Amature Night!

NYE Sunset Orange Skye, originally uploaded by kiskaicard.

Beautiful day today, I’m sure all the idiots are going to be out tonight though. We’re just going to be staying in. Rob has been deathly ill and can use the night just to chill’lax. Here’s my favorite New Year’s Eve story. About 5 years ago, I was sitting in the Castro Street Muni Station, waiting for the L. A homeless “looking” woman comes and sits to my left. She has this huge nasty blonde wig on, with all these little braided pony tails sticking out of it. Well I guess it got too hot, ‘cause she took it off and placed it in her lap while she scratched her head.

Next came walking up and parking his ass on my right, is this “normal” looking guy, carrying a box of Satsuma tangerines. He’s wasted! He asks me if this is the stop for the L, because he never takes the train. I said yes, and thanked him for taking the train this evening. Then I noticed that he started to fixate on the woman’s wig. He leans over to me and in great NYE speech slur says to the woman, “Hey, that’ssss a cute dog. Can I pet your dawg?” The woman just stiffens in her seat. He then grabs her shirt and repeats, “Hey, I like your dog, can I pet your dog?” I can see her start to get red with anger, and I’m afraid I’m about to be in the middle of a homeless-drunken fight. I lean into the man and say, “It’s not a dog, it’s her hair!” He looks confused, and then I repeat, “It’s not a dog it’s a wig”, and pull on my hair to demonstrate. Then he gets it and starts laughing, and slurring “Shhhhh, it’s a wig.” All this for only the cost of a Muni ride. God I love this city!

Violet, The Death Defying Chimmy

Violet Stern Grove, originally uploaded by kiskaicard.

Violet is doing much, much better. She has resumed a lot of her normal behaviors, like jumping on her back and kicking her legs, and sometimes barking at Haley. She has not resumed her motion detector position as of yet, but to be honest I’ll be happy if this is an ongoing side effect from the Phenobarbital. She saw Dr. Maretzki on Friday, who said she is doing really well. I’m taking her to see Dr. Goh at The SF/SPCA tomorrow to check her blood work and see if we can lower the Phenobarbital dosage.

KAMEI, Oh My

Mom, Rob's Mom, Jack and I went to Kamei today on Clement Street. It is this awesome kitchen and restaurant supply store on Clement Street. They have everything you need for your house at Ikea prices, without having to deal with the bridge.

I saw the former KitKat today walking to the Post Office with her mom. At first I just thought, what a beautiful dog walking on her head collar, until I recognized her. She initally kind off just stood back and sniffed me. Once she realized who I was she started wiggling and whinning, and made it obvious that she remembed me. Her mom said she is doing so well, and is a star at Stern Grove. Ann said she's never seen a dog run so fast. She's about 60 pounds now, and happy as a vegetarian clam.

New Zoo Fleeces

Yesterday a tiger escaped her enclosure at The SF Zoo, killing a zoo visitor and injuring two others. Rob gave my mom, dad and I zoo fleeces for Christmas. Here's my mom and I, sporting ours at Stern Grove, just hours before the accident.

FrankinBeans

Beans Profile, originally uploaded by kiskaicard.

Merry Christmas! I got a wonderful surprise present this year. My parents, Rob, Haley, Violet and I went on a Christmas walk to Stern Grove. As we were walking to the field, I see two beautiful bulldogs getting into a SUV. I noticed that one of them was white, with a little Buddha mark on his forehead. Sort of quietly I mentioned to Rob, “That looks like Beans.” His mom responded that it was!

Beans was a dog Rob and I fostered shortly after Layla died. He was the first bulldog that I had ever seen come into our shelter. He had awful skin, and was quite stressed in the kennels. He never even spent a night there, I immediately started fostering him. He stayed with us for about a week, and Northern California Bulldog Rescue accepted him, paid for him to have his palette shortened, and then found him this home. This lovely couple also had another brindle bulldog rescue named Cookie. It is just the best feeling to see these great dogs, living great lives with their great people.

