Double, Double Toil and Trouble

Happy Halloween!

Can you guess that I love Halloween?  Every year it comes around and I swear it is my favorite holiday.  Then Christmas rolls around and I swear that is my favorite holiday.  So I figure we'll call it a draw between Halloween and Christmas.  I have loved Halloween since I was a child.  What is better than dressing up, going out and and getting free candy?  And it is a plus if you get the pants scared off you at least once.  Those houses where you had to go through some kind of Trick-Or-Treating maze or haunted house to get to the candy and then the skeleton next to the candy comes alive and scares you half to death... yeah those were the BEST houses!  Someday, I'll be that house and kids will come from far and wide to Trick-Or-Treat at my house.  Someday.

That being said, I haven't had much luck with Trick-Or-Treaters in the past.  The house we grew up in was not in a suburb and hard for the little kiddies walking around in their masks to get to.  So we only had maybe one or two Trick-Or-Treaters, not that I was there because I was out getting my own candy.  Then went to college and got some at the house in Boulder but not many.  There weren't many kids in the neighborhood.  Then we got more in the house out on Powers.  None in Manitou last year because again it was hard to get to.  So we'll see about this year in my brother's house.  I haven't been able to decorate much so who knows if the kids will come.  It is my fondest dream to have lots of Trick-Or-Treaters.  The jury is out on my new house.  I'm not sure if it is in prime Trick-Or-Treating territory and I won't be able to tell you until next year.

Yeah, this year's Halloween has been kind of a dud.  It saddens me.  I've just been so busy with other things and I'm REALLY not settled so ghoulish celebrations have been put off.  I didn't even have a costume this year which is unheard of.  I have been depressed about that so I've been planning for next year.  No idea on a costume but my house is going to freaking rule, thanks to Pinterest.

Here are some decoration ideas I'll be putting into play next year:

See my Halloween board on Pinterest!

I'll probably start making decorations in July.  Ooo it is going to be so spooky.  And I will have equal fun decorating inside but then I do have the dogs and cat to think about so I can't go completely insane as I can outside.  I'll start buying supplies tomorrow when things are on sale.  You have to think about these things.

And next year's costume will be legendary.  I am very proud of my last two costumes.  Last year we had a Zombie vs Survivor party so I was a survivor.  Specifically I was Zoey from Left 4 Dead.  (You rock if you know the game.) 

 The year before that I was a zombie.  Which I was also very proud of.  Let me note that I did the make up all by myself.

See how much fun Halloween can be?  And what did I do this year?  I carved a pumpkin because it would be horrible not to carve a pumpkin.  Keep in mind that I am not especially skilled in the medium of pumpkin carving so mine came out a bit like a drunk child.  But he'll be out there on the stoop!

Fun fact:  We owe the witches' brew (the one that starts with "Double double toil and trouble) to good old William Shakespeare.  Bet you guys didn't know that.  One reason to like McBeth!  See the witches' brew at the end.

So Happy Halloween everyone!  Get spooky!

from Macbeth

A dark Cave. In the middle, a Caldron boiling. Thunder.

                Enter the three Witches.

       1 WITCH.  Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
       2 WITCH.  Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd.
       3 WITCH.  Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time!
       1 WITCH.  Round about the caldron go;
    In the poison'd entrails throw.—
    Toad, that under cold stone,
    Days and nights has thirty-one;
    Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
    Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!
       ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
       2 WITCH.  Fillet of a fenny snake,
    In the caldron boil and bake;
    Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
    Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
       ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
       3 WITCH.  Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
    Witches' mummy; maw and gulf
    Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
    Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark;
    Liver of blaspheming Jew;
    Gall of goat, and slips of yew
    Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
    Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
    Finger of birth-strangled babe
    Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,—
    Make the gruel thick and slab:
    Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
    For the ingrediants of our caldron.
       ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
       2 WITCH.  Cool it with a baboon's blood,
    Then the charm is firm and good.

Digital bucket on my head

You know, I used to think I was pretty web savvy.  I'm fairly on top of things and when I'm not I can figure them out by messing around with them.  Lately though it has been revealed to me that the world wide web can clean my clock.  There is so much out there that I have a big question mark over my head about.

