Beans has Babies
I may have mentioned it before, but a couple of weeks ago, one of our dogs had a litter of puppies. Basset Hounds, to be exact. Seven of them – five males and two females. They are absolutely adorable! The video was taken the first night they had been born, so they are pretty small – and they sounded like gremlins. Sorry about the darkness, too.
Beans (the mom) was a lot more attentive this go round. Her first litter was touch and go.. She was probably too young to have pups, so she didn’t know exactly what to do. Luckily, my husband was a vet tech for close to 8 years, so he was able to help out. He was able to tie off the cords and clean up some of the placentas.. It was gross, but she took note!
This time she was able to clean them up, chew the cords and treat them like the little balls of fur they are. =)
It’s now been two weeks. They have been transferred from the bathtub they were birthed in, to a kiddie pool. Their eyes are just about open, and they are getting a little more adventurous. They still have to pull themselves around on their tummies, and crawl over things, but they are so cute when they do it!
They have gotten a bit bigger in the past two weeks – they’re a little fuzzier, and a little louder. Which is good, because Beans isn’t too picky as to where she sits when she gets into the tub to feed them. She tends to sit on them.
I’ll put up a new video shortly. For now, this will have to do.
My First Blogger Award!
Look! A Prestigious Award!
While reading through my blog feeds today, I learned that JB over at Perplume’s Blog had nominated little ‘ol ME for an award! Thank you so much for thinking of me! It’s a surprise and an honor.
I must say, though.. The first time I saw it and read it out loud, I thought it said ‘Honest Crap’ – but I’m not sure that was the initial intention of the award creator…
Anyway, the caveat of this award is that I have to come up with TEN honest bits of information about me, that I haven’t previously put into a blog post. In reality, I’m quite the introvert – which is why I married a gregarious Cuban who could become best friends with one of the Royal Guards that stand outside of Parliament in the big fuzzy hats if given the opportunity. So, coming up with ten facts about me is going to be quite the task. I’ll give it a shot..
Here goes nuthin’!!!!
1. I was in a Super Bowl halftime show in 1995 when the 49ers played the Chargers at Joe Robbie stadium. It was fantastic! Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, the Miami Sound Machine and Arturo Sandoval performed in the Indiana Jones themed show. Disney was promoting some attraction that was opening at Disneyland – but we all got some cool participation gifts. Tee shirts, shorts, mugs, tickets to Disney World, etc. We got to see the second quarter from the tunnels! How neat is that?
2. My first trip to Florida was in 1988. I lived in Massachusetts, and we were going in March. I counted down the days until we were to go. While I was at SeaWorld with my family, I decided that I was going to live in Florida, and I was going to be a Marine Biologist and train dolphins. Half of that came true – I do live in Florida. Unfortunately, not a marine biologist.
3. When my sister was 10 and I was 12, our cousin planned a trip to Sweden. There were at least ten of us that went. It was where I first heard “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor – and it played constantly on their music television. I also became a fan of “Bikini Girls With Machine Guns” by the Cramps, and someone named Tameka Takaram. I know I spelled that wrong, but its similar to how it sounds. Being toeheads, everyone wanted to speak to us in Swedish – but we knew not a lick. Still don’t.
4. I knew that I was going to marry the man that is now my husband. We started out as friends, and he kept fighting the fact that we were pretty much meant for each other. He had planned on being ‘a bachelor until he turned 40, just like his dad.’ He would say that he wasn’t going to date me, until he dated me. Then it was, “I’m not going to marry you” until he proposed. From the beginning – I knew. He doesn’t believe me, but it’s true!
5. I am not a fan of the Beatles. There are a couple of songs I like that they wrote, but were covered by other bands. ”Come Together” is the first that comes to mind. I love it when I hear the Aerosmith version, but change the channel if it’s the Beatles. I’m sure I’m one of a small few who feel this way, but I can’t help it.
6. I share a birthday with Ethan Hawke – who I was IN LOVE WITH years ago. I still think he’s a pretty good looking guy, but he was absolutely adorable in a movie called ‘Explorers‘ back in the 80’s. River Phoenix was in there, too. Another good looking kiddo. My birthday is also considered “Saxophone Day.” I haven’t done the research, so I have no idea why that is… Sorry.
7. I have four tattoos. None of which are visible when dressed properly. Well, most of the time, anyway. The first I received was a Scorpio symbol on my ankle. A tribal band was later added around the entire ankle (this is the one that can be seen if I wear a skirt, rather than pants). I have a Celtic Scorpion on my tummy, beneath my belly button (which is the only one I would remove if given the chance). There is a dolphin riding a tribal-esque wave on my right shoulder blade. And I am the proud owner of a tramp stamp. I have got to defend this, however. I got this one *way before* it was ‘the thing to do’ for 18 year old girls. It’s a really pretty one, too – a heart with angel wings and a halo. I cannot do it justice by writing about it, but the tattoo artist did a really great job.
