How is everyone doing at Regionals????? I have to leave at 5am tomorrow and be sans computer for 5 days so now is my chance. You're all killing me...

Had a bittersweet reunion with Kali and her two brothers. Her only other surviving littermate, Dixie, didn't show which was disappointing but hey, the politics of a small town. I also brought Sizzle and Gale (just because) and Sizzle was sooooo funny when we put the birthday hat on her: it looked like a dunce cap no matter how we placed it



Like mother, like daughter


Also took a video of the day - very nostalgic and kinda sad...Kali was the only one who kept running with the young dogs.

Got this book from my mom about the nautical origin of many sayings. Vic's kennel name is Touchango (which Mia and I kept pronouncing - spelled phoentically here - tuch-ango with the emphasis on ango - like tango.) Well, it is really Touch and Go. So, want to know where that saying comes from?

A ship that makes a very short stay in a port while en route to her final destination is said to "touch and go." In a general sense, the expression describes the act of doing something for a minute, then quitting it immediately. The expression "touch and go" is today most commonly applied to a highly uncertain or precarious situation or condition, in which the slightest turn will result in failure or disaster.

They don't know Vic :-)

And for the owner of a certain mouthy Aussie (who's name starts with an "M" because we all have barky Aussies!)

True Blue (honest & loyal)

This popular expression was defined by Admiral William Smyth in the "The Sailor's Wordbook" as "a metaphorical term for an honest, hearty sailer true to his uniform, and uniformly true."


Did you know sayings like "Taken Aback" and "Take Down a Peg or Two" are nautical? So is "Turn a Blind Eye?" (I am obviously reading the "T" section.)

I love crap like this.

So, yes, I am thoroughly sick and twisted :-) I bought a Manners Minder and pulled it out last night to fiddle with it. Yes, I read the instructions and introduced my dogs the way you are *supposed* to. And I laughed and laughed and laughed. Sizzle's reaction to the noise last night was to jump straight up in the air (all 4 foot off the ground - a total whole-body-flinch) and what did I do? Giggle hysterically. Of course I didn't have the video set up last night but I decided to mess with all the dogs this morning. And I laughed and laughed. This is much akin to putting scotch tape on the bottom of a cat's paw: harmless to the animal and absolutely riotous for me. Yes, I am sick but I have sooooo much fun!

I had a TERRIBLE day...

1. My early morning client had to get pissy with me about something I am NOT involved/ in charge of at ALL. Why is this my problem?

2. Kat forgot how to weave - moved the poles to a different spot in my yard. Go figure huh?

3. Sizzle forgot how to two-step through the weaves and was (gasp!) crossing her front legs. Kill me now.

4. Over an HOUR at the DMV just to exchange personalized plates for normal plates on the car I want to sell. Took a grand total of 2 friggin' minutes once my "number was called." I completely understand why people take shot-guns into government buildings. Totally.

5. Same car - got it smogged and they had the completely wrong info (said it was my old Acura!) which took 30 minutes to clear up. Once again, understand the shotgun thing.

6. Butt wipes at the carwash didn't do any of the extra stuff I had paid for (tires, windows, vacuum inside) and then got pissy when I insisted on it. WTF ever happened to *service* let alone customer service? Did I mention guns? Big, large, rapid firing ones?

I have had a HORRID day and am going to bed.

Maybe Kat will remember how to weave tomorrow.

Kat can weave!!!!!

Mia took some amazing pictures with my camera yesterday - I managed to edit 330 pics down to 180 and then these are *some* of the best....still more to come though...Commentary provided by what I think the dogs are thinking!


OMG OMG LET ME IN!!!!! LET ME IN!!!!!


Last one in is a rotten egg!


I'm not a rotten egg - as a matter of fact, I am going to ATTACK that water because it's evil


Various Leaps


Gale always looks scared


Kali always over jumps


Max the Bullet Dog


TOUHDOWN!!! (Or "I am a bird coming in to land" can't decide which...)


Kali likes to run around and steal the ball from whoever is in the water.


I can almost reach...almost...almost


MINE!!


There is one toy that sinks - I am trying to get Kat to dive for it. She's almost there...


WTF????


Where did it go??


GOT IT!!!


Hey...Vic stole my ball. Sucky border collie....


And just some cool shots!

Kat's water spout


SPLASH!!!


How can so many parts move so many different ways?

Big Brown did not win the Triple Crown :-( I was really hoping (and thinking) he could so today was a total let down in that department. That being said, the rest of the day was awesome. Mia came over for some training, swimming, wine and cheese. All went superbly well! I think Kat had a breakthrough with her weaves today (YAY!!) the goat cheeses were INCREDIBLE - I had no idea goat cheese could taste like that and the wine was a total score! I just woke up from a food coma.

