Why the dog pictures?

On Saturday the SPCA had another dog mobile at the Sacramento Fine Arts in Carmichael. It was their first year of the "Animal House" exhibit. It was fun, all of the dogs were mellow and relaxed. There weren't many people, however, we got donations and people were interested in the pooches.

Paris and Her Beloved Toy

She carried around a little stuffed animal all day. Who would not want to adopt this cutie!

--
Sent from my Treo

Tara Sitting Up

I just could not get the excellent shot as she was lying down on her back with all four of her paws curled up getting her spa full body massage. She'll be flying out of the shelter so if you want a loving and mellow pooch act fast!

--
Sent from my Treo

Bridget the Boxer

Very sweet brindle boxer. This doesn't quite capture her sweet expression, but she enjoyed her mellow, relaxing day napping on the stage.

--
Sent from my Treo

Angel Reluctantly Poses with Cat Painting

This mobile was at an art gallery so at least one of the dogs should pose with the art. Angel was the favorite with many people coming over to visit her. She also enjoyed exploring the area around the art center and was just a joy. She's 2 years old and is part chihuahua.

--
Sent from my Treo

Irritability

Why do people stand in front of a door chatting? Step aside and chat, there's a whole sidewalk available, leave space for people to use the door as nature intended it to be used. Ditto for escalator exits.

Why don't dishes rinse themselves and spring into the dishwasher? Why do people with dishwashers whine about doing dishes? Why do you have to clean the counter more than once? Why doesn't it just stay clean?

Why am I not independently wealthy, or perhaps a trust fund recipient?

Emigrant Gap

Now that I'm finally over the horrible sickness, I went snowshoeing off highway 20 (near Emigrant Gap on 80) for a mere hour. This is a view across upper Bear Valley. The snow is not very compacted so I'm having to break trail and it's slow going. I'm aiming for the two stripes you can see in hopes that it's an old, snowed over packed trail. It turns out to be just as soft as the rest, I'm not sure what it was. It was a great trip and I think I'll go tomorrow too. Life is short!

--
Sent from my Treo

Foot, shoe, pole

--
Sent from my Treo

Becoming a man

I just finished reading an article about the movie "Americanese" in sfgate. There's a lot in the article, and apparently in the movie, about what it means to "become a man," particularly from an Asian perspective.

Women don't obsess in the same way about becoming a woman. Sure, it's a phrase in the middle school pamphlets (if they still have those quaint handouts) when discussing starting your period. It's maybe also assumed, or discussed, or giggled about when you lose your virginity. But I can't even begin to imagine having a conversation with any woman anywhere, "Say, do you feel like a real, womanly woman yet?" Any such conversation would end with gales of laughter...or even girlish giggling.

I guess I don't understand what the issue is. After a certain age, somewhere in the late teens, you're definitely no longer a child. You're sexually mature. I can remember seeing how my brother's faces hardened and became clearly man faces instead of boy faces. There you go, men!

Ritual is I suppose nice enough, but hardly necessary. Is the mythic tale of dad taking his son to the whorehouse really an entry to adulthood? I shudder and hope not (not that there's anything wrong with the sex trade per se). In cultures I'm familiar with, there are many ceremonies that celebrate the boy into man passage, but far fewer that celebrate the girl into woman passage. Of course, I'm no expert on culture.

Anyway, for the men I have this unwanted advice. Get over it. If you're over 20, you're definitely a man, a manly man, and completely male.

Death Valley Thoughts

Young spring wind in the mountain shadow loses the will to blow and moan and hum, stunned by the heat, even now, late in the evening. Stars showing, dying wind flicks tails of white sand too heavy to lift hissing across the road. Deeper in the darkening valley the wind gains will and over the tops of the dunes hurls powdery sand high in the air, a scouring curtain obscuring the dark Amargosa range with alkali sand.

Unicorns and rainbows

Or some kind of crap like that. We've been having a lot of storms and my brother snapped this picture of two actual rainbows over my house. I'll be digging the backyard up for the gold any day now.