As you know I have decided to create another blog devoted to dog training.  This is a personal blog but I want my other blog to be professional and, hopefully, wide reaching.  So whenever I have a few minutes here and there I've been setting up various things for this blog.  During this process I have been rudely reminded that I'm a small fish in a very big pond.  I'm just kind of floundering about like the kid with a bucket on her head running into things everywhere and generally creating mass chaos in my wake.  That is indeed how I feel.

My blog savvy friend has promised to help me but we've both been so busy with various projects that we haven't really connected yet.  That has led me to kind of dive in on my own with very little direction.  I do have my blog set up though it is not beautifuied at all and I refuse to share it or write on it until it is.  I have also spent the morning setting up various other accounts to go with this blog.  So now I have a new email address that has been set up to forward to my main email address.  Check.  I also dove into Twitter and created a Twitter account for the blog because why not do it all right?  It did take me a good half an hour to somewhat customize that Twitter account to a somewhat likeable theme.  I'm sure I went about it the hard and long way but such is the way of a kid with a bucket on her head.  My friend tells me that I should also create a Facebook account but that's where I've run out of steam.  I already have two Facebook accounts, one public and one private.  I shutter to think of being that person with three Facebook accounts, two blogs, Twitter, three active email addresses and a partridge in a pair tree.  That is a lot of digital balls in the digital juggling universe.

I have so wanted to give myself a forum to be a little more involved in dog training.  I need more directions for that career to go in.  Since I have the degree, why not use it to write articles about the subject.  I'm going to be serious about it too.  Some will be opinion articles but some will be researched and cited.  I have about a million topics in mind so that should keep me busy for a while.  I am not going to be posting willy nilly though.  I'll choose a day and post on that day.  Either Monday or Friday maybe.  That way my article is anticipated and I have a week to write them.  I will steer clear of the "oh my dog is so cute!" posts.  Yes my dogs are very cute and I generally obsess about them but I have other forums for that, as you can see above.  The only time I will use more personal stuff is when my personal experience on a topic is the idea.  One such idea I have is about my extremely unmotivated dog and how to deal with that.  Or the health of an aging dog.  Or dog and cat interactions.  Other personal things I'll probably use is my personal journey becoming a dog trainer.  There are a lot of personal aspects I will be using but the idea is that it is a more professional blog.  So I will not be linking these two blogs at all.  People hopefully reading my articles about dog training do not need to read about my pet peeves.

Anyway, I will tell you the name of this blog.  The Midnight Barker.  Get it?  From 101 Dalmatians and the midnight bark.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about you should be ashamed of your Disney knowledge and go watch 101 Dalmatians immediately.  For those of you who are comfortable with your Disney knowledge but still need a little help, the midnight bark is how the dogs share information in the movie.  So there you go, The Midnight Barker.  I think it's pretty clever and totally riding the wave of Disney cool!

BUT... do not go looking for it yet because it isn't ready!  NO CHEATING!

More house stuff

I admit I haven't been able to do too much at the house lately because I've been SO busy.  Maybe a little lazy too.  Though right now it is hard to get much done there because there is no electricity, no heat and no water.  The electrician has his work cut out for him so it is going to take him a couple more days to get the wiring straightened out and the electricity back on.  Everything is kind of waiting on that.  My dad is probably going to redo all of the plumbing because he is amazing.  And then we are getting the furnace in next week.  Good news with that is that they are going to put the furnace in the cellar instead of the ceiling so it is available for maintenance and such.  Vents will go in the ceiling so we'll have the stack against the wall in the living room.  The backyard isn't ready for a fence yet but we're almost there.  The two shacks in the back were demolished and taken down.  The one in the center we kept.  There is a lot of potential with that.  If I can safely get heat out there maybe I'll do an office out there.  Which would be a little strange but hey it's kind of cute.  The new porch looks great and I'm happy we went with concrete over wood because it will last longer.

A couple more pictures:

Porch before

Porch after

Sheds in the back

Goodbye shed on the left

Goodbye shed on the right

I want to add that I got my first piece of mail at the house a little while ago.  A gift from my aunt.  Thank you for the wall stencil Aunt Pam!  I can't wait to put it up.

I just want the house to be done so I can live there already.

CPDT-KA Certified!

I was up early today and it was such a beautiful morning.  Crisp cold air and a light covering of snow.  I was out on the road watching the sun come up and glowing on the mountains.  I'm not a morning person but it was one of those mornings where you just feel peace.  I said that I was just feeling good vibes today.

