Hazards of the Home

The picture speaks for itself. Somehow, she got one of her tags caught in the vent as she laying on it trying to cool down. This was quite disturbing to her...I couldn't resist snapping a photo.

I am happy to report that I successfully got her collar off and was able to separate the tag and the vent and she has recovered. She his since ventured outside to see if any leftovers from the bbq made their way to the deck....

Manic Wednesday

Hello fellow canines and humans,

Well, as usual, it has been a crazy week around here. I don't know how mom does it...she runs us around like a crazy everywhere! I at least get to stay home and sleep, but she has to go work. She keeps bugging me to get a job, but so far, I have managed to avoid it.

After a lot of time away from Dodd, I have returned to my normal schedule of visiting on Wedensday night over the past 2 weeks. Tonight, I saw a lot of nice people and a lot of my favorite nurses. We had to park in the garage, because it looked like rain - we have been parking in a lot across the street. Mom does not have a proper B pass, which could mean CURTAINS if OSU Traffic and Parking ever went through that lot, but so far, so good.

Probably my most interesting visitor tonight was a young man named Sky. Sky was a nice young boy visiting his grandfather. When we walked in, mom noted the cast on his hand and asked what happened. Apparently he had been in a fight. Mom asked him if that stopped him from his lacrosse and he said yes (he had on his lacrosse T shirt) and he said he would not get in a fight again. He said his mom was madder than his dad, and that was a good thing! His grandfather asked him to find the Reds game on TV for him, and he found it. I left them watching the Reds game.

After visitng, I had class. My class is very fun and I did very well tonight. Mom made me do rear crosses, which the both of us hate, but we did them. I also got my first taste of a doggie massage. A few weeks ago after softball, my hips were really stiff and sore cuz I got too wound up from chasing my kong. Mom got me some medicine and made me rest, but has been on my case about it since. She had the messus look at my hips tonight, and Maria said they were a "train wreck". Mom has been instructed to massage my hips to try and get the muscle spasms out, and then I will get the full monty on Saturday. Not even the human gets a massage...and she goes to work to earn the $$$ to pay for it!

Waffle, Cricket and Coral - I got a new bed this weekend. It is not a pretty, fluffy princess bed like you guys have. You fill mine up with water - and the water helps cool me down and is supposed to be good for my joints. Mom placed my new bed strategically so I could rest my head on the AC vent and my body on my new bed. Rumor has is it I have a new pad in my crate too. I will get to find out, as I have a compeition this weekend.

Well, my human says lights out, so lights out. Sleep tight!!!

Very Sincerely,

The Chelsonator

Cat Fight Brewing..Literally

About three months ago, I got new neighbors - and thank god for that. The house on the one side of me is a rental, and was an eyesore. My new neighbors are Laura, Alicia, their daughter Jamison and their animals (2 cats and sweetheart of a pit bull named Jake) - and they have cleaned that mess up. I cannot tell you how much better it looks.

They have a small gray cat...can't for the life of me think of its name right now. I think they leave him out most of the time - and this is the time of the year I let Scoobi Doo out also. Well, tonight, as we were walking up the driveway, I see Scoobi on the side yard, in a "creep" mode. I wander over, and she is creeping at that cat, who is sitting on my landscape brick. I watch for a minute, Scoobi lays down, and is making some sort of primal noise. Given this cat has claws and mine does not, I quickly assess this is going nowhere good, fast. I still have Chelsie on her leash so she doesn't get in there to mix things up and walk to Scoobi to see if she will let me pick her up. Thankfully, she did and I brought her in.

Going to have to watch this - the last thing I want is to try and find 2 fighting cats, esp when mine will no doubt be on the losing end of things. However, Scoobi really likes being outside, so until we have some kind of run in, I will continue to let her play outside....

Back in the Saddle Again...

On Firday afternoon, I graced the inaugural trip of the boat with a couple of scary falls. I took 2 vicious spills on the wakeboard...I mean vicious. Faceplant vicious - twice. On a wakeboard, it is very, very problematic to have your weight shift forward. Unfortunately, I had picked up quite a bit of speed in the short duration of those runs, and hit the water hard - twice.