My Own Christmas Story

My mother is a prankster, and she loves to get my dad's goat. Back in the mid 80's my father (a known audiophile) said all he wanted for Christmas was the Foreigner CD. He kept on and on about how good it would sound on CD. We have a tradition in our family that we get to open one present on Christmas Eve. My mother wrapped a large box (to look like a CD player,) and set it under the tree. Wrapped up the CD and gave it to him on Christmas Eve. He got so excited, he kept saying how he would have to wait until morning to set up his new CD player. I felt awful and wanted to tell my dad on Christmas Eve. My mother just laughed and laughed and said, no he would have to wait until morning to find out. The next morning after all the presents were opened, he looked very perplexed and then said, "Where's my CD player?" My mom said, "You only asked for a CD, not a CD player." He didn't get one until the following year either.

I got my dad and my husband each a Porsche calendar and a Porsche magazine. I was going to give them both the calendar tonight. Then mom said, "Give a magazine to Rob, and the calendar to your Dad." She's so bad! Although he didn't say anything you could see he had that "Where's mine?" look in his eyes. He's looking at Rob's magazine now.

Chimmy Grandpa

Chimmy Grandpa, originally uploaded by kiskaicard.

Not feeling so bad for Violet right now; she has my father to dote on her every need. She is starting to feel her oats again though. She barked at Haley a few times today, to my extreme delight.

I came home today to find an envelope with some new pictures of KitKat, and a drawing that her mom did of her running back to our house. It is quite beautiful and already one of my favorite gifts this year. I’m so happy that they found each other. It is nice, as this year is coming to a close to reflect on the good that is out there in the world. Peas on Earth…

Mom's Home Cook'in

Rob and Dad went to Salinas today, so Rob could get some work done down there. My mom and I did some grocery shopping today, and she made lasagna. Nothing like having Mom home. It is such a relief to have them back, especially since Rob and I have been on 24-hour care taking duty for the past week. I wish I could convince them to move out here. There probably asking themselves, what's she going to do to us when we get old and feeble? Speaking of...

Violet seems to be getting stronger and stronger everyday, which is really helping everything. She able to pee and poop on her own, without having to be propped up. We have an appointment with Dr. Maretzki in a week at SFVS. Hopefully she'll remain seizure free and we can start to reduce the phenobarbital dosage.

Parental Units are Back

I've been sick with sore throat, and stomach "issues" over the past few days. Luckily, Mom and Dad arrived back safely today. Didn't do much, just grabbed some dinner from The Chick-N-Coop. It's this great Hof Brau on Taraval street, on the Southeast corner of 21st Ave. Their food is always fresh and delicious and the portions allow you to either share or have plenty left over for another meal. It's a family owned business and is one of my favorite restaruants in the Sunset. 4 adults ate for $22. Someone has written a great blog on it; this place does seem to strike a chord with its patrons.

Shopping w/ Violet at Dandelion

Since I've been somewhat limited in my Christmas shopping , keeping Violet with me at all times, it has been such a pleasure to have Dandelion so close. It's this great gift boutique on Potrero, just a few blocks from work. They have a great selection of everything; books and cards, soaps, teas and tea sets, candles and great votive holders. The store is arranged kind of by themes. They have an animal section, a French section, an English section, a gay section, etc.

Anyway, not only do they have great gifts, they mob you with adornment if you bring a dog in. Chimmy in her little bag was a big hit. If you have some last minute shopping to do, and are looking for something unique that you're not going to find at the chains, find yourself here.

Chimmy Reiki

Had to get a few boxes in the mail today. Thank the Postal Office Gods, I was in and out of the Bryant Street station in 10 minutes. Kudos to staff and management. Alison Lane, The SF/SPCA's excellent Foster Care Coordinator, came to my office and performed Reiki on Violet while I was running my errands. Alison is the heart of our Foster Program. She works with amazing volunteers who take animals that need TLC into their homes. They dote on them, love them, only to bring them back once their "healthy." Kitten season is winding down, but we'll start our foster care classes again in March. If there is one gift you could give yourself in the new year, it's fostering. We always need foster parents, and have a harder time finding them than people to adopt the animals. So if you can spare a few weeks out of the year, space on your digital camera, and a piece of your heart, become a foster parent.

Comfort Over Cuteness

chimmy feet, originally uploaded by kiskaicard.

Violet seems to be doing marginally better. People at work said she seems like she is walking steadier. That is when I can stand to watch her stumble around. I have to say though, her spirit is not broken.

I found her like this and squealed because she looked so fricken cute. Rob promptly tried to reposition her, saying that she looked uncomfortable and that comfort was paramount to her looking cute.