Work was dull but I got a lot done.  I had an incredible meal planned out by the time I was ready to go home.  I picked up the dogs from daycare (Whitman has been passed out since getting home.  Sleepy boy) and went to get some groceries for my yummy dinner.

What did I have for dinner?  Baked summer vegetables and sweet chicken bacon bites.  Mmmmm.  It turned out wonderful though I did burn my knuckle.  Then for dessert I had a banana smore.  Oh mouth watering.

But the best part of the day?  Coming home to a letter confirming that I'd passed my certification test for my CPDT-KA, which is a knowledge based certification.  Wow that felt incredible.  Just looking down and seeing that  "Congratulations..."  I have wanted this for so long and done a lot of work to get here.  Now I'm certified.  It makes me feel like I have worthwhile and useful knowledge, which I know I have but it makes me feel validated.  It is just an incredible feeling.  I took the test way back in September and tired to put it out of my mind.  I was pretty sure I passed but at the same time what if I didn't?  It was just a lingering thought so I tried to just put it out of mind.  And then my training buddy got her certification and I kicked up the anxiety into high gear.  Thank goodness I only had to wait a day though.

Wow.  I am certified.  I am a certified dog trainer.  Wow.  Congratulations to me.  And to my training buddy!

Justice for Jessica

My phone gets emergency text messages.  Yesterday I was very glad to get a text message saying that there had been an arrest made in Jessica Ridgeway's case.  I've been keeping an eye on the case though law enforcement has been holding their cards close to their chest, as I would expect.  It is good to know they were working hard and took a predator off the streets.

A couple of days ago they announced a link to an attempted kidnapping of a woman jogger in the same area that Jessica was kidnapped in.  So this guy has probably fantasized about taking someone and doing horrible things to them for a while and then made plans to act on it.  His first attempt was not successful.  Thank God that woman fought him off.  However, that probably made him decide to prey on a more helpless victim, an innocent child walking to school.

I eagerly waited for more information after the text message.  I was shocked to see though that this predator was a 17 year old boy.  17 years old and already evil enough to abduct, murder and dismember a child.  There is something so wrong inside of him.  By all accounts I've read though, he hid the evil pretty well.  People seemed to think he was a nice person and very smart.

One thing I think about is how often high intelligence levels come with a catch.  People who are very very intelligent often have social problems or mental illness.  In this case, something very very wrong and evil.  I would really like to know more about him and his life.  Were there any warning signs?  Was his family structure normal or did it contribute to his behavior?  Nature vs. nurture.

It is entirely possible that his family did not wrong and could not have done anything to change him.  Honestly, I do believe some people are just born with something in them that makes them bad.  There are all these studies going on now about is there a genetic link to criminal activity?  In the case of serial killers and psychopaths, I think there probably is one.  Who knows if we will ever identify it or be able to do anything about it.  But in the case of run of the mill criminals, I think that is more nurture over nature.

Anyway, I'm glad they caught him.  I hope that his arrest brings some measure of safety back to the community.  Though he is innocent until proven guilty, I think a lot of people are going to feel safer.  I'm not sure what the family must be feeling.  I'm not sure anyone can until they are in that position and I hope never to be.  Either they're glad that the guy is caught and will be seeing justice or they are dreading the trial where there will probably be facts of the case revealed that no one really wants to know.  I think I would be feeling both if it was me.

I hope they convict him (if he is the guy who did this of course) and he should get a stiff sentence.  I support the death penalty in cases like this.  The death penalty isn't about an eye for an eye.  It is more about there are some people in this world that don't deserve to be a part of it.  We'll see what happens with his trial but I'm glad they got him off the street.  Though since he is under 18 when he committed the murder, the Supreme Court recently ruled that juvenile offenders are not eligible for the death penalty or mandatory life without parole.  I'm not sure how I feel about that in this case.  Can someone who has done something so evil be rehabilitated?  I think there is probably something fundamentally wrong with him that can't be changed.  I'm worried that killing is a part of him and he'll do it again if or when he gets out of jail.  Unsettling.

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Changes changes changes. What to do, what to do?

Life is a crazy thing sometimes.  I feel like I have gone through a lot of changes this past year.  And I guess I have.