If I were a betting woman, I would bet that I probably ruptured my right ear drum on the first fall. I was pretty shaken up, but knew that the best thing to do was to try again, right away. So, I did...and the same result. I got out of the water after that.

As the night continued, it was very obvious I had damaged my right ear. It was draining fluid, and hurt like the dickens. I was trying to think of a good story for my ENT when I called on Tuesday to see if I could get in to see him. I resorted to a bag of frozen green beans and a pain pill from my surgery to deal with the throbbing, sharp pain in my right ear. Thankfully, those remedies had an impact and my ear is much, much better (and have determined at this point, I will not need to visit the doctor for my ear...phew!!).

So what did I do today? Yep, you guessed it - got back on the wakeboard. I won't lie - I was terrified. The first three times, I did not make it up. My friends Amy and Gerrie knew I was in my own head, as I have never had any problems standing up out of the water, either on the wakeboard or skis. But I was terrified - I could feel myself falling forward, and panicked. But finally, on the 4th time, I got up. Went down at my own choosing, and decided to try again. Again, I was successful - again, I went down at my own choosing. It was a really big deal - I was really tempted just to put the skis back on, but knew that I had to get back on the wakeboard to get over my fear.

So ridiculous, I know. I mean, it is a stupid wakeboard, nothing at stake...but my own stubborn competitive streak. You can take the girl off the field, but can never take the field out of the girl...or the competitor out of oneself...

A Few Days Later...

A few days later, I have to admit I have felt better in my life.

I felt OK Friday, but made a slight miscalculation in regards to the anesthesia. I thought because I did not get sick, I would be fine...not the case. The anesthesia has really worn me down over the past few days - and I did not give in as greacefully as I should have. The better call for the weekend would have been to stay on the couch, but that is just not in my DNA. I worked at home yesterday in the event a nap was necessary, I still seem to tire really easily. But I managed to have a productive day yesterday and a nap was not necessary. I decided that I was ready to come to work today.

Today wins the award for most uncomfortable. My nose is burning, my teeth are sore, I am tired and grossly allergic to something in my office. The main issue with this is that I am sneexing and can't blow my nose...and my eyes are watering too. There is still a lot of construction going on outside my office, so I am sure there is a lot of dust being kicked up....I am also going back to the dentist on Thursday, I am concerned I have chewed my bite guard out of alignment and that is may be moving my teeth. I have been instructed not to wear it until I see her Thursday...

At any rate, I am still somewhat functional, so that is a good thing. It will probably be another early night again, but that is ok. Good thing I don't ever really get sick...I would really go crazy. Thankfully, this is a short term thing with long term benefits.

Hope everyone is having a good week...on a happier note, I turned on my sprinklers last night because it is supposed to warm up into the 80's this week. FINALLY!!!!

On the Road to Recovery

In addition to the life decision I made earlier this week, the result of another life decision took place today. A few weeks ago, I decided to have a procedure performed that should significanly improve my ability to breathe.

The forms I signed this morning were for a Bilateral Turbinte Reduction. There are some structures near the end of the nose called turbinites - mine were nearly 100% blocked. I have never been able to breathe well through my nose, and after one look at my CT scan, it was pretty evident as to why that was the case.

To look at me tonight, you would never know I had it done today - we were at the outpatient place for 2 hrs. My anesthesiologist was AMAZING. I woke up feeling fine - and I mean fine. They listened to my stomach, said it was a little bubbly - and told them that may be, but that there was no question in my mind about the fact I was NOT going to be sick. I asked for some water, they gave me some water and saltines. Asked if I thought I could sit up, I sat up, ate some Teddy Grams and drank some Sprite and was out of there 20 minutes later - headed to Bob Evans for my cinnamon pancakes (surgery center is in same parking lot) :)

The only real effects I feel are a little tired from the anesthesia (I slept all day) - and when I get tired, I am a little dizzy. They gave me something before the procedure that made me dizzy - they told me that would happen, and it did. Freaky how that works - they put it in my IV and then about 30 seconds later, I told them it was probably good I was not up trying to walk anywhere. All I really feel is like I am the end of a bad cold - where your poor little nose is really dry and burning. I have been forbidden from soccer on Sunday, but have been cleared to resume normal activity next week. He said in 6-8 weeks I should be a new woman - but I can already tell the difference. I am sure there will be some swelling tomorrow, but it is definitely already better. Adding to my love for my anesthesiologist was the fact that she asked if I was active because I had a nice, slow heartbeat. Love her. :) Also loved the scale there, because it was MUCH more on track with what I thought I weighed than my primary care's scale the other day!

