So, yesterday.
Mar. 2nd, 2006 01:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
faithellenDana and I were up at 4:30 ayem, the better to get to DC before the traffic got too bad. We flung Hagen in the back of the Honda and headed to Springfield to pick up the Crown Vic (which is now mostly done, requiring a couple of switches and tweaks here and there). Dana decided he wanted to have a dog day, so he took the dog with him in the Shepherd3000, aka the Magic Car, and headed back to Richmond in time for Mass, thence to work and further to class.
I headed north to the office, where I spent the day offloading the contents of my old computer and getting everything set up on my new computer, while simultaneously revamping our letterhead, managing printers, doing expense reports, and processing invoices. Midway, I snuck out to Mass, which was strange primarily because it was in English, and also because it was towards the crunchy granola end of the Catholic spectrum. By some miracle, with the exception of a diet soda first thing in the morning, I managed to keep dietary restrictions AND I didn't forget and accidentally eat ice cream. (I feel somewhat like a six year-old by giving up ice cream for Lent, but it *does* take willpower. I promise.)
After work, I loaded up both computers (because I just know there's crap on the old one that I'm going to have to dig out and move over), and headed to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kaliopi's house! There was giggling and a baby and a husband and bouncy puppies and more giggling. I love how similar things concern us, little things that most of the rest of the world 1) wouldn't be bothered by and 2) would crook an eyebrow and think "and?" if they knew. :) We had yummy foods and watched MANY episodes of Electric Company goodness, joined towards the end by amnormand (whom I have friended and OMG we have to dish about American Idol!!!), and realized exactly why we turned out the way we did. Oh! And I learned how to use chopsticks!
While it is POSSIBLE to drive door-to-door in an hour and 45 minutes, I don't recommend it. I did get home before Dana got back from class, which was important because he'd discovered earlier in the day (after Hagen had too much water and christened the new K-9 unit) that he had neither housekeys nor garage door opener.
(Side note -- I went through my purse and discovered that I did NOT have a spare car key in it, so if I hadn't found my keys and we'd waited for roadside assistance to let me into the car on Saturday, I still would be SOL. I've co-opted Dana's key to the car, and will have another spare made up soon. Phew.)
And in the mail, I found a package from the USA (United Schutzhund of America), containing Hagen's papers which they needed to officially register him, and his hip rating from Germany, which is "a-normal." I stood in the garage, after nearly 18 hours of being awake, and cried -- SO HAPPY. We had him x-rayed in January to get his hips rated, and the vet called me back into the exam room to look at the films and tell me that he didn't think Hagen's hips would pass and that he was displastic. Here began 8 weeks (thankfully not the expected 12) of terror, because we had to send everything to Germany and wait for an answer. Our breeder's contract stipulates that we bought a dog guaranteed to have no hip problems. When we asked her about it, she said what most people did when it came up was to buy a second puppy at pet-quality rates, and keep both dogs. We don't have the time or energy for two dogs. We talked at length about it -- on paper, it all makes good rational sense, but he's our baby, and we didn't like any of the options.
HOWEVER -- we're spared all that! He's ours, he's fabulous, and he only vaguely smells like pee. :) I'm not sure if I can bathe him without breaking a nail, but these things happen, right?
Oh. And I won 5th prize in the Chunky XL Superbowl Sweepstakes, which is a DVD of Superbowl XXX.
So I've got that going for me. ;)
I headed north to the office, where I spent the day offloading the contents of my old computer and getting everything set up on my new computer, while simultaneously revamping our letterhead, managing printers, doing expense reports, and processing invoices. Midway, I snuck out to Mass, which was strange primarily because it was in English, and also because it was towards the crunchy granola end of the Catholic spectrum. By some miracle, with the exception of a diet soda first thing in the morning, I managed to keep dietary restrictions AND I didn't forget and accidentally eat ice cream. (I feel somewhat like a six year-old by giving up ice cream for Lent, but it *does* take willpower. I promise.)
