Mad Zoo House

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

From the Boris Bunny & the Vinnie Bunny. ;)

(to be fair, we also have pictures of TheFyd and I wearing the bunny ears. What's not fair, of course, is that I'm not posting those. :P)

I have gone to the dogs

2007-04-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

My new job has been keeping me super busy the last few weeks. 4-5 dog walks a day, plus helping out at the new boarding facility = gone for 6-7 hours at a time. Quite a change from the first month or so when it was much more sporadic and allowed for time to come home and hang with my own pups (and use my own bathroom).

Things I have learned from intensive dog-walking, pet-sitting, dog boarding, yada yada:

I have been forced to get over issues with using other people's bathrooms.
Some clients (with an 's'! as in, more than one!) don't have TVs. AT ALL.
Many people have more than one dog bed per dog. Sometimes, several dog beds per dog. (see, Mom? It's not just me. :P)
Approximately 87% of the drivers on the road in mid-day are slow and annoying drivers. ("annoying" is actually a nice way of putting it, but I'm trying to keep the potty mouth off the blog)
Having a "high maintenance, challenging" dog like Boris has prepared me for absolutely anything.
If you're a single guy reading this, the best way to meet women is to get a puppy and take him/her for walks. A lot. Especially if the puppy is, say, a 3-month-old weiner dog. Actually, I don't even remember what the guy looked like because I was so focused on the puppy.
Walking a dog, especially a beautiful dog like one of my clients, a Weim, means you have to get used to making small talk with a looooot of people. And being in Portland, more than a few of those people are coocooforcocoapuffs crazy.
I spend a lot of time in my car. On my busiest days last week I was putting in over 50 miles per day on my little Civic. Which basically means I need new songs on my iPod.

two recipes you should try.

2007-03-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

1. Spiedini di Pollo

¼ cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
½ small onion, diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-1" pieces
⅓ cup olive oil
fresh sage or bay leaves (I usually make it without the leaves because I always forget to buy them - it's just as good without)
10-12 6" bamboo skewers, soaked in water (or, do what I finally did, and buy re-usable metal skewers to skip the water-soaking step; but don't do what I did the first time I used them and pick them up off the grill with my bare hands. ow.)

Preheat oven to 425 or light a medium-high fire in a charcoal or gas grill.
In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, onion, salt & pepper. Dip chicken pieces in olive oil, then coat each piece with bread crumb mixture. (Please note that at this point, while your hands are a mess of raw chicken, olive oil, bread crumbs, etc, one or both of your eyes WILL start to itch.) Thread the chicken pieces onto a skewer, alternating each piece with sage leaf until 4” of skewer is covered (end and begin with chicken).
To cook in oven, place on an oiled baking sheet or pan & bake until done, 10-12 minutes.
To grill, brush grill with vegetable oil. Place chicken at edge of hot grate so skewers are away from direct heat. Grill, turning after 2 minutes, to cook the outside of meat. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes per side.
Transfer to a platter and serve.

2. Steak with Soy Marinade and Caramelized Onions

¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium white onion, sliced into rings
filet or flank steak (I make this with pork more often than not - just as yummy!)

Add first 5 ingredients to large Ziploc bag, mix well. Add steaks and marinate in fridge for no more than 30 minutes (as the soy sauce will make the beef a little salty if left on for more).
Remove steak from bag and prepare grill/broiler. Dump the contents of the remaining marinade in a medium saucepan and bring to a soft boil (med/high) and then simmer on med/low. Continue to let simmer while you are cooking your steaks as usual.
Once steaks are done, top with carmelized onions/juice from saucepan.

Makes steak so tender and the marinade sauce adds a nice sweetness to the meat!

My blog angst.

2007-03-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

So I'm not a frequent blogger. Either I think of things to say while I'm in the car and forget when I get home; or I have nothing to say because the most exciting thing I did that day was bathe the dogs (and I've already posted about that a couple of times here :O ); or I can't bring myself to share the deep inner stuff because my mom or mother-in-law may read it (Hi, Elisabeth!). I mean, even the people led here by such specific searches as "nail biting" and "salad sac" must be sorely disappointed. :P

So, until I figure it out, I give you a list of businesses in Montavilla (to the right), the neighborhood where I live. It's actually a list of the businesses in the span of a block or two down the street. And with the exception of Ya Hala, they've all opened in the 2.75 years that we've lived here. We bring all the cool stuff. Please note the Academy Theater is celebrating their first anniversary of the grand (re)opening this weekend! There will be a Wizard of Oz and Grease Sing-along!

And, an unrelated sidebar - because I like to help my fellow man - if you ever find yourself using Dove lotion to soothe your dry hands, whatever you do, do NOT rub your eyes after applying the lotion. motherbleepingOWWWWW!

Bad Habits: 10. Candace: Zero

2007-03-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

So after two months of dutifully self-manicuring every week, even though my nail polishing skillz are less than mad, it just took one stressful afternoon at work to chew off all my nails. Bye-bye, progress. :(

seen on the side of the road:

2007-03-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

a very young (early 20s) man holding one of those signs begging for money:
"Iraqi vet. Beer is cheaper than therapy."

:/

Books I am crossing off my "to read" list:

2007-02-22T23:03:00.000-08:00

Why? Because my new job is perfection. I feel like I am where I am supposed to be. Yay! :)

BF Skinner would be ashamed.

2007-01-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

I've only used these retractable leashes:

a handful of times, but that's no excuse for what I do every. single. time. I use one. I always have that momentary panic when the dog dashes off and the leash just keeps going and going... and instead of searching for the brake, I always instinctively grab for the actual leash with my other hand.

Dummy. Nothing like grabbing onto a cord moving really really fast. Apparently negative reinforcement doesn't work on this primate.

(sidebar - I made sure to note "BF Skinner" in my subject line so the Simpsons/X-Files fans reading this wouldn't wonder why the principal/Mulder's boss would be dissapointed in me. :P)

Kiss me, Kate.

2007-01-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

(Pre-emptive sidebar - you should know that I am really bad at directions. Like, pathetically bad. Especially when driving. Carry on.)

Today, the first day of my faboo new job, I had the pleasure of meeting Kate, an English bulldog. Kate and I will be spending 20-30 minutes together, twice a day for the whole week. Kate lives with her mom on the west side of Portland - luckily it was somewhat close to an area I lived in when I first moved here (8 1/2 years ago) so I wasn't as nervous as I normally would be. Until I made the mapquest-directed left and started noticing the numbers were too high. So, I flipped around, Blues Brothers style, and went through the intersection. Now the house numbers are too small. Well, balls. I turn around AGAIN, knowing for sure that every homeowner I passed was noting the fool who was lost. You know what? Screw 'em. :P Anyway, I end up where I was with the original left turn, and there it was. In my defense, the number on the mailbox was NOT very clear.

So I find the apartment, get the key from my handy-dandy organizational system for my new job (have I mentioned I'm a Virgo?), put it in the lock, and nothing. Won't turn. This goes on for a few moments, while Kate is inside barking, and I'm jiggling the doorknob, pulling it and trying the key, pushing it and trying the key. My carpal tunnel is just about to give out when I finally get it open. It's all cake from here, right?

Kate is a cutie patootie who took a few moments to check me out before deciding I was OK. For my afternoon visit we took a nice walk where she actually tried to gallop-run a few times. Hilarious. Apparently I was walking too slowly for the overweight bully. And, luckily for me, she did not kiss me.

I have to say, it's amazing to me to have a job where I immediately feel 100% comfortable with my skillset going in. I can't believe this is my job. Awesome.

Oh, when I got home, my dogs' noses were attached to my jeans for approximately 10 minutes. Thank goodness dogs aren't capable of guilt trips.

the Amazingness that is Overshare

2007-01-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

People, if you haven't read this blog, do it. I mean it. It's effing hilarious.

Carry on.

In which I get a job.

2007-01-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

Yeah, baby! You read that right!

And get this - it's not even an office job! YEAH.

I will be working at SafeJourney Pet Sitting. Walking dogs, playing with dogs, playing with cats, getting paid - what could be better? :)

So let's have a toast to me, who will no longer be a non-contributor to society. :P

And p.s. to those of you in the Portland area, tell your friends about this awesome pet-sitting company! Thanks!

Salad Sac

2007-01-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

Buy it, people. Your salads, veggies, and/or herbs will never stay as fresh for as long. Do it!

Nail Biting.