I had to laugh the other day when they called for my medical history - they asked if there was any chance I thought I could be pregnant. I laughed and said no - and they asked if I was sure. The answer I gave and what I was thinking were defintely not the same, but this morning, it was confirmed I was indeed not with child. :)

I would highly recommend this place to anyone in Cbus getting outpatient sinus surgery done. Mostly all they do there in ENT stuff - B said this was where Bryce and Teagan had their tubes done. Kids were crying in pre-op and in recovery, and the only thing I could think of was how scared they must have been...and hoped that my little Bryce and Tigger Bug were not scared when they were there. I hope Mark and B had as good an experience as I did.

Despite sleeping all day, I think we are headed back to bed soon. It was warmed up a little here, and I turned on the AC to ensure a good night of sleep. Thanks for all the good thoughts. Maybe running will be a lot easier now and won't feel like I have a piano on my back!!!

Staying Put

As all of my readers know, last week was a big week in my life. My quick trip to Indiana was actually for a job interview. The director over there is taking a different position, and my VP asked if I was interested in discussing the job. My current role is as a manager, so this would have been a promotion for me. I had actually known this day was coming for about three weeks - so suffice to say, I have been somewhat stressed out for about 4 weeks now, as my boss was telling me the job was mine if I wanted it. Turns out, he was right.

What I ultimately decided was that the timing was not right. I have only been with the company for 8 months - meaning I have only been in the utility industry for 8 mos. Trust me people, more goes into turning your lights and heat on than you could ever imagine! My current role deals with gas distribution (meaning your residential heat) and this new one would have dealt with electric generation - each their own, very unique beasts. Also impacting my decision is my fundamental belief in that in order to effectively audit something, you have to understand it - and I am still in the process of trying to understand the business I work in. I sought counsel from many different sources, and really what it came down to was deciding what career path I wanted to take. Staying may make one of those career paths a little more of a challenge to get, but I am ok with that - I like to have options. Meanwhile, the plan is to continue to learn the business and continue to develop the relationships I have already established - in doing so, I can position myself for a future opportunity here while still working toward the top chair in the department I currently work in.

Moving would have been a huge personal challenge for me, and would have definitely stretched me far beyond my comfort zone. Part of me fears that I am turning down a real opportunity to stretch my skin, but I know myself well enough to know I would say yes and then immediately ask the question "What have I just done?" I know I can make anything work, know I can be on my own and survive in the world - I did it when I came to Ohio for school. Its one thing to start over at 18, but starting over at 35 as a single female in northwest Indiana (aka NOWHERE, INDIANA) is another thing. True, I could have made it work, but ultimately I decided this was not the right time for a move. No matter the decision, I will still always wonder about the other. But that is just me and part of who I am, and I accept that.

So for now, my life will continue as is - softball, soccer, agility...I booked my trip to Austria today to go to the World Agility Championships and am looking forward to that. My friend Amy got her boat out of storage this weekend, so hopefully, Mother Nature will bring us some sun so I can refine my wakeboarding skills. My graden is shaping up with some new plants and the removal of three HIDEOUS trees (thanks to my dad who came up and cut them down today). The only thing missing is my life partner...and any time he wanted to surface would be ok with me. :) I am still trying to learn everything I can from all that has happened to me over the past 9 mos...and it has been a lot. I am ready for things to settle down a little so I can breathe a bit.

Thank you to all of those who have provided support and counsel and to my parents and brother, who were very clear about their unconditional support of either decision I made. As I finish this post up, I am all of a sudden overwhelmed by exhustion and emotion...and am hoping for a good night sleep. Thanks again...I am lucky to have all of you in my life. Although a shot never taken is a guauranteed miss, there is still time on the clock to position myself for a shot that is as good, if not better, by staying exactly where I am..

Congratulations Dr. Goodall!!!!

