Just Keep Swimming

I keep telling myself...just keep swimming. After all, it is week 10. Yes, 10 weeks since the merge at work, and no news on whether or not I am going to keep my job. Please keep wishing!

So, over the weekend I made the Snickerdoodle cookies. I think they turned out pretty well. I think they were good luck - Jason gave them a thumbs up - and then gave the Bears a thumbs up too because they won, so, all was good.

In other news, my friend C gave me these fancy fabrics yesterday. I think I'm going to make some pillows with the fabric. Two for her, two for us. The fabric is lovely and rich and each one has a cool design. She got them as extras from an interior decorator. Free is good!

I am still working on sewing Leia's awesome pink coat. I think I could possible be good at sewing if I had a little more free time. I need Jason to draw some sort of cute robot to applique onto the side of the coat. It's gonna look cool!

Today is game one of the NL division series:
NLDS Game One – Dodgers @ Cubs 6:37 ET on XM 184 (Cubs Broadcast) and on XM 189 (ESPN Radio)
Not sure what TV channel it'll be on.

I got Jason and I NL Champion hats to cheer on the Cubs from out east.

When my hat arrives, it will be my new dog walking hat. Ooooooo, I just had an idea - I could make Leia a Cubs coat. We could put a "C" on the side. Although, people might think the "C" is for Carlock. That works too.

I also just pictured myself in front of the TV, and my tears as they unfold the drama before the game. Good luck Cubs!

Stay home with the family!

I was listening to NPR this morning and they did a great story on tough economic times and how overall - video games sales are up 43%. NPR was comparing playing video games to people who went to the movies 80 years ago during the great depression to escape the harsh realities of their daily lives. Although they did point out there is no game console equivalent to Shirley Temple, you do get more 'bang for your buck' purchasing a video game than spending one night at the movies.

At The Carlock house, we're gamers, and after a recent trip to Best Buy (we didn't get anything...just browsing) I realized the video game section was filled with familes and women...YES! (all checking out the Wii Fit of course) and i was just sort of stunned that people of all ages were in the gamer isle...and then this story! So, maybe NPR is on to something. Check out the story if you get a chance!

Listen or Read the story:

HERE



Current list of games I want to play:

1. New Viva Piniata
2. Little Big Planet
3. The Price Is Right
4. Spore
5. New Animal Crossing (if it ever comes out!)
6. Beautiful Katamari
7.
8.

Fixing the printer.

It's been exactly 9 months.

Today marks Leia's 9 month anniversary. We picked her up Dec 22, 2007 and offically adopted her 1 week later. And I haven't slept in since. Lately - as far as dogs and owners go - we've been doing great. We trust her, she trusts us - and she thinks everything in your hand is a treat. So she'll just "sit" on her own and wait for you to hand something to her. She makes us laugh.

She also likes to camp out in front of her food bowl and check it periodically for cheese. I believe Leia is gracefully moving from alien grey to normal dog in record time.

I write this post with great anticipation. It really seems like the end of this year is going to be a mind-blowing time to witness. With the election, Catherine's baby is due in November and my job is up in the air. I've mentioned some of this stuff before...and now add to that the Cubs clinching the division on Saturday. I ordered two hats for Jason and I - so we'll see what the wind blows in.

What is a snickerdoodle?

Is it a sniglet? A Snicker's bar? What's that you say...it's a cookie?

Yeah, I started an investigation this week on a cookie. That sounds sort of rediculous, but it's true. So, I was offered this cookie at work called a "snickerdoodle" - Yum! I pick up my cookie and quickly realized the cookies do not contain any snickers ingredients at all...nuts, chocolate, caramel...etc.

So why the name?

I took one bite of the cookie and it was delicious. Full of shortbread and cinnamon flavors...but no trace of snickers or doodles...so I began my investigation (thank's Google!)