2007-01-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

So it's been almost a month since my resolution to stop biting my nails. So far, no biting! The secret? Keeping polish on AT ALL TIMES. What a pain in the not-getting-smaller-despite-resolutions ass. My nails seem to reject all nail polish after approximately 18 hours. This may or may not be because I am unable to maintain the "lady of leisure" status required during Nail Polish Drying Time. But, whatever.

Other things I need to get used to:

I now have to deal with stuff getting underneath my fingernails - mainly when I'm cooking and cleaning. Annoying.
I now have the worry that my nails will catch on something and rip/tear (which would likely lead to a recurrence of biting) or, even worse, break, which will hurt.
I now use my fingernails for things rather than my fingertips - things like typing or text-messaging. It's a weird feeling.
Due to my allergies, I rub my eyes a lot. They're always itchy. One of these days I'm going to scratch myself. And as we all learned from Ralphie in A Christmas Story, it's all fun and games until someone pokes an eye out. Or something like that.

On the upside - I'm not biting my nails! :)

Why cats are funny:

2007-01-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

or, at least, why the cats in my house are funny:

The foster kittens, whenever I open the door to go downstairs, come bounding up the stairs at lightening speed. Then, when I close the door behind me, the flop down on a step as if I won't see them. Then they refuse to get out of the way even when I'm about to step on them.
Moe's long memory about where his fishing wand toy is kept and how he will immediately appear from anywhere in the house when we open the door to the closet where said toy is stored. Add to this Moe's shock and bewilderment that the other cats enjoy playing with said fishing wand toy and he doesn't get it all to himself.
Claudius, playing with afore-mentioned fishing wand toy, grabbing it in his teeth, ears back, leaning back on his haunches, walking backwards as if he's actually going to get anywhere with his prize.
Claudius's short memory about the dogs and the fact that they will chase him. And the fact that he has never learned to just not run.
And finally, the moment that made me laugh so hard I almost choked; the moment that made the past decade of being a cat owner worthwhile (if, of course, all the many other moments didn't do so); the moment that won't be as funny without a video or even photographic evidence, but I'll try anyway. Feeding time means all five cats hovering in the kitchen, meowing pathetically as if they haven't eaten in weeks. The five cats don't all get along, but at feeding time they're so focused on me and food that they'll stay in close proximity even though they may not like each other. Anyway, the other day Claudius noticed Pandora (The Cat Who Never Comes Downstairs), and started a play-attack by getting up on his hind legs as if to pounce, only Pandora started walking away. Instead of falling back on all fours and chasing her, Claudius continued to walk on his hind feed for at least half a dozen steps, with his front paws outstretched, walking the wobbly drunk-like walk of a toddler taking his first steps. Freaking hilarious.

And all of this and more is why I put up with crap like: not being able to walk without rambunctious kittens grabbing for my feet or pants; having to find hiding places for boxes of tissue because certain cats think of them as inviting toys; having to outfit my house with covered trash cans, and so on.

Lesson learned.

2007-01-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

So, I've mentioned my father died a few years ago. Obviously, I feel robbed - he was relatively young and despite smoking for over 40 years was in pretty good health. Unfortunately because of an irrational fear of doctors, he never got checkups and by the time his cancer was found it was pretty much too late. He and I never got the chance to have a real relationship, and because I live over 3000 miles from where I grew up (and because the idea of his terminal condition left me paralyzed) I didn't get home in time to really say goodbye or have a conversation with him (he was in a coma by the time I got there and died 24 hours later).

Anyway! So I know a woman whose father has cancer. It got pretty bad. So bad that they asked her brother to come home, as well as relatives in China, to say goodbye. About 6 months ago, his latest CT scan came back clear. The cancer is gone. They're all aware it could come back, but they are considering him cancer-free. Obviously I was very happy for her, but at the same time, I was sad, jealous, bitter. I hated that reaction, certainly wasn't proud of myself, but there it is.

Yesterday I learned that her mother has a brain tumor. They don't have the results of the biopsy yet. Her mother hasn't been acting like herself for weeks, to the point where she doesn't think her mother recognizes her. So, she has no idea if her mother is dying or not. Her father's cancer could come back at any time.

So now I know better than to waste time and energy being jealous and bitter.

Hilarity ensues!

2007-01-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid (and watching a lot of TV) it seems like all the sitcoms I watched cycled through the same storylines. And no, I'm not remembering the same sitcom. Like, I remember when several sitcoms had storylines about the kids having to get their tonsils out. I was 8 years old, the same age my mom was when she had her tonsils taken out, so I remember feeling very worried that it was a sign that mine would have to come out too. I didn't like ice cream then, and don't like Jell-O, so I was afraid I would have nothing to eat. I still have my tonsils, by the way.

Another storyline I seem to remember seeing frequently is of someone throwing their back out. That's always funny. Characters lying on the floor, or hanging in a doorway upside down in some weird torture-like device to correct whatever the problem was. You can't not have funny stuff happen in situations like that!

Until it happens to you. Or, in this case, me. I don't know what I did to my back since I was fine for most of the day until I got up from the couch to make dinner, and suddenly it was Neanderthal time. I can't walk upright. Yup, I hurt myself getting up from the couch, apparently. And now I'm hobbling around like a witch in a children's fairy tale. owie.

are lattes and mochas a good source of calcium?

2007-01-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

I am going to say yes. Since we got our fun new espresso machine last week, I have gone through a lot more milk. So I'm going to go ahead and say for the record that this new toy will not only pay for itself (in reduced trips to the snooty coffee shops out there in the world) but will also make El Fyd and I more healthy because of the increased intake of milk. So there!

cats + crochet

2007-01-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

Who had the brilliant idea that the Crazy Cat Lady also crochets? Where does this stereotype come from? Or maybe that's where the Crazy part actually comes in - not because a woman would have to be whacky to want cats in the first place, much less several of them (I know all you hatas out there are nodding emphatically in agreement), but because said woman enjoys having a cat or two while also indulging in an hobby that involves moving yarn quickly with long, enticing sticks.

No wonder she's nuts. Do you know how difficult it is to crochet with cats around? Especially kittens. If the yarn moving on the hook isn't appealing enough, it's the hook itself. Long, shiny, and moving? Score! And god forbid the skein or ball of yarn accidentally rolls on the floor - you'll never see that sucker again. And if you do, it will be a matted, pulled apart mess.

Even if the cats aren't the type to freak out over yarn, they are inevitably going to want to be in your lap, thereby preventing you from getting any work done. The particularly annoying cat will not want to be IN your lap, but will want to be rightupnexttoyou so you can't move your crochet hooking arm anyway. I'm one set of hair rollers and a wedding ring away from being *that* woman.

The foster kittens are totally feeling better, in case you couldn't tell.

huh?!

2007-01-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

Target doesn't have any coats anymore, save the few relegated to the clearance racks. No coats! It's January FIFTH! But, they have a complete selection of swimsuits and bikinis. aaaaallrighty then.

happy snooze year!

2007-01-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

Recently I found an old journal. The first entry is from January, 2003. It's barely full, so you can imagine how many entries there are. In fact, the only entries are perhaps a handful, each in January and February of the past three years. In case it's not obvious, I started this journal with the intention of being my "new year's resolution and goals" journal. So you can see how each of those year's resolutions worked out.

Actually, the resolutions I had 3 years ago, and every subsequent year, are the same ones I would have had this year (I like to call them The Big Three):

lose weight
get out of debt
figure out what I want to be when I grow up

Since those haven't changed in all this time, I'm thinking I should change my Big Three to One and make my resolution "learn stick-to-it-tiveness." cheese and rice.

Anyhoodles. I did decide to give myself some reasonable and attainable goals this year, to hopefully ensure some success:

stop biting my nails once and for all
read for pleasure for at least 30 minutes every day
continue teaching myself to bake

The first two are, so far, going well. Victory will be mine!

well, hello, Dolly!

2006-12-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

So this year El Fyd's company turned 100. In September they held the company picnic at the Oregon Zoo. Free admission, animal gawking, hot dogs and burgers - all good! There was also supposed to be a concert by Pink Martini. Apparently the concert was canceled due to an illness. So, Pink Martini offered the company an apology concert, which was tonight. And we got free tickets even though we hadn't planned on staying at the picnic to see the concert. :O

I'm not ashamed to admit I wasn't all that jazzed about it. But when we got there, we learned there was a special guest. CAROL CHANNING. Yeah, for reals. Seriously, if you haven't seen an 86-year-old performer shimmying and half-gyrating on stage, and shooting out the occasional sexual innuendo (including one about how the long jump used to be called the broad jump HEY-O!) , you haven't lived. She could not have been funnier. And at one point her fourth (according to IMDb) husband joined her for a little dance. Two 80-something cutie patootie old folks. Hilarious.

