Good Ol' Wally

   On my drive home, I glanced to the next lane while stopped at a red light, to see this cute, giggling little curly-haired boy and his ginormous Great Dane, Wally, whose head was hanging out the window. They proceeded to tell me all about Wally, who liked what he heard, 'cause his tail wagged so hard the whole car moved. The kid was SO delighted. Wish the light hadn't turned green. They made my day!
   It was clear that this lil' boy & his big, funny dog were best friends... Every kid deserves a Wally, & every pet deserves a family who cherishes them.

Backseat Driver

   A baby picked me up from LAX... cracked me up when we opened the back hatch of Kelley's car!

Great Horned Owl

   I was following Joni on the way home from the hike, and she unexpectedly pulled over, telling me that she thought she had seen a owl on the side of the road. So we turned back and pulled safely over to the side of Highway 45, got out and crossed the street. From a distance I could see the telltale "horns" sticking up from the dead grasses. The owl flopped around, flailing its wings clumsily and tried to escape. The poor thing. As Joni noted, its wing bent the wrong direction—a serious, compound fracture. I took these photos from my lousy Blackberry-cam, which struggles in low light:

And Joni got this one with her camera:

   The owl glared at us as we stood there and marveled at its stunning, barred feathers, fuzzy "horns" and clear, brilliant eyes. It blinked slowly and softly, and I couldn't get over how much it looked like a cat—it really reminded me of Atom! Its talons were surprisingly large for the size of the bird, and looked fuzzy. Joni said these guys are called "the tiger of the sky" due to their ferocity. It was quieter now; perhaps because it realized we weren't there to eat it. The larger question was, were we there to rescue it?

   We debated for a few minutes. We'd have to safely catch it and get it into Joni's dog crate, keep it alive overnight, then deliver it to OWL (Operation Wildlife) tomorrow. Would it even make it that long? One eye now opened wider than the other, and the owl's life seemed to be draining away.

   Ultimately it was Joni's realization that convinced us to leave it where it was, so that nature could take its course. It would probably be eaten by a coyote. But the alternative—due to the severely broken wing—would be a life in captivity, at best. And that didn't seem to suit this noble, beautiful, and thoroughly wild creature. It wasn't an easy decision, given the extent to which both Joni and I are animal lovers. But it was the right one.

   I followed her home, and we both independently enjoyed the quiet contemplation of the harsh reality of nature, accompanied by a strikingly gorgeous sunset.

Is This Show a Comedy or a Tragedy?

ACT I: Birds of a feather

   Just a few minutes after I arrived at my seat prior to Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne show at Sprint Center, a woman and her son sat down next to me. They were friendly and asked if I came with friends, and I answered no, that while I did have friends who were here (somewhere), I bought  a single ticket. So we proceeded to make good friends. Claudine was around the age of my Mom, and Kip was her adult son. Both were huge fans of the performers (!) and had driven down from Omaha, Nebraska just to see this show, so of course I respected them immediately. Claudine had recently retired from being a high school art teacher for over 30 years. She herself had studied with a famous Japanese potter (whose name I have regrettably forgotten). They were both intelligent and animated, and the more we talked, the more we had in common. They were huge foodies, and we traded notes on the best restaurants in our respective cities (I recommended Justus Drugstore; she recommended Grey Plume). Judging from our rave reviews, I think each restaurants should be paying us handsomely for the advertising! Speaking of which, here are a pair of recent raves:  KC Star  /  Time Magazine

   As we carried on, it struck me that I was having a conversation with a 60-something me, and I was enjoying myself. In fact, I'd be quite happy to grow into Claudine: still attractive and fashionable, young for her age, animated and easy to know, funny, and with interesting tastes and passions that run deep. Hoping this really was a crystal ball into my future.

   ACT II: Kanye vs. Jay-Z

   Read my synopsis of this spectacular show here! Admittedly, I was feeling guilty for spending $100 on a ticket and then not being thrilled with the new album, but was thrilled to be proven wrong—Money well-spent!