It seems the actual cookie was introduced to the United States in the late 1800's. And the name? The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word for "snail dumpling" (Schneckennudeln, or cinnamon-dusted sweet rolls)

Ahh, there it is! That makes much more sense now. Cause, before I read up on these tasty cookies, I was going to boycott them on the name alone. (But I secretly didn't want to boycott them becuase they taste so good!) I think I"ll rename them "The Cinnamon Sugar Cookie"...that's essentially what they tastes like. A sugar cookie, rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked till it's golden. This will be the next batch of cookies I bake. Want one?

Mom says,"On a scale of 1-10, it's a 15."

As far as I'm concerned, I'm just living my life like any normal person would...secretly wishing I was debt free, planning on carving a pumpkin for Halloween and taking Leia for her morning walks. Life seems pretty normal. Normal, but not boring.

As of late - there are a few exciting things afoot. For one, I got a new sewing machine and I'm in the process of sewing Leia a new coat for the Fall. A process which my mom pointed out, "on a scale of 1-10 for a first project it's a 15." Ooops. It's pretty cool though and I'm almost finished! Other projects in the que include fleece hats for Jason and I, a cool bag, and a pencil holder that you roll up and tie. Now, I just need some free time!

Also in the works - Jason and I are now officially "on call" for my friend Catherine's trip to the hospital to give birth. You're thinking - seriously? Yep. She's due in 8 weeks and starting this week we're on call between the hours of 6:30pm - 8am. Yay Catherine! We're just hoping it doesn't happen next week when her mom is out of the country.

And since the BRGA picnic- the greyhound adoption picnic, Jason and I have gone back and forth about adopting a second dog. I know, I know, we decided not to get a second dog, twice. But here we are again, trying to find the right answer in our hearts. Leia is such a good dog, but both Jason and I notice her bored look and think she may need a friend. We are using the force to find an answer to this perplexing question: Does Leia need a brother named Luke?

All this excitement and if that weren't enough - I am still waiting word from my job.

So, if all goes according to this blog - I'll get to keep my job, wear my homemade hat to walk two dogs and wear it again to rush Catherine to the hospital to give birth.

I need to make that Hat!

BRGA Annual Picnic

On Sunday, Jason and I took Leia to the annual Blue Ridge Greyhound Adoption picnic. Whew, it was hot out - but there was so many people and tons of dogs!

We drove about 1 hour north/west to Franklin Park in Purceville, VA and arrived a little after 11am with our pup and our side salad. We got our free ice cream tickets and tee shirt at the registration desk, and after that, we sort of froze in the hot sun. Literally. Jason and I stood there in the blazing hot sun looking for a place to set up our camping chairs and call home - but we were out of luck. There was absolutely no shade! A bit of a downer, but we set our stuff down along side a fence and went into the pavilion. The food looked great and there ended up being plenty of seats to enjoy lunch.

They hired a girl scout troop to look after your dog while you enjoyed the food, but Leia was just laying on the cement like a normal dog, so I kept her.

Highlights from the picnic included:
1. Several trips to the kiddie pool to cool Leia off...it was a popular place to hang out!
2. Finding a square of shade from a signpost that was labled "no dogs allowed".
3. Leia's paw painted paw-print "dog art" - so cute.
4. After an announcment on the loudspeaker that they were giving free ice cream to any dog...(and we had just used our free tickets) I bent down and let Leia lick my vanilla ice cream....and after one lick -she decided it was the best thing ever - so she stole the whole thing (including the cone) and ate it in record time.

The picnic was a success - Leia was crashed out the rest of the night, and was probably happy to see us return to work yesterday so she could get some proper rest!

Mmmm...cats!

I don't think Leia is "cat safe". Within the last 24 hours she's seen three; two house, one stray...and let's just say I witnessed a bit too much lip licking and whining. (I really don't understand the whining part.)