Oh, and Pink Martini was good too. :)

fa la la la la

2006-12-30T12:47:00.000-08:00

The holiday decorations have been taken down. The house now looks dull and boring. boofreakinghoo. :P

End of year tasks completed:

2006-12-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

Dropped off a car-full of stuff to Goodwill in time to get a receipt for write-off purposes before the end of the year.
Arranged (badly) flowers to bring to friend's for dinner tomorrow night. Would be so much easier if he just let me bring wine or make dessert.
Took recently-discovered-girl-kitty to the humane society to get stitches from her spaying out.
Made sure I have all the necessary ingredients for New Year's Day chili.

Things still on the to-do list:

Take down all holiday decorations. eep.

weblahg.

2006-12-28T22:37:00.000-08:00

Ho-hum, I'm sure you're all saying. All two of you who read my blog. :P I obviously haven't been keeping up with my blog very well, and for that, I apologize. I am determined to do better, but be careful what you wish for, people. My life just isn't that interesting. I am either going to have to go out in public more often and start conversations with strangers, or make stuff up. HAHA! You'll never know.

Also I'm going to backtrack a bit and update on some stuff that I've done recently. So check out the archives, yo! Thank you for your support.

"it can be hard to sex the kittens."

2006-12-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

says the humane society employee. *blink blink*

I asked them to include the sex of the foster animals on the forms we foster parents get, so I don't have to keep violating my foster kittens to try and figure it out. And it's a good thing I did, too - I learned that Red Collar is actually a female. For three weeks I've thought she was a he. Poor little gender-confused kitten.

Crabs and the Dead Sea.

2006-12-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

So, in June of 2002, The Mister and I were headed back to Portland from our honeymoon in Vancouver, BC. We stopped for the night in Seattle and met up with my parents and grandmother (Gram was flying back home out of Seattle so they had done some sight-seeing). We ended up at Ivar's for dinner. I was drawn to the pound of King crab legs. I had to have them. I ordered them. They would soon be mine.

It may be that I didn't look up from my plate of crab legs for the entire meal. When I finished, I mentally rejoined the rest of the table. My dear husband of one week looked a little shell-shocked. I guess he hadn't had the joy of experiencing the gluttony that is me + seafood. Oh well - he'd already bought the cow, so too late, sucker!

Fast forward to today. We took a little day trip to Seattle to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit but first hit Ivar's. There was a momentary panic when the pound of crab legs wasn't on the menu, but luckily we found it listed on the menu insert. Our server actually gave me a high-five when I ordered it. Victory! It was loverly.

Unfortunately the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit was sold out and we weren't able to wait around for the next available time slot. Oh well. A little disappointing. But seriously. A pound of crab legs.

p.s. an FYI for anyone visiting the Seattle Center - if you're not there on a weekend or during any other festival, be prepared to have difficulty finding an open bathroom. It seems the only public bathroom in the Center was closed "for vandalism." We traipsed around there for half an hour before finding a bathroom in the ice rink. So, if you're there and have to "go," go directly to the ice rink.

People really do win on MTV!

2006-12-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

I just won a DVD of "It's a Wonderful Life" from a local TV station! WOOT! I love this movie. For the past few years I've missed it's once-a-year airing on TV. For years it's been on my Amazon wish list and no one has gotten it for me. But now I'm going to own it! Of course I'm sure this means that it's already under my tree, but oh well! Yay! :)

said at jury duty:

2006-12-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

Smelly Potential Juror: "So when you say 'involved' in a motor vehicle accident, do you mean driving? or just involved?"

Chatty Lawyer Guy: "Uh, no you don't need to be the one driving."

SPJ: "Oh, then I've been in like 3 accidents when I was on my bike! It was back when I was drinking a lot."

*blink blink*
SPJ made at least 7 such comments. He and I and 28 other potential jurors sat through vois dire for two and a half hours. TWO AND A HALF HOURS. I wasn't picked. I'll give you one guess who was one of the ones who was picked. Yup.

Two things for those of you who show up for jury duty at the Multnomah County Courthouse downtown:

Dress warmly. I wore a t-shirt under my sweater and knee-high boots under my jeans and was still freezing, both in the jury room and in court.
Bring your laptop. The jury room has a free wireless connection.

Do Jump!

2006-12-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

What's that, you say? "Do Jump!"? Do Jump! is difficult to explain. It's part dance, part vaudeville, part acrobatics, part interpretive dance, part aerial majesty, part original music...yes, that's six parts. I may not know math, but I know what I like. And Do Jump! is gooood stuff. I've never seen Cirque de Soleil, but I imagine it's like that without the pretention. :O

Check them out if they're ever in your area!

My love/ate relationship with biscotti.

2006-12-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

I have made the following types of biscotti over the past two days:

almond
chocolate-dipped
cranberry pistachio
lemon poppy seed
almond with orange zest

Now ask me how many of them I've eaten. No, wait. Don't. I will just say to those of you expecting holiday treats from me this year: You're welcome. :)

Newest batch of foster kittens!

2006-12-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

In my basement! sooooo cute. Right now they're like one big cat with three heads as this is how they spend 95% of their time since being here Tuesday:

They are very stuffed up with URIs. I gave them sponge baths today. That's a challenge. :P

Mark my words - cute as they are, none of these will be staying in the Zoo House! Mark them!

doody.

2006-12-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Jury duty. I recently got called to serve jury duty for the THIRD time in 5 years. Twice for the county, once for the Feds. And actually, my summons for the Feds from this past summer was postponed so I have that to look forward to next spring. Cheese and rice.

I know, I know - it's an honor. It's my civic duty. I should be proud to live in a country where this system is in place. yada yada yada. And I am proud and will go without dragging my feet. But again, I say cheese and rice. I can't imagine anyone standing trial - especially anyone innocent - wanting someone as apathetic as me serving on their jury.

And! In all the time I have known my husband he has NEVER been called for jury duty. How is that fair?

*glass half full*glass half full* At least I get paid. wooo!

cheese and rice.

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2006-11-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

I woke up to find Portland had been snowed on! wheeeee! This is, of course, only exciting because I didn't have to leave the house at 8am like my dear husband. It's very pretty out there but I'm glad it's not worse out because I have a ton of errands to run today, and as anyone who has lived in Portland or a similar part of the country knows, we are not equipped to handle inclement weather. We rarely get snow, so when we do, the city almost shuts down. Also driving is scary, mainly because the majority of the roads do not get plowed, and people native to this area have no idea how to drive in snow. Fun times! Luckily, we live within walking distance of a grocery store and can get away without driving if we ever need to. The cats are almost out of food, but hey, they could stand to lose a few ounces (or pounds). :P

Christmas exploded on my house.

2006-11-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

Growing up, my mom was on a strict holiday decoration schedule. The day after Thanksgiving, the tree went up. Sometime over Thanksgiving weekend, we would have the annual tree decorating arguments, including, but not limited to: Mom reminding Dad that the lights go on first and Dad reminding Mom that he KNEW that, and my sister reminding me that small ornaments go near the top and larger ones at the bottom.

I decorate on a smaller scale in our house, but I do decorate as I love this time of year. On Saturday I woke up feeling ambitious and did the following:

organized/decluttered/tidied up the desk/office area to make room for xmas present storage
decorated the plain bags I bought so that they are now holiday/winter bags suitable for gift-giving
put up the tree with ribbon, lights, and ornaments
wrapped the presents I've gotten for El Fyd
put up the wreath and stockings

Yay! As a related sidebar, each pet has their own stocking. This is a cute notion when you have a couple of pets. When you have 7 pets like we do, it's just kind of embarrassing and overkill.

Also. It only took 24 hours but the new kitten in the house has already tried to take over the tree. So far nothing has been destroyed, but there has been evidence (dissheveled ornaments) of Sir Claudius's discovery of the new big shiny thing in the living room. Cats!

gobble gobble!

2006-11-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving! A day full of eats! And over-eating! And napping! Oh joyous day of eating. Our plans to leave town changed a few weeks back, so it was just the two of us for the big eat-fest. El Fyd is not a fan of the turkey, so I made lamb. That's no baaaaaah-loney.

