Oscar the Grouch

As you hopefully know by now, my husband & I adopted an adorable shih tzu poodle mix from PAWS. We are so happy to have him & enjoy every second we spend with him. That said, we are still learning some him of quirks. For example, he gets very excited when the L goes by. In fact, his reaction draws so much attention, it is embarrassing.

Another example – he is a bully. Oscar is incredibly sweet to people he knows & dogs in the dog park. However, he has some on-leash aggression that seems to be the issue.

Little story to illustrate…

Pippin, a shepherd mix pup, lives down the hall. Because I work from home, I walk Pippin from time to time. I originally wanted to walk Pippin & Oscar together because it would encourage good behavior in Oscar & help him to be more social while on a leash. Unfortunately, the dream was squashed.

Oscar snipped & snapped at Pippin & he became miserable on our first walk. The second time, Pippin wouldn’t even get near Oscar. So, I ended up walking both dogs – leashes on each arm, pulling in both directions. It was pretty horrible.

The next time I walked them, I decided to re-introduce them off-leash, in my condo. So, I brought Pippin over, unwillingly, of course & re-introduced them. Pippin cowered in the corner, peed on the floor & hid when I tried to put the leash back on him.

At this point, Oscar was happy to see Pippin, wanted to play & shared his toys. As his mom, I thought it was pretty cute. Unfortunately, Pippin didn’t share my same sentiment. I finally got their leashes on (all the while, Oscar saying excitedly, “Come on Pippin, we’re going to have fun!) and we walked out the door. Pippin peed again in the hallway.

Oscar now has a personal trainer, who is teaching us how to make him feel “safe” when other dogs approach. It is so interesting how dogs interpret things – basically things are either “safe” or “dangerous.”

I am hoping that after Oscar finishes training, we can get Pippin & Oscar together & they can become friends. Fingers crossed.

Keep you posted…

The Big O

When the weather is nice outside, it is very difficult for me to sit down & blog. So, I usually tweet more in the summer & blog in the winter. I hope that works for everyone’s schedule.

Now let’s get down to what I have been up to.

For the most part, I have had a great summer. I am still looking for a position at a nonprofit organization, but while I have been doing that, I am also having fun. Some of the jobs I have interviewed for, I can look back & really say that it is OK that I didn’t get that specific job. It just wasn’t THE JOB.

I will write about my trip to Europe for our 1-year anniversary & I will tell you about being a tourist in my own city. I will also tell you about my time spent in Texas and how many wonderful people & organizations I have met. It has truly been a great experience.

For now, I am going to tell you about MY BIG O. His name is Oscar & he is the cutest little puppy. He is a shih zhu mix and lord help me if I ever figure out how to spell that.

He is approximately 1 1/2 years old & was found wandering the streets of Chicago’s southside. If you can even believe it, he was on the streets for a while. I am not sure how he survived. I do know that he had a pal – possibly his girlfriend, aka Britney. If we breakdown & hire a pet psychic, I will blog about it – don’t worry!

The two pups were rescued from Animal Care & Control in August, spade/neutered and then put up for foster by PAWS volunteers. I got the email early on a Saturday morning. Nicole wrote about (shreek) K-fed & Britney (their PAWS-given names), as they were called, and described how they needed a home for 2 weeks while they recuperated from their surgeries.

This particular morning, I must have been able to pull out the kind of sad face to trump all sad faces, because my husband agreed that we could foster both pups for the 2-week period.

We picked them up the next day & learned that Britney’s surgery had not gone as planned. They discovered an expired fetus inside her uterus. The vet removed the fetus & she was spade. Because of this complication, Britney had to be on medication & needed rest.

Both dogs were so dirty, but they couldn’t have baths. They were so little & frail and they had big white cones on their heads because of their surgery. And, no matter how long they have a cone, they never understood the concept or width of these cones. Nonetheless, it was entertaining.

But, Britney was getting sicker & wasn’t taking her medication. We would try to force it down her throat, but it got to the point where that wouldn’t even work. She was no longer eating. All she would do is sleep for a few hours at a time & cough the entire time she was awake.

That week, I got no sleep. We tried to put them in the bathroom, but that only scared them because they didn’t know where we were. We could hear Britney coughing & K-fed (shudder) whining & crying.

We tried to keep them in a separate part of the house with an impromptu baby gate that we made, using a table. K-fed (shudder) tried to jump over it and almost hurt himself in the process.

Since my husband was working & I wasn’t, the only logical thing I could think of was to sleep on the floor in the living room with the dogs. And, so I did. I pulled out an extra comforter and pillow. I stayed with them on the other end of our loft apartment so that my husband wouldn’t hear Britney cough & he could get some sleep.

After many, many phone calls to the vet & to PAWS, they finally agreed with me that Britney was not going to get any better in our house. She needed a much higher level of medical care. She needed to be on an IV, so that she would actually receive her medicine. She also needed a vet to check on her many times during the day.