8. My sister can kick my ass. No joke. She is 98 pounds soaking wet. Five foot nothing. But she is an elastic band. If we were to go mano a mano – I could probably knock her out. I out weigh her by double, or close to it! But get us onto the floor in a wrestling match and I’m done for. Her legs come out of nowhere to kick me in the face! DEAD SERIOUS!!! It’s amazing, really. Scary. But amazing.
9. When I was in elementary school, I stole a dollar from my best friend. Actually, I’m not sure it was *her* dollar bill, but it was in her house. It was on a white desk in her cellar. I remember it clearly. Me and my big mouth got home that evening and bragged about how I had a dollar. My mom figured out where I got it and dragged me back to their house. I was in tears. She made me apologize to my friend and her mom and give back the dollar. I could tell you that I learned my lesson – and I did. For a while. I was a little rebellious in my teen years, but nothing crazy. Thank goodness!
10. (wow.. this is tough to do!) Okay.. My husband proposed to me at a gas station. This was before the episode of The Office where Jim proposed to Pam halfway between their locations. It was quite spontaneous and unexpected. He had just gotten offered a position as a manager at a local restaurant and so we went out to celebrate. We had stopped to get some gas and some beer to bring home (it IS Daytona after all… ), we were outside the store and he got down on one knee. I cried. It was a good night.
This turned out to be a lot longer than I had thought it would be.. and thank you for sticking around…
Now, I get to nominate nine other people to receive this award. Hmm… Where to begin? I have come across sooo many new blogs these past couple of months and they probably all deserve to be recognized. So, I guess the nine blogs that I nominate are:
Amanda at The Talbert Report for teaching me how shopping can *actually* save me money!
Damama for being honest about whatever comes to mind.
Elizabeth at On Tap For Today because I love her dog and that she lives in Boston.
Mel (I think) from the Stirrup Queens blog. She is brutally honest all the time – no matter what she’s going through. That takes some cajones.
Another blog that seems to exude honesty is The Life of 2 Mums and a Daughter – I check in on them every so often and am always entertained/ provoked.
Another Bostonian of Note – Angela, the Boston Brat. Her love of the Patriots is one to be admired.
I don’t get there as often as I should, but I enjoy reading A Muse In My Pocket.
And two that I enjoy reading at any time… Pajamas & Coffee and Ooph.. Great blogs of family life and Fuc ummm.. rubber ducks…
My Review of “My So Called Freelance Life” by Michelle Goodman
Initially, I did not plan on reviewing this book, but I figured that I may as well since I am waiting for my BookSneeze book to arrive, and I have been rather vocal about my desire to work for myself. I’m still honing my review skills, so please forgive me for any faux pas that may occur.
Book Name: My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire
Author: Michelle Goodman
Published in 2008 by Seal Press
Ms. Goodman is a woman, who I can only guess is somewhere around my age, and has been ‘cubicle free’ for almost twenty years. A life I can only dream of having… Or can I?
She doesn’t go into detail about exactly what she does, but from what I can gather – she is a jack of all trades. Writer, artist, blogger, computer guru and the like. I could be waaaaay off base, but being a freelancer for so long, I can only imagine that she has learned to wear a lot of hats – and make them WORK any outfit she chooses to wear!
Michelle’s writing style is geared toward people like me – who have lots of work experience, but aren’t experts. For the most part, it seems that it is also slightly skewed toward women, but a gentleman would get just as much out of it should he choose to read her stories.
She breaks the book into sections, and then down further into chapters. (Chapters? In a book??? No way!) I know, it’s silly to read, but I enjoyed the way it was broken up. It made the reading more enjoyable, and will make looking back that much easier when I need to find that little nugget of information that is just tugging at the tip of my tongue.
The first part of the book highlights the basics of the beginning of your freelance life. I had always been intimidated by creating a business plan worth abiding by. Michelle scales it down in a way that even my dog could understand. (Well, once he learns to read, anyway.) Another greedy important question I had was how to go about putting a price on my time? This was very interesting to me because I have never understood how (for example) a plumber could come to my home, change out a washer on a faucet, and charge me $40 for an hour.
Michelle explains how to work out what you need to make to keep yourself afloat, and how to break it down (and pad it up).
Part two focuses on how to sell yourself and what you do. How to choose projects that will get your name out there without bankrupting you at the same time. Did you know that you could be paid in PIE? Michelle shows you how that can be a good thing.
Part three is all about YOU. I liked this part a lot, because many of the ideas apply to different walks of life – not only the life of a freelancer. I’m sure everyone out there has had a ‘Client from Hell’ in one form or another. You know the type – the lady who makes a bazillion changes to a 200 word paragraph – most of which are incorrect; or the guy who orders a meal in a restaurant, substitutes everything he can, and then complains that nothing is cooked the way he likes it. We all have our horror stories, and Michelle writes about situations she has faced and gives ideas on how to handle them so that you still get paid.
The book goes over a lot of things that I probably wouldn’t have thought of as I was building myself into a business – like licensing, marketing strategies, taxes… She also mentions some pretty cool links to check out on your journey to free yourself from the cube.