I also did a heckuva lot of baking: almond biscotti dipped in chocolate, lemon bundt cake with lemon cream cheese frosting sprinkled with raspberries, and two pumpkin pies. Luckily our neighbors came over for dessert and wine after dinner. There was still a plethora of sweets left over. But, at least the presentation was pretty. And sometimes I like to take pictures of my food!

After the neighbors left I set out to do the loathesome task of loading the dishwasher and discovered a pool of standing greasy water at the bottom of the dishwasher and a clogged garbage disposal. *insert crying face* We didn't want to deal with it at 10pm, so we left it (and the pile of dirty dishes in the sink) for the next day. By the next day, the entire kitchen reaked of grease. *gag* Luckily my husband is wicked smaht and fixed it all up. Yay! Thanksgiving drama averted!

Now bring on the Christmas carols!

The List.

2006-11-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

I like to fancy myself a good organizer, but in reality, I just love a good list. There is something so pleasing about writing every "to do" out. Then prioritizing everything on the list. Then re-writing The List so that the most pressing items are at the top. Then color-coding The List, or figuring out which days will be spent doing which tasks. Perhaps making an excel spreadsheet for The List.

And let's not forget putting the most obvious tasks on The List - things I do every day that are as much habit as putting on my glasses. These things are imperative to The List, because at least this way I for sure get to cross something off. And crossing things off The List is 90% the fun of making The List. Of course, even for the items that don't get done on the day they should, I can put a fun little arrow on The List, indicating that I plan to get it done tomorrow.

This is why I can't get behind the electronic gadgets meant to help you get organized - I need a physical planner. I need to write it all down myself rather than typing it. I need to be able to flip to the back to look at the calendar. I need the weight of the pen in my hand so I can tap the (hopefully capped) end to my lips as I consider my next "to do." I need to grasp the corners of the pages in my fingers and have the ability to go back in time to check on the last time I [insert particular task here].

Ultimately, I am a good organizer. Good at organizing The List, anyway. Usually by the time I'm happy with The List, enough time has passed that I'm now too lazy to actually get anything done. :P

Who's here?

2006-11-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

Word on the street is my blog isn't being updated often enough for some people! Maryn, this is for you. :P

Things I have been up to:
* Made biscotti for the first time. This may have been a mistake. Biscotti = YUM.

* Purchased 25 lbs of flour at Costco in preparation for holiday baking. This may have been optimistic.

* Been busy planning for my DIY holiday gifts. This morning I attempted a paper snowflake. FYI, I suck at those.

* I bathed both dogs today. That's approximately 180 lbs of dog. I wonder how many calories that burned.

I deserve a good neighbor award.

2006-11-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I mistakenly left the bathroom door open whilst The Mister was showering, the steam from which triggers the heat sensor connected to the alarm company. Of course! The alarm goes off. Brilliant. I thought I turned it off in enough time and of course went back upstairs. Where I can't hear anyone knocking on the door. It wasn't until the dogs' barking notified me that someone was at the door. I wasn't going to answer until I noticed the flashing lights from the street in front of the house. Yeah, it was a fire truck. I opened the door and immediately four fire fighters popped up from random places around my house, all with their walkie-talkies or whatever the technical term is. That's not embarrassing at all. :|

However, I discovered later that our neighbors gave them their set of keys to our house in case we weren't home and they thoroughly enjoyed Hot Fire Fighter Saturday. At least my embarrassment is worthwhile to someone.

Sometimes

2006-11-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

I think Vinnie will run over to a window and bark at something on the street that isn't really there, only because he knows that Boris will immediately run over to the window and bark as well, thus giving Vinnie the opportunity to run over and sit in whatever spot Boris just left.

Cozy Yarns has a new home!

2006-10-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

My web site is finally up! :)

click here to go to Cozy Yarns

so my best friend of 12 years recently visited.

2006-10-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

And it was basically a lesson in how much we've aged. :P Years ago when I first moved to Portland and he would visit, almost every night was spent drinking and dancing. Since I've become an old married lady our visits have morphed into going out to nice dinners. This last time we decided to kick it up a notch (BAM!) and spent the first two nights out and drinking. The third night we had people over and, yes, drank. Sunday we rested.

Between all the alcohol and the junk food (we also went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory on Monday and got all kinds of ice cream, cheese curds, jerky, fudge), by the time he left we were both ready for some serious detox. Who says you don't need alcohol to have fun??? ;)

the most dramatic day of the month

2006-10-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

is the day we give the dogs their dose of Advantage. Boris is a sensitive sally when it comes to this stuff. In fact, even when we don't say any of the following words:

flea
Advantage
flea stuff
shh, get the dogs

he knows what's about to happen and will try to run away. It's like the crazy mind-reading crap that happens when he knows I'm about to give them a bath. So, El Fyd and I assume the position and wrangle the dog with the down-ears and tucked-under tail and give him his medicine.

Then, the rest of the evening is filled with Boris ducking from room to room and giving us sullen looks. For the entire evening. And then half the night while we're trying to sleep there's the whining. Ahhh, Boris.

things I forgot about having a kitten:

2006-09-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

I now find things like belts all over the house, no matter how well I think I've kept them up too high.
Anything moving somewhat quickly (even feet when walking) is enough to drive him into a frenzy and attack.
No matter how many times he gets scared of the dogs, he still keeps coming back for more.
No matter where he is when he gets scared of said dogs, he will run OVER me (claws extended, naturally) to get away.
Kittens can apparently levitate up five feet if their food dish is up there. Even if they didn't see you put it there.
Fishing garbage like used tissues out of the trash can is fun!
Crocheting + Kittens = snags
Kittens move fast. And often run right under your feet for some reason.
They don't appreciate knock knock jokes.
Kittens will continue to run outside regardless of how many times dogs show up and spook them as soon as they get outside.

The last day of my 33rd year.

2006-09-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

Which is a shame, really, because 33 is such a nice number. And apparently now I'm basically middle aged. *gasp* Well, I won't clutch the pearls yet. Aside from a few more aches and pains, the inability to stay up past midnight compared to a decade ago when I thought it was a shame that bars only stayed open until 2am, and the shock I feel whenever I see what "the kids" are wearing, I still feel like I'm in my 20s. That's probably helped by the fact that I still don't know what the hell I want to be when I grow up. But, at least it's better than being a character on the Simpsons who never age and have to wear the same outfit every day. Happy birthday to me!

the latest crochet creations

2006-09-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about these custom projects!

toddler fall sweater:

baby blanket:

it's an even madder zoo house

2006-09-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it's the humans who are mad. Over a month ago I shared that we had foster kittens in our basement. After two courses of meds for their colds, they finally got better and were able to be put up for adoption. Well, we kept one of them.

His name was Teddy but he is now Claudius or Fluffer McFlufferton at the mad zoo house.

I am also happy to report that his little foster brother and sister were also adopted, one by a friend of a friend, so we'll get to "see" him grow up! Which is good because they were very close.

Sir Claudius is settling into the house and all the other animals quite well. He is really taken to Moe, which is adorable. The girls aren't crazy about him, but who are we kidding? They aren't crazy about anyone. Claud just needs to learn to ignore the dogs instead of the whole back-arching, ear-flattening, hissing thing. As it stands how he does a lot of dashing away when he sees them, which of course just means that they see him as a challenge. :P Overall, he's pretty relaxed:

so, I used to have this friend

2006-09-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends, really. We were friends for years, starting back in Iowa City when we both worked at a menial data entry job. We both ended up in Portland years later. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding. At that point I was her oldest friend, having let other long-lasting friendships fall by the wayside (talk about a red flag). It's probably close to 4 years since we've spoken. She got cancer and at the time I let that be her excuse for pulling away. But since then I've had to accept that she seemed to have plenty of time and energy for other friends in her life. I've tried to apply a meditative view that friendships evolve and change over time, and that's fine for the most part. But there are still times that the way she handled things really hurt. She's in Tucson now, moved there without saying goodbye to me, then acted appalled when I shared how much that hurt me. Thanks to the magic of google, I know she and her boyfriend/fiance/maybe husband for all I know own a dog daycare and he is in a new band called Quincy.

