Life with the Three Crazy Dogs

I know fall is around the corner when the boys are itching like they have fleas on them.  They don’t, ok?  I know so coz I check them all the time and they have Frontline Plus flea and tick application every month.

The temperature has dropped quite a bit which I like very much.  No more sweating like a pig.  The leaves on the trees are changing colors: green, light green, yellow, orange to red.  Really pretty.  But I doubt the leaves will stay for long with the gail force winds we have lately.

Remember this tree?  It only looks pretty in spring.  The flowers will dropped like crazy in June and the crab apple will pop out.

Lovely flowers, ain’t it?  The flowers are just too beautiful.  I always stare out the door or window at the tree when its blooming.  Pretty pink flowers.  Too bad it wouldn’t stay.

Since fall is here, look what’s on the ground?  A crap load of crab apple!!!  It’s really irritating walking out on the yard with these little iddy beady fruit on the ground/grass; You will step on them and *squish*.  All stuck to the shoes.  You cannot eat them coz they are not edible.  The boys will eat them, no problems from eating them but how much can they eat, right?  The squirrels wouldn’t eat them.  The squirrels actually go for the oak tree acorns.  As for now, these crab apple will be on the ground till DB does his yard work this weekend. 

They look like cherries, don’t they? I wish they were.

DB and I talked about moving again this morning.  It all started with how much the state of Minnesota is giving away for welfare ($250K a week), and me looking for a different job out of my department, and the crappy weather that is the chill that goes right into his old bones.  He still wants to move to Texas because it’s warm there even today, in New Braunfels, it’s in the 80’s.  The temp today is around 60’s which was supposely be 75F.  The weather man is never right anyways. 

Both he and I talked about how flat the place is in Texas.  I asked is there any fun place to go coz in MN there are not much great places to go unless you love fishing and hunting.  How much can you shop at the Mall of America.  He said there are great places 30 minutes from San Antonio to live.  We then began our conversation about cars and how much taxes we have to pay in Minnesota.  State taxes sucks.  As it is our home and car insurance went up, what else is going to go up??  Salary??  I wish.  It sure feels like I’m paying state taxes to feed the folks who are on darn welfare.  DB said Texas is cheaper even though there are food and clothing taxes, it still is cheaper to live in Texas.  Even hiring a Mexican gardener is way cheaper than in MN. 

Yes, I have thought of changing jobs.  I’m begining to think my boss is a person who really knows how to take advantage of what she’s given and only think a lot of herself.  Maybe a change of career.  I don’t know. I’m getting really fed up of my boss.  Going on long vacation during the winter months will not exist in the near future for me.  Thanks to the boss.  So, that is why DB and I thought about leaving this state to another state and start all over again.

Nadine and Mark dropped over last night.  As usual when the men get together they are into cars and machines-  computers and since Mark’s cousin bought a nice looking expensive car, DB and Mark are constantly talking about these spendy cars.  Sometimes I wonder how these folks are able to pay for such expensive cars and to maintain it, how much do they earn a month to live in this sort of lifestyle.  I told Nadine my next car would be a Chevy Impala, or better still I rather get a SUV, a GMC Envoy or Trailblazer.  I will have to see how things are with DB’s job search and where his job will be.  We might have to get a new truck if he has to travel far for his job. At least if the car breaks down, it’s cheaper than paying for Ferrari parts like Mark’s cousin.

This evening we had the pleasure to sit Ally.  The poor girl is recovering from an ear infection and runny nose.  Could hear her snorty nose.  She was quite stuffed up when she took a nap at our place.  And she was kinda holding her hand up to her right ear.  Poor girl.  This little girl surely knows how to fight her sleep.  She only took a 15 minute nap for the entire 3 plus hours she was with us.  She was tired, rubbing her eyes, yawning, and rubbing her eyes more but refused to sleep.  Instead she was babbling and talking to us.  Really cute.  Took some pictures, of course, but a lot of them turned out blurry.  DBs was carrying her and he was bouncing her up and down, all the pictures turned out I had a few when taking the pictures.  Finally able to take some shots that are decent.   Ally does not like the camera very much.  She frowns most of the time when she sees the camera, or maybe it’s just my camera. 

