Life with the Two Crazy Dogs

Time really flys by for me, the older I get, the faster time zoomed by.  Why didn’t time fly quicker when I was a kid or teenager?  It’s already mid August and this Thursday is the start of the Great Minnesota Get Together, the State Fair.  I might go this year since I will be taking time off again to burn my vacation during the Labor Day weekend which is usually the last day of the fair.  School reopens after Labor Day.  Traffic is always heavier during school terms.  Wow, where did the time go to? 

I have decided not to register for any classes this fall.  The reason I’m flat broke and just cannot afford to use my savings.  Darn, tuition fees are so expensive now.  I know my boss will understand my situation, coz I have added fall classes on my goals and objectives.  It will probably take me another 4 years to complete my 2-year degree.  How pathetic!

Speaking of time, this little missy is growing like a weed.  Her hair is turning red, sure looks like it, doesn’t it?  DB was sitting her on Monday.  She was very cranky, fighting her sleep but drinks her milk like she’s drinking water.  She is still very smiley and yap a lot when we put her down to change her.  She is still drooling a lot which makes us think she is teething.  I’m waiting for my coworker to bring in her Baby Einstein DVDs she bought when she had her babies.  I’m sure it will keep this little missy occupy.

One event I missed out (on Sunday, August 17) and actually the first I have heard of since I came to MN is the Japanese Lantern Lighting Festival out in Como Park.  It is an annual event where Corrine will open a stall selling her famous bakeries, soba noodles and drinks.  I wanted to go so bad but I had so much to do at home, my usual cleaning day and bathing day for Ranger (I still bathe Ranger every week because of his allergies).  I was debating about til the clock hit 7 p.m. and I finally told myself I’m not going since I know if I go I won’t get home till 10 or 11 because I know I want to spend time with Corrine, Tammy,  and all the rest.  Next year will be a must for me, I will take the next day, Monday, off. 

Here is this picture i took of a rabbit that hangs out in our backyard all by itself. Look at its ears, the black thing between the ears. It sure looks like a tumor coz it’s growing bigger now.  These pictures were taken last week.  I have not seen the rabbit since then.  If there are other rabbits out on the yard, this little tumored fella is always away from the rest.  Make’s me think he is like the ugly duckling, shunned by his buddies. 

So, the time to get new tabs for the Blazer.  The tabs are just the same as road tax in Malaysia.  You renew it every year.  The Blazer’s tabs were due in July.  I took the renewal form from DMV (department of motor vehicle) to work so I can send the form with a check in.  The company I work for is sweet enough to provide such services for its employees.  We employees can renew our license tabs, boat license, motorcycle and don’t know what else that I didn’t bother to care for since I do not utilize them.  How it works is I enclose the form from DMV and the check into an envelope provided by the license bureau.  The license bureau officer comes once every Wednesday to the company to do all these license stuff for employees.  If you drop the envelope off on Wednesday you can pick the tabs up after 12 noon the next day.

When I picked my tabs up on Thursday, I saw they included new plates, too.  The first thing I saw on the plates was the numbers 455, and being a Chinese, it’s an automatic thing to get them Cantonese translation which means “die fast fast” (sei fai fai).  I told that to DB’s since those plates will be going up on his Blazer, he said jokingly, “Great.  Does that mean I will die faster?”  He knows now that the number 4 is a number that should be avoided if possible in the Chinese community.  I told him about the number 4 when I saw our house number which ends with a 4, too.  But I know he is not superstitious and so am I, but it’s just so weird how it pops right into my brain bucket when I saw those numbers.  Guess it’s the Chinese in me.

She’s still a baby but she knows what peace is.

And I’m happy being held

This little munchkin is growing fast.  She is 13 pounds and getting cuter and vocal too.  How time flys, she will be two months old Aug 6.  Don’t you want to pinch those cheeks??

Yeeehah, the weekend is here.  I really like Friday and especially on payday Fridays.  Payday Fridays means no boss, hah, no boss to hawk over me.  I do take advantage when the boss is not around.  The big boss is in but he never bothers me. 

Anyhoo, today I went for my First Aid and CPR class.  This class was given free to all employees who wish to learn about First Aid and CPR.  Before I went for this class, I had to take an online class which was 4 hours on the said subject.  After going through the lessons, every participant needs to pass the pre-assessment test at least 80% or higher.  It gives the participants two chances to take the test.  If you didn’t get at least 80% on the first go, you will have the last chance.  I had to take it twice.  I went through my lessons last week and didn’t take the assessment test on Wednesday.  Of course fail lah!!  What I read, heard, saw all forgotten.  Had to go over the lessons again and took the test.  Passed.