Back in the day in Iowa City, she desperately wanted me to see the movie Breaking the Waves. It's supposedly a beautiful movie. I didn't have premium cable at the time so I asked her to tape it for me (for you youngsters, this was before the time of Tivo). The first time, she screwed up the timer. The second time, we think her dog stepped on the remote and screwed up the timer. And so on. It became an exercise in hilarity. Finally I just rented the damn thing. Wouldn't you know it the video store copy (yes, kids, also before DVDs) was snowy and fuzzy and basically ruined.

Now, thanks to the wonder that is Netflix I finally took it upon myself to see the movie. Guess what, I couldn't do it. I got perhaps 15 minutes in. I guess my former friend has ruined for me what is supposed to be a wonderful movie. But, maybe if one of you hasn't heard of it and now sees it and enjoys it, maybe that's enough of a pay it forward.

Don't I seem well-traveled?

2006-08-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Until you look at this:

create your own visited countries map

Reply with your map!

it's a mad crochet zoo!

2006-08-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Watch out, carpal tunnel! I have been whipping up animals like crazy. For sale here.

Kandinsky Crochet.

2006-08-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

A friend ordered an afghan and asked me to use this as my inspiration:

The result?

I hope she likes it! :)

Return of the Mac!

2006-08-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Didja miss me? My Mac was MIA for almost a week. Very sad. Even sadder that the Apple people couldn't fix it. Jerks.

Things that have happened - weather has cooled, dogs and cats have become cuter (if possible), foster kitties' colds seem to be improving as evidenced by their tearing about the place at lightning speed, I've still been crocheting. Stay tuned!

then and now and before and after

2006-07-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

the "senior" cats of the household:
Medea, fall 1995

2002 (chubbily 14-15 pounds!)

now (a svelte 9.7 lbs!)

Pandora
spring 1996

2002 (chunky 11-12 pounds)

now (also a skinny minny at 9 lbs!)

Kittens in my basement.

2006-07-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

I'm fostering three kittens for the humane society. They all have URIs (Upper Respiratory Infections) and are congested, sneezy messes. But they are oh so cute.

turquoise crochet is the new black

2006-07-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

Latest projects on sale in my Etsy store:
baby blanket

baby sweater

fattitude

2006-07-24T15:10:00.000-07:00

Check out this fatty! And on the dog's bed, no less! This is Asparagus. Also known as Gus, Gustifer, Mr. Gustavson, Augustus Gloop, and the like. He was adopted the same day as Moe and although they hadn't met before that day, they have become fast friends.

Gus is about as laid-back as a cat can get, which is great in a house full of 3 other cats (two of which are persnikkedy females - more on them later) and 2 large dogs. He occasionally will hang out on the steps, and when one of us walks downstairs, instead of running away, he does things like this:

which is adorable but often causes us to maneuver quickly rather than step on fat and furry kitty belly.

Wicked heatwave.

2006-07-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

I feel like frickin Elphaba. I'm melting. Melting! It's been in the triple digits for a few days now here in the "temperate" (coughbullshitcough) Pacific Northwest. I've been holed up in our finished basement with one or two fans blowing directly on me at all times. Whenever I have to move, it immediately feels like I'm in a sauna and I become a whiny pisspot. :P

Forget about keeping up the house. It took me three days to finish all the laundry - much of it was sitting around unfolded in laundry baskets for a day or two. It's about all I can do to unload and load the dishwasher before I start to feel the vapors and have to sit down in front of a fan. And what is it about heatwaves that make animals want to be RIGHT UP NEXT TO YOU at all times? Too much fur in my house.

Movies I have watched in said basement:

You've Got Mail. Yes, again. So? I think it was the first time I'd actually seen it from the beginning and all the way through without interruption. I'd never seen the part where Tom Hanks is in his father's office and asks what kind of fabric the couch is covered with and Dabney Coleman says "Money." Maybe it's the heat, but it made me chuckle. I had also never noticed that Meg Ryan walks so funny before.

My Life Without Me. Loved it. Loved it! To read the synopsis (a 23-year-old mom of 2 with a slacker husband finding out she has a terminal illness) you'd think it would be totally depressing, but if anything, and at the risk of sounding totally cheesy, I found it life-affirming.

In Good Company. What you would expect. But worth it despite the over-exposed Scarlet Johanssen (is there a movie in the last few years that she ISN'T in?). Dennis Quaid is hot. Enough said.

Lady in the Water. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would (we basically just wanted to enjoy being in air-conditioning for a few hours). Normally I'm not a fan of M. Night Shamalamadingdong's movies, but I think that's due to the fact that they're typically marketed as horror/thrillers when really they're about something else, so I always ended up pissed off. Or, I just love Paul Giamatti.

Amelie. Sometimes I think people say they "loved" foreign films because they think they're supposed to. Or, because they think if they don't really get it or follow it, it must mean that it's good. Kind of like how I feel walking through art museums at times. :P I felt like I was watching this movie for 4 hours. I know it wasn't that long. But it felt like it. Maybe I was feeling too hot and sleepy to keep up with the subtitles. Maybe that makes me a stupid American. Maybe I can accept that. I did enjoy it, otherwise I wouldn't have finished it (see my Netflix rating of "You and Me and Everyone We Know"). I thought it was very sweet. And about 45 minutes too long. :O

In the few sporadic moments over the weekend that I had some clarity, I tried to brainstorm how to afford installing central air before next summer. Stay tuned.

turtle crochet

2006-07-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

This little guy is so cute. I am this close to keeping him for myself. :P

Croquet and Tubbs

2006-07-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

So last night we had friends over for drinks, munchies and croquet. It was our first time using these wicket lights that my mother-in-law gave us. Between that and our solar yard lights, our backyard looked like a plane could land in it. But, at least we could play croquet after dark! Of course, we didn't think about needing some kind of light for the ball. Oh well.

Oh, and Tubbs? Yeah, that would be me. Bread, cheese, wine. Lather, rinse, repeat. Fatty signing off here. :P

How boring am I? Yeah, pretty dull.

2006-07-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

I've seen this on several blogs lately and what can I say except that I'm a lemming.*

What you do is copy the list and bold the ones you've done.
- How boring are you? -

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life

* Yes, I realize lemmings don't really jump off cliffs.

eleven-month-deck

2006-07-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

We finally have a deck! Please note: many pictures to follow. Please also note: we did not build this deck ourselves (we are definitely not that handy). It was built by friends of friends which = awesome deal and long timeline. :P

Join me in the journey:

August 2005

September 2005

October 2005 - we finally have a deck that goes all the way to the back steps!

March 2006 - steps! we have steps!

June 2006 - after El Fyd power-washed the deck, and I stained it (which is an annoying job), as well as my meager attempt at plants (lilacs on the south side and New Zealand flax on the north) on the diagonal portions so that guests don't assume there is a step, hurt themselves, and become litigious. ;)

I'll update this after we maybe have a shmancy new grill and there is less crap on the deck. Until then, our deck and new patio set make it a lovely place to hang out.

another successful pet adoption!

2006-07-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

Blue Dog now has a home. He is being sent out today to New Mexico. I hope he doesn't overheat.

And now you can all see what kind of printer I have. Note to self: create staging area.

the great cheese grater - it's grate-arific!

2006-07-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

Is it weird that this was one of my favorite presents from last Chrismakuhwanza? I don't care. It's awesome.

crochet news

2006-07-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

Despite the insane heat and no central air (though the "installing central air" talks have been happening at the Zoo House), I have been crocheting. I just finished two projects:

This is a 35x35-inch baby blanket in pale yellow and a fun bright pink.

A bright blue baby sweater made of 100% cotton - size: 6 months.

I'm trying my hand at selling on ebay, so we'll see if I get any bites there. (ahem, tell your friends!)

In other happy crochet news, someone gave this guy a happy home with her grandson. Exciting!

see food clowder

2006-07-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

The only time we get all four cats in close proximity/the same room or anywhere near downstairs (aka the dogs' territory) is when it's dinner time.

There are no bad dogs.

2006-06-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

But dog owners? Uh, yeah. The pups and I met a friend and her new dog at a dog park and had the pleasure of meeting two 7-month-old Boxers. Cute little dogs. The male was, um, intense though. As the owner of Intense Boris, I feel pretty confident in describing Charlie The Boxer this way. He fixated on my friend's dog right away, and there was a stressful few minutes while Charlie's owner tried to get a hold of him to get him back on leash. Okay, disaster averted.