Violet The Trooper

Violet is hanging in there and has not had another seizure. She's doing well, but requires constant care. She falls over when she's unsupported on the ground. It's really difficult to constantly keep her in my arms. Yesterday we were both a little depressed; to be honest I spend the whole weekend crying. Seeing her like this is not what I ever wanted and I promised her that I would not do anything horrible to her, because I can't let go. But I keep telling myself that this situation is temporary.

Violet and I decided that we were going to make the best of this and thought about what we needed to do. She needed a soft and safe place for her to hang out on her own. I decided to make a project out of creating a nice little space for her and all of a sudden the mood lifted. We went to Pet Food Express on Mission street and the guys there really took care of me. You could tell that they were moved by her little face and did everything they could to help us in the store. They called around trying to find the right harness for her to support her while she walks. We wound up with one that has a lot of padding on it, and also works as a seat belt harness. We got her some Greenies and chew sticks to keep her content while she's in her "crib". They also sold me a really cool small dog car seat that straps in. Although it takes a few minutes to attach, Violet is much safer riding in it, than sitting in my lap posing like Britney Spear's baby. Keep good thoughts out for the Chimmy!

Poor Little Chimmy

Violet had a really bad seizure on Friday morning. It lasted about ninety-seconds and I thought she was dying; she lost control of her bladder and bowels. We took her to the vet hospital, where she spent the day under observation. She had another seizure later that afternoon. The cause is unknown, but without doing an MRI it's hard to pinpoint. And doing an MRI which requires sedation on a dog that is already such high risk is something I'm really not comfortable with.

The plan is now to control the seizures, which requires her being on phenobarbital. She's been on it now for a day, and she is really struggling. However, it is just temporary and Dr. Maretzki from SF Vet Specialists says that she will seem like she's drunk for about two weeks, and then they just wake up. I'm really counting on this because it's so hard to watch her. She can't walk without assistance, or get up. She's also very listless and doesn't seem like she can get comfortable, despite being so drugged up. Apparently her heart failure seems like it's being managed, so if we can control the seizures, she has a good prognosis. Scratch that, she has as good of a prognosis as she can have for a dog that was given three to six months to live, over two years ago. A special thank you also to Dr. April LeBlanc from SFVS, Dr. Jeanette Goh and Dr. Jack Aldridge from The SF/SPCA. These extremely capable doctor's have been Godsends to our family time and time again.

Lordy, Lordy, Holly's Forty!

Today, Mrs. Holly Stempien-Fink turns 40. We went to Lovejoy's to toast the event. We stuffed ourselves on their "high tea", and drank so much Yorkshire Gold that I thought my bladder was going to burst on the ride home. Now that's a tea party. Happy Birthday Holly.

Love Comes in Many Species

Love comes in many species, originally uploaded by kiskaicard.

Here’s Violet resting in my office, next to a poster of Scarlet. She was a little guinea pig that our department adopted back in ‘99. She lived for about 3 years, and was the first guinea I had ever cared for. She was beautiful with her red and white fur, and was exceptionally sweet and never tried to bite. We made her The SF/SPCA poster child for adopting small animals from Animal Care and Control (ACC). Scarlet lived to be about three, and I still have her ashes. I thought this was a very appropriate marquee for the Chimmy.

ACC or your local municipal shelter, always has a variety of small animals, including rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and reptiles that need homes. SaveABunny rescue also has bunnies available for adoption that are in foster. These animals also do very well in apartment settings, so if you’re not into Pooches or Purrs, there are still lives you can save.

Shopping w/the Hubby

Rob is a great shopping partner. He is thoughtful in what he picks out for me, and is very helpful. Tonight we went to Stonestown to find something that I can wear to our holiday parties tomorrow. We both have work parties on the same night at the same time. This year I'm getting my 10 year service award from The SF/SPCA.

We went into a White House/Black Market store for the first time. It always seemed a little intimidating honestly, and I thought it was all very expensive. I did find a nice top that was marked down from $78 to $19.99. It's actually a great concept for a clothing store. They carry only black and white clothing. I heard someone say, "This is the most literal store I've ever been in." I'll definitely be going back.

Chimmy Elf

Chimmy Elf, originally uploaded by kiskaicard.

I love the Holidays. Mostly because I get to torture the special dogs that I adore, with silly outfits and sit them in the laps of complete strangers in huge red suits that smell like a neurotic Rat Terrier. All for those priceless holiday shots.