• September of last year I signed my first lease on my own in Mantiou.
• Began a housing search that was much more intense than I thought it would be.
• Left my job at LD which was frightening, exciting, regretful and good all at the same time.
• Moved out of Manitou and am now existing in a state of flux.
• Bought a house.
• Slowly remodeling that house.

It's a lot to comprehend.  I don't tend to think my life is all that exciting.  Hollywood won't be making a movie about it any time soon, not even a bad daytime tv movie.  But that doesn't mean that these events aren't huge in my world.

I feel the need to quote one of my all time favorite tv shows now.

"Bottom line is, even if you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So, what are we, helpless? Puppets? Nah. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are."
~Whistler, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Yes that might be a tad dramatic but it is still a very potent quote.  If life were a stagnant thing it wouldn't be worth living.  Changes, even when they form as bumps in the road, are a part of the world turning and life going on.  You never really know what is going to happen but when those big moments come either you put on your big boy boots and kick ass or you hide under the bed.  I've done my share of both.

So why am I getting all whimsical and philosophical?  One because my brain isn't entirely awake yet this morning and two because I've had another opportunity open up before me.  Whenever I am faced with a big decision like this I always get philosophical and deep.  If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around does it make a sound?

Anyway, the opportunity I find myself looking at is another job.  When I made the decision to get out of LD it was a really hard one.  I was comfortable with my work there, even though I did not agree with the people or who it was run.  I am comfortable working with dogs and I really miss that.  In no way do I wish I had stayed at my position at LD because it was strangling the life out of me.  People have told me I seem much happier now and that's a positive thing if people can notice that.  I walk in for training now and I don't want to burn the place down.  It's a novel feeling that I really missed having.  So no, I don't regret quitting except that I miss the dogs there.  Yeah yeah the job I have now is a good one.  The people here are very sweet and I like them.  My boss is an incredibly nice person.  They have AMAZING coffee machines here.  But... there is no soul here.  I don't know if that makes sense.  But where I sit, I can't see outside.  I never thought that would depress me but it kind of does.  I feel like I'm sitting in a sad little box like those lab mice that don't see anything but white walls.  Working here has really made me relate to Office Space more.  Especially the scene where he knocks down his cubicle wall to see outside and the beating of the fax machine.  And then essentially I do the same thing... everyday.  And it is things that I don't particularly care about and don't interest me.  I've always been the kind of person that if I'm not interested in a topic it is hard for me to apply myself to it.  I'd just really like to get back into working with animals.

Yesterday I was driving to my parents' house to visit with my cat and I happened to drive past my vet's office.  I had been meaning to call them about getting Whitman's teeth cleaned so I rung them up.  They know me as my family has been taking our animals to them since I was a kid.  Dr. Scott is an amazing vet and even saw my CCI dogs for free when they were active.  Whitman is not a huge fan of Dr. Scott but he's a great vet.  When I contemplated leaving LD I decided that I would like to work in a vet's office.  However, since I love my vet so much, it was the only vet office I really wanted to consider.  Only they weren't hiring.  I've been thinking about getting back into the animal field over the past couple of weeks so when I had them on the phone I asked how often they hired.  Turns out, they're hiring now.  What luck!  Course whenever I am faced with a decision like this I go back and forth and worry and stress but honestly, this is a job I have been waiting for.  It would be SO much better to work there than here I think.  So I turned in my resume and I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon over my lunch break.

This would be an amazing opportunity for me.  And honestly, I really hope I get it though I would feel guilty for taking this job and only staying for four months.  Especially since I strong armed them into higher pay than they wanted.  And my sister works here so I don't want to make waves on the way out.  I just always seem to feel like I am letting people down when I do something like this.  For example, when I left managing LD I felt like I was letting my employees down.  But if I do get offered this position I think I will jump for it.  It's a lot of changes all at once but it is good changes.  I'll just have to roll with the punches and try to make it up on my feet.

What else can you do?  Well you all can wish me luck!

Here's another question for you:
If a tree falls in the woods and only a deaf man is there, does it make a sound? 

My toes are freezing!

I got wonderful news in my email this morning.  Apparently a wealthy Nigerian businessman passed away recently and he has no family so he chose me as his sole beneficiary!  I can't believe it!  Millions for me to collect if I just send this very helpful but not so literate in English mystery person all of my personal information!  It is like winning a lottery I didn't enter!  ...  Please.  How do people fall for this?