After work, I loaded up both computers (because I just know there's crap on the old one that I'm going to have to dig out and move over), and headed to
kaliopi's house! There was giggling and a baby and a husband and bouncy puppies and more giggling. I love how similar things concern us, little things that most of the rest of the world 1) wouldn't be bothered by and 2) would crook an eyebrow and think "and?" if they knew. :) We had yummy foods and watched MANY episodes of Electric Company goodness, joined towards the end by amnormand (whom I have friended and OMG we have to dish about American Idol!!!), and realized exactly why we turned out the way we did. Oh! And I learned how to use chopsticks!While it is POSSIBLE to drive door-to-door in an hour and 45 minutes, I don't recommend it. I did get home before Dana got back from class, which was important because he'd discovered earlier in the day (after Hagen had too much water and christened the new K-9 unit) that he had neither housekeys nor garage door opener.
(Side note -- I went through my purse and discovered that I did NOT have a spare car key in it, so if I hadn't found my keys and we'd waited for roadside assistance to let me into the car on Saturday, I still would be SOL. I've co-opted Dana's key to the car, and will have another spare made up soon. Phew.)
And in the mail, I found a package from the USA (United Schutzhund of America), containing Hagen's papers which they needed to officially register him, and his hip rating from Germany, which is "a-normal." I stood in the garage, after nearly 18 hours of being awake, and cried -- SO HAPPY. We had him x-rayed in January to get his hips rated, and the vet called me back into the exam room to look at the films and tell me that he didn't think Hagen's hips would pass and that he was displastic. Here began 8 weeks (thankfully not the expected 12) of terror, because we had to send everything to Germany and wait for an answer. Our breeder's contract stipulates that we bought a dog guaranteed to have no hip problems. When we asked her about it, she said what most people did when it came up was to buy a second puppy at pet-quality rates, and keep both dogs. We don't have the time or energy for two dogs. We talked at length about it -- on paper, it all makes good rational sense, but he's our baby, and we didn't like any of the options.
HOWEVER -- we're spared all that! He's ours, he's fabulous, and he only vaguely smells like pee. :) I'm not sure if I can bathe him without breaking a nail, but these things happen, right?
Oh. And I won 5th prize in the Chunky XL Superbowl Sweepstakes, which is a DVD of Superbowl XXX.
So I've got that going for me. ;)
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-02 08:03 pm (UTC)The bald guy is Chris Daughtry, who I heard on the radio has self-produced an album, but I didn't find anything online about it. He is quite good -- I'm rooting for him, Ace, Eliot and Taylor (who I *really* liked at the auditions, but I'm starting to think he can't do anything comfortably that isn't an imitation of an old blues guy). For the women, I like Kat, Mandisa, Lisa and Paris.
And if you have scary amounts of free time, check out Television Without Pity. :)
DUDE!
Date: 2006-03-02 08:06 pm (UTC)Are you guys going to compete him in Shutzhund? That's one of my goals when I get my dog, I think, is to title him or her in Shutzhund. Also to perhaps play about with Rescue Dog training.
Congrats on the sweeps win, and all the good things going on for you -- I am SO GLAD to have finally met you in person, and have to say that Luscious is absolutely the perfect monniker for your presence in person. Rowr. (and please don't let that make you uncomfortable, eh? :))
I am happy to dish on American Idol, as well -- perhaps a
snarkchat room ala BigDaddy's Survivor chats may be in order? :)Re: DUDE!
Date: 2006-03-02 08:25 pm (UTC)I'm so happy we got to meet, too!!! I'm delighted to hear that your health is improving -- we want you around for a long long time! (And I'm not uncomfortable at all [though for the record the name came from my hair dye, and from no description of me, cuz I hate mangoes].) :D
Hmm. I just have to get the wireless settings right on the new puter, and I can take it downstairs in front of the tv... You may have something there.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-03 05:27 am (UTC)But can you elaborate on why you would buy another dog if Hagen's hips were not top notch?
My misguided impression (mostly joking):
Basically, the breeder says ok - dogA has bad hips. So to compensate you - keep dogA and you can also have dogB? Or you have to buy dogB? I was thinking (in a weird sort of way) that dogB would be for parts (kind of like buying a car to strip for use).
Or two pet quality dogs = one show quality?
Wouldn't the second doggie have hip issues (potentially)?
no subject
Date: 2006-03-03 12:56 pm (UTC)If dogB has hip issues, the same would apply (although at that point, depending on your first decision, you might have dogA still).
The added complications we were looking at were that if we went the keep dogA route, that we would only put dogB through the Schutzhund training, and then dogA wouldn't be able to keep up, and might actually cause dogB to backslide.
So happy we get Hagen instead of dogB! :)