they've re-entered my life since my astigmatism has made itself known again. I was hoping for more time, but alas, my eyes did not cooperate.

It's been a little bit of a struggle to adjust to wearing them. At least they're just part-time glasses for computer work and night-time driving.

The guy at the optometrist's office was very helpful when selecting the frames, and explained why I needed a more narrow frame (the wider ones made me look cross-eyed). I ended up with a nice pair from the kids section that look pretty good.

Ducks in the Pool

2010-03-11T07:19:00.000-06:00

Not something I expected to see this morning - ducks in the swimming pool!

They were standing on the side when I first saw them, but jumped in the pool when I opened the door to get a better picture. Because of course the dogs wandered out to take a look too. They flew off after paddling around the pool for a bit. What a sight!

Phone Calls

2010-03-05T14:37:00.000-06:00

Ahh, someone who understands how I feel about phone calls!

Of course, being foster coordinator for GALT has increased the number of phone calls in my life exponentially, but at least most of them have a distinct purpose. I still would generally prefer to email or IM rather than pick up the phone...

Tony

2010-02-19T10:36:00.002-06:00

Meet Tony, our latest foster dog. He's a *big* boy and is quite the ladies man. He likes to snuggle up to the girls, at least the ones who don't snap at him for it.

Here he is with Cindy Lou (aka Nice Girl):

He's a big goof-ball sometimes, but he's been a pretty good boy so far. He's learning the potty rules and the food rules. He likes piling up squeaky toys in his crate. I'll be taking him to his first meet & greet this weekend. Come see him at the Petco in Addsion!

Ski Trip

2010-02-17T16:53:00.000-06:00

I got back from a ski trip in Colorado just before the record snowfall hit Dallas. Those snow posts kind of preempted my trip report, so I'm just now getting to it.

I had heard that the snow wasn't very good yet this year, so I decided to ski instead of snowboard. Good decision - it was pretty icy and it would have been challenging to tackle as a newbie boarder. Plus I wanted to actually hang with some of the group this trip instead of taking lessons the whole time especially since it was only three days on the slopes.

The first day was rough for me, even on skis. I couldn't get my boots adjusted to where I wanted them, and I was painfully reminded how uncomfortable they can be compared to snowboard boots. My shins were hating me, and my feet kept cramping up. The first run was icy and loooong. I was slower than usual, but I made it through the day at Keystone.

The next day most of the group went to Araphaoe Basin. The snow was a little better there, but visibility was poor at the top. I was feeling a little more secure going down the slopes, and a Bloody Mary at the bar at the base made the day just that much better.

The third day was bright, sunny, and cold. It was back to Keystone again, and I finally felt like I knew what I was doing again. A very good last day indeed!

And next year? I'll probably take snowboarding lessons again.

Paws

2010-02-16T14:51:00.000-06:00

Snow Aftermath

2010-02-14T20:18:00.003-06:00

The record snowfall is mostly melted. Only the stumps of gleefully built snowmen and snow forts remain. But the aftermath is still obvious from the piles of broken tree branches. The weight of the snow was too much for many trees and shrubs, some of ours included. The bulk trash collection day will be a busy one this week. The homes with piles of branches outnumber the ones without in our neighborhood.

One of our broken branches:

Snow Day

2010-02-11T09:30:00.002-06:00

The obligatory snow picture. Snow! In Dallas! Big, fat flakes!

It's pretty, but some of the dogs sure don't want to go out there. Between the huge flakes falling down and the slush on the ground, it freaks them out. Some, on the other hand, are fine and don't seem to notice it at all.

I have to add that I think this is more actual snowing action than I saw in Colorado the past several days...

Violet - Adopted, Take Two

2010-01-31T11:58:00.003-06:00

Our sweet girl Violet has been adopted again! This time, she has two greyhound sisters and a wonderful couple to live with. They have a nice yard for her to run in, and I think she'll do very well this go-round given some time and space to adjust.

Let's hear it for Violet's final forever home!

