Friday, June 22, 2007

Oops!

This is the entry gate to our complex. Someone ran into it, at a good clip apparently, from the inside. Why were they trying to go out the in-gate? Why were they going so fast? How big will the assessment be from the HOA to have it replaced? I guess only the last question will be answered for certain, and I'm not looking forward to ponying up the money for it. Maybe the responsible party will have to pay.

Recently, we've had 6 cars get broken into in our parking lot. Gate openers were stolen (guess that's moot now!), as well as radios and personal items. I hear someone's car might have been stolen. Four or five months ago someone was stabbed in the lot too, though neither the stabber nor the stabbee were residents. I have no idea what's going on here. This is a yuppie, wealthy town.

I don't feel unsafe though, especially with my big, scary, afraid-of-her-own-shadow-but-you-wouldn't-know-it doberman. She may be a big chicken, but she's got a great bark!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Reinventing the Wheel

That has been the theme for a while now.

First off, we've been working on little things around the house. As usual, we rarely have the right tools and/or knowledge, but we figure out a way to get it done. Last weekend we did some finishing in the kitchen. The backsplash on our new counters aren't as high as the old counters, which left a smooth patch on the textured wall. I had to figure out how to fix that. I ended up filling in crevices with spackle, sanding it all smooth, and using texture-in-a-can from Home Depot. The result is pretty close to the rest of the wall, so I went ahead and painted. I think it looks good; if I ever find out more information I might do it over. I also had to do this process in the bathroom where we removed the counter that extended over the toilet.

We've also been working on the moldings around doors and the baseboards. This is just a tedious process of spackling and sanding to get a perfect finish. Getting closer!

I've been knitting a summer top, my first garment. The hitch is that I'm left handed and knit left handedly, while patterns are written for righties. I have to do it all backwards, essentially. That means flipping my increases/decreases so they slant in the correct direction so far. And my yarn-overs need to be yarn-unders I've discovered. I'm working on the back piece now and I am a very slow knitter, so after I finish what seems like acres of stockinette and do the armhole shaping, then redo the work I've done for the front piece, I'll have to figure out how to reverse all the lace sections. Should be interesting!

Monday, June 11, 2007

Nothing like fresh BBQ pizza!

These were seriously easy and quick to make. Mix 1-1/4 cups flour, a packet of yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup warm water until a soft dough forms. Form into 4 balls, spray with cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes. Then heat your grill to high, roll out the balls between wax paper to about 4-inch circles. Gently lay them on the grill and then flip after 30 seconds (they'll puff up a little). Top with your desired toppings, close cover, and let cook for about 5 minutes until done.

I love it. I can have pizza all summer and not heat the entire condo up with my oven. The rise time for the dough is about the same as my traditional pizza dough, but the cook time is much faster. And cooking outdoors is wonderful. Oh, and you can see that since I'm grilling again I've successfully gotten my propane tank refilled. Wohoo!

We had a nice weekend. I took Ayla swimming twice. She seemed excited to be splashing around in the water with the other dogs, and excited to be out of the house and having fun again. Here she is post-swimming yesterday. Am I the only crazy person out there that covers my dog with her own blanket while she sleeps?
Otherwise it was a very restful weekend. I enjoyed the nice weather on the patio; got some knitting done and then had to rip it all out since I messed up and my attempts at a fix only made it worse, then started over; made good food, and generally took it easy.

Here's Gretel in a normal sleep position. You can kinda see her naked belly. It hasn't changed since the vet visit. Oh well, I'll continue keeping my eye on her.

Ayla and I are going for a jog today after work. The biggest thing I'll need to do the rest of the evening is decide what to make for dinner. I guess it could be worse! :)

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Ummm...

An actual email I found in my inbox this morning, sent to everyone at the lab:

Ummm.... Someone misplaced a pair of blue underpants in the SW Addition stairwell. Have them in my office (140A) if you need them back.

And a response received this afternoon:

I have thought of two possible responses to your email. You can select the one you like best.
RESPONSE 1 Yeah they are mine but I don't need them any more.
RESPONSE 2 Do you want to change offices with me.

I'm... speechless.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Sleep? Yes, please!

So Friday night was a tough one. Ayla didn't do well with the anesthesia. She slept the entire evening after I brought her home from the vet. Chris and I woke her up to get water in her and some food. That was a mistake. When we tried to go to bed that night Ayla couldn't settle down. She'd lie down and immediately get up again, trot into the living room, come back, rinse and repeat. Then she started whimpering the entire time. I took her out 4 times that night since she wasn't feeling well and I spent the rest of the night sitting up with her and trying to figure out what to do for her. Finally around 8 or 9 the next morning she threw up everything she had eaten and was able to settle down. Poor thing. And yuck.

Saturday happened to be our anniversary too. What a great way to start it! We've been married 3 years now, and together for 11 years. Wow, where does the time go?

When we got married on Maui the night we left we ate at Mama's Fish House (http://www.mamasfishhouse.com/). That is the best meal I've ever had, definitely worth the higher price tag. Seriously, if you are ever on Maui you absolutely must have dinner there. Since we couldn't be back on Maui for our anniversary (maybe next year?) I thought it would be fun to have a nice dinner out at a local fancy Hawaiian place. But with Ayla's surgery, we opted to stay home and BBQ instead. Our grill has probably been one of the best investments we made. We use the heck out of it, and the propane tank just yesterday ran out, after probably a year! I've got to go get it refilled soon. I might go into BBQ withdrawls.

It was an otherwise uneventful weekend. We grilled, we ate, we played with our gimpy dog, and we rented the first couple DVDs of "Rome" which we are now hooked on. HBO does a good job with its dramas. I love Sopranos and can't wait till the current season is out on DVD; Deadwood is another really good one, the second season comes out this weekend I think; now I'm into Rome. I just wish I could add HBO to our current cable TV without having to upgrade to some expensive package. I suppose I'm practicing patience... I hear its a virtue. :)

Friday, June 1, 2007

What a start to the weekend!

Poor Ayla! I took her to a grassy dog park after work today and play. She was doing very well with the other dogs, playing fetch, trotting around, etc. All of a sudden she cried out and wouldn't come to me. She was holding up her paw and I realized her dewclaw was perpendicular to her leg! It was bleeding like crazy too, and other dogs were swarming around Ayla, a nice lady asking if she was okay. I got her out of there and went to her vet.

She was panting and starting to drool from pain, and didn't even do her usual wiggle when her old trainer came to say hi. While waiting in the exam room I held her in my lap to keep her still and after a while she started to relax and even nod off. They kept her for a few hours where they put her under light anesthesia and took care of the nail. Now she's home with a bandage, orders to stay calm for a few days, and antibiotics. :(

No swimming or hiking this weekend. Now I have to figure out how to keep an adolescent dog calm once she wakes up from the drugs. I know she'll like the pills though; I wrap them in cream cheese and she goes crazy for them. She licks her lips when you shake the pill bottle or say cheese. :)

I hope your weekend is starting off better than ours!