Andy also knocked down the cottage cheese ceiling in my dining room. He is such a good brother!

Beauty secrets of the slovenly

I cut my own hair. It's true. I care so little about appearance that I periodiacally just whack at my hair. Fortunately it's curly so mistakes are easy to hide..

I decided to splurge and get a cut at a new shop near work. Plus, it's hip and filled with people who could be my children. I'll be the one in the nursing home wearing the stretch metallic jumpsuit the kids will all be wearing in the future.

The cut was fabulous and I even enjoyed the conversation with the cat owning, sushi bar owner's girlfriend, grew up in the country stylist.

She listened, my hair looks good, and she even taught me something new about styling my hair.

Now I'm at the allergy doctors.

--
Sent from my Treo

Buying a book at a big box store

The hypothesis is that big box store employees are know nothings. I went to big box bookstore to buy Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's book. The clerk who helped me did know where the legal section was and even searched for the book for me. He didn't recognize the author's name. Also, he couldn't find the book.

He went off to help someone else and the book was right on the shelf where it was supposed to be. The clerk had nearly had his hand on it but was confused, or couldn't read, or something.

--
Sent from my Treo

Medical Experimentation

Our tax dollars are at work with a visit from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2006. They took blood and are going to store some for DNA analysis. There goes my life of crime! I passed on the treadmill test because I am still so sick, but got to join the "take my blood pressure" a thousand times test. Apparently they are testing various methods of taking BP. They also measured some joints (like the length of my leg from the hip to the knee is) but not others (no interest in the knee to the ground). Or perhaps I missed one of the tests.

The bonus is that they pay actual cash money for the pleasure. "Ask not what your country...." my ass, I took the money and will enjoy spending it unwisely.

Sickness Sucks!

Every day it's a different sucky symptom. Thankfully, my cough is better. I'm only coughing a few times an hour and it's just one or two dainty little *hacks* instead of the rib breaking monsters from last week. On the other hand, why do my sinuses taste like blood...rotten blood at that? There is no blood, no green goo, just this really vile, spongy taste/sensation. Yummy.

IKEA, IKEA, IKEA

Ikea

In spite of my illness, I couldn't resist and drove to the new IKEA (have I mentioned the name yet?) to look around. I escaped with a new doormat, a new teapot, and 4 new pillows. I may be buying new sofa and recliner after checking out the offerings. I also liked the bathroom fixtures which will come in handy for the possible bathroom mini-remodel. I was looking forward to the wardrobe systems, but they weren't as great as I'd hoped.

It was fun to join the other zombies driving into the parking lot, following the billions of workers in day-glo yellow rain gear waving us on and on and on until we finally reached empty part of the parking lot about 20 minutes into our journey.

The local polizei had a huge presence and were clearly prepared for virtually any disaster short of running out of the teeny tiny little pencils. When I left, they were helping some woman who had tripped and fallen. I didn't think she looked that hurt myself, but then, I'm not a medical professional.

It's always funny too when people try to be independent. Follow the arrows. Don't try and take a cart to the 2nd floor. Take a pencil and a piece of paper. Trust Ikea, they have clearly discovered a legal form of crack-eration and you should not try to out think them. All you need to decide is if you want the item or not.

Anyway, I'm a fan and am thrilled that Sacramento finally has a civilized store. I look forward to making many purchases of bargain items in the years to come.

Almost fainting

This was fun. I was at the allergy doctor's doing a test where I blow as hard as I can. Apparently, I blew too hard and actually almost blacked out. I certainly lost most consciousness as it is known. I remember almost feeling weird and dreamlike with thoughts that I now can't remember. Then there was a period where the nurse and I talked, "What happened?" "Yes, I feel really weird." "Were you asking me something? Was I alright?" Hmmm I don't remember that. Did two more tests but stopped blowing as soon as felt the blacking out sensation and I was fine.

It was irritating though because darn it I'm in control of my consciousness!