Shoe Tying 101

2010-01-31T09:58:00.002-06:00

After only decades of tying my own shoes, I've finally learned how to tie them in a proper reef knot so that they don't come untied all the time and I don't have to resort to the difficult-to-untie double knots...

Aubrey Organics

2010-01-28T09:28:00.000-06:00

I've been taking an interest in finding products that are both more environmentally friendly and more 'me' friendly. I've been reading two books about 'green' solutions for cleaning and personal products: Better Basics for the Home and Clean House, Clean Planet.

Clean House is focused on how to replace basic cleaning products with simple concoctions made mainly with baking soda, vinegar, and real soap (not detergents). Better Basics has a wide range of recipes for making just about everything. I'm not going to go crazy with it and try to make my own soap or paint - I'll stick to the simpler recipes. But it also had some good advice about where to find ready-made products with the same kind of ingredients. So when the author recommended the shampoo from Aubrey Organics, I gave it a try.

For as long as I can remember, my hair has been the oily type. Icky if not washed every day. But with the new shampoo, it feels cleaner for longer. I can now go a day or two between washings without feeling like I have gross, dirty hair! I think the other shampoos were drying my scalp out too much and causing a lot of my oily hair problems. I've ordered some other products to try, including lotion, sunscreen, and a pet shampoo.

Fancy Jasper

2010-01-26T10:07:00.002-06:00

I discovered that the evening after a long day of swinging sticks around at a martial arts seminar is not a good time to test your fine motor control with beads. But I managed to finish the set I was working on in spite of shaky muscles. Here it is - fancy jasper and sterling silver. I really like how it turned out - not too matchy-matchy, but still clearly a set.

Decade in Review

2010-01-22T14:15:00.000-06:00

A new decade seems like a big deal, so I started to work on a personal review of what happened in the Oughts year by year. However, I don't seem to be able to remember exactly what happened from year to year without my blog or email history, which only goes back to 2004. It was also getting to be too much like an obnoxious Christmas newsletter.

So I'll just sum it up briefly and not in any kind of chronological order. I got involved in a lot of new activities in the 2000s: blogging, martial arts, jewelry making, and greyhound adoption. The Tall Guy and I made it to our 10 year anniversary. I ditched my eyeglasses with the help of Lasik surgery. My Tall Guy quit smoking again. We moved to Richardson. Both of us changed jobs once or more.

It will be interesting to see the Tens bring.

Haiti

2010-01-13T08:58:00.003-06:00

The major earthquake in Haiti is a devastating blow for this poor, under-developed country. There are a lot of ways to help out, but I'm going to contribute to Partners in Health.

This organization was founded by Dr. Paul Farmer, and you can read his amazing story in this book: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World (Random House Reader's Circle). I highly recommend it - it was fascinating and touching.

Violet - Round Two

2010-01-07T16:27:00.004-06:00

I was working on the obligatory 'decade in review' post that was going to make up for the fact that I've been slacking in the blogging arena for some time now. But I didn't manage to put any filler between the 'Violet - Adopted!' post and this one...

Violet is being returned to us - due to issues beyond her control. It could have, should have, would have been perfect but fate stepped in.

We'll gladly foster her once more - she's a low-key, easy addition to the household. Crossing my fingers for her - that one final forever home is out there waiting for this sweet girl.

Violet - Adopted!

2009-12-20T08:34:00.002-06:00

Our sweet girl Violet is adopted! She's going to a home with a very loving mom and a greyhound sister named Gracie. What a Christmas present!

We're going to miss her, of course, but we're also very happy that she's found a wonderful forever home. She was a model foster dog - never a problem in the house. And she really came out of her shell. I'm honored that she relaxed enough to show us her silly, affectionate side.

Early Snow

2009-12-02T10:29:00.002-06:00

A rare, early-December snow in Dallas!

It only snowed for a couple of hours, and it quickly melted, but it was pretty to watch...

Phonebooth Stuffing, Greyhound Style

2009-11-30T16:39:00.003-06:00

The Honda Fit was in the garage, being emptied of groceries. The door to the house was open, the doors to the Fit were open, the greyhounds swarmed...

Just how roomy is this little car?