We dropped her off & got some additional medicine for K-fed. It seemed that he caught a bit of kennel cough from Britney. So, off we went – back home.

We all slept soundly & after a couple days, we were able to give K-fed a bath. I remember thinking after the bath, “Well, he is still cute, but I think he needs to be shaved so we can start over.”

Once K-fed’s cone was removed, he had been bathed & brushed, we discovered who he really was. He is a little adorable guy who loves to play fetch, snuggle and chew on random things. (We definitely have to keep a close eye on him.)

Once he was off of his meds, you could tell he felt better. At this point, he had been with us for 3 weeks & we had fallen in love with him. Both my husband & I decided that we would be too sad to give him away. So, after much consideration – we adopted him & renamed him Oscar. (I mean, really?! K-fed?!)

We got him groomed, clothed (only when super cold) and gave him tons of toys. The photos above were of K-fed, but the photo below is of our “Big O,” Oscar. He has a big personality, but weighs only 12 lbs. He loves to run & loves his parents.

We also checked in on Britney several times. Once she was on an IV, she got better pretty quickly. We were so glad, & if we had more room, we would have adopted her, too. But, her story ends happily, too. She was put up for adoption just a month later & was adopted extremely quickly. Way to go, Brit-Brit.

Some people say he is lucky to have such [over-attentive, overbearing & crazy] wonderful parents. We think, however, that we are the lucky ones.

Photos of Oprah’s Gifts

Thank you, Op!

Boot & Handbag Makeover from Oprah!

Yesterday was hilarious. I was an audience member/guest on the Oprah show – Boot/Handbag Makeovers!

Here is a snapshot of what my day entailed:

I showed up & there were like, 100 other women there. All had received different stories from their contacts – bring clothes, wear your dilemma, different times, etc. Then, we all get our “before” photos & get seated in the studio. I got sat in the middle of the FRONT ROW. I think I am going to wear the same shirt next Wednesday because it was so perfect.

Then, the production staff filmed us having conversations about foot problems. Many people there had absolutely awful problems – bunyuns, different-sized feet, long toes, etc, etc. So, then they say that the producers are going to talk to us.

Quel surprise, Oprah herself walks out & is maybe 5 feet away from me. She is so cute. Then, she says “you are all here because either you or someone you know wrote in and said that you are in need of a boot or handbag makeover!”

Then she says “We have built a shoe salon for you where we are going to style you with the latest trends that fit your special needs!” I knew this was coming. But, there were women behind me that were so excited, like they didn’t know about this.

So, then, Oprah does her big “Come on!” So, we all start following her. Only, I am in the front (looking overwhelmed) and the girl next to me (with bunyuns) is hugging Op herself and walking toward the salon. Who knows what will show up on camera, but if I am on there, I will be mortified.

We get into the salon & it is mayhem. They start filming people with the same foot problems as Op. They were hugging, it was crazy. Op was all over the place, women were screaming “I touched her!” Very strange. I didn’t want to bug Op, so I didn’t touch or say anything to her. It was so strange. I cannot even explain it.

Next, we get our numbers & are called into the salon in groups. Kate goes in first & gets these fabulous 4 inch heeled boots that were gorgeous. She also got necklaces that were fabulous.

I had to wait for a while, then went into the salon & met Olga. Since I do not have any crazy feet problems, I did not get any film-time, but that is certainly OK with me. Olga helped me pick out riding boots. I tried on some Michael/Michael Kors boots & some Lauren/Ralph Lauren boots. The latter were the ones I chose for comfort & versatility – which was my original dilemma.

I had also spotted this gorgeous pink butterfly soft leather B. Makowsky hobo bag, that was hiding behind a horrifying Fossil bag. I asked Olga if I could please have that as well. Yes, she said & that it would be a nice touch. Oh so fun.

I got all checked out & left.

Next up – next Wednesday, I go back to be a member of the audience. Someone overheard that we get more treats next week!

How heavenly!!!

Volunteer Fridays at PAWS

This past Friday, I looked down at my box of Kellogg’s Special K (it is helping me lose inches around my waist!). On the side of the box, it showed a picture of someone having breakfast and then going to walk their dog.
That’s exactly what I did that day.

I absolutely love dogs – I have grown up with several dogs: Suzie, Betsy, Chollie, Tom & Jerry and Wally from Walmart. They were all such beautiful, wonderful dogs and such a treat to have in our lives.

My husband and I live in a loft downtown and he doesn’t think we have enough room to have a dog. He has a good point, but it is still disappointing. Anyhow, I have started volunteering at PAWS Chicago on Fridays, walking dogs and socializing them. My first day was this past Friday and it was absolutely delightful!

PAWS Chicago really sets these dogs up well – they have great rooms, get walks (as long as people volunteer) and have a wonderful staff that takes very good care of the dogs (and cats).