Until less than ten minutes later when a new dog and his person came into the park and the Boxers start the same greeting - barking and dominating the new dog until the new pup starting baring his teeth and snapping. Where was the Boxers' owner? Oh, he was outside of the fenced-in dog area pushing his daughters on the swings. He finally came in and after a few minutes got the dogs back on their leashes.

I hoped at this point that he would either take the dogs out of the park. But oh no. Those of us in the area during this last altercation had all left, but I was still in my car getting the pups water and a treat when I heard a lot of barking, and guess what? Charlie and Lucy, the Boxers, were "greeting" the newest arrival at the dog park, and again the owner was trying to get his dog under control. Cheese and rice.

As I mentioned, I have an intense dog. Luckily, 99% of the time his intensity is focused on the trees in the hopes of one day getting his paws on that elusive squirrel. The few times he's been intense (read: aggressive) with other dogs, I get him out of there ASAP. No second chances. It's not worth the risk. And I certainly don't leave the dogs behind and leave the fenced-in area. Tool.

However, my dogs are now exhausted and happy. And my friend's dog is freaking adorable. So overall a good morning!

Cattitude.

2006-06-25T22:55:00.000-07:00

Remember Psycho Kitty Moe?

"Bitch, where's my dinner?!"

(it's a good thing my mom doesn't read my blog)

I still crochet!

2006-06-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

I got a request for a brightly colored monkey. So, I give you, Mardi Gras Monkey.

Mardi Gras Monkey doesn't appreciate the heatwave either.

Cirque de Sorbet

2006-06-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

We're having a heatwave in the good ole Pacific Northwest. Ack. When I first moved here 8 (EIGHT? Yikes, when did that happen?!) years ago, there was maybe maybe a week in August where it was in the 90s every day. Not so much anymore. Now the high temps seem to come earlier and earlier. It's supposed to hit at least 100 today and tomorrow, before tapering off to the 80s on Wednesday. :(

My remedy? Staying inside and eating sorbet. I got this ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid mixer for my birthday last year and have been enjoying the fruits (ba dum bum CHING!) of its labor, namely fruit sorbet, for a while now. The recipe is awesome in its simplicity:

▪ 1 cup cold water
▪ 1 cup sugar
▪ ⅛ teaspoon salt
▪ 2-3 cup fruit, fresh or frozen
▪ juice of 1 small lemon or lime

In medium bowl, combine water, sugar and salt. Mix well to dissolve sugar; set aside.

Place fruit in food processor work bowl with multipurpose blade; add lime/lemon juice and process until smooth. Add sugar mixture; process until blended.

Assemble and engage freeze bowl, dasher, and drive-body interface. Turn to Stir Speed 1. Using container with spout, pour mixture into freeze bowl. Continue on Stir Speed 1 for 15-20 minutes or until desired consistency.

Immediately transfer sorbet into serving dishes, or freeze in airtight container.

I made one batch using mango, pineapple, papaya and passionfruit, and the other using blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I am addicted.

Welcome to Portland. Now get on your bike.

2006-06-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

Says a sticker at our favorite local bike store, The Bike Gallery. Recently I decided, in an attempt to save on gas for the car as well as an attempt to get into better shape, to use my bike as a means of transportation instead of just for pleasure. The Bike Gallery was nice enough to help trick out my bike with a rack to hold panniers and I was good to go.

The first time I set out to use my new 'grocery bags' my list included, but was not limited to, the following:

5 lb bag sugar
bottle of wine
~40 oz jar (not plastic, of course) applesauce
3 bags pre-cut salad mix
and a few other odds and ends. Did I mention I live at the end of a looooong hill? Quite adventurous. I made it home, and rewarded myself with some of that wine later.

Cut to now, a few weeks later, and according to my calculations (though I was told there would be no math) I have put over 40 miles on my bike in six days! I've been on my bike almost every day this week, gotten a nice tan on my arms (my legs are still pasty white, unfortunately), and have been getting the best sleep of my life. Go me! :D

Don't let anyone tell you sports isn't funny.

2006-06-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

Mr. Zoo House and I went to Seattle last Sunday to see the Giants play the Mariners. Now, I've been to my share of games at the ballyard (though I just learned that day that apparently another word for it is, in fact, "ballyard"), but in typical Candace fashion any new knowledge coming from the sports arena leaves my brain almost as quickly as it enters, so each game is usually like my very first game.

Anyhoo, while we were maneuvering our way past all the concession stands and other vendors hawking (is it "hawking"?) their wares ("Stop here for your complimentary gift! That means it's free!" Uh, thanks for explaining, Bubba.), I noticed a Chinese food stand and immediately felt embarrassed for them as they had obviously misspelled the name of their little mini-restaurant. It was called "Intentional Wok." It wasn't until I said the name out loud to El Fyd to point out how much smarter I was than the owners that I realized it wasn't supposed to be "International Wok." Oh no. It was intentional all right.

I suppose my embarrassment was fitting considering we were two of about 11 fans in the stadium/ballyard who applauded Barry Bonds rather than booing him.

When's the last time you got 100% on a test?

2006-06-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

Because I did today! Unfortunately, it was one of those skin prick tests for allergies. I only did the first half today and I reacted to every single one. Grass and mold are the main irritants, but cat and dog dander is also an issue. Fun times for the Zoo House. :(

And what did I do after learning this? Go outside and work in the yard. Why? Because my dander-filled dogs keep digging up my new plants that I put up to border our deck. So, I started Operation No Diggidy Dog and nailed some protective fencing to the deck so that they would stop digging huge holes big enough for them to crawl under the deck.

Now I'm tired and my right arm looks like I have hives.

Red velvet cake = yumminess.

2006-06-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

So our neighbor came over the other day to borrow an item of irrelevance, and as a thank-you, he brought over red velvet cake. YUM. Keith, if you're reading this, thank you again.

Today when we got home from a hellatious bike ride, we noticed both of the neighbor dogs resting on their porch. Unable to resist such cuteness, I barged on over and proceeded to receive puppy kisses and, of course, get them ten kinds of riled up.

Is this what the jerkoff neighbor does after being gifted the yumminess that is cake? Get the neighbor's dogs all wound up? Yeah. I'm that jerk. I now need to bake something for the neighbors. Keith, if you're reading this, my bad. Sorry!

Kinky Boots!

2006-06-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

See it!

http://www.vaudecast.com/academypodcast/kinkybootsPPF.mov

My former work husband and I went to see this last night. Then we went to a neighborhood dive that I was previously too scared to go into. It's called Sassy Jack's and there is a sign on the door that says "Beware Pickpockets and Loose Women." Apparently Mondays are "men's night" at Sassy Jack's. Well, unless, as indicated by a post-it next to the "Mondays are Men's Night" sign, you are Jeff R. Then you are not welcome.

Father's Day is coming.

2006-06-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

You know, in case you haven't been bombarded with ads for Father's Day sales several times a day like I have. This will be my second Father's Day since my dad died, and for some reason it seems more difficult than last year. Maybe last year I was still in some kind of shock and/or denial, and now I've moved on to the more interactive middle stages of grief. Fun.

It's been 20 months since my dad died. Normally "20 months" or "over a year and a half" seems like such a long time to me - like if you're planning a wedding, talking about how old a baby/toddler is, looking forward to a future vacation. But the 20 months since my dad has been gone feels like minutes. Maybe it always will. Maybe I'll always regret not getting home sooner once we knew he was terminal. Being told that you have a limited amount of time left with a loved one is a horrible, heartbreaking gift, but it's a gift nonetheless, and one I didn't take advantage of.

Here's part of the eulogy my brother wrote:

Dennis Aguiar
March 1, 1938 - October 11, 2004

My father grew up in the sparse and humble world of the sugar plantations of Papaikou. He didn’t have a college degree – in fact, he didn’t take classes until much later in life, yet he was the smartest man I ever knew. He was more intelligent and much wiser than my professors in graduate school. I read books; he lived life.

In my view, my father was a great man, but Hilo will never erect any monuments to him. No ballparks; no public buildings; no highways will bear his name, though he worked to build monuments to others, played sports with a vengeance, constructed buildings, and helped to develop this community.

In many senses of the word, Dad was a gardener. He enjoyed growing things. He grew three children and we are now each firmly established in our communities, married, and homeowners. He made sure my sisters and I learned the important values of work, honesty, and self-sufficiency. He encouraged us and provided tremendous support for our education. He made sure each of us got a college education and the “piece of paper” to prove it.