Roomy enough for five greyhounds?

Why yes, room for five with a forlorn bystander. I want to go too!

Okay, Little Bit - you can go too. Six greyhounds in the Fit - I never thought they'd all fit!

But that was just the beginning...

The stand-off was on. We want to go for a ride! No rides. We'll stay in here all day! The numbers dwindled as one or two cracked - lured back into the house by a tasty treat.

But there can be only one! And it was Chickie - she stayed in there for hours. The treats did not tempt her. The leash did not tempt her. The short ride around the block and back into the garage did not fool her. Others hopped out and back in, but she never budged.

My Tall Guy finally took them for a ride in the car with a short walk at the end. Chickie was the victor in this epic battle... Violet and Jezebel had jumped back into the car at that point, so they got the benefit of her stubborn streak.

Happy Birthday, Delilah

2009-11-24T10:41:00.002-06:00

My little goofball turned seven!

Beading Time

2009-11-23T13:02:00.003-06:00

I had a busy weekend, but I was also feeling creative. So I worked in some beading for the first time in quite a while. Here are a few pieces I worked on:

Relaxation

2009-11-12T13:15:00.001-06:00

Think Chickie likes to be able to get on the couch now? I think so.

Halloween

2009-11-02T10:55:00.002-06:00

We had a costume party at work this year for Halloween, so I dug out my Trinity-from-The-Matrix plastic coat. I've used it for three parties now, and I think this is it for this particular costume - the seams are falling apart. Not to mention that the Matrix was a while ago now, and I got some "What are you? A spy?" questions. But I also got some compliments, which is always nice!

Most people at work went all out with the costumes, and it was a fun day at the office. Click on the picture to see more from the party. If I have to have a costume next year, I'm going to go for something more breathable. That plastic gets sticky-sweaty.

On a side note, we put a huge bowl of candy out to avoid barking-wildly-at-the-doorbell all night. The honor system worked well for a while - I'm guessing as long as the trick-or-treaters were young enough for their parents to be there. But somebody came by after dark and cleaned us out, almost taking the bowl with them as well. I had been checking on it periodically, and the hoodlums-in-training made off with almost half of what we bought. Boo on them. Maybe they'll go into sugar shock...

Nice Girl

2009-10-26T10:03:00.003-05:00

Meet our newest guest, Nice Girl (aka Cindy Lou Who, the littlest greyhound in Whoville). She was going to be here for a few days, but she has My Tall Guy wrapped around her sweet, little paws so she's staying as a foster.

She's a senior girl - 12 years old. She came from a breeding farm that's closing along with several other oldies-but-goodies. She raced quite a while herself, and then had two litters of puppies.

She's thin and shaky but her spirit is willing. She's loves to be loved on, and has a good appetite in spite of her horrible teeth. Hopefully she'll be getting a dental cleaning in a week or so after she's been on antibiotics for a while - her poor mouth can stink up a room right now and I know she's hurting.

So far she's getting along with all the other girls - the only problem is when the rowdies rush past her - she's easy to knock down.

The Odyssey

2009-10-19T10:50:00.003-05:00

Since we added Chick to the family, we didn't really have a vehicle we could load all three dogs into comfortably. We liked our road trip to Santa Fe and want to be able to go on more dog-included trips. So we now own a minivan. Yes, you heard me - a minivan. A white Honda Odyssey.

Let the naming contest begin! Here are some of my ideas:

The Hounda
A Space Odyssey (It's not a 2001 - but still...)
Greyt White Whale

Got any good names? Share them!

All joking aside, it's easy to drive and park. It's roomy - the seats fold down or remove without a big hassle. I like the 'Mom' mirror that lets me see what everyone is up to without turning around. The dogs have given it two paws up so far.

The gas mileage doesn't suck - 17/25. It drops down from six cylinder to three or four cylinders when you're cruising along. It's got a nice row of bag hooks in the way back to keep your groceries from rolling around.

Not a glamorous vehicle by any means, but it's functional! Minivans have come a long way - I can't say that they'll ever be 'cool', but this one has been a pleasant surprise.