01 January 2005:

Happy 2005 to everyone!!

Jim & Valdemort returned from their gig at about 2:15 this morning. Gig at Cherry Creek went well, everyone played at their best, good solos, etc. So, what happened? They got "short-paid" because some sourpuss "wanted rock and roll" [uh, hello? this is a Swing Band that you'd knowingly contracted? And, Swing Band is part of the band's name?? hello???]. Never mind that the band fulfilled every aspect of the contract signed by representatives of both parties.... Needless to say, the band leaders will be following up with the other party - and that this is one venue that this band will NOT play in the future.

Lessee, I made it to midnight (purely by accident - was working on some other stuff that took that long...), but missed the ball drop in Times Square by seconds. Did have the pleasure of seeing my phone state the time as "0:00" (military time).

Work was a bit strange today. Not as busy as 2 days ago, lightly staffed, but I swear that gremlins were in overnight to explode all the ties & shirts. Took all day, and STILL didn't get all the ties straightened up. Talked to several people about the Tech Toys, but no sales there. Lots of return and exchange activity, too.

Nook home from her sleepover party before noon; all had a good time and the giant decorated cookies were a hit!

ADDENDUM!!!! Whew! A tight, tough, exciting game between the Longhorns & Wolverines. Lucky for Valdemort, the Longhorns pulled off a 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds on the clock, so she does NOT have to wear the UM Rose Bowl t-shirt Dad brought home from Kroger!! [Sorry Kevin, but she also swears that she is going to burn said t-shirt when MSU goes to the Rose Bowl!!]

03 January 2005:

Bleah. Back to School &/or Work routine has kicked in. Bleah.

Still have Valdemort hanging around for a few more days, though!! She's spackled & sanded in The Gurlz' bathroom [Nook already did a lot of the masking - back in August when this project was *supposed* to start!]. I helped remove fixtures and find brushes, dropcloth, etc., and she's a painting fiend!! Nice color...sort of a crisp-clean light purple - brightens that bathroom! Nice choice, Nook!!

As for me, dish washing en masse; errands (which were completed before a certain college-age student regained consciousness for the day...hee hee!); take down Christmas tree, lights, ornaments, decorations; move furniture around for initial vacuum attempt prior to running out & renting Rug Doctor; couple loads of towels; multiple operations as Doorman to Dogz (including many wipings of muddy paws); nap [short - very short]. Grocery run through the sleet with Hubby - run into old friend from former employer, renew acquaintences, spend beaucoup $$ on cheese (of all things). Sort through new prescription service's online site (maybe this won't be so bad, after all).

04 January 2005:

Move furniture. Wash dishes. Run errands. Rent Rug Doctor. Move more furniture. Run Rug Doctor through beige room. Interspersed with multiple operations as *Doorman to Dogz*, with multiple foot wipings. Valdemort interrupts painting, goes to pick up Nook, with stops in the building to see a couple former teachers...get call from Nook asking where V is [somewhere in the building?]. French toast & sausage for supper. Take Twuk to Marshall Fields to pick up sofa (amazingly, sofa fit perfectly in Twuk's bed - with tailgate *down*). Sofa living in garage (ah, yass, it's like driving our living room) and Twuk living in the snow until carpet cleaning operation completed and old sofa-sleeper moved out. Valdemort being nostalgic, playing with HS Pep Band at game. Orange Bowl (well, until the moronic halftime production with Jessica Simpson and non-working microphone).

05 January 2005:

Discovered that PART of yesterday's blog didn't make it *out there*, so re-FETCHed it this morning and it's in complete form now...

Carpets dry! Moved furniture this evening - rooms look better with cleaner carpets (I *still* hate carpeting :-P ).

06 January 2005:

Think we've decided that Ernie is part Whippet (he matches the personality profile almost perfectly, not to mention his general shape). Also, part gazelle (such graceful long leaps!). And, jackrabbit (hippity-hop).

More furniture moving, performing triage on furniture (what to keep vs. what to unload). SOMEHOW we ARE going to de-clutter this place....

Peanut butter cookies = Happy Dogs (they get to try the broken ones!!)

07 January 2005:

Not too much to report. So, it won't get reported.

08 January 2005:

"What's It All About, Alfie?" What it's about, is, well, Alfred (Alfie) has just joined our "pack". He's been so busy checking out the new digs & his new pack, that we can't seem to get him to stay still long enough for his first family picture. So, the picture shown is one from the PetFinder.com site. Alfie is 14 pounds, a Chihuahua mixed with something else - dunno if it's Basenji or Corgi or "what". Tail's been docked (just a stub) - don't know why, but it adds to that Corgi-ish look. He's actually from the Almost Home Animal Rescue League based in West Bloomfield.