ACT III: Rav-4 vs. Semi

   This is where the tragedy starts. After a euphoric 2.5+ hour performance, I exited the arena and headed back to my car in the Wall Street Tower parking garage. It took over 20 minutes to get out... and about 16 minutes of that was waiting to back out of the spot. People were not feeling generous. I finally exited and rounded the block, headed back toward I-35 to go home. A semi truck was ahead of me for a few blocks. We stopped at a red light, where I needed to make my turn. He also had his right turn signal on. Alright, going my way. I waited patiently. This is where the trouble began.

   Without warning, the semi which was stopped directly in front of me back up. And after 1:00 am, I guess my lightning-quick reflexes aren't sufficient, because I laid on the horn and threw it into reverse as fast as I could: and the semi crunched the front of my car anyway. The driver got out, clearly hopped up on adrenaline, and first got upset and asked what I was doing behind him, and claimed that he never saw me. Once I explained that we were both turning the same direction and I was just waiting for him to go through the light so I could get to the freeway, he softened, and admitted that he *didn't* intent to turn right. He was parking. And he had overshot his parking spot on the curb... and backed into me.

   A security guard called the police for us, and we waited over 40 minutes, but all the police were tied up with traffic control. So we took photos of the damage, exchanged information, and went our separate ways. With me hoping that he didn't change his story later—since we had no witnesses to prove that he backed into me, and that I didn't rear-end him. This made me nervous!

ACT IV: Update, December 9

   I enjoyed my week in Lake Tahoe, dropped the car off at Toyota on Monday for repair, picked up my rental car, and my car was done, as promised, by Friday. It looked good as new, though it was after 5, and getting dark, when I picked it up.

ACT V: Can I please be done already??? December 28

   I took the car in yet again because on Christmas morning, 3 light inexplicably illuminated on the dash: Check engine, VSC, and 4WD. I assumed it was an anomaly from the accident. Toyota said it wasn't: I had a rare occurrence for a low-mileage car in which a gas valve went bad. They said they could probably cover the $1600+ repair cost for me. And while I was talking with them, I asked them about the oddly-curved panel in the lower front of the car which I thought should have been straight after the collision repair. And the scratches on the hood, which was supposed to be brand new. Apparently they missed those minor details. Guess who has to take the car back for repairs during the New Year?

Spoke Too Soon

   Today started out mega-awesome, but started to turn sour when I left work. I had planned to stop by the e-vet to pick up Atom's remains. I allowed almost a month to pass, thinking I was past the raw emotion from grief. I was wrong. The recpetionist was so quiet and kind; she went in the back to retrieve my box, and lovingly placed it in my hands, saying, "I am sincerely sorry for your loss." It was so sweet, but I wasn't ready. I had to put my sunglasses on as I left the building, to conceal the steady stream of tears rolling down my cheeks once again.
    I composed myself in the car and headed home. On Shawnee Mission Parkway, ironically RIGHT in front of the Toyota collision department building, a guy in the pickup in front of me slammed on his brakes and came to an *extremely* abrupt stop. I followed suit, but my brakes didn't get me there fast enough, & I rear-ended him.
    We both got out of our cars, and he greeted me in an understated but very friendly way. I asked him how bad the damage was, bracing for his answer. "My truck is fine," he said. "I've got a hitch on it. Unfortunately your car didn't fare so well."

    Yep, I had a hitch embedded in my front bumper. Groan. We exchanged cars and he told me that he didn't intend to report the accident to the police or the insurance company. " I have no damage to report," he said. Fortunately, me damage was minor—a dimple on the bumper. Although I don't think there was any way I could have avoided this (other than not being there right then!), the rear-ended is always at fault, right?
    He told me he hoped I'd have a better weekend and we left. As I drove home, I thought about how lucky I was for his hitch: although it damaged my car worse than it may have otherwise, at least it protected his car from harm.

   I came home and noticed a slip of paper tucked under the lid of Atom's box. It was a copy of "The Rainbow Bridge." Hello, uncontrollable tears of sadness. I stood in my kitchen bawling again, with my three pets wondering what the hell was wrong with me.
    Well, looking at the bright side, my weekend can only get better, right? :I

Let's Go!!!

Minivan? Check.

Cooler? Check.

