Irie's learning how to share - kind of

Rain rain go away

This is day three of gross, rainy weather here in Baltimore. My head has been killing me for the past two days and I'm really getting tired of it. In part I'm glad that I'm working from home and don't really have to be out in the elements, but I'm also feeling a bit stir-crazy. Mostly I'd just like to be able to get outside a little (and have this headache go away - which I think is related to the rain as well, by the way.)

The good news is I've got several different activities planned this weekend, which I think will help with the stir-crazy factor. Tonight I'm supposed to go to Fed Hill (hot spot in Baltimore) to meet up with some potential new friends for a few drinks and a (get this) magic show. I'm very intrigued by this.

Tomorrow morning (weather permitting), I've got a morning hike scheduled with the dogs (and more people I met earlier this week) and an invitation to a party Saturday night (though I'm not sure I'm actually going to do that one - I don't have a costume!)

Sunday morning is another dog meet-up and then a people meet-up at a local winery.

Where am I finding all these activities you may ask... at meetup.com of course. If you're ever interested in making new friends, or finding people to participate in special interests with you - this is the place to go. It's basically just an online forum for every club or group you could ever think of based on your geographic location. You search for groups by your area and interests, sign up and then get emails about upcoming events. I love it.

Of course, you're not really guaranteed to meet wonderful people or anything, but it does give you stuff to do and you never know who you'll meet, right?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what all the weekend has in store. At the very least it's supposed to stop raining by Sunday!

My own Meerkat Manor

I've been putting Irie in the basement with Terra when I leave lately and when I get home and open the doors to the basement stairs, this is what I see. It's not a great picture, but she reminds me so much of the meerkats on TV. She stays like this until I get all the way downstairs. Cracks me up. :-)

Terra update

Lily and Kathleen left on Saturday to go join Carl in St. Louis for a few weeks, so now it's just me and the pups in the house. And other than it being a little strange that I have no real reason to leave the house or interact with people on a daily basis, it's going pretty well.

Sleeping has been a little challenging - mostly because Irie's a brat and doesn't want Terra to jump up on "her" bed. I've found that if I get Terra up there before Irie it all goes a little smoother though. And once they've both settled down, it's ok. The only other problem has been that I kind of like to move around a bit at night and Terra very much wants to sleep between my legs under the covers. Since my legs are often not under the covers this creates some problems. :-)

We've also been spending a lot of time at the dog parks. So far we've been to the regular dog park, a small dog beach and a new dog park about 20 minutes north of the house. I'm really enjoying the new park - mostly because it's bigger and all grass. And the drive up there is a nice one - through a more wooded area.

Dog parks have also been interesting because Irie believes that all balls that are thrown are for her to go retrieve, and Terra doesn't really believe in fighting for a ball. But, I've gotten smart and have figured out that if I throw Irie a ball all the way across the field, in the time it takes her to go get it, I can toss another one in the opposite direction for Terra. It works pretty well, but does give me more of a workout!

Today, Terra found an oversized tennis ball that she decided was the best toy ever. We spent nearly an hour playing soccer while Irie chased the pop-ups I kept throwing. Terra was so excited about her toy she even snubbed the treats I was giving out. :-)

That is one serious tongue!

The prized possession.

Irie was more taken with the horse in the field next door.

Our first solo outing

Kathleen had a teacher institute day on Friday so Lily and I were left on our own for the whole day! It was kind of a rainy day so I decided to take her on a little adventure to the Baltimore Aquarium. I haven't been there in years and I thought she'd enjoy seeing all the "fishies and turtles."

We had a good time and I think Lily really did enjoy seeing everything. She especially enjoyed jumping in the puddles that had formed on the "rain forest" floor and riding all the escalators up and down. I could hardly pull her away from the big sting-ray tank or watching the divers swim around as they fed the sharks. She ran from wall to wall so she could continue to see him. Every tank we went up to she'd look at me and say, "Open?" I think she really did understand that you can't "open" the tanks, because before long she was asking me with this sly smile on her face that she uses for asking for things like donuts for dinner.

However, I did learn/was reminded how truly difficult it is to take a toddler to a place like an aquarium on your own. We did pretty well until we grabbed lunch at the cafeteria. Carrying Lily, a bottle of chocolate milk and a cup of french fries (yes, that's what I let her eat for lunch - I'm terrible, I know.) was extraordinarily difficult. Especially because she was hungry and tired by then and wasn't too thrilled to wait in line. But other than losing a few fries along the way, we did pretty well. I did get lots of dirty looks from the parents with their more "balanced" meals. I fessed up to the family at our table that I was her aunt and that's why I could get away with this kind of lunch, which softened their opinions, I think.

All in all, it was a fun day. Here are a few pictures of our day (note the "pash-u" in her mouth in all of them!)

Hey you, with the camera... come look at this lizard!

Checking out the turtles.

Leaning up against the tanks and sliding down them was a particular favorite!

Long lost cousins

Despite Irie's bratty tendencies, Terra is a good sport and for the most part these pups are certainly enjoying each other.

These boots are made for walkin'

Kathleen has been trying to get Lily to put on these boots, but Lily's refrain has been, "No boots, shoes!" She was in a good mood tonight though so I actually got her to put them on. Once she had them on, she thought she was pretty cool stuff!

First post from Baltimore

13 hours, a few tanks of gas, multiple potty breaks, and lots of fast food later... Irie and I have arrived in Baltimore. As always Irie was a dream to travel with and spent the vast majority of the trip snoozing in the passenger's seat. She was, however, full of energy when we got here.

The last few days have been a bit hectic, but everything is going really well. I under-estimated the time it takes to "settle" and, in hind-sight, I probably would have taken a few days off from my remote working. I know, I know - it sounds ridiculous that I somehow couldn't quite seem to manage a 1/2 time schedule, but it was harder than I thought.

In large part this was due