Congratulations to my friend Cat, who defended her dissertation yesterday - some sort of psychology PHD, but she is not a shrink (far from it actually...luv ya Cat!!!) Anyway, through the fall and early winter, she diligently lugged her laptop to competitions to work on collecting and analyzing her data. Yesterday was defense of dissertation day, and she breezed through with flying colors..

We can officially call her "Dr. Goodall" and "Professor Goodall", as she will be teaching at Kent in the fall.

Congrats Cat!!!!

Congratulations Jenn and Blaster!!!

Congratulations to my friend Jenn and her sheltie Blaster on being named to the US team that will compete in the World Agility Championships in Austria in October! Jenn did not make the team last year, but was on the team the previous two years with her sheltie Guess - and placed third (bronze medal) in their height one of those years. Also, one other woman we compete with made the team - Denise and border collie Zippity (it is a very fitting name for this dog!) I love watching Denise and Zippity run...

This is very exciting - I am very lucky to train with such competent handlers. At out of town trials, I wear my Wild Weaver T Shirt and people always say "Oh, you train with Wild Weavers!" Susan, Jenn's mom, is trying to convince me to go..it would be fun. Apparently, the competition is right on the border of Austria, Italy and Germany - Italy is very high on my list, I have heard Austria is beautiful (maybe the hills are alive with the Sound of Music???) and I love Germany....sounds like I better start the cash stockpile....

Resting at work?

Why is it that I run myself ragged all weekend and then have to go to work to rest? You think I would learn, but I don't.

On Friday, I took the "work from home" option - primarily because is was supposed to rain for the 5th day in a row. Plus, no joke, I had 5 conference calls. Super glad I did, because right at like 3, the deluge started - a spot in the grass (which was a foot tall already - ok, so maybe that is a little exaggeration) was pooling after 5 minutes. It literally rained from like 3 until midnight.

I had told Chelsie on Friday she better plan on sleeping in on Saturday. I fed her at 7, went back to bed until 11 and then got up and went for a run. At that point, I decided the grass needed tackling. I spent the next 6 hrs in the yard - no joke. Thick, damp grass is no fun to mow - I could make about 2 passes before having to stop and bag, plus, the damp grass was causing the mower to stop. Was great for my limited seasonal allergies - damp, wet grass flying everywhere when I turned the mower on was enough to irriate my eyes and instigate sneezing. I ran out of yard waste bags, and was so irritated I bought like 50 of them(I had to go buy bags to do the back) Come to find out at dinner tonight my brother snagged some I had when he came to take down my Christmas lights! It wouldn't have mattered, I am sure I did not have enough to do the back. I also removed 2 shrubs - one I HATED and one was not aligned with the other plants in the bed (call me anal) Anyway, I used my mom's favorite tool - the pick ax - to get the plants out. 9.5 bags of yard waste later, the yard was done - for today. I was able to enjoy dinner and Jeni's Ice Cream (YUM -they just opened on in Dublin!!) with my neighbor before passing out.

Fast forward to Sunday - get up, clean house, off to nursety to look for plants. I decided to head up to Dublin, there are some really nice nurseries up there (in Renae's neck of the woods). So off I go - visit three in total, visit 2 of three twice. Ended up with everything I wanted - before realizing it was 3:15 and I needed to leave at 3:30 for 4 PM soccer in Westerville. Race home, unload car, change, throw dog in car, play soccer, run to Marysville for family dinner, come home, water plants, move them to back, get recycling out, shower, pass out. Also got to meet baby Conor for the first time!

This is a big week - lots of stuff going on. Wednesday is a pretty big day, job wise - got some potential different opportunities in the hopper to think about, will know more on Wednesday. Mon and Tues are a conference and then off to Indiana Tuesday night and back Wednesday night...

So hopefully, everyone else had more of a restful weekend than I did...

Quotable Quotes

"I am a realist. I don't want to be too optimistic, but don't consider myself particularly pessimistic realist either."

Spoken by one of my GM's on a conference call on Friday regarding some management of overtime labor. This GM is always good for some great one-liners...and I get to sit on 2 of his weekly calls!

"Butterflies are overrated. Remember, they start out as caterpillars."

Spoken by my friend Lisa during a relationship (or lack thereof) discussion.

Good thing I have lots of people in my life to keep me entertained!