Cold Weather Likes and Dislikes

I’m very much a “warm weather” person. I love visits and vacations in crisp, snowy places, but I don’t think I could live there. Granted, I’ve never tried...and I would like to try it someday, but if I find California winters disagreeable, then I’m confident that I could only tolerate “real” winters for a brief period.

While there are things that I dislike about the cold season, there are also things that I look forward to. So...below is my list of likes and dislikes during the “cold” times of the year:

Dislikes:

ripping myself from my warm, cozy bed in the morning

sitting on a cold toilet seat

waiting for the heater in my car to finally warm me up

limited outdoor adventures with the dogs (I don’t mind hiking around in the rain, but Lincoln always gives me a sour look)

means no more flip-flops for a while

Likes:

HOT CHOCOLATE TIME!

wood fires

wearing slippers

wearing hooded sweatshirts

curling up in a comfy spot to read a good book

the thrill when I wake up and see snow on the ground outside (Rare in the Bay Area, but awesome for the day or two when the conditions are perfect)

the crisp, clean air after a rain storm rolls through

I’m sure there are others. What are your favorite or least favorite things about the “cold season”?

I just had to...

Cleaning up my room always uncovers long lost gems. Take this one for example:

My college teammates, roommates, friends...Jenna and Alexis; or as I know them...Brown and Lex! Everyone goes through a dorky freshman year stage. We went through it together (and I tend to think we ended up being dorks together for the whole 5 years).

We aren't teammates anymore. We aren't roommates anymore. But I still miss them and carry them close to my heart all the time. We don't stay in touch as much as we should be, but I have all kinds of memories that always manage to resurface...even if I've tried to bury them.

Lex...I'm forever sorry for puking on your shoes, and I will forever be in debt to you for the way you kept yourself together and probably resisted the urge to just dump me on the side of the road. Or how about when I laughed in your face when you came to my room crying after eating asphalt when trying to chase down the bus? You don't worry; I told that bus driver what was up...in the most passive "Powers-way" possible. And although I wasn't there for the "crutch delivering popcorn" incident, I never doubted that it happened. And..."EXIT ONLY!!"

Brown...you could never escape us; especially, since we had a motion activated web cam in the common room. I'm sure I scared the crap out of you when I rolled off the bunk bed in the middle of the night. Or when the pipe under our sink burst and we were all scooping hot water in to the tub. And I still remember playing dodge ball in one of our last spring practices our Junior or Sophomore year, and I wrecked your thumb. I'm so sorry about that.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T...that goes for the both of you!

We've all grown up in our own ways. They are both married. Lex has a beautiful baby boy, and I'm long over due for a visit to Brown in Texas.

I'm sure we all had one or two special people who were key figures during important milestones in our lives. Brown and Lex were mine...Who are yours?

You gotta think out of the box

Working at Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation requires me to use my brain sometimes...well, actually, all the time. It's not just walking dogs and cleaning up poop. My colleagues and I are constantly fighting against the "forces" that are trying to compromise the mental stability of the dogs staying at the shelter. These "forces" could be any number of things, and their effect on each dog will vary greatly from dog to dog. But by far the most challenging "force" is the dog's length of stay. What I mean is that the longer a dog lives in the shelter, the more likely they are to mentally and physically deteriorate.

Not every dog decays, but every dog is at risk from the moment they arrive at a shelter to the moment they leave. My job involves working with the dogs who are at risk. We provide activities to keep both their minds and bodies engaged. Simple things, like sitting with a dog and reading to them for 20 minutes or taking them for a walk, can make a world of difference. 5 days a week staff organize groups of dogs to play together on the field; in addition to the mental and physical exercise this provides the dogs, it also ensures that the dogs stay well socialized and get to practice their play skills.

Every day, we also try to take a dog or two on "field trip". Puppies get trips to the nearby shopping center where they can sit on our laps and watch all the people, cars, dogs, and kids that may pass by. Older dogs get the opportunity to go on walks in any number of Open Spaces. The closest park is Lime Ridge Open Space. The dogs get to smell new smells, chase lizards and squirrels, and just enjoy the great outdoors. Here's a picture of Charlotte de Barry and her buddy Johnny on a stroll in Lime Ridge today:

I am also a member of the Enrichment Committee. The goal of this committee is to brainstorm and implement new ways to enrich the animals. We mostly think of original, inexpensive toys that we can make ourselves or everyday things that can be used with the cats and dogs. For example, it is enriching for the animals to spend some time listening to the radio or digging through a cardboard box to find a hidden treat. Volunteers donate random items all the time that we find ways to use; we have a couple plastic baby pools that we fill with water and let the dogs romp around in. Here's a photo of what one of the kitten rooms looked like after they got the chance to play with some shredded paper; a drag to clean up, but there is no doubt that they had some fun with that:

How can you help? If you have time to volunteer at a local shelter, spending 15 minutes with a shelter dog or cat will help that animal live successfully at the shelter. If you have spare dog beds, cat beds, toys, or blankets just laying around your house, free up some space and donate them to a shelter. Think you have some random item that the shelter could use for enrichment? Call the shelter and see if they could use it; you'd be surprised what they can do with your left-overs.

