A Dog's Life

While I was hard at work last night sitting on the couch crocheting my new blanket....

The mud bomb

I spent nearly two hours today cleaning my car interior. I had the doors open and was getting ready to start vacuuming when the carwash attendant took a look and said, "Whoah! What the hell happened in your car?" Can you say 90 lb muddy dog?

Last week after the CycleU TT I let Jake run around in a field playing fetch. Since it was dark I had no idea he was plowing right through a huge mud bog. He hopped into the car before I noticed and then promptly let loose a huge shake. It took about five seconds and the whole interior of my car looked like a mud bomb went off inside. Ah, the joys of dog ownership. Luckily, once the mud dried it all vacuumed out pretty easily and after some detailing looks good as new. Never underestimate the power of a VW :)

Dog training 101

A little over a year ago I walked into the Bellevue Animal Shelter to look at dogs and ended up coming home with a very cute, very out of control 9-mo black Lab. It's hard to believe I've had him over a year! Since bringing him home, I've learned that Labs generally come in two styles: the very mellow ones, and the very crazy ones. I got the crazy one. Ever read Marley & Me? I can definitely relate.

Jake's big problems are with personal space and patience, meaning he respects neither. As soon as he meets someone (well, sees them from afar) he breaks out in a wiggle and he can barely contain himself. Usually it's a matter of seconds before he's pulling me down the street, jumping on them, and giving them a great big kiss. To say that he likes to jump up is an understatement and since he's a solid 90 lbs, it's not cool.

I've enrolled him twice in beginner training at two different dog training studios and invited over scores of friends trying to unsuccessfully solve this problem. Finally, one of my friends gave me a recommendation for a dog trainer, Jeff Tinsley. He stopped by this morning for a one-on-one session and I learned more in an hour and a half with him than I have in countless dog training classes.

Most of all, I learned that I'm a horrible dog trainer! Jeff spent time working with Jake but I think he spent most of the time teaching me how to train him correctly. It's amazing what a difference it makes. Already Jake is doing things he never would have done yesterday. I may actually end up with a well-behaved, obedient dog sometime in the next 10 years! Awesome!

Doggy graduation

Tonight Jake graduated from his Beginner Education class at Petsmart. He even got to wear a graduation cap! Cute isn't he? Even though he looks pretty mellow, getting him to sit there quietly with the hat wasn't easy.

As an extra treat tonight our instructor set up an agility course. Jake did an awesome job and even ran through the big long tunnel thing after a little indecision. Once he ran through he decided it was really fun and kept the class entertained by continuing to run through it. Only one other couple showed up with their dog for graduation, so it was a small class tonight. They even brought in some toys - how nice!

Now I just need to get my butt to sleep. Somehow I've gotten myself all screwed up and I've been staying up until 3am and sleeping until 10am or later. Ugh. Enough already! I just did a set of power builders on the bike trainer to wear myself out but I'm not sure it's working.

The Injury Report

I think I'm going to rename my blog "The Injury Report". I really must start posting here again, there's just been too much happening lately and I'm letting everyone down!

Ok, first off, last week I finally got a dog. He's such a sweetie! I picked him up at the Bellevue Humane Society. He's a 9-mo old Lab/Chesapeake Bay mix named Jake. He hasn't had any training so he's not horribly mindful. I started him in puppy training at Petsmart last week so hopefully we'll turn that around! He loves walking, running, and playing fetch and is settling in pretty well. And he doesn't mind the cat, which is great.

Second big news: I got my motorcycle! On Tuesday I bought a used 2001 Ducati Monster 900 from Renton Motorcycles. Man is it sweet! As soon as I get a picture I'll post it. I rode it home from work Tuesday evening and it was a blast!

On Wednesday morning, I crashed my motorcycle. Yup, that's right. Less than 24 hours after buying it I wrecked it. I took off to head in to work, stopped at the 4-way stop 2 blocks from home, and crashed trying to make the left-hand turn. It happened so fast that I don't even remember what happened. I recall the bike sliding, then next thing I know I was headed straight for the curb. I remember thinking, "Shit, not good" and then I clipped the curb and went down. Even now I keep thinking, "Did that really happen?"

Some construction workers on the corner ran over, picked up the bike and made sure I was ok. All I could say was, "Shit!" Then someone handed me my shoe. I think there was some water in the intersection and in combination with the new tires on the bike I slid when I made the turn. All I really remember clearly was hitting the curb with the bike, then the road with my body. I might have jabbed the throttle, which uprighted the bike, and ended up high-siding. I'm really not sure.

I called Marcus, told him I crashed, walked home in a daze and crawled in bed. Haha! He rode the bike home and then looked at me and said, "Nothing is broken right? Everyone drops the bike, you're fine. Get up and go to work." What sympathy. I never would have guessed that I would crash a motorcycle so quickly. Luckily the bike isn't too badly damaged. I did unfortunately dent the tank, but the only other damage is a broken right foot peg and rear brake lever. Hopefully I can get it fixed this weekend and be healed enough to head out again next week. I don't think the crash has deterred me from riding, but I do think I'll be a bit nervous when I get back on.

My knees and right hip took the brunt of the fall. I regret not getting the motorcycle pants and boots I looked at since they would have saved me some damage. Luckily the gloves, jacket, and helmet all did their job. I ended up with some road rash on my right hip and both knees. My left knee is pretty swollen and my left elbow is bruised and sore. Other than that, I think I'm ok. Here's the gory pictures, which I swear look a little worse than the actual injuries.