The actual CPR class was good.  We used dummies and practice mouth to mouth with a mouth barrier and chest compressions.  The instructor also taught us what needs to be done if there is an actual situation, how to give CPR to an unresponsive and responsive victim, and a choking victim.  We learned the Heimlich maneuverto expel the object from the choking victim.  And of course, some ladies asked what should be done if it was a little kid, a baby.  The maneuvers are certainly differently.  I really hope I don’t have to use it.  It’s a good to know kinda thing and the same goes with CPR. Giving chest compressions (30 compressions for every 2 breaths) is not easy.  Boy, they are tiring.

When I got home, I was late first off, I started playing with the camera again since tomorrow is Photohunt day.  The pictures below were taken with my Canon Powershot using the appeture and shutter speed mode.  I am still learning how to take pictures with the two features.  It seems to take better pictures than in Auto mode.  What you say??  Have a great weekend folks!

~Lilies growing in a container from Simmie~

~Flowers from a hanging basket. Looks like a rose~

~My strawberry plant, looks like I have to wait for another year for it to bear fruits~

~Ranger, the old wise dog~

~Chase, munching on some wood~

~The sorta netless basketball hoop~

~Cooper, sitting really still for me. Good boy~

 

Ain’t it nice if I can take the rest of the two days off this week?  I know I should have taken them off when I signed up for my vacation days.  There is still August where I can take a day off during the month and wait for Labor day in September where I will take another two days off for a long weekend.  I never used to like taking days off, I was sort of a workaholic, but not now.  I have been doing stuff I have no time to touch them on work days, like freeing up the memory cards that are laying around the desks and counters.  I am a clutterer but I know where my things are.  I try to be clutter free but it only last for a week.  How can I learn to be clutter free?  Put things away the moment I am done with them.  I know how to say it but can never do it.

Yep, you hear that right, I slept in this morning on a Monday.  Aloha Monday, no work til Thursday!  Of course, Db had to wake me up at 4, asking if I want to take the boys out for a walk.  (I did ask him to wake me up at 4 - less traffic in the morning, less fumes we breathe in.)  DB said it was 76 degrees and 85% humidity and I told him, nope, I’m not going.  Rolled over and slept til 8:10. 

The boys came in to bug me for a while but they saw no response from me, they laid down til I got up.  Hhmmm, that was so nice of them.  Yeah, they know now that they don’t get what they want that easily.

Think I shall finish up some paid posts which will help with my dried up PayPal account.  I’m still glad I have some to write, not a lot but little is better than na-da.  Or pick one of the books I bought months ago and start on it.  And when I’m done, I will hit the couch and flip on some movies and do nothing.  The boys are happily chewing on their raw hides now.  Once I sit on the couch in the living room, they will migrate there and chill, snooze til their body clock tells them it’s dinner time.

July 4 holiday is day after tomorrow, Friday.  Majority of the folks in the office are gone - vacationing somewhere up north in their cabins, and one lady I know drove from Wisconsin to Montana/Wyoming to the Yellowstone National Park. 

Today is quieter than  yesterday.  There were about 13 of us in the office yesterday, but today, there are only 7 of us.  It’s so quiet I can hear a pin drop.   I should enjoy it but I’m getting so bored.  The workload has gone down since I started working on the assignments for third quarter reporting a month ago.  Everything is done.  I’m waiting for two more weeks to run the final reports to complete the rest of the assignments.  For now, I’m blog hopping since last week.  Plus boss is on vacation from last Friday and the whole of this week.  I’m all by myself with the big boss, but big boss never talks to me  unless he needs something done - looking up employees’ data in the HRIS system, faxing, scanning or some mailing.

I cannot wait to get outta here right now, another 1 hour 10 minutes to go.  The best thing for tomorrow is there is early closing, 2 p.m. for all employees reporting to the corporate site (Connecticut) and that’s me, even though I’m located in MN.  So, instead of coming in at 6 a.m. I’m coming in at 8 a.m. and leave at 2 to utilize this nice benefit.  I can stay up later tonight, that’s if my eyes allow that, and wake up at 6 and still sneak in a walk with the boys.  

Once Thursday comes and goes, I will have 6 days off (Fri-Weds).  Doing anything exciting?  Probably go window shopping and watch fireworks from our backyard and hear the dogs bark their heads off.  I know I will spend a lot of time watching the movies we have recorded on the PVR.  They are rotting away, screaming to be deleted from the memory card.  I have to make the most of this month since I will be starting school again this fall. :(  I might persuade DB to drive to Vermillion River to let the boys do some swimming.  Will see what that man says.