Grandpa and grand daughter: 09-23-2008: Look at those big blue eyes

Ally watching Baby Einstein but looks like she is dozing off: 09-24-2008

Me and Ally: 09-23-2008

The company has now upgraded all of our employees furniture since the merger in April.  We are getting all ergonomic desk, chairs and if an employee is having problems with lets say carpal tunnel, the ergonomist will come to his/her cube to give some advice on what to do to rectify the problem.  Plus the company added digital signage displays all over the buildings to give us up to date information of the two companies.

I took Cooper and Chase to the trails by the woods.  This set of trails are right by the Civic Center where the skating rink, hockey rink, skate board rink, police department and City Hall are.  I thought I let them run free in the woods.  Off the leash and into the trails we went.  Chase loves the trails.  This is the 3rd time he has been in the woods.  This is a small little trails.  I took my usual route in the trail and went down the little path and Urghhhhhhh………@#$%$.  All the effenheimers came spilling out.  Cooper stopped and looked at me.  At least he knows I’m in some sort of trouble.

See that green wire string in the above picture?  Thank goodness for camera phones.

Here is another view of the string or whatever you called it.  That string was tied onto two skinny trees between the path.  I obviously didn’t see it and since I’m short, it caught me right on my throat.   When I got myself back on track, I looked around to see if there were anyone around but there were none.  If there were, the two boys especially Cooper, he is actually a good guard dog, will growl.  I walked away hacking away but then I thought I should take a picture to show it to DBs what I encountered in the trails.  So I did and walked away still rubbing my throat.

Came home, told DBs about it and he said I should call the cops to tell them someone put up the string with no signs of warning.  It was a prank obviously.  He called the cops for me, told them where it was and they said they will go check it out.  I then went out again to walk Ranger, the slow coach, not on the trails coz it was already getting dark by the time we got done with the call to the cops. 

When I got home, DBs said the cops called twice: once to see if I’m OK, if I need to go to the ER and then he said they drove by the trails and saw nothing there.  Hello, we already told them it’s inside the trails.  they have to walk in to the trails to look for it.  Darn cops.  I will go out there when I get off work tomorrow to see if that string is still there.  What an experience!

I watched a movie during the weekend called Stirs of Echoes with Kevin Bacon, who plays Tom, a blue collar worker married to Maggie and has a son, Jake.  The start of the movie has Jake in the bathtub talking to “himself” with his dad in the adjoining bedroom watching him.  Fast forward a little, Tom and his wife went for a party ending with Tom being hynoptized my his sister-inlaw.  After the hynopsis session, he is able to “see things” on that same night after they came home.  It turns out his son too is able to “see” these things.  Whereas his son is calm and talks to the “people/person” he sees, Tom is the opposite. 

The reason why I bring this up is Corrine told me that Ms J who works for her is also able to see these things (call the third eye) and can listen to what these people are talking about and talks back to them.  Ms. J told Corrine she was only 12 years old when she started seeing these “people”.  She said she can feel a blast of cool air around her when these folks are around and they do always come as close as possible to the human to suck their warmth.  When i hear these, it gave me the creeps down my spine.  When I saw the Kevin Bacon movie, there were a few scenes where the dead girl’s spirit was trying to get warm from the hot water in the bathtub.  

Also when these folks starts talking all at the same time to her, she said it’s the most annoying where it disturbs her sleep.  Creepy, man.  Her mom went to the temple to get a “fu” for her and from then, these folks did not disturb her during her sleep, but she said she do see them still.  So, I asked Corrine did Ms J really see a lot of these people during the month of the Ghost Festival and she said yes.  There are actually a lot of these folks wondering around.  This is so eerie even when I’m typing this out.  Corrine told me about the chinese term for a person who is capable to see these things but I can’t remember.  I remember the old folks always say not to bring little kids out during the month of Ghost Festival and Ms J said it’s true that little kids should not be out a lot.  Why I asked Corrine.  She said these spirits are always hanging around little kids trying to “suck” the warmth from these little bodies.  And when Ms J can feel if a place is not “clean”.  Dang!  Corrine said after she had listened all these from Ms. J, she dare not go to the bathroom on her own when she was in the restaurant. 