Shibas ready for hiking? You know it.

Giddyup.

Good/Bad Way to Start the Day

   Bad: It took me nearly an hour to get to work due to an accident on the highway. Ugh.

   Good: The radio was on a roll, with back-to-back favorites that helped the time go by quickly: Biggie's Mo Money Mo Problems, Ne-yo's One in a Million, Anthony David + Algebra 4evermore, Cobra Starship's You Make Me Feel, Drake's I'm on One,

Bruno Mars + B.O.B. Nothing on You... I remember most of them, 'cause I was singing along. ;)
  Also Good: My new Admin, Angela, treated me to an all-you-can-eat pancake & sausage breakfast in the Crown Room for Boss's Day!

One Hundred Thirteen

   This is the actual outdoor temperature in the OP. And the gym was equally hot for tonight's yoga: the AC is broken. No escape! Since I was sweaty anyway, I started my training for Race for the Cure (which is in just 12 days) and took a quick 2 mile run with the dogs after dark. They didn't like it, but I felt remarkably good!

Random Hallmark Moments: Act of Kindness

   My flight arrived home later than expected from my Charleston adventure (ah, weather delays), so, bleary-eyed, I hopped on the shuttle to the satellite parking lot. I got to my car and found that all 4 tires on my car were very low on pressure. This was frustrating primarily because I just spent a small fortune on new tires several weeks ago, and was gunning for another 3-year run of issue-free driving on them. My old tires had started to leak air and I was having to fill them 1-2 times a week. The service guys suspected I had run over a bunch of nails, but they weren't able to find the culprits.
   So this morning I had an unscheduled stop at the Toyota dealership on my way in to work. (Nothing like coming in late on your first day back!) No nails to be found, but my tires needed air and apparently the pressure sensors have stopped working. There might be a problem with the rims too, causing leaks if the tires are stationary at just the right spot. The service guy is a little sweet on me and said he'd try to talk Toyota into covering the cost of the repair, since I'm so recently out of warranty. (I think wearing a skirt today didn't hurt.)
   Enter my hero. Around 10 am, my buddy & neighbor, Nick, showed up at my desk and surprised me with a fresh latte. Completely out of the blue! Apparently he has a latte maker in his office and surprises an unsuspecting coffee lover everyday, and today was my lucky day. We don't even work in the same building, much less see each other very often, so it felt remarkable. I think the universe must have told him I needed that!
   And just like that, my sleepiness melted away and my frustration turned to elation. This was a great reminder about how a simple, thoughtful surprise can turn someone's day around. I'm going to do something nice for someone on my team this week, and hope that anyone that reads this will do it too.

A toast to Nick!!!

An Expensive Lesson

- One pack of Orbit gum with Xylitol: $1.37
- Trip to emergency vet from Midnight to 3 am to induce vomiting
   and to run bloodwork: $149.00
- Day at the veterinarian for monitoring and 3 blood screenings: $59.00
- Bringing your best friend back home with tail wagging: Priceless!

   Here's my Public Service Announcement. The following foods are poisonous to dogs and should never be fed to them: chocolate, grapes, raisins, avocado, onion, garlic, mushrooms, macadamia nuts, fat trimmings, caffeine, alcohol.

   Poinsettias and Easter lilies are poisonous too.

   Cooked bones, and fish bones are dangerous because they can splinter and lacerate the dog's insides.

   Xylitol and pennies are extremely dangerous because both are broken down quickly and can destroy the liver in a matter of hours.

   All should be kept well out of a dog's reach. I would have thought my gum was safe hidden in a bag on a high counter, but the tropical fruit scent was too alluring, and somehow, he nabbed it. Fortunately I acted quickly when I discovered that Taylor had eaten the gum, and so far he seems to be doing well. We'll know how his liver fares in a few days.

The patient, resting comfortably

Getting comfortable-er...

Really, Mother Nature?

