Stompin' around with the babe in the boonies

OK, more like leisurely strolling with my sister, WGD, and The Boy.
I can't believe it's my last full day here in Port Townsend. I've been here since Tuesday (OK, well, on Tuesday we were actually out gallivanting in Portland, Oregon and then made our way back to Port Townsend around 2:00am on Wednesday.)
We have been going to the gym (wahooo!) and all about town. I love her town! There are so many cute cafes, yarn stores, fun shops and very cool consignment stores. I'm a fan of the cute cafes. Although Sister and I must always partake in dessert because I love me some dessert, we have also been eating oatmeal, salads and turkey sandwiches. [Sidenote - I have gained a significant amount of weight from my former job and need to relearn how to eat healthily. I am certain that it is in my best interest to go back to WW. That and Tel did her best to convince me to get back on the wagon - she said I can call her when I have a weakness for Snickers. I am set to sign up for the WW when I get back to the Bay Area so I can no longer be a five foot heiffer.]
Anyhow, today is my last full day in Port Townsend. Tomorrow we head back to Seattle where my plane takes off around 7:00pm so we have all day until about 5:00pm to explore. I think we're going to hit the outlets, too. Ohhhhh snap. I love visiting Sister and her family. Her town is truly like a vacation destination and they always make me feel so welcome. Her friends are pretty cool, too :)
And then on Monday ... I start my new job!
PS: My sister is on CLOUD NINE because when we visited a consignment shop owned by a halfee Filipino, he looked at my sister and inquired, "Are you part or full Filipino?" (completely ignoring me - I don't think he figured out we were related yet.) Then when she explained that she was full Filipino, he said, "You have the generic Filipino look." (We think he meant, "general.") She was soooooooooooooo excited that he singled out her and not me. Later, he asked if I had any Filipino in me. I stated that, I too, was full Filipino. To my sister's glee, he seemed surprised.
She asked me to include this.

Oh SNAP. (This is funny)

Odds and ends

I should have posted more having all this time off. But time has really flown for me! I've finally been able to do some of the chores/errands/shopping/maintenance (and yes, pampering) I've put off for nearly a year! I've also had some major quality time with the pups, been able to lunch with some friends, and, best of all, have some Daddy time! My dad and I have been meeting up in the mornings and going on walks with Piko and Pili. I really missed having Dad time when I took my last job.
Oh and I love sleeping in! Even if it just means 6:30am! I used to have to wake up at 5:00am. Phooey!
Of course, I also have time to think about trivial things. For instance, TV. Now, if you know me at all, you know that I studied television so it's really not that trivial at all. But I'm not talking about news, I'm talking about guilty pleasures. The shows that make me laugh, feel good, and forget about my reality. Like -
Grey's Anatomy: What the HELL is happening to this show?? Seriously. Seriously? Seriously! Izzy and George? The boringness that is Meredith and Derrick's love life? The lukewarm sexual tension between Karev and Addison? And enough with this whole Chief crap! Where are the great scenes with the Nazi? Give us back the Nazi!
Needless to say (but I'm still going to say or at least write it,) I am falling out of love with Grey's Anatomy and they are truly testing the patience of this fan. I want the smart writing and acting back!
The Office: Oh, how I love this show! Jon and I watch the DVDs from previous seasons and we just laugh and laugh. I think Jim and Dwight are the best odd couple. The boss uncomfortably reminds me of a terrible boss I had a few years back and the dreariness of the lame office parties and morale boosters remind me of a former job. But they make me laugh about it!
American Idol: Talk about a guilty pleasure. I was never interested in the previous seasons and, to be quite honest, I only watched because Jon enjoyed watching the auditions. (Those auditions are so painful for me. I am one of those strange people that get embarassed for others, especially when the person is not aware of the fact he/she is making an ass of himself/herself. I will fidget, blush and get really uncomfortable watching. Many times I need to walk away.) But now I am hooked and am 99% sure I will watch until the very end. But it is killing me that Sanjaya and Haley are STILL on the show. Or, as Jon and I affectionately call them - Sanjina and Snow White.
OK, I should really be packing. But because history repeats itself and I have embraced my procrastination tendencies, I will futz around until 10:00pm (because I HAVE to get back into 24 - it's killing Jon that I've been a lazy fan) and then start packing. I am going to see Sister, WGD and The Boy!