He grew relationships with his family. He is survived by his only sibling, our Uncle Ronnie, who has been a very important part of our family. Dad was also adopted into my mother’s family. The Perreiras truly treated him as a member of the family. My grandmother saw him as her third son. My mother’s brothers were among his best friends.

He grew great employees by developing their skills. He delegated tasks to them as their talents dictated and trusted them to do their best. We should all be so fortunate to have one boss in our lives like my father.

He grew friends by the bushelful, especially his golfing buddies. As far back as I can remember, my father saved Thursday afternoons for gold. Although his retirement years were cut short, he relished those extra days on the course and especially the 19th hole with his friends.

Dad also grew a community: Hilo. No, not by himself. He intuitively understood that to make your hometown a better place, you had to start with good soil, water, and sunshine. That is, you need strong values, a few key resources, and room to grow.

My father – like so many others – are the unsung heroes of American society. He did his duty in the U.S. Navy and grew deep, durable roots in his community. He was civically engaged in a plethora of public affairs that helped to make Hilo a stronger community.

He was a member of the Hilo Jaycees, chairing the County Fair when it was the highlight of community events. He was a charter member of the Big Island Portuguese Chamber of Commerce; a truer expression of community involvement cannot be found. Dad was also a Kiwanis and a Forester, whose members trusted him to lead them. He served his government in a variety of capacities when called. Dad worked to preserve the tradition of a rural school, Kalanianaole, his elementary school.

He did these things because they were the right things to do and he loved doing them. In all these things, he made all of us better people, who live in a better community because he worked to make it so.

Throughout the years, he had one constant in his life: our mother, his wife and love of 43 years. She is the solid rock who did all the “little things” – like feeding and ferrying us kids while running a successful business – that gave him time and the freedom to be active in community affairs. Our mother, who lovingly and patiently cared for him throughout his illness, never complained and was always cheerful.

My father understood what it meant to be a good citizen. He knew it meant much more than obeying the laws of the land, paying your taxes, and voting. He enjoyed – reveled in – getting involved in community affairs to make Hilo a better place.

Dad will never be gone. One hundred years from now, visitors to Hilo may spend weeks in town and see no outward sign of Dennis Aguiar. Yet if they probe deeply and ask around, his spirit will remain forever. It will be in the hearts of people who are better off because he grew the most beautiful plants: community, friends, and family.

No, he will never be gone, because he resides here in my heart and all of yours. His grandchildren will remember him as an old man, but we will teach them that he worked for many things that we all value: honesty, dignity, trust, dependability, responsibility, honor, work, family, country, and community.

My father knew how to savor the simple pleasures in life: hitting the sweet spot on a golf ball and watching it sail in a perfect arc to the hole; the crisp bite of a good scotch with a little water; watching his grandsons score a goal in soccer or hit their first homerun; the joy of getting up early on a Sunday morning to watch the Packers play; the thrill of helping a young couple finance their first home; and coming home to be with Mom.

We meet here at this time and this place not to mourn a life expired, but to celebrate a life well-lived. My father enjoyed simple comforts, but I think his example serves as a challenge to all of us, not to examine our lives with regret and sorrow, but to live life fully, to take a big bite out of life’s apple and relish its tart juiciness.

The family joke was if one of us kids missed our mom or dad's birthday, their anniversary, any of the Hallmark holidays, Dad would say "ah, you're outta the will!" Just so you know I haven't forgotten Father's Day, Dad. I love you.

Two product recommendations if you have dogs.

2006-06-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

1. The Zoom Groom For Dogs brush made by the Kong Company.

2. The ONE SWEEP BROOM.

Trust me, people. Buy them. :)

Banana Bread Victory

2006-06-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

While I am a pretty good cook ifIdosaysomyself, I have not had the best luck with baking. I've been trying to work on that, and my latest project has been banana bread. I've gone through a few recipes, morphed some, combined aspects of some, tweaked a bit, and am finally happy with the result.

Those that know me well know of my various food issues - most of which involve texture. For me the joy of banana bread is in the subtlety of banana flavor, and I struggled to find the fine line between not enough banana-ness and the too-much-banana-mushiness akin to pudding. (I loathe pudding. I don't even like to say the word. *shudder*)

So you may want to add a third banana to this recipe. And you may want to add nuts. I personally believe that nuts should not sully the beauty that is banana bread (or brownies, but that's a different post, I guess), but that is your option. For what it's worth, I'm also the Crazy that grew up in Hawaii but doesn't go nuts over pineapple and coconut, and I like my peanuts boiled not roasted, so you can take my advice with a grain of kosher salt.

Banana Bread

2/3 cup sugar
¼ c butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
approximately 2 medium bananas
¼ cup water or milk
1 ½ c flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla

Optional additions:

½ c chopped nuts

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf or muffin pans with vegetable oil cooking spray. Beat the sugar and butter or margarine in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, bananas, vanilla, and water or milk. Beat on low speed until well blended.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir into the banana mixture until moistened. Pour and scrape into the loaf pan.

Bake the 8-inch loaf for 60 minutes, the 9-inch for 45-50 minutes, a small loaf pan(s) for 30-40 minutes, muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool five minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan. Remove from pan and cool completely on a rack before slicing.

all hail the wifi cafe

2006-06-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Our internet service has been down FOR. EVER. Or, since Saturday morning. I always forget how much I use the internet. Need a recipe? allrecipes.com. Need to figure out how to not kill my orchid? google.com. Want to find a contact number for my internet provider? comcast.com. Oops, can't contact my internet provider because I can't get online. And of course I can't look up the number on my Comcast bill, because I get my bills - you guessed it - via e-mail. I also don't even know if we have a phone book in the house because I use the internet to look up numbers. That, my friends, is how they get you.

However, we are grateful for the wifi coffee house down the street. Thank you BiPartisan Cafe!

Because everything was beautiful at the ballet...hey.

2006-06-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

A friend and I went to see Swan Lake the other night. Our husbands, shockingly, did not want to come. Actually, they both, independent of each other, when they found out that we wanted to go, said "You guys have fun." I haven't seen a ballet since the Nutcracker in 1990 or 1991. I really enjoyed it, and despite what my friend Stacie thinks, it is NOT about a guy "wanting to do it with a swan." The dancers were amazing, and the set was beautiful.

Of course, because our seats were in the second row, the main thing I came away with was that those tights on the guys leave nothing to the imagination.

Psycho Kitty

2006-06-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that since my first post I have left my readers (all two of you) hanging by mentioning that two of our pets are of the psycho variety, and then like a bad tv-series, I only described one of them before apparently taking a brief summer hiatus.

Let me introduce you to Psycho Kitty Moe. Moe is short for Molasses. Molasses got his name because he was adopted at the same time as Gus, short for Asparagus. Asparagus was named after a cat The Fyd had as a child. And since my pet names have to "match" (my first three cats were Hamlet, Medea and Pandora, for the record) I knew we needed another food-ish name for Moe. So Molasses he became. Even though, as my mother kindly pointed out, molasses is actually brown, not black like Psycho Kitty.

Moe is one of those cats that can open doors. He can open kitchen cabinets. He has mastered opening the kitchen cabinet that has a child-proof (aha, but not Moe-proof) lock on it. He opens drawers. But not just any doors or cabinets or drawers! Oh, no. He only opens the door to the closet in the den where we keep his feather-and-bell-on-a-stick toy. He also only opens the kitchen cabinet which was the former home of the aforementioned toy. He only opens drawers that house the rubberbands (that I occasionally find all over the house when I wake up in the morning) - even when I move the rubberbands to another drawer. Unless, of course, he opens other drawers as well but then is kind enough to close them after realizing the rubberbands are not in there.

Moe is the feline version of Boris. It's rare to see such intensity in a cat, I think. He will sit in front of the closet door or kitchen cabinet where he knows his toy once was and stare intently at it for hours. Like Boris, his body almost hums from the unspent energy. I've decided that his talents are wasted with us. He should be sold to the Circus. Or perhaps the Red Cross - with his dexterity he could likely learn to take blood pressure or maybe even draw blood. At the very least, maybe he could earn his living with us by being a sort of helper monkey for someone bound to a wheelchair or whatnot. If, of course, the wheelchair-bound only needed cat toys and rubberbands.

Also like Boris, when Moe does decide to sleep, he does so with the same level of intensity. Just yesterday I went upstairs and found Moe and Gus asleep on our bed - they were each on their sides, fat bellies facing each other, all 8 paws tangled up in the middle and heads tucked down. The two of them made the form of a heart. *swoon* Massive cuteness. All is forgiven, little Psycho Moe.