Dear Mother Nature,
   I don't know what you did to piss off the Heat Miser, but pretty sure it isn't supposed to be 118 degrees anywhere, ever. (Okay, maybe in Death Valley, or Hades, but not Overland Park.) Going to stay in the swimming pool 'til winter returns. Call me.
   xoxo
   Jen

The land of palm trees & traffic jams

   Actually, the traffic isn't too bad yet (for 9 am on a Friday), but Kelley told me that next weekend they're going to shut down part of the 405, which will displace more than half a million cars, and chaos will ensue. So glad I came out here when I did!

Killer Heat

   Apparently this week it's hot enough to cook robins in my backyard. Yesterday Aki found—and led me to—a young fledgling who I presumed had fallen from a nest that I wasn't able to spot. He was large enough to fly, but definitely a juvenile. Then today Aki led me to an adult robin back in the same corner. I don't believe my dogs are fast enough to catch a bird (certainly not 2 in 2 days), so I presume they died from the heat. (She also wouldn't touch the birds, which is another sign that she wasn't the culprit.)
   I do keep a birdbath, but it doesn't seem to be doing the trick. It's probably more of a hot tub at the moment anyway.

   As I was driving to the track meet for KCCC, I noticed the outside temperature as I was leaving the shady parking garage. 100 degrees. Hot enough to cook a runner on a black rubber track? Let's hope not...

Random Hallmark Moments: I knew our staff was foxy

    Cindy emailed this photo to me this morning to show me that there is a family of red foxes living just outside the windows in our Keepsakes department. Six babies have been spotted. Can you imagine how crazy everyone over there is going, considering this is Hallmark and we looooove cute lil' fuzzy animals? Can't get much cuter than a baby fox!

   Unless, of course, you're talking about Kristin's new kitten, Kismet. She sent these photos from her phone as she & Jeff were driving him home from Petsmart yesterday. Don't you just want to snuggle him?
   I should also point out that Kristin has always been allergic to cats, and Kismet is her second, in addition to 1 year old Mr. Mittendorf. And in a few short weeks, she and Jeff are moving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Portland, Oregon. She wasn't sure how she was going to drive cross country with ONE cat. I think she might be crazy. And also, adopted.

Back to the Future... I mean, the Pet Expo

   I met Ginny and her mom, Sheryl, at the Overland Park international trade center today and we checked out the Pet Expo together. (I was supposed to be volunteering for MSIR at the expo at the American Royal all weekend, but that event was cancelled... and we didn't have a booth at this new expo. Maybe next year!) So I dragged my Shibas along. And I say "dragged" because neither was in a great mood to put up with all the people, dogs, noise and chaos. But they did alright overall.

   I entered Aki in a "stay" competition against about a dozen other dogs. The rules are simple: put your dog in a sit or down and step backward, telling them to stay. Then some volunteers walk between you and your dog, tempting them by bouncing tennis balls, dropping treats, etc. Aki did well (I think she was 4th place overall), but an Australian Shepherd took the prize.

Check this out: my dogs drive a Delorean on the weekends!

   For some reason, the original DeLorean from Back to the Future was there, and we were allowed to sit in it for photos. Aki was mad at Taylor for hogging the driver's seat. Then it was Ginny and Sheryl's turn...

   Aki says, "Whoa, that's the biggest Shiba I've ever seen!" Actually, it was an Akita named Jackson. He howled just like Taylor.

   This expo was put on by a totally different group than last year, so it was starting from scratch: very good, but I'm sure will be even better next year! The organizer did a fantastic job and was SUPER friendly! We really liked her.

   On the way home, this happened: my tire blew about a mile away. I made it limp slowly into the driveway and called AAA. I'm having seriously bad CARma lately: had two flats last week (slow leaks that I haven't fixed yet), and now this, which needs a patch. This is when I hate cars.

   But on the bright side, when I picked up my mail, I apparently can save $88,500 by purchasing a $19 magazine subscription. I'd be stupid NOT to! That will pay for MANY new tires. Thank you, Alert Diver Magazine!

Ice ice baby

   The Snowpocalypse that hit on Tueday and lingered on Wednesday has passed us, and by today many of the roads had been plowed and were clear. It was smooth sailing on the way to work. The way home was more interesting.

   I left after 5:00 and took my usual route, 31st Street westbound over Broadway. Well aware of the weather, I was taking it slow. The light at the intersection ahead was red, so I had slowed to about 10 mph and gently touched the brakes.