Our baby girl

Last Friday did not go according to plan (details are on the puppies' page - I told you not to judge.)

Piko will be getting spayed next month. The vet said her mammary glands are too swollen. That's right, her boobies are too big right now.

Pili, on the other hand, got it from every direction. She not only got spayed but she got three of her baby teeth pulled and a biopsy because of a tiny bump on her back.

I expected this:

OK, let's not be shy -
But what the F*CK is this?! -

She looks like she was in a battle! The bump was half the size of a tic-tac. How did it merit a scar like that?! Especially when her other scar was practically invisible! Did they let an intern do this one? A rightee wanted to practice using his left? WTF?

The Man and I weren't the only ones concerned, Pili's aunt and her grandparents were worried. My folks wanted me to put a bandage but decided it would probably rip out her fur. Pili can scratch the cut with her hind leg so the head cone wouldn't work. I ended up buying her a shirt because it would cover the wound and prevent her from scratching.

Pili is now sportin' this -

If you look carefully, you will see that the shirt matches her collar

(there are little rhinestone hearts!)

Isn't that cute?! I tried to find a red shirt but the only thing small enough to fit her was this here pink shirt with a red heart.

The Man took it well when he came home from work and saw Pili's new outfit. How could he resist? (But we won't see him walking her with this shirt on.)

A woman of action Part II

These here blogs are a funny thing. It's great to share your life with friends through it. Sister and I are able to share little things that happen that we sometimes forget to mention on the phone. And I've become quite closer to Pookie and Tater through it. Much closer than if we relied upon just seeing each other every once in a while. But I know better than to divulge information that could get me in trouble. Like writing about a fight, or me being upset with someone. Or my displeasure with work.
I'm sure I wasn't very subtle at all when I did refer to work. But I really didn't like my job. Hate is a strong word - I didn't hate it because I worked with really great people. But I knew right away it wasn't something I wanted to do as a career. So then what? It would look bad on my resume to leave before two years because I would show instability. When I realized I could barely hold on for one full year I knew that I would just have to deal with that issue. But it looks even worse if I were to quit and then look for a job rather than currently have a job while looking (I know, my HR friend told me so!)
I kept a lot of contacts at my old job and it had looked like there would be a spot for me. Then the restructure did not take place and I was so depressed. Never mind that I felt like a vulture, waiting for people to get canned so there would be a restructure and an open position for me. So that's why I was down in the dumps earlier this year.
I looked at other opportunities and while there were some interesting ones (keep in mind I had to be reasonable and think of what I qualified for!), nothing was great enough to put in my application. I figured I would just have to wait some more until something came along. But I also knew I had to be proactive and look daily at job opportunities. Well, looking for a job is a full time job! So when I would get home after working 8+ hours, it was such a chore to look at jobs. Unfortunately, it was also apparent to friends and family that I was different. I stopped being social and hardly talked to anyone. But I just kept on keepin' on.
It so happened that The Man and I decided to visit a friend because she wanted to see the pups before she moved. She had no idea that when she asked "How's work?", it would open the flood gate of unhappiness. She then told me she had just put in her two weeks notice and why don't I apply? I promptly told her, "Hey, I read your blog! I know you hate your job!" She replied that there were certain things she didn't like but, overall, it was a good company and a good job. She told me to send her my resume and also apply online to the position. I looked at the description and it was sort of a combination between my current and old jobs. And it was closer to home!
After six weeks, a phone screen, application process, preliminary in-person interview, online personality assessment, three and a half hours three-person panel interview, skillset evaluation, and four 30-minute references later, I got the job!
Things at my current (now old) job ended pretty badly. Long story short, when they knew that I was in the final stages of the interview process, the manager decided that rather than me giving two weeks, I would end in four days - the same day another person on the team was leaving the company. There is much more to the story but that is basically it. After getting over feeling like I was treated like trash, and then not sure if I got the job and what the hell was I going to do if I didn't(??), everything fell into place when I was finally extended a job offer. I will be gainfully employed in a a few weeks. I unknowingly received a three week break and am enjoying it!
So it's been a crazy seven days or so but everything ended up OK. I am really looking forward to starting this new job. And it's with a company in which I can see building my career! I would be lying if I didn't say I was very close to shatting bricks when, for about three days, I didn't have a job and wasn't sure if I was going to be offered one! While this isn't how I would have preferred to transition between jobs, it was probably best. If it had been done my way, I would have had to work for two more weeks and then have one week off. I now have three weeks. Whooohooo!