In other news, I was up for most of the night with a twitchy leg.  It was quivering and twitching all night and kept waking me up.  It sounds like nothing until you're actually contemplating cutting your leg off so you can finally get some decent sleep.  I did find one position that was okay if I held my leg a certain way.  Then I would fall asleep and move so then of course in about 45 minutes I would wake up again.  It was still twitching a little on the way to work but now it has stopped.  Angie says I need to eat more bananas.  Usually I have about 6-10 bananas a week in my smoothies but I haven't made them this past week because I've been so tired and cold in the mornings.  So I need to get back into that and keep up with my smoothies.  That or cut off my leg.  Either or.

Speaking of being cold in the mornings, I am absolutely freezing right now.  Today is supposed to be 70 degrees so I am wearing a handkerchief skirt and my small slip on shoes and only brought a light jacket.  Since I park in my brother's garage my car stays fairly warm so that usually is enough to get through the morning chill.  Today however I took the dogs to LD and then stood outside chatting.  So that made me cold.  Then I blasted my heat in my car all the way to work so I was nice and toasty but then I get to the office and the AC is on to 60 degrees.  Doesn't sound cold but it is frigged because it blows right on me.  So I am sitting here shivering.  My toes are so cold.  I may go track down my sister and steal her sweater and put it on my feet for a while until the cold air cycles out of here.

It is true I would rather be cold than hot but that doesn't mean I enjoy being freezing cold while I'm sitting here pretending to work.  Even my fingers are cold!  I want a blanket!

The flu study at work is FINALLY over!  No more working Sundays.  No more dealing with the crazy flu people as much.  Thank goodness.  Since I worked yesterday I have tomorrow off!  YAY!  That is a good thing because I have about 15 things on my to do list that I can only do at home.  Since I spend the majority of my time outside of home that doesn't help me much.  And the best part, I get to sleep in tomorrow!  That means I'll probably wake up within half an hour of when my alarm would normally go off but it still counts because I won't have to listen to that damned alarm.  Days off are a blessing!  Though I still train in the evening so it is not a complete day off.  Still makes me happy though.

House news:

Pretty much finished ripping up the flooring that needed to be ripped up.  Found some gnarly flooring under the carpet in the spare bedroom.  It made me laugh because I can't imagine anyone wanting that on their floors.  We'll be laying new carpet in the bedroom to cover this and then getting new linoleum in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room.  Someday I'll lay down tile but for now, linoleum will do.

I spent a lot of time pulling nails and hooks and screws out of the walls this weekend.  It was astounding how much was in the walls and just randomly everywhere.  I would have loved to see what was going on when the previous owners lived there.  It must have been a hodge podge of just everything imaginable.

My mom has been working hard in the backyard to make it habitable.  I really want to get that done so that I can bring my dogs over more often.  If my dogs could be there more I could work on the house more because I wouldn't have to go home to take care of them every so often.  Right now though there is just so many nails and random junk around that it isn't safe.  Not to mention that the fencing is extremely unsafe.

This week a lot of stuff is really starting to happen at the house.  At this moment concrete is being poured for my new porch.  Cheaper than a wood porch and I won't have to replace it in a couple of years.  Also it will be nice to be able to use the front door again without climbing up and jumping out that huge hole.  Tomorrow the electrician will be rewiring from top to bottom so that we can use the electricity in the house without burning it down.  The sheds in the back will be getting bulldozed either tomorrow or the next day.  Then this weekend we will be scraping the outdoor trim and repainting that before it gets too cold.  Though... it is supposed to snow on Friday so we may have to put that off.  I am going to paint the trim that is blue now a dark green.  The gutters that we put on will also be a dark green.  That should all happen fairly quickly here.  And we have also made the decision to put in a furnace instead of doing electrical heating.  I kept going back and forth but at this point I just need to make a decision and get some heat in that house so that it isn't unbearable to work in.  Windows will be done hopefully next week or the week after.  We are still getting a couple of bids there to see what we can afford.

I feel like things are really starting to get going on the house, which is fun to see.  I feel overwhelmed by it and I've been so busy that I have hardly been able to do anything on it.  Thank God for my parents who have been there almost every day doing something.  They are incredible people and know MUCH more how to do this than I do.  I would be so lost without them.

Flooring in the walk in closet

Flooring in the bedroom

Dad hard at work