D-Day Plus One!

2006-06-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Or, my anniversary! Yes, four years ago today I was a wound-up stressball getting aggravated by having to answer simple questions and just wanting to get the ceremony going so my man could get on his way to buying the cow. Happily the day is a great memory, and every year on this date we return to the hotel where we got married, have our picture taken in front of the lobby fireplace, then have dinner in the hotel restaurant. Last year was the first year they seemed to make note of the occasion and gave us a complimentary cake - coincidentally with a sugar calla lily on it, the flowers that I carried on our wedding day. This year we also got a chocolate cake with fresh berries on it. YUM CAKE! Oh, I mean, happy anniversary El Fyd!

Where my training wheels come off

2006-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

So until a few years ago, the last time I had been on a bicycle was when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old - I remember riding around my neighborhood listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller on my walkman.

Then, we got a dog. A hyper, intense, spazz-dog (as mentioned in prior posts). Our trainer suggested bicycling with him and recommended items like WalkyDog bicycle attachments. It attaches to the dog's harness so the rider doesn't need to hang on to the leash. He tolerated it, but mainly he just likes to wander, pull, sniff and pee, so the walks are really more his style.

We took a brief hiatus from biking, but recently we started up again sans pooches - mainly just on the bike path near our house, which is often traversed by some hard-core cyclists complete with the gear, matching outfits, racing poses, etc.

Well, today I took my first "real" bike ride in the city, by myself even! I rode to my friend Kali's house, which was 5 miles and took 35 minutes. We then took a walk together for approximately 2.25 miles. Then I biked 5 miles home. yeeeeowza. It was a bit scary at parts, especially when I ended up having to cross Sandy Blvd on the way home and stupidly did so at an intersection without lights or a stop sign. And the hill on Burnside heading toward home is a killah! My legs and back hurt, but I did it. woooooo!

My lastest crocheted creations.

2006-06-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

I just finished this baby blanket for a client's friend. Hopefully said client hasn't passed along my blog address to her friend. :P

It's a sage green with alternating puff stitches and a pale yellow border. And soooooft.

Here's another recent project - bright yellow, fuchsia and orange for a client's soon-to-be niece. Made me want sherbet the entire time I was crocheting it.

Blue Crochet Dog

2006-06-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

This little guy may be sticking his tongue out at you, but please don't take it personally. He's just a dog!

Food happening in my kitchen right now:

2006-06-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

1. Banana bread cooling (two batches - one with nuts and one without)

2. Chili cooking in slow cooker.

3. Stew cooking in crockpot.

4. Tortilla soup cooling on the stove (for freezer).

5. Marinara cooling on the stove (for freezer).

6. Baked Ziti in the oven.

I'm exhausted!

Name that animal.

2006-06-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

What is it? What could this pancake- and Ziggy-like crocheted stuffed whatever be? I realize I should know, I made him. Or her.

I wonder if this is how the almighty felt when the aardvark* appeared.

Regardless, you can buy him/her/it at www.cozyyarns.etsy.com!

* This is in no way meant to offend any aardvark fans. You have to admit it's a weird-looking animal.

an oldy but goody

2006-05-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't been cooking with any kind of regularity the last few months, as opposed to the Candace of the Past that would plan the Zoo House meals up to a month in advance and cook a "real" dinner almost every night. But last night I made an old favorite from early on in our marriage:

Pork with Savory Sauce

Source: American Heart Association (Servings: 4)

Sauce:
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon port
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic , or 1/2 tsp minced
2 tablespoon cold water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 pound pork tenderloin

In a small saucepan, combine broth, vinegar, wine, oil, pepper, oregano and garlic. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 20 minutes or until liquid is reduced to ½ cup.
Pour water into a cup or small bowl. Add cornstarch and stir to dissolve.
Add cornstarch mixture to the sauce, stirring to mix well. Heat over medium heat, stirring until mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Cover, remove from heat and set aside.
Grill pork until no longer pink. Serve with sauce.

Yum. You can trust the American Heart Association, friends. They will not steer you wrong!

An Obosolete Vernacular.

2006-05-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ever get an idea of how many blogs are out there and wonder who the hell all these people are that think every little thing they have to say is so interesting?

More profoundness to come.

What I'm watching and what I'm reading.

2006-05-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

You should know that I have much love for Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I seriously adore him. I finally saw Capote the other night. I really thought I wouldn't be able to get into it because of The Voice. But, I was wrong. It was great. Fantastic. I loved PSH and now I want to read more Capote, including In Cold Blood. Am I a sucker for marketing? Probably.

I am reading Russka by Edward Rutherfurd. I typically read his books in the same fashion that I eat any kind of pasta dish - too quickly and never knowing when to stop, staying up far too late to read "just one more chapter." I especially love Sarum and London. Unfortunately I'm having a difficult time keeping up with Russka. I enjoy it, but it's much easier to put down than I'm used to as far as his books go.

Tonight I'm going to watch Transamerica, with Felicity Huffman, whom I have been fond of since Sports Night. I can't wait to see her play a guy trying to be a woman.

All I need now is a good William H. Macy film to complete the triumverate of actors I lurve.

*edited to add that Transamerica was fantastic. The scenes with the main character's family, especially the mom, were painful to watch - it was that well-done.

Success (? or !)

2006-05-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Have I achieved the Monkey Look? I can't really tell. Though this little guy does crack me up, regardless.

Hoe down

2006-05-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

I've never had a green thumb. I know nothing about gardening, plants, flowers, etc. I think I killed a cactus in college. I can basically recognize roses and lillies and then just have to nod in what I hope is an intelligent manner.

But, now I am a homeowner with a good-sized backyard and a front yard to boot! So, I continue to try to evolve and learn. Over the weekend a friend took me to a nursery to pick out some plants to border our new deck. I came home with three lilac bushes. Yesterday I managed to dig a trench big enough for all three. It took several hours. I got blisters on my hands within the first ten minutes (because I am a delicate flower). But, the lilacs are planted! Mostly, I was happy not to unearth any bones or anything. Must stop watching so much CSI.

Also, the mister and I purchased an orchid from Trader Joe's over the weekend. So we're going on Day 4 and I haven't killed that sucker yet. It's a whole new Candace, people!

MonkeyBearCat

2006-05-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

After crocheting for over a decade, I have only recently taught myself to read a crochet pattern. Having celebrated some small successes in this area, I decided to take on creating my own patterns.

This stuffed animal was supposed to be a monkey.

Poor little sad non-monkey. Is it the small ears? The lack of human-looking hands? The shortish arms? I'm not sure. But I am sure that it does not look like a monkey. Ah well. Progress, not perfection.

*This little guy's look has been updated since this photo shoot. He now has the pointy ears of a feline and will be marketed as a soft purple kitty.

Buy my crap! www.cozyyarns.etsy.com

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Zoo House

2006-05-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

We have 4 cats, 2 dogs, and approximately 30 fish. Fortunately, only two pets are of the psycho variety, otherwise I'm sure I would have made the headlines by now.

Boris, our 3ish year old lab mix, is what we call "hyper" (read: "intense") though he really just is too smart for his own good. He needs to be someone's hunting dog or maybe sent to University to solve difficult math equations. His mind is just always going. I can't believe he doesn't have insomnia. Or an ulcer.

Our morning ritual consists of whining, going out for potty, whining, breakfast, whining and dramatic sighing, a kong stuffed with kibble, frozen peas & carrots and lots of peanut butter, whining, sighing, and wiggling, a final trip outside for potty, then an hour or so of alternately lying down, wiggling, frantically looking around, and, of course, the glue that keeps Boris who he is - the whining. Have I mentioned Boris whines?

It's slightly more pronounced on weekend mornings because El Fyd (my husband) is still asleep upstairs and Boris wants to be up there. Boris (and Vinnie, his lazy counterpart) are kept downstairs by a dog gate held together with duct tape and sheer will power (after several occurrences of dogs and cats attempting to jump over it) in the hopes of giving the cats their own dog-free comfort zone upstairs. Boris doesn't like to be out of the loop, and therefore is very upset at not having free reign to run upstairs and stare intently at the cats whenever he wants.

Doesn't he look angelic?

A related sidebar is now we are those people who say "potty." We don't have children, but we are surely close to being "those people" who talk about pee and poop almost as much as parents of babies and toddlers do. I'm proud.