Dolled up for Summer

The pups and I went to visit The Man's family this weekend. They were H-O-T. We realized it was time to help them shed their winter coats.

The groomer knows that we don't enjoy the bows. But she keeps putting them in. I don't even fight it anymore.
Aren't the girls cute?? They're growing up so fast. Piko is seven months and Pili is six months. They are fixin' to get fixed this Friday. The vet said that Piko can get spayed as long as the swelling of her vagina has gone down.
Our fingers are crossed.

Meat Fest

Or Man Fest.
It was kind of the same thing.
My friend, Maria, asked me if I wanted to help her with a fund raiser. It was for a service club in Half Moon Bay. I believe the event was actually called, "Wild Game Feed." There was all sorts of meat (if you can shoot it, fish it or stick an arrow through it, it qualified as wild game.) This was the club's second time doing this annual event as it was a big hit last year. There would be tons of meat, alcohol, a couple of Bud Girls, games to win raffle tickets (one of the games was what I would be running) and, best of all, the raffle prizes were all guns.
"Sign me up!" I told Maria.
I know, it certainly doesn't sound my thing. But I was intrigued about the array of meat (I'm not big on steak but I love me some chicken and fish) and I've never had wild boar before.
What. I haven't.
I pretty much knew what to expect because Maria described to me how last year's event had gone. I wasn't surprised by the amount of fatigues and flannel that were worn. I wasn't surprised that there were a lot of trucks with rifle racks parked outside. And I definitely wasn't surprised when I went to the bathroom and there were Bud Girls getting ready and, when overhearing their conversation (I was in a stall, doing my business, so can you really judge me?) heard one of the girls saying, "Well, she is pretty smart for being a exotic dancer."
I'm making it sound bad, aren't I? Actually, those were the things that made me laugh. (And the BGs were dressed in appropriate black cocktail dresses with plenty of cleavage but decent skirt lengths.) It wasn't bad at all. In fact, all the guys were so nice. There were a sprinkle of woman in the room but it really was a Man Fest. They were more behaved than a bunch of college guys (some were VERY enthusiastic about the BGs but that was to be expected) and they just wanted to eat meat, drink beer and gamble for raffle tickets to hopefully win the big guns!
I had tons of fun running the craps table. The men teased each other ("Want to blow on my dice?" "What?! Blow this, a$$hole!") and made me laugh. They were dropping $20s like it was nobody's business and totally fine with it because it was, after all, a fund raiser. Plus, they were plenty liquored up. The men were respectful (I don't mind cussing as long as it's not AT me so I thought they were gentleman-like.) I, also knowing before hand that there would be Bud Girls, dressed in my most sexiest outfit - a sweater, a big cardigan over that, work slacks, and no-nonsense heels. Purrrrrr.)
I bet you're wondering, "But what about the meat?" I tried wild salmon, buffalo meat balls, deer and finely sliced don't-remember-the-animal tongue. It was suprisingly tender and not chewy at all.
I think I'll sign up to volunteer again next year.