09 January 2005:

Learned this evening that we lost Tatsuo Takei - Aunt Roberta MacMullan-Takei's husband - last night. Arrangements are still to be made, will post as I learn them.

Busy day today!! Took Ernie & Alfie to the Pet Supply store to outfit Alfie!! New bed (crate-compatible), new leash (couldn't find the "puppy leash" from Ernie's puppyhood), new food bowl (yep, we now have Large, Medium, and Small bowls for the Large, Medium, and Tiny Dogz), new toys, and teeny-tiny dog cookies.

Didn't take long for Ernie & Alfie to figure out how to use the Tug-o-War toy...

...the accompanying play grrs are exuberant!! The Tug games do need occasional "assistance", otherwise Ernie (with the 30-lb advantage) gets the toy and RUNS! And, another Chase Game starts! Sam just lays in place and doesn't flinch when Alfie, then Ernie, leap over him...

This afternoon was the public Open House for the newly-expanded Flint Institute of Music. I joined two members of the top student Flute quartet (Divertimento Quartet), and we were settled in one of the rooms in the new wing to play trios and discuss the various instruments in the flute family. As the token adult, I somehow got the job of doing the talking...which is OK, although I'm still trying to figure out how I pulled it off. And the other unexpected thing: we were warming up with "Gaelic Melody" ("Morning Has Broken"), when Davin Torre came in with a Channel 12 reporter & videographer. Turns out that they had us play that piece again (quieter) as background for Davin's interview about the Open House!! Saw the broadcast, and we sounded pretty darn good!!

10 January 2005:

The Transitive Property of Dogs (as proposed by Valdemort)

3 Alfies = 1 Ernie
2 Ernies = 1 Sam
Therefore, 6 Alfies = 1 Sam

(based on relative weight)

Alfie has continued to firmly integrate himself into our "pack". He and Ernie were caught napping together this morning!!

Worked up the SISU, and took all 3 Boyz out for a "trial walk" this AM. Just a "blocker", didn't know how well Alfie would tolerate either the cold or distance. Turns out, no need to worry - he's a 14# freight train!! Although, the choreography required to walk 3 dogz is very different from that required for 2...especially when the smallest of the group can very nearly walk UNDER the middle-sized one....

Alfie is a self-proclaimed Go Dog, and an excellently behaved one, at that! Caught the attention of the Barista at the Starbucks drive-thru window this evening when we picked up a tall-decaf-mocha-Frappaccino for Nook - favorably, I may add!

First Indoor Track meet is Friday afternoon/evening at Macomb Community College. Go Infinity Girls Indoor Track Club

12 January 2005:

No blog yesterday - not that nothing happened - just didn't get to it!! ;-)

Plenty today, too. Valdemort & I had tentative plans to get together Thursday, thinking today's schedule was too hectic...that changed! She called this AM, letting me know her German Lab was not meeting today, so her afternoon was open...so I ran over to meet her at noon. "Why?", you ask; her Motorola cell phone - replaced just 2 weeks ago due to equipment malfunction - started malfunctioning Monday - the entire top row of keys ("1", "2", "3") quit working. Good thing we went there today...apparently, the phone managed some kind of ID failure as the techs were looking at it (whatever a "nam 2" might be). No question, it got replaced. With a new one, of the same model (this is #3 - next one will NOT be a Motorola!!).

Alfred & Ernie accompanied me on this venture - and it was love at first sight between Valdemort and Alfie!! No grrrs, no hackles, no snaps. Quick introduction, and Alfie adopted her!!

So, home again. Checked email, got confirmation of the process to complete Alfie's adoption (since his stay with us is such a success!), wrote the check for $250 (!), and packed up the Almost Home collar/tag & leash with the check, and will mail 'em out tomorrow.

13 January 2005:

Blog-blog-bloggity-blog

Goodwill run today, unload some of our clutter; still have a lo-o-o-o-ong ways to go.

Unbelievable, 55 degrees (and rain) at 7 AM when Nook & Dad left. 44 degrees (and rain) when I ran to to Post Office about 9 AM. Not much different when I did my Goodwill-&-grocery store run. 36 degrees and wet/heavy snow/rain when Nook called for her pickup from Track. 34 degrees as I write this tonight. Supposed to drop well below freezing overnight - go from wiping one dozen muddy paws a bazillion times a day to having to thaw them out in a matter of a few hours....Wonder how much of a skating rink our neighborhood will be? And how much higher can Thread Creek get?!?!?!?!?

14 January 2005:

Nook is at a Michigan Indoor Track Series Meet at Macomb Community College tonight. Will update later when we hear from her!

Cold-cold-cold today! Ran Alfie & Ernie up to Jim's work today, Alfie was thrilled to see Dad, but shivered all the way back to the car...teeny bodies get cold fast in 18-deg weather! Alfie's a pretty good Go Dog (except when he decides HE wants to be in the driver's seat...) and Ernie is getting better at it when he has a buddy with him.