These spirits are harmless but they like to “kacau” (disturb) her, Ms J said.  So I asked again kacau in what sense?  They would talk to her, ask her questions, tickle her, or lay/sit next to her.  Her mom and older sis are also has the ability to see these things.  But for Ms J, that ability has since ceased which she was glad but then she said according to the lady at the temple her mom frequents said that when Ms J reaches 29+ the “third eye” will open again.  Oh my god, after listening to all these, I kept looking around in the restaurant and when at home especially to see if I could feel the “coolness” that Ms. J described. 

Scared yet?  Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you but I want to write it down so I can remember what Corrine told me.

Yep, my guess was right, Ms E, my coworker is pregnant.  She finally told me about it last week but I saw her bulging tummy getting bigger since early July.  She was wearing maternity clothes early last week and it was darn obvious that she is knocked up.  Initially when I saw her putting all those weight back in June, I thought she quit going to Curves and was on some sort of fat burner pills.  She did mention she wanted to take some diet pills to help her lose some of the excess weight, but I guess she don’t have to now.  She is due in February which seems so soon and she already know the sex of the baby….it’s a girl but she and her hubby have not decided on a name yet.  She did tell me she is in charge of naming the baby, not the hubby because her hubby’s children from his previous marriage and relationships all their initials are the same as their dad’s, DLJ.  Ms E told me this baby she is carrying will end the  DL era.  I’m so happy for her.  I have been telling her I can’t wait for her to be pregnant and she is now.

Nadine and Mark dropped by this afternoon for a chat with DB about their little business they started in March.  DB is not involved in the business but they do involved him when it comes to the PC and networking stuff for their little office where DB did helped them set up their business PC’s with a business performance management software that Mark bought.  Knowing Nadine, she would prefer DB to chip in with whatever knowledge he has on the investment stuff that he had learned for the past six months.  It’s funny to see her nudging her hubs to sort of shut-up and let DB speak.  DB told me they do give him some sort of monies for his help which it should be.

DB went for a football game with BF, his bro and dad (BF’s bro and dad).  They were celebrating BF’s dad’s bachelor’s party.  They left around 10 am I guess to the Mall of America to catch the LRT which takes them directly to the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.  I have not taken the train and what I heard it’s very worth it taking it to the Metrodome as it stops directly in front of the it.

Of course, I have to send a text message to DB to remind him to take pictures so I can blog about it!  Pathetic or not??   The game is between Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts.  It was the opening season of Vikings football.  The picture below was some drummers before the game i think.

This one was during the 3rd quarter, I think, can’t remember, reviewing a play.  The Vikings team are in purple and they are on the sidelines in the foreground.  The Colts on the opposite sides of the sidelines.  Pictures are not the best. 

I didn’t really watch the entire game.  I was flipping between the Travel channel (Wild China) and the game and good thing I didn’t watch the game coz Vikings lost to the Colts.  Vikings, they are really sucking.  Click below to listen to the bit.  The coach, Childress needs to get a new quarterback.  A lot of fans think so, too.

With DB out with the guys, I kept myself busy in the house, in the kitchen actually baking some cookies.  Remember I made some cookies last week?  I made the same ones, cranberries walnut oatmeal cookies from my sis’ cooking blog.  They were much better this time around.  They look better too.

Don’t you think so?  I think so coz this time around they do not fall apart.  They are chewy which I like.  The last batch I made them a little bit crispier.  But I still prefer the chewy ones.  Next week I will have to try her chocolate chip cookies.  Looks darn good.  Do check out her blog.  Hey sis, free advertising for you!! :)

The whole weekend was kinda crappy.  It rained pretty much the whole day and night on Saturday and Sunday it rain around 2:30ish through the night.  Wanted to go check out the full moon since it was moon cake festival, a sure full moon that night.  Nah-dah.  All clouds and rain.  Kinda disappointed.  Finished up the rest of the mooncakes my sis sent me, those mini ones, mooncake chess or something like that.  All these calorie loaded yummies, good thing I bought a few sizes up on my new pants!