It was also fun to read about troubles that she and her freelance friends had run into during their formative years. And they weren’t all writers, either. Oh no… She had stories from personal trainers, accountants, artists, you name it!
Would I recommend My So Called Freelance Life to the average chick? Maybe not. Would I suggest that someone who is interested in starting their own business buy this book? Heck yeah! If you can’t buy it – check it out from the library or find a book to swap with someone for it. It might not even hurt some of the ’seasoned vets’ to go out and read through some of the chapters. (You can probably skip over the part that suggests you have an idea for your business, but I’m sure there will be at least one tidbit of information in there that is new for you!)
It’s definitely a book that I am going to keep on my office book shelf for future reference. Heck, I already marked up the margins on a LOT of the pages! =)
Happy reading!
Valentine’s Day is Around the Corner
Growing up, I loved the day.
Mom would bring my sister and I to CVS to pick out that nifty pack of Jem & the Hologram or Transformers Valentine cards. (Yes kids… The Transformers have been around for quite a while. Jem is another story.
We would dress up in our ‘Sunday Best’ – as long as there was something red to wear. Sometimes we would put candy in or on our envelopes, and spend hours carefully printing the names of every girl and boy in our class on the front of each card. Of course, we would wait until February 13th to take care of all of this. Don’t even get me started on trying to back goodies for the class!!
The day we were to deliver our cards was one of mixed emotions.
Who didn’t have that little bug in their ear? You know the one… The little guy who whispered, “What if nobody gives you a Valentine?” or, “Do you think *he* knew that was was from you??” I loved the art projects that the teachers would have ready for us on Valentine’s Day. The mailboxes, the folders, and whatever else they could think of to keep us entertained.
When the end of the day came, the teacher would choose ‘cupids’ to deliver their Valentines, while the others played games. Then they would alternate. It seemed like there was a lot going on at the time. Of course, looking back – it may have been a bit more tame than initially thought.
When the day ended, I was one of the ‘odd’ ones.. I would bring all of the Valentines home to open. However, there was always an exception or two. The girl whose card you just had to open right then and there. Or the card from the cute boy who Suzie said heard from Jane who knew for a fact that Lisa found out had a crush on you. (How did we keep track of that stuff? I just confused myself!)
Anyway, since the day is just over a week away, I thought I would reminisce a bit. Thank you for joining me!
I think I know what the Husband and I are going to do that weekend, but I don’t want to post about it right now. At least not yet – since he just got a new job and we’re not sure what his schedule will be. But trust me. When I know, you will know.
Do You Watch ‘Lost’?
I tried.
I would row with them, too!
I really did. My husband and I wanted to give it a shot and we rented the first season on DVD, sometime around the third season. We even made a day of it! We got the blankets out into the living room. Mind you, we were in a studio apartment at the time… But still… We got blankets and pillows in the ‘area by the sofa.’ There were snacks. There were sodas. Phones were kept out of reach. It was also nice that Sawyer was HAWT (and if I had those tendencies, the Irish chick is too….), and I have always loved that Fox guy from Party of Five.
We watched the first couple of episodes without judgement. The plane crash, the introductions, the blah…
It just stopped making sense. Seriously.. what was with the fog?
Yes, I know – that is the point behind the show. It makes no sense. They are on an island – they leave the island – they go back. I think.
It was a show that I probably would have enjoyed, had I sat through hour after hour, and then gone and listened to the radio shows talk about it. It was just way more work than I wanted to do for a television show. I am sure it would have had Top priority on my DVDR recordings, should I have had some sort of opportunity to win big money! Hell.. I would have been understanding if there was a crumb of storyline to follow! But I guess I missed it somewhere along those lines.
Today, I say, “Give me a cheesy episode of “Big Bang Theory” or ”The Office” – something that I understand, and can follow.” I’m good with that! After a day of working, I really don’t want to consult flow charts and spreadsheets to see who is the bad guy this week, and who had their soul redeemed by a polar bear.
Anyway… This is my celebratory post for those “Lost” fans who watched tonight, and will continue to do so throughout the season, surrounded by other fans, computers and open minds – waiting for the writers to feed them their menial scraps to tie up a loose end or two (because the writers don’t know anything until it’s written – which I think is AWESOME!). I do hope that this, the last season, is everything that the previous 5 seasons has led up to – and more.
I actually mean that. I do! I have to give my kudos to the viewing audience. I’m not sure if it was my attention span, my intelligence, or my husband that kept me from continuing to watch, but I do wish that I had stuck with the show. Will I go back and watch it? Probably not. At least not in the very near future. But if I hear great things about this 6th season – that may change.
Do the Lost fans out there – Have a great season!
To those of us who do not watch – please try not to smack the Lost fans… I work with a few. I know how they can get, and it’s not pretty.
What are your thoughts? Have you watched the show from the beginning? Do you have ‘watching parties’ now? What are your predictions for the end of the series?
-
Read Me!
I Heart Comments!
Yeah, I’m a Reader
Nothing like warm fuzzy socks!
They\'ve Been Here