Considering the lives of companion animals are so much shorter than humans, I bust out the antlers at Halloween. Seriously, cherish your animals, and every day you have with them. You both deserve it!

Chirstmas Tree

The SF/SPCA has a tree we decorated at Symphony Hall. It is a really nice arrangement, sponsors pay for trees at Davies' and different non-profits get to decorate their own trees.

If you look really closely you can see pictures of cats and dogs. It's right across from City Hall, so if you're in the area, look up!

The Rentals have Vacated

The Parental units left today on an afternoon flight. Both my husband and I had a really nice visit with them. On Friday, Rob and my Dad did a PCA track day at Laguna Seca. They had a blast, but apparently two other drivers totaled their cars on the track. Laguna Seca is fun, but with a five story drop on the corkscrew, you really have to watch what you are doing.

Mom and I saw The Golden Compass last night. I thought is was pretty good, although the Chronicle would be to differ. Although I thought it was a kid's movie, it was pretty dark and a little violet. It has one of the most graphic animated polar bear fight scenes ever.

SF State Integrated Marketing Class

Finally we're finished; SF State's Integrated Marketing Certificate Fall '07. Here's the graduating class. It was a great experience, and I highly recommend this program. If you can't do the entire program I highly recommend Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization taught by Susan Barnes. Thank you to all my instructors and class mates for your support and feedback.

Tea and Trapeze

Great day today with the "rents." Mom and I did a little light shopping in the morning. We got Chimmy a little pink raincoat with little embriodered Playboy Bunnies all over it (pictures are soon to follow.) Don't know why Rob's always complaining that I dress her like a Hoochie-Mama.

My parents along with Rob's, all went to Lovejoy's Tea Room this afternoon. It was a fantastic expereinece and I can't say enought wonderful things about this place. The food is scrupmtious, the tea is delightful and the experience is divine. The owners are also huge animal people and have rescued dogs and cats. We all ate and drank until we had to be carted out of the tea house. Then I dropped the rental units off at Kooza, cirque de sole. When I picked them up everyone raved, and said their hands hurt from clapping so hard. It's so great to give experienctial gifts, and that is my recommendation for gift giving for the Holidays. A new camera is great, but you also need memories to share.

They're Here

Mom and Dad arrived today, from good ol' El Paso, Texas. We had just enough time to scarf down some delicious Chinese take out, before bedtime. The dogs are already on my mother like velcro. It's a good thing they can't read our wills. They might try to pull a Menendez Brother's on Rob and I to get Grandma full time.

"Rentals" Arrive Tomorrow

My parents are coming tomorrow; the dogs could not be any more pleased. My mother is a constant source of food scraps. Yelling at her to stop does no good, she just gets clumsier. You'd think as responsive as she is to them in the kitchen, she wouldn't keep her door bolted shut at night so she doesn't hear ME taking the dogs out at 3 am.

Layla's Birthday

Today is Layla's Birthday. She would have been thirteen. Not so old that I don't feel totally cheated out of precious time with her. This is her third birthday that we've spent without her. Rob took Haley for a nice long run, and we did what we could to cheer ourselves up. Didn't work very well.

Nancy Squinting

Nancy Squinting, originally uploaded by kiskaicard.

Chimmy is feeling much better! She woke up this morning, took a huge dump and ran up to attack Haley. I couldn't be happier.

We stopped by to see James today, and Nancy was her super sassy self. She's lost a few pounds. Kris said giving her the stuffed bone to "bone", rather than giving her treats all the time, is working like a charm. I have it on video which I'll post soon. It needs editing to make it PG suitable.

Violet Not Feeling Well

Chimmy's feeling pretty crappy today. Although she's eating, she's coughing a lot, and the yelling at Haley for everything she does has greatly subsided. We're going to take it easy today, and keep her warm. She has so much spark and spirit, I sometimes forget how delicate she is.

We have a nice fire built for her (with those firelogs.) Not only do they burn cleaner than wood, living in the Sunset where the atmosphere is moist, the smoke doesn't escape out of the house very well. When we were burning wood fires, the dogs and I started having eye allergies. Another reason to go with firelogs over wood. My preference (for the radiant heat) Pine Mountain logs. We don't make fires very often, but today was a day to indulge Violet.