I know I have mentioned my training holes - such as the chute. Yeah - remembered another one as I stepped to the line on Sunday with Sizzle: the triple. Never seen one. Needless to say, she did the jump (good girlie!) and left all the bars up but that made me pull out every "odd" jump I have today. Out came the tire, the panel, the double and the triple. I just ignored the broad jump because that's more of a production. No video because it wasn't that exciting. Sizzle will jump anything (and do it well.) She only dropped 1 bar (the double) because hey, after two times over it, I rear-crossed her. She kept it up after that. Kat was fine with everything except the panel. THAT I wish I had on video - at first she just stopped and stared at it. Then she did this massive pogo leap over it. Once she had done it 3-4 times, she jumped it normal but it was pretty funny in the beginning.

Think I'll leave them all out for a couple days just to proof some stuff but at least Kat is getting the benefit of my screw ups with Sizzle :-)

A friend just sent me this link and much to my delight it is the puppy video that I got sent home with when I got Kali. Kali will be 10 this month. Amazing how quickly the time passes!!! The black tri with the skunk strip and wide blaze is Kali as a pup - is it any wonder she was my first Aussie? She also the one jumping up on the x-pen at the end at the little pup whining at the very very end. She was SO CUTE.

I don't think any of my posts are getting through to my Friends :-(

I am testing to see if I don't make it private, if you all receive this...

So...just checked - and if I lock the entry, for some reason you guys don't get them. So, I guess I am going to go unlock the last week because I would love feedback! And I thought you guys just didn't care anymore...

OK - yes, I am spoiled rotten. It's high 80's today ("real feel of 94") and I am miserable. The dogs and I didn't so much as swim as lounged in the pool. I have a bench running the length of the pool and we were all (even Cinder!) perched on the bench lounging in the water. I thought of getting my camera but you know if I had moved, it never would have happened again

My brother and his wife left today around noon. Remarkably fun visit considering how much I had been dreading it. My brother even made breakfast (AND did the dishes!) this morning. Pretty cool. I also agreed that Gian (my bro) and Sirus (my 2 2/12 yr old nephew) can stay here for a week in August. Oh dear. At least the dogs and Sirus have a reciprocal "I adore you" relationship. Funny - my dogs are never around kids (frankly, they scare me) but they just love my nephew to pieces. Then again, he isn't scared at all. He sees the whole pack - which can be quite alarming when they are all barking hello and leaping at the door - and starts hopping up and down and clapping his hands. Veeeery cute.

I am trying to decide between elliptical trainer (lessen the "YouTube jiggle") or just continuing to sit on my ass. I'm thinking the latter is going to win. :-)

Family visit going remarkably well - I got taken out to my favorite restaurant and plied with lots of alcohol last night. How can that not be fun? Oh - and no more bad dreams so I must have been worrying about this more than I thought.

Despite a slight hangover this morning, I managed to get in a little training this am in a "pre-lesson-with-Stephanie" panic. I know I have a bigger yard than most but after seeing Kat open up at Rachel's, I am getting a little bit frustrated with the limitations my yard has. I can't set anything up big. There is always a fence/contact obstacle/or something that they are jumping into and it makes me set things really tight. Good news is that Kat seems ok with it - bad news is that I can only really accelerate after a sequence which I don't like *at all.* Must stare at my yard more later and see what I can do :-)

Family is in town - more later on that - but managed to get a little bit of training in on lateral lead outs... I MUST stop leaning to *help* my dogs.

Learned quite a valuable lesson today, several actually.

1. When I am working a dog other than Cinder out on the hill, I tend to panic. This is not so good.
2. Since I am working Gale out back on the hill, I need to not do #1.
3. Did I mention I need to work on the not-panicking aspect of my response system when things go even a little wrong?

Tomorrow. Better. No Panicking.
(please, please, please, please....)

PS RRR - EVIL SHEEP

It seems to be going around. I can HARDLY WAIT for this day to be over. Here's a summary of my day (starting at 12:30am)

12:30am - Oso whining to go out - invaded my dreams in a weird way. Butthead wouldn't poddy before bed because he was too busy whining at me to come back in

2:30am - Wake up to the "ungh ungh" noise we all know and love: Cinder throwing up all over the hallway rug

3:30am - repeat of the 2:30am scenario

5:30am - crawl out of bed. Waaayyy too early

7:30am - phone call - my grandmother (in NJ) is in the hospital. My sister knew last night and didn't even call until way later on in the day (she is on my serious shit list at the moment) so I got the news 3rd hand from my brother. Let me just say I am the only grandchild who actually writes my Grand'ma Fran letters. I sent here a DVD with the dogs (not knowing she doesn't have a player but still, the thought and time right?) I am so pissed off that I had to call my dad (stuck in an airport in Dallas) to get more info. My siblings suck donkey dicks sometimes.

8:30am - work

10:30am - driving to the barn down a street where all the old people have grown really large privacy hedges. This means they can't fucking see when they pull out onto the street. I am in 3/4 ton black 4 x4 diesel Dodge, with big tires, it's not like I am hard to see (or hear.) First, the old man on the right starts pulling out, I slow down, make sure he can see me and as a I slowly drive past him (over on the left to avoid the front nose of his car sticking out) old lady on the left starts pulling out of her driveway. Into me. Then the old biddy had the nerve to honk at me! Grrrrr....if I didn't like my truck so much I would have TRIED to have taken the old bitch out.