   In a split second, I realized that the entire street was a sheet of ice, and my car surged forward and accelerated. It felt like I was going 1000 mph and was moving in slow-motion at the same time, and I could tell a crash was inevitable. I had to decide immediately whether I was going to rear-end a line full of cars in front of me, or swerve into the cement barricade on the right. Since insurance companies are so fun to deal with, I went for the barricade, which fortunately had a snow pile left by the plows in front of it.

   My car hit the snow and started to climb up the pile. It stopped suddenly, which I assumed was my bumper hitting the barricade. I was perpendicular to the traffic flow, head-on into the wall. @$%!! My poor car. I got out to assess the situation and prepared to call AAA to have it towed. But as I walked around the car I realized that I hadn't hit the cement: I was about a quarter of an inch from it! There was so much snow in front of it that had been pulled up into my front wheel wells that the wheels were locked up and couldn't move. The snow actually saved me!
   The photo above is approximately where I hit; I took it the next morning. I shudder to think about what would have happened if my car had climbed the snow and over the wall; it's a VERY steep drop... as evidenced by this photo I took from the opposite side:

   Excitedly, I thought, "I can dig myself out!" and grabbed my ice scraper, chipping away at the front passerger-side wheel. A minute later, I heard a woman call out, "Are you okay?" and when she saw that I was, she said, "I might have a shovel, let me check."

   I couldn't believe how quickly someone stopped to help me. She came back with an ice scraper and said, "I'm glad you didn't see me pull up. I was trying to stop to help you, but this whole street is a sheet of ice. When I hit the brakes I slid, and almost slid right into your car! I ended up being able to swerve around you, and I'm parked in front of you now."

   Whoa. Thanks, Kansas City, for your notoriously bad job of making the streets safe. We weren't driving irresponsibly.

   We each took a side and dug. A couple of minutes later a guy dressed in a sharp business suit and brandishing a shovel stopped to help. We dug all the snow out from around the tires and he asked me to get in and try to back out. Problem was, my front driver's tire was totally off the ground: my engine block was resting on the snow. So the woman got in front to push me backward, and the guy stopped traffic behind me. It worked. A couple of tries and I was free!

    How do you properly thank someone in that situation? I gave them both hugs and thanked them over and over. They were so friendly and selfless. They had both arrived within minutes, and the fact that they stopped really gives me faith in people. We should all be willing to stop and help someone in need. They turned a bad experience into a good one, and I left feeling better than before the accident happened. Pretty powerful.

   They took off with me following behind. I didn't catch their names, but the woman's KS license plate said, "MSCOOKE." So, thank you Ms. Cooke and anonymous guy, wherever you are!

Boys are silly

  Lately I've been taking the inside route on the walk into work (which is quite a walk, BTW) since the weather switch has flipped from comfortable to freezing. There is a good-looking guard (rather Luke Wilson-y if you ask me) manning the station as I walk by. He always greets me with a big smile & says,"Good Morning," "How are you?" etc. which is kinda nice... although it was a bit awkward at first, since I'm always plugged into my iPod & listening to Flo Rida or Fergie or the like, and I couldn't hear what he said. The first couple of days, I had to pull the earbuds out & say, "Huh?"
  Yesterday I had a meeting with some of our senior leaders & dressed up a bit, in my favorite skirt & boots. The guard was friendly as usual as I passed & wished me a good day.
  Today I wore jeans, since I was taking the afternoon off to run errands. As I walked past the desk, the friendly guard called out, "Hey, you're wearing pants today!"
  Taken off guard, all I could think to say was, "Well, it's much colder today!" & keep walking. I didn't realize he was taking notice. I immediately wanted to think up a fun way to f*** with him. Tomorrow I will wear a sweater dress with pants underneath!!!
   Later... I took the afternoon off to get my car serviced & renew my license at the DMV. (I'd rather be at work!) The car took almost 2 hours, just as expected. What wasn't expected was that the guy who checked me in, was not the guy checking me out. (That's foreshadowing, you'll see in a minute.)
  The guy who came to fetch me from the waiting room looked vaguely familiar. After a frustrating exchange in which he told me they could fix neither my parking brake nor my radio, he abruptly changed the subject to, "Hey, aren't you a grapic designer?"
  I muttered "Yeah," in the most disengaged tone I could muster.
  "You do freelance work or something, right?"
  "That's part of it..." (Who does this guy think he is?! I'm not here at the dealership to hang out!!)
  And then I remembered. This was the guy who was hitting on me a couple of years ago. I came in to get a giant bolt extracted from one of my tires, a casualty of a trip to the Legends on a cold, snowy night for dinner with Kelly. On the phone they had told me the patch would cost about $30. When I got there, this same guy was making small talk, friendly but with an unmistakable tinge of creepiness. When I went to check out, he refused to let me pay. He said, " No charge. It's all taken care of. I can do that!" (Wink.)
  Now I'm as big a cheapskate as anybody, but not at that price! God forbid this guy thinks I owe him something. I was unsuccessful in convincing him to allow me to pay, & hoped I wouldn't run in to him again. And I hadn't. Until now.
  Fortunately for me he was busy with another customer when I gathered my things & got to the row of desks. I quickly approached another employee & got the heck out of Dodge (or Toyota, more accurately). He called out after me but I was already out the door.
  You know what they say, "it's not harrassment unless it's unwelcome."