Last night I offered to take Leia around while Jason made dinner. I saw my friend Catherine (who's 7 months pregnant) sitting on her balcony and we were chatting. Leia got a glimpes of her two cats on the balcony and was very interested in them. Then she started crying as she looked at them...like, "I'd like to play with you." Which translates to (and i'm guessing here) "I'd like to kill you." They did look a lot like the brown squirrel we saw earlier in the summer - you remember the time - when i was innocently walking Leia and she turned into the Hulk for 30 seconds as she watched a squirrel cross the road...yeah, it was strange.

Then this morning we were on our way inside after our walk down the path and Leia insisted on passing up the door to go toward some nearby bushes. Sure enough - we saw a stray(?) cat crouched down under a bush with what looked like a mouse in it's mouth.

Standing there with Leia on the sidewalk was similar to a line from the movie ET. Remember when Elliot is showing ET all of his favorite toys in his room?..."Look fish. The fish eat the fish food, and the shark eats the fish, and nobody eats the shark." Only in this case, the cat eats the mouse and the dog eats the cat.

Leia actually reminds me of ET in many ways. She's five years old and she's just realizing how awesome cheese is. She just discovered that people go in cars, and that car rides can be fun...and that crinkle noises from the kitchen may be a good reason to get up.

They say it can take up to a year for your greyhound to go from alien to actually acting like a "real" dog. I'd say Leia is coming right along.

It's Dark In the Morning

Leia and I went out for our morning walk today - and although it was in the low 70's and very nice - it was also dark. Like it was still night. (and it was our normal walking time at a little after 6a.) I'm not use to this yet - considering for the first summer in my life, i was outside walking a dog every morning at 6:30am. I know I've walked Leia on dark mornings before, but i was really enjoying the sunshine mornings. For some reason, the path seems a little bit scarier when it's dark - even if it's the same 'ole guy with the baby jogging stroller and pregnant lady walking her pug. They're the same people!...but somehow seem scary to me because it's dark. Yeah, it doesn't make much sense.

On the other hand, Leia doesn't seem to mind at all. She just goes about her morning walk without a hitch, stopping to sniff every five feet as if to check to see, "Is this what I think it is? Yep!...Is this what I think it is?," sniffing, "yep!" She has to sniff everything!

We are going to an all greyhound picnic this weekend and I am curious to see how Leia reacts to all her fellow greys. If she goes crazy and loves every minute of it - i fear we'll have another dog before you can say Happy Halloween. (then again maybe not...Jason and I go back and forth.) Two may just be the ticket...or just one too many. We're undecided at this point. One alien is enough for now.

Ahh...The Smell of Fritos In The Morning

They say if you look and act cool, no one will ever know you're sweating it out on the inside. I've been trying my best to act cool the last six weeks. Yes, it's been that long since they announced that XM is merging with Sirius. Kind of a long time to go without any information, and pretend it's business as usual - but like I mentioned, I'm remaining cool. It's kinda hard. Lately I've noticed my emotions are a little more sensitive - and it takes a lot more effort to concentrate and focus. Thankfully, I'm running almost every day of the week, so I think I sweat out most of the terror and nerves before 8am. Phew, what a lesson in patience. So, for those of you wondering it's all still wait and see.

Meanwhile, life continues on...and lately I've observed some humorous moments:

1. Jason whispering the phrase "cubs beer" simultaniously with noise of an Old Style can opening ("sput-chaaahhh.") My parents brought some from Illinois over Labor Day weekend.

2. This older guy at work with his feet proped up on his desk with his sunglasses on, chowing down on Fritos before 10am.

3. Jason again, this time at the grocery store making fun of the generic brand name of Oil Of Olay which is simply called "Oil Of Beauty". He said they didn't even try to be creative when they thought of that generic name. He goes, "they could of called it Oil of Okay"!! OMG, he's funny.

4. My coworker, referring to a slice of New York Style Pizza as a blanket. "It's like a blanket," he goes using two hands to mimic trying to get such a large slice to your mouth, "it's so huge you have to use two hands and fold it like a blanket." We both agreed pizza is better when it's cut in squares.