Saturday, July 25, 2009

One Cotton Ball

So much for posting regular updates! With the exception of the first night, I haven’t had internet access during my entire house sitting tenure making posting all but impossible. (that's why I'm posting this from my room...I can't stay away from the internet this long unless I'm on vacation!) I’ve been keeping track of my stay here with a cotton ball count. I use one per night to take off my makeup, and am down to one, one little cotton ball. This means I sleep in my bed tomorrow without a little doggie to wake me up. Ah, the joys of simple things.

One of my most challenging tasks has been taking the dog for a walk. The walk itself is a no brainer, however the leash is a different story. Now, I’m a fairly smart person, have a masters degree (I know, I know, history isn’t exactly related to dog sitting), and could not for the life of me figure out how to get that stupid thing on. So, after two days of intense struggling I happened on a brilliant idea: you tube. I spent one of my ten minute breaks at work researching how to put on a step in harness leash. (Actually, I didn’t know that's what it was called. I think the initial search started with “leash for small dogs.”) I am happy to report my search was successful, and it's a piece of cake. Turns out, I misunderstood how it snapped together and thereby caused the difficulty. I think Cooper was much happier with me once I figured out what I was doing.

Next up: wing walkers courtesy of the OCGP!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Day One: Getting to know you (or the house)

I successfully took Cooper on his first walk. (or should I say, he took me on a walk!) I didn’t get lost and was able to navigate the neighborhood so we actually arrived back at the house. The most complicated part was figuring out how the heck to put the leash on him. It may sound easy for some of you, but I’ve never walked a small dog before. Big dogs, no problem! Just clip the leash to the collar and off you go. Not this one! I think Cooper was getting rather impatient with me as I tried a variety of techniques before I figured out which one actually worked. It was pretty funny!

The big drawback…I Don’t Have any Internet!!! What am I going to do without internet at night for an ENTIRE WEEK!!! Help! For some reason my computer won’t recognize their wireless, and I’m still trying to troubleshoot the problem.


Here’s hoping I can find a solution soon or this is going to be one interesting week…

Update: Houston we have internet! Who-hoo!!!!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

And that's the way it is

Remembering Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009.

"Our job is only to hold up the mirror - to tell and show the public what has happened. "

Hello Yorba Linda

I haven't posted in a while, I suppose for lack of something interesting to say. But, tomorrow I begin another house sitting job that should be less eventful than last years. For those of you who don't recall the details let me remind you. First there was the insomnia, then the morning I seriously overslept, then more insomnia, and finally the realization I would completely miss all Fourth of July fireworks. Ring a bell? This job only lasts a week (as opposed to 12 days), is closer to work (yeah), and involves watching only one animal (instead of 4). I actually wouldn't mind not having anything exciting to report because that would mean the job is smooth sailing...