  The rest of my day was happily free of incident. ...Other than waiting for 45 minutes at the DMV only to find out I was in the wrong place, a victim of a sh*tty website that didn't make it clear. Based on the crotchety clerk's reaction to my plight, I can definitively say I'd rather have visited than been working there. I appreciate my job 1000% more now, thank you. And I got my license renewed for another few years. So I won't soon be seen there again, making small talk with strange men or anyone else.

Another early-morning wake-up call

How glad am I that it's a 3-day weekend and I can sleep in a little?

   I've been in the living room sewing all evening & had fallen asleep on the couch watching a DVD around midnight, when I heard a loud BOOM that woke me just now—about 3 am. It sounded a little like thunder, but more manmade if that makes any sense. I had no idea what it was. The dogs barked wildly, which is honestly one big reason I wanted dogs—so they could make noise & help keep me safe. I looked out the front door but saw nothing. (I've asked the city of OP for a streetlight in front of my house for the last 5 years, to no avail. Even the 4 halogen lights on the front of my house barely matter. When it's dark, it's super-amazingly-dark.)
   So I headed upstairs. Just a few minutes later, flashing lights right outside my house jolted me back up. I looked out the window to see an ambulance, a fire truck & 3 police cars. Bob & Laura were standing out on their lawn. A red compact car was smashed into Bob's son's truck, which had been parked on the street in front of my house... which was now plowed in front of their house!
   I ran out to talk to them to make sure they are alright, and they are—they had been sound asleep too. The car's airbags had deployed and there was glass absolutely everywhere. I came back inside. All I know now is that a young woman was driving the car, and 15 minutes later they are still trying to extract her from it. 
   It makes my heart heavy to think about what just happened, and I'm humbled to think about how tired I was driving back from Santa Fe by myself, and that by some miracle I made it back in one piece. I was nodding off & had set my Blackberry alarm to go off loudly every MINUTE to keep me alert. This girl is going to be leaving in the ambulance. I hope she's okay.
   Update: I found out that the accident was caused by DUI. No word on the girl's condition.

Spa day Sunday!

   After the run, the spa activities began. The pets were up first (and none were happy about it, though the dogs are very tolerant). Despite the cats' protests, they are so sleek & silky now that it was totally worth it. They felt so good snuggled up on my lap while I read the paper!

Atom found it to be very tiring:

Love how wolf-y Tay looks with no collar:

And then I thoroughly washed my car inside & out:

   And finished up with a hot shower using Ten Thousand Waves products, which someone was nice enough to have given me as a souvenir. The yuzu smells SO GOOD & it takes me right back to that amazing trip.

Especially when they're only wearing chaps!

You know what else drives me nuts? Misuse (or lack of use) of apostrophes. Or should I say misuse of apostrophe's drive's me nut's. Your in agreement, right?