Here's your chance...Make a difference in some cat or dog's life TODAY!

Not much spare time these days

Between work and coaching high school volleyball, I don't have much time left over. For the hour or two that I have each night (the time really depends on when I start to fall asleep on the couch), I catch up on the backlog of fall shows that I have recorded on the TiVo. Here's what I got waiting for me:

Sunday - Keeping up with the Kardashians (b/c my dad is really in to it), Dexter

Monday - House, Chuck, Lie to Me, Hawaii Five-O (giving it a try...Alex O'Loughlin is nice to look at)

Tuesday - The Good Wife

Wednesday - Terriers, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Los Angeles (new show and I'm so pumped for it!)

Thursday is busy - Bones, 30 Rock, The Office, CSI, The Mentalist

Friday - Smallville (I've been a loyal viewer all along; naturally, I'll be there for this 10th and FINAL season!)

I love my TV shows. I wish I could narrow it down, but when it comes down to it, I'm a slave to the TV during the fall. Once high school volleyball is over, I'll have some more time; I'll start reading like a freak again, but until then...you'll find me on the couch either watching TV or falling asleep.

P.S. Watching the latest episode of 30 Rock while I type this. Alec Baldwin is perfect!

My Ballsy Friend

I'm just looking to give a shout out to an ex-player, current friend, and one of the most random/creative people I know - Carly - who is jetting off to Paris to be an Au Pair in France for a year. An Au Pair is like a nanny. At first glance, this seems like a pretty daunting task to undertake, especially for a girl who only graduated high school last spring. But Carly isn't your ordinary recent grad. If anyone can mail themselves to a foreign country to take care of someone else's kids for a year, it would be Carly.

I personally couldn't do it...the whole taking-care-of-kids thing is enough to make me run away screaming. But I have no doubt that Carly's engaging personality and crazy imagination will win the hearts of French men and women all over the country.

Here's three cheers and a slap on the back for Carly! Good luck and have fun, Car.

If you want to follow Carly's blog, you can check it out here: www.aupairing-carly.blogspot.com

Being a Doggie Foster

Since working at ARF (Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek), I have had a couple opportunities to provide a foster home for some of the dogs. If it was left up to me, I would foster dogs all the time. However, I'm living at my parents' house, and I have to respect their wishes first-and-foremost. There is always the risk that the foster dogs won't be potty trained or will chew on everything, so I try not to burden my parents with these worries too often.

But when there is a particular dog who is either in need of time away from the shelter to recover from an illness or in need of some extra socialization, then I start the "kissing up" process with my parents. My mom is usually an easy sell; a cute picture of the dog is all she really needs to convince her. My dad is a more difficult target; on the exterior he is very resistant and stubborn, but I've spent 26 years with this man so I have a pretty good idea when he is about to crack. As a result, we've been able to foster a couple dogs over the last 2 years...some easier than others, but all of them found a special place in all of our hearts.

If you are interested in fostering dogs, cats, puppies, or kittens, contact your local shelter or rescue group. ARF has an excellent Foster Program headed by a good friend, Erika Kleoni. Check out the ARF website if you want more information: http://arf.net/how-you-can-help/foster/

Here are some recaps of the dogs that we have welcomed in to our house:

Radcliffe - needed a foster home while some of the rooms at ARF were being repainted. She loved the water, and she eventually started playing with Lincoln. We nicknamed her Snaggle-tooth because of her glorious underbite.

Suze - needed a foster home because she had been at ARF for a long time (a few months) and was in need of a break. The shelter can be monotonous and stressful for many dogs, and Suze is a busy terrier who thrives on adventure and diversity.

Caboose - needed a foster home while she recovered from leg surgery. She came back and forth to work with me, and she would sit on my desk while I worked. She LOVED Lincoln, and Lincoln loved her! She was the hardest one to say goodbye to.

Golf - needed a foster home to get some extra puppy socialization. He was easily startled by new things and people. He was my toughest foster because he need around-the-clock management of his fear; he never got fully comfortable around my parents, and as a result, he was only able to stay a couple days. Lincoln had a good time teaching him how to play and wrestle. Videos on YouTube: 4 month old Golf; 5 month old Golf

Alcatraz Trip

Monica and friend, Kelsey, were in town from LA, so we took the opportunity to round up the family and have a field trip.

Destination: ALCATRAZ!

I haven't been there since elementary school, so I was pumped for another visit. It's not like anything has changed on "The Rock", but it was good to freshen up on my Alcatraz IQ. The award winning Audio Tour is now free (I recall having to pay for it last time), and I highly recommend it...It’s FREE; why not?!

The weather was AMAZING. It would have been annoyingly hot, but luckily, we are inside for most of the tour. Only bottled water is allowed while exploring the island, and it is a essential. Bring your own water because the water the Park Service sells will cost you an arm-and-a-leg.

I was definitely exhausted by the end...physically and mentally. I took a little cat nap on the ferry back to Pier 33 (not that surprising if you know me).

Below is the video I threw together. I've been playing around with the iMovie program on my laptop, so I'm trying out all the fun options and cheesy audio tracks. Enjoy!