I want to introduce you to some of my faves:

Meet Tessa – she is so sweet, good on walks & loves to be petted. She has sad eyes & someone really needs to adopt her!!

Next up, Duncan. He is a big fur ball – just adorable. He is very sweet & loves to play. When I left his room from playtime, he was so sad. He loves people and it just breaks my heart that he doesn’t have a home.

Buddy is a charmer – he is shy and gets a little nervous or scared from time to time. He is a spaniel and has gorgeous long hair, is playful, but also likes to snuggle.

Last, but certainly not least – Daria, who has (I think) already been adopted. She is a snuggler and will stand there while you pet her for hours. She has beautiful white hair and we had a special bond. I just fell in love with her at first sight. My grandmother always had poodles, so Daria has a special place in my heart.

These little, extra cute dogs tend to be adopted much more quickly than the older dogs. It makes me a little sad because, if you just got to know the rest of the dogs, you would know how special they all are!

If you are interested in these dogs or adopting any dogs who need homes, please visit www.pawschicago.org.

These pictures were taken and posted with the permission of PAWS Chicago.

Have you volunteered at PAWS? Do you have a place you like to volunteer? If you have additional ideas of places to volunteer in Chicago, please comment!

The Starfish Story

I wear a starfish necklace to remind me, even if I only help one other person, that I have made a difference. The necklace was given to me by the Junior League of Los Angeles – thank you, JLLA. Even though, I am far away, I will always remember my years there and the starfish story.

Original Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”
I made a difference for that one.”

News…

I was recently laid off from my job – it was unfortunate, but a true blessing in disguise. I have decided to go back into the nonprofit industry and I am excited about it!

I was raised by my parents to be very volunteer-focused and that has been true for my entire life – until I moved to Chicago. Until I got here and was happily married, I was always in the trenches, volunteering for nonprofits all over Los Angeles, grant writing at the Violence Intervention Program at the county hospital in LA, mentoring and tutoring kids – the whole bit. I have so many stories about my experiences, and when I tell them, you can see my eyes light up.

That was never true about my more recent jobs. There was always something missing. So, when I lost my job – it was a sign that I was down the wrong path.

I immediately updated my resume, found some positions that could potentially make me happy and am now excited to move back into the nonprofit world, doing what I love best – help others.

The one thing I have done more recently was travel to Belize on a mission trip with the church where I grew up. It was amazing! We painted schools and set up a new playground. We taught the children arts & crafts and got to know them pretty well.

Their lives were so different from ours. They came to school to get fed, had to be back for curfew by dark because of election riots. I have included a photo below of the kids by their school. We were playing “Simon Says.”

I have put this photo up on my desk to remind me of my career goal to work in the nonprofit industry – it inspires me and keeps me in check. I am fortunate that my parents instilled the importance of helping others in me since I was young. The memories I have, the trips to countries all over the world and the number of people our groups have helped is all worth it!

“Mommy,can we ballet park?”

When I was little, I was very perceptive, but some things still got away from me. Take the word “valet.” Because I was in ballet as a 5 yr old, I thought the word was ballet. (who even knows that word at age 5?) I always asked my mom if we could “ballet” park. When I finally learned the correct word, I was extremely disappointed.

But, as I was thinking about all the stupid things I did as a kid, I was also reminded of the really cool things I was able to do, courtesy of my parents. I took ballet from age 3, played soccer (actually just sat on the bench) and every other sport imaginable.

The one that sticks with me is dance. As you may have read, I started taking ballet classes again -after 10 years. According to the teacher, my posture needs work and so does my technique. Regardless, I am there and I love it.

Today, I was in the front row. That means I am good enough for other people to follow.
It’s just so nice to feel that fire again. Even if I am not that great – yet.
Key word being yet.

Vote for Our Apartment on ApartmentTherapy.com’s Apartment Contest!

My husband entered us into a contest on ApartmentTherapy.com, where people can go on the site and vote for our space if they like it, think it is a good use of space and like the decorating.

I invite you all to please visit the site and create a login so that you can quickly and easily give our space a thumbs up!

Feel free to comment on our space, comment on this blog – tell me what you think!

Please vote for us – www.apartmenttherapy.com
Contest page: http://contests.apartmenttherapy.com/2009/small-cool
Small Cool 2009: Deckbd’s Downtown Loft, Little Division #19

We appreciate your votes!

Southwest Airlines – Just Another Reason to Fly the Friendly Skies…

I am not a fan of other airlines – mainly because customer service is really important to me. I love it when I get on a Southwest plane somewhere in the South and they are super friendly. I LOVE when they are really Southern/Texan. It makes me feel at home, I guess.

In this video, he isn’t exactly being Texan, but I LOVE his rendition of the flight rules. Much more entertaining than simply reading the rules! What a treat, especially when other airlines are so rude about everything that they do! Take a look at the Yahoo! link below and enjoy!

Hip Hop Flight Attendant @ Yahoo! Video