Three-day weekend for all of us! Including the college student...need to *conflab* with her about what she might want to do...[and, NO, I'm *not* going to UPS The Boyz to you!!!]

16 January 2005:

Let us know how things went with the "800# Gorilla" today [you know who you are ;-) ]

Mercy run to MSU today. Had to take a student out to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch, bring over a formal (& shoes) for Huddle in February - as well as her bike (so she can get to PT), and stop so she could pick up 2 boxes of tissues...oh, yeah...and bring over Ernie & Alfie for a quick bunch of dog hugz!!

Nook avoided that trip - had arranged lunch with Princess Bubbles & friends at Big Boy, followed by a "study session" with said friends (I hear they DID actually get *some* studying done).

17 January 2005:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Too much d*** crap in the mail. Too much of what we get that we are supposed to get contains too much superfluous paper. Most of what we get in the mail is just plain junk, and tends to overwhelm. Always afraid I'm gonna rip up & throw away something that I'm not supposed to (like, a bill or, worse yet, *money*) while destruct-o-ing the trash mail. Too many catalogues - even from the companies we actually buy anything from. At least email *spam* doesn't destroy trees or use chemicals that endanger the environment - and *junking* spam doesn't take up any space!!

18 January 2005:

Ho-hum. Guess we'll watch the MSU-Purdue game - Valdemort's playing with Spartan Brass there tonight - just *know* we won't see the band - ESPN never shows the band...uhhh-hh-h-h-h-h-h, wait, wait - whoa, there's a closeup of the guy with the green trombone....yikes, there's Valdemort!! Grinning & cheering over his shoulder!! And it's not a quick flash, either - she's got to be on screen for 5 seconds or more....OMG, I do NOT believe this!! All too KOOL for words!!

19 January 2005:

Wednesday. So howcum it's pronounced "wenz-day", and not "wed-nes-day"?? Gotta be a British thing. Only THEY would spell it "Worcestershire" and pronounce it "woo-ster-shure"

Took The Boyz for a blocker after clearing the driveway (left them in the house while running the snowblower, since I don't know if Alfie would "take off", and have no desire to find out in the snow) - yep, all 3 of 'em at once! And, what comes to mind as they are walking/pulling/moving about in front of me? "Woof", "Warp", and "Shuttle". Yeah, terms from looms & weaving.... Definitely, Alfie is "Shuttle", not certain how to classify the other two.

As this is being written, I have Ernie tight against my left leg, Alfie tight against my right, and Sam flat on the floor a couple feet away - and all of them are quite asleep. I think Alfie's quite at home!!

A new person came to "try out" the Flute Choir tonight - he comes down from Birch Run. Hopefully, he continues - flute choirs are one of those things where "the more, the merrier" definitely applies, as it opens up more possibilites in music written for flute choirs!

Addendum: The WMWF (World Mouth Wrestling Federation) Championships continue between Ernie & Alfie, with no clear-cut favorite to win. Several bouts have been held today of varying lengths, separated by napping, feeding, and outdoor sessions. The tourney will continue tomorrow, time TBD.

20 January 2005:

No sooner did George W. finish taking his oath, than I received a call from my recruiter...GM's decided to contract me for a 60-day position as an "Assistant Buyer" (yay! This one's in Flint!)!! Yet *another* learning experience ahead of me, probably starting mid-week (yup, have to wait for the results of the good ol' "pre-employment drug screening") - had to meet my recruiter to finish some paperwork and pick up the drug screen packet, then run up to an "Occupational Health Clinic" to get 3 chunks of hair cut and sent off to Culver City, California! The worst they'll find is COFFEE and CHOCOLATE in *my* system :-D

One more day of Finals for Nook, then it's a New Semester on Monday!! Get to start that process ALL OVER AGAIN! >>:-D

21 January 2005:

Stopped at the Apple Store en route to other things, today. Just checkin' out what they had. Got a good look at an iPod Shuffle (all the employees had them hanging from their necks - they are the tiny!!) - cool gadget. Also, looked at iPod "skins", "socks", etc., plus other iPod paraphernalia. Apple's really on top of this wave....

Cold-cold-cold today; expecting snow-snow-snow by tomorrow. Looks like the big snowstorm is hitting Lansing, we'll get hit in the next couple hours. See if we get the predicted 6 inches....at least we have snowblower, gas, and shovels!!

Bananne, your randomness rules!!

22 January 2005:

Surprise 50th birthday party this evening for a friend at the local Elks Club. Fun, food, and lots of friends in attendance! Happy Birthday, Loel!

Nook out on a date with John, went with him (and his parents) to Phantom of the Opera, then pizza afterwards. Says the movie was great!!