11:00am - dealing with the brain dead and incompetent clerks at Sears
11:15am - same as above - just now at Circuit City
11:30am - same as above - just now Vons

11:55am - get home to find out CInder has (once again) thrown up all over one of the dog beds. Mostly grass but now I am starting to get worried.

Noon - my housekeeper shows up (which is GREAT) but means I can't nap or even sit on my ass because I feel horribly guilty not working when she is. So I mow the lawn, thwap myself in the face with the hose I am trying to un-kink while avoiding the dogs.

2-present: updating my investment accounts and wondering (for the first time in my life ever) if I should just sell everything before the market totally crashes.

Oh - and I can't pour a glass of wine when the housekeeper leaves (she's still here) because someone is coming over "sometime after 5" to look at my entertainment centers that I need to get rid of by Sunday. And I am gone Thurs and Sat. I so want to go to bed.

Sorry about the rant. I guess I needed somewhere to vent.

I am a wee bit discombobulated so pardon the randomness of this...

Agility - dogs are doing great but made the decision last night to move Cinder to 16" permanently. It is the best thing for my dog but it is a sad decision for me despite that. Means that her official "competitive career" is over. This is awfully hard for me because she has been the BEST dog I have ever owned (or will ever own probably - she is one in a million.) So I am a little bit depressed about it. I keep telling myself that her career will last longer (which is true) and since I am going to show her and everyone else less in agility, we can start doing stockdog trials again where she is still ultra-comptetive. At her peak actually. Hmmmm...maybe I feel better now :-)

Books - finished a trilogy (The Faded Sun Omnibus edition by CJ Cherryh) that *should* have been wonderful. I made myself finish the damn thing (I am little bit obsessive-compulsive about starting AND finishing things) and didn't really enjoy it. But now, after the fact, I keep thinking about the world she built and what cool characters and how wonderful it COULD have been. (Kinda like Bram Stoker's Dracula with Gary Oldman - who I adore - it could have been amazing...but wasn't.) Just started Mary Doria Russell's latest book - Dreamers of the Day - and I am chewing through it. Quite a good read.

My Bose home stereo system is dead - the ongoing argument in my head about what to do. It's very frustrating. Upgrade? Pay the $200 and pray that what they fix is the actual problem? Chcuk the whole damn thing and buy a Panasonic system for under $300? I hate making decisions like this. Funny thing - I can drop 75k for a motorhome but a couple thousand??? ACK!! Too much!!!

Had a puppy from Sizzle's litter visit yesterday. She belongs to the *nicest* people but man, they spoil her rotten. Katie is totally running the household...and she's fat. But the good news is that they want me to start handling her in agility and she is a pocket-rocket! I am excited about that but it will still be interesting because they live over an hour away. Then again, Chance lives over 300 miles away and that worked out ok

Enough rambling. Off to dinner and maybe Circuit City.

I need help with something other than dog training. I need input on home entertainment systems. I currently have a BOSE Lifestyle 25 and the command module has been degenerating for a couple years. First one set of plugs stopped transmitting sound, then another, then the CD player broke. Now I am down to one set of output plugs that work. AAUUGHH. I watch DVD's exclusively - I do not watch regular TV at all (unless there is a natural disaster.) I called Bose and I can send the module in for repair ($200 plus shipping) but there is no guarantee the rest of the stuff will still work. Or I can get another Bose system (upgrade) and I will get $400 off the listed price. OR - I can buy something totally new. I was cruising Circuit City today and found a couple overall systems (Panasonic and Onkyo) that were VERY reasonably priced (the Bose would run me about $1400) and have an additional feature that the Bose doesn't: and Ipod docker. Hmmm...anyone out there up on stereo systems? Any input? I am tempted to stick with Bose because of the reputation (although I haven't had much luck apparently) but I don't have raging parties so no need to have a bass that will thump my windows out. It would probably scare the dogs anyway

I would LOVE any suggestions you guys have. I have been on line for hours and have hit a wall!

Stephanie is amazing. She is so concise and clear it makes learning stuff (relatively) simple. She had a little pity on me (I was SO sore from riding yesterda) but only a little :-) Kat's frame looks great - time to move it up to 5'2" and possibly higher. She got over her "How dare you put clothes on me" and worked with her panties on. Her walk is lovely - still need to work on her confidence with jumping. She likes doing it but, she dropped one bar and got a wee bit freaked out. I can't tell if she is just super soft (which is fine with me) or homornal or both. We'll see...
Sizzle was LOVELY - she and her mother did rear cross exercises because they both need to learn to drive ahead of me better. I am so glad I got stuff down on film so I *remember.* I have minimal homework (Yay!) because I am heading back down next week.
Got home - found someone had subscribed to my YouTube videos so of course had to go check them out. Imagine my joy and delight when I found the following. This is Kat's dad! I have my own personal videos of Rhaq and Martha has sent me a few others but this was something new for me to see. This is pretty basic stuff but you can see where Ms. Kat gets her moves from!

This was exactly what I needed - just finished cleaning up my own taxes....