Get on the bus, Gus!

   Due to my snowboarding trip, I missed out on the chance to buy my monthly bus pass for February. I was so bummed when I realized it! So I was put in touch with the admin of our fleet department, and she had the bus driver bring a pass for me. Wow. This is what I left on her desk…. Hope it gave her a laugh and adequately expressed my sincere appreciation.

Snowbird, Day 2

   Day 2 at the 'bird was a bit more trying... After two hard days of riding, my legs were beginning to talk back, making my form sloppy and falls more eminent. It snowed all day, with visibility greatly reduced for much of it. Thank goodness Brett loaned me his low-light goggles, so I had a snowball's chance of seeing where I was going! Mine are only for sunlight. While we were cold and vis was poor, fresh pow is always welcome.
   I also woke up feeling lousy, and suspected a sinus infection. Huge bummer to be sick on vacation, but I wasn't about to let that stop me. I rode from 9-2:00, until my head was pounding so hard I simply couldn't continue. Then I sat in Creekside Cafe at the base under a warm heater, drinking 50/50 hot chocolate & coffee, and chatted it up with the locals. Had an invitation to join a couple of guys in their hot tub but figured I'd better decline.  ;)
   We all cooked dinner tonight at the condo: Mexican extravaganza! Made chicken enchilada soup, fresh black bean salsa, and fresh guacamole. Big hit. (Thanks to Ginny for the mixes that made it even easier.)

Koo-Koo for Krazy Kismet!

   Lacey (Allyson's cat) thoughtfully sent some gifts for lil' Kismet. Kismet likes toys. Especially when they make intriguing noises like squeaking or crackling, move around, or have animal parts like feathers. So Lacey pretty much chose the best stuff ever. Judging from Kismet's reaction to the crackle tunnel, I may have my very own Maru!

   But Kismet isn't the only one who's koo-koo around here... Of course, Aki wasn't able to resist the squeaking mouse. Pretty sure she thinks it's a real, live mouse (the crazed, toothy smile gives it away), so I'll have to guard it carefully!

Shiba Love

   My friend David questioned where HIS drawing was, after he saw the one I did for Zoey this week (David adopted Scooter from me over a year ago, and I hadn't started surprising people with these standees yet). So I mailed this to him today... Can't wait 'til he gets it!!!
   And on a side note, if you type "surprising" on an iPhone, you get... this. I could do without your creativity, Autocorrect!!!

HBD Dan!

   This week's character standees include a bobcat for my Bossman. I saw a bobcat run right across the road in front of me after hiking in Lawrence a couple weekends ago. That's probably where I got the idea. (Although it doesn't explain why I was suddenly compelled to draw wombats the other day...)

Sketchy Behavior

   I'm trying to make one of these lil' standee / stand up characters as each person on my team has a birthday. It's fun for me, more unique than a card (we make cards, so we've all seen 'em all!), and so far people seem to like 'em! This one is for Stephen, who attended Mizzou.

This one was for Sacha (As you might have guessed):

   I also made two different versions of Bess's dog recently (couldn't decide) but forgot to get shots of them... more later!
   And as I'm trying to draw more this year in general... This lil' kitty was on Carrie's thank you card. She gave me a really gorgeous Japanese washi-paper calendar for Christmas.

Post-Op Surprise

   You know that old Twilight Zone episode, "Eye of the Beholder", where the woman gets plastic surgery, only to wake up to find out it was a horrible failure? Now you know how my day went. I had my post-op appointment this morning. It started with the nurse removing my stitches, which was unpleasant and stomach-churning, but not nearly as painful as I feared.
   The rest of the appointment, not so good. The surgeon came in, picked up my foot, and used his thumb to press—hard—into the precise spot where I have had the pain for the last 25 years. And it was so excruciatingly painful that I nearly lept off the table and through the roof. I told him that the location & intensity was EXACTLY the same as before. And it clearly wasn't from the surgery itself... he had cut in from a different angle; the incision was not over this spot.
   His response? "Hmm. That should have worked. I'm not sure why you still have pain... Well, let's see you back in two weeks and see how you are."
   I was dumbfounded. This from the guy who talked me into surgery by telling me he had COMPLETE confidence that this would CERTAINLY clear up the problem and alleviate the pain for good. I sure wish I had recorded our original conversation. He said the pain would be gone. He never said anything like "...but there's always a chance that..." or did anything to prepare me for the possibility that this might not work.
   And for his false confidence, I get to wear a boot for a month, doing none of my usual fun activities and losing all my conditioning. Probably missing the four upcoming races I've signed up for in the next two months, which I've really been looking forward to. I can't go Scuba diving on Saturday or rock climbing on Sunday with my friends. Hell, I can barely walk! All for nothing. I might as well have had him implant a third eye on my forehead. That would have been much more useful and way cooler.

from "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?"

If there is a positive to this... I'm not seeing it.

   But I will say that I work with a great group of people. When Amy heard my news, she did this great drawing for me and presented me with a trio of tarts: lemon, cherry, and chocolate.

Sean Speaks!

   ...with a lil' help from some Scrabble tiles, that is. (Kelley & I just might have put him up to it.)

Grandma Lizzie's birthday is February 11

What boy wouldn't love robots, skulls, & space invaders?!

Holiday Treats for All!

Best thing about Madel going to Japan? The presents she brings back!!!

The Gyp approves.

Kitchen Dog treats... like little maki sushi, with seaweed!

Plenty of interest...

Tay never met a treat-spewing dog toy he didn't like!

Locked and loaded...

Fire away! When you pull the lever, treats shoot 8-10' away!

Sweet Felted Shibas

   The other present from Madel was a kit to make two lil' wool-felted Shiba Inu cell phone straps! It goes so well with the kit Patty brought back for me last year. So thankful that I learned how to felt this fall... can't wait to make these guys!

Spoiled by Santa

   Aki's favorite wiffle ball has seen better days, so on Christmas Eve I sneaked out to Dick's Sporting Goods for some replacements. I didn't intend for the dogs to have them all at once, but the bag tore open and suddenly the living room was full of them. Tay liked it. I think they're maybe a touch spoiled.

Merry Christmas to ME!

I think I'm in love, and we haven't even slept together yet!

   Happy Birthday, too. I broke down & bought my very own combination-present this year: a Marmot down-filled 15 degree sleeping bag. Renee has been SO AWESOME to share all her gear with me, but I'm starting to acquire my own so I can begin some hardcore backpacking!
   Some people have drug addictions, I have a gear addiction. It's one thing I love to research & shop for. And use. (I'm totally hooked on adventure too.)
   I heard this quote on The Amazing Race recently: "To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live." — Hans Christian Andersen.
   When I was researching the quote online to see who said it, I came across this great article with different perspectives on the subject of travel. So I thought I'd share, since I'm getting ready for some more...

Hey, I Think I Know These Guys

   OH. MY. GOD. Came home from work today to find that Dave had painted portraits of my mutts, oil on panels. SO FREAKIN' COOL! I love how they look like bears when you crop so closely on their faces. (Forgive the dark photo, I'll get a better one in the daylight.) He also raked my back yard. Hope he's not in any hurry to leave!  ;)

Warning: Some animals were harmed in the making of this blog post

   The bad news is that I left the shibas unattended for a few minutes tonight with their beloved squirrel toy from Ginny.
   The good news is that they love unstuffed toys just as much as the stuffed ones!

HAPPY (CHINESE) NEW YEAR!

   It is officially the year of the rabbit (卯年 in Japan), but I'm the lucky one...  my friends Kari and Dave recently returned from a business trip to Hong Kong, and they brought back plenty of goodies to share, from both China and Japan. ごまパイ (sesame pie)、チョコレートパイ (chocolate pie)、シーサーチョコ (Shiesare brand chocolates), a giant chocolate coin, good luck guide and more!

   Japanese caramel-flavored chocolates in the shape of foo dogs (with the coolest illustrations on the box! Their names are あ—"ah" and うん—"uun".) The candies aren't filled; the chocolate itself is infused with caramel flavor, smooth and delicious!

   And perhaps one of the strangest finds... pork candy. It's actually a piece of dried, spiced pork. And although that sounds really weird, let me assure you: it is DELICIOUS. If I had tried them before, I would have asked the gang to bring a few bags back for me. Yum.

   Kari held her annual Chinese New Year party, and the best part: her Dad showed up in a giant white rabbit suit! Wish my dogs could have seen that... I'm sure they would have lost their minds!

THANK YOU, KARI AND DAVE!!!  :)

Birthday Treat

   Lucky me, my friend Michele of Squeaks & Beeps made a birthday present for me! You know the gift is going to be good when the bag is this cool:

   She made a set of towels for my bathroom using this cute Red Riding Hood fabric from Japan.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!! 

   And then she and John and I watched "The Bachelor" and made fun of it while enjoying Spin! pizza. Awesome. THANKS, MICHELE!!!

Let there be lit-up dogs

   Madeline and I finally exchanged Christmas and birthday gifts today, continuing our tradition of waiting until a few weeks after the actual holiday. She gave me tons of cool stuff, and a couple of treats for the shibas: a box of sesame-flavored cookies from her recent trip to Japan and some super-bright LED tags for their collars. We tested them out around the neighborhood late at night. I think the dogs really enjoyed being able to see where they were peeing. ( Also, cars didn't hit us.)

Aki was pretty stoked. AROOOOO!

Wrappin' for the pets

   I am having a bit of a hard time getting over jet lag and am still on Hawaii time (4 hours behind KC time.) Apparently the dogs have the same problem, because they were happy to sleep in today as well!

   Jo from the Humane Society emailed this morning because she needed some volunteers to fill a few remaining gift-wrapping shifts down on the Plaza. If HSGKC fills all the spots for two weeks, the Plaza is making a $7500 donation to the shelter! Happy to oblige, I shook off my jet lag and worked from 2-5:00 today.

   There were many shoppers out on the streets when I arrived, but apparently none of them were having their gifts wrapped... so I spent the first 2 hours and 15 minutes doing prep work for later shifts. I started by tying metallic ribbon to Christmas light bulbs; each package we wrap will get one on top. I'm told that these bulbs were formerly used for the Plaza lights! Here are the boxes of finished bulbs:

   During the last 45 minutes of my shift, I had three packages to wrap! The Plaza Customer Service supplies high-quality paper printed with a Moorish pattern to echo the decorations on the buildings, and a coordinating diecut gift tag, in 5 colors; thick, silky, white ribbon, and of course, the bulb. I was very careful to follow the instructions they supplied, to make the gifts look perfect. Here's my first one (note how the tape is conspicuously free of pet hair, unlike when I wrap at home):

   After my shift, I was in the holiday spirit and decided to shop a bit and enjoy the Plaza sights. People were everywhere, the lights were on, and a dozen horse-drawn carriages were about. It was SO COLD outside—especially after just returning from Maui—but I still managed to have fun. (And I bought a couple of cute winter dresses. Retail therapy is a great cure for vacation withdrawl.) Here are some photos from this year's lights, courtesy of The KC Star / Mike Ransdell:

Score one for the pups!

   Fetchdog is having an incredible $2 sale on leashes & collars! My dogs are already well-accessorized, but I found a coupon code (CHA5223) for $20 off a $100 order & FREE shipping, and was able to buy FIFTY-EIGHT assorted leashes & collars (in really cool designs!) for under $100, to divide up between the Humane Society & Shiba rescue. I can't wait to get that giant box & start playing Santa Claus!!!

Christmas for pets

   Today Ginny surprised me at work with some FUN crocheted Martha Stewart toys for the shibas (and some equally cute lil' crocheted mice for the kitties!) A pig with the physique of a Sumo wrestler & a cute squirrel with an acorn. This was their response to her:

   Ginny might not even realize how perfect her selections are: Taylor & the pig share similar proportions. And I nearly named Aki after an acorn because she used to eat every one on the sidewalk when I took her for walks. (The only thing that stopped me was that the Japanese word for acorn—どんぐり or "donguri"—sounded too weird.) 

THANKS, GINNY! :)