Lots of snow today, hilarity watching the shrimp of the crew (Alfie) galumphing happily through the fluffy snow (trying to keep up with Big Bro Ernie)! Ernie & Alfie are like little kids - too much fun playing in the snow to come in the first dozen times they are called...

Then, there's Valdemort...iBook starts crashing...at last known count, 5 times today. The *Blue Screen of Death*. Installed Virex - crash. Uninstalled Mozilla alpha version - crash. Watching DVD - crash. Ran "Repair Permissions" - crash. Looked at it cross-eyed - crash. Now planning to run Software Restore to see if that will *fix* the problem, will prolly call Tech Support anyway :-P [ed. note: just do it while you are on your "free" minutes, please!!]

23 January 2005:

Paperwork finalizing Alfie's adoption arrived yesterday; completing & mailing tomorrow & running to the Vet to pick up license! Welcome (officially) to the family, Alfie!

Correction!! Nook's date's name is "Jon". Apologies for the misspelling (assumption?)...

24 January 2005:

Copied & mailed Alfie's adoption paperwork. "Ran" to Rochester offices of CES to complete contract paperwork for GM assignment. Back home to let Dogz out, then grab Alfie's rabies vaccine certificate, load Alfie & Ernie into the dogsled and up to the Vet's office to get an Alfie ["Alfred" in their records] file started and a license to be a Dog in Genesee County. Back home, change, lunch, and upstairs to office and general stuff - to be continued tomorrow!

Valdemort's system recovery/restore seems to have gone OK - except that she forgot about MS Office...now we get to figure out how to get that back on her computer and still be legal with the registration key, etc......

25 January 2005:

Announcement!! Valdemort has located a roommate for next year! And she's just across the hall!!

Multiple fire alarms (hopefully all of them just *drills*) for Valdemort this evening. Bad thing, the horn is right outside her door and gives her major cardiac arrest each time.

Report time 8AM at GLTC, meet with my new boss!

26 January 2005:

Yep, first day of new job...I think this one is going to be ver-r-r-r-ry interesting! My new boss is Ivan, a 35+ year veteran of GM - one of those folks who has worked all around the world, and has fascinating experiences that I've only just begun to hear about!!

The Boyz had to be without Mom for most of the day today. Alfie paid me back for that...came home to piddles in the bathroom, my retainers chewed to bits, his bed wet, and the fan running [of all things!]. Poor Ernie couldn't wait to get outta there!!

Ordered a new *personalized* plate for the Road Warrior: MTU Alumni plate, "DGSLD". Email me if you think you know what that means...

Valdemort and her new roomie have reserved their room for next year!! Same dorm, up a floor or two, outta The Pit (and part-time sauna), and a bigger room, to boot! Good job, girlz!

27 January 2005:

Go to Jones Soda web site and vote a "10" for photo #0000334535. Happens to be someone we all love!!

29 January 2005:

Now that Alfie KNOWS he's staying *for good*, he's letting some of his rough edges show. Those, we are sure, are from his life prior to his rescue (whatever that may have been), so we are working to modify the undesirable behaviors and reward the desirable ones. He's no dummy, and very affectionate - so very worth the effort!!

Spartans vs. Oakland U on ESPN2 (Fox 66 carrying this game) tonight. The full contingent of Spartan Brass - as usual - is playing the men's game. Did see the token 2-second shot of the Spartan Brass, trombones in full swing (literally).

30 January 2005:

2AM: Zzzzzz....hnnnnh? Oh, geez, Sam's panting, and Alfie's making unhappy noises in his crate. However, Ernie is tightly snuggled in, my warm teddy bear....aw, geez, OK Sam, try some water...no? Oh....gotta go "out". OK, you too, Alfie & Ernie, may as well take all of ya. Trudge-trudge-trudge. Brrrrrr. Click hook on Alfie's collar, he launches, and hook drops on patio. Alfie's outta sight. Sigh. Find polarfleece sox, XC pants, hat, warm gloves, down jacket, Merrills. Sam & Ernie return, but not Alfie. Call from back patio (hope neighbors don't hear!). Trudge-trudge-trudge. Not in backyard, not in Dutch's yard, not in Bennie's yard. Dang. OK Ernie, you're coming with me, let's do a "blocker", see if Alfie is somewhere on the route. Trudge-trudge-trudge, looking and calling [softly, I hope]. Directly opposite our backyard, *jingle-jingle*. Teeny body greets us, wiggle-wiggle/happy-happy. Pick him up, shiver-shiver/happy-happy. Trudge-trudge-trudge through the backyard back to our own house....dry everyone off, trudge-trudge-trudge back upstairs to warm bed, snuggle in with TWO warm snuggly dogs [Sam back in his usual sleepy spot].....oh, all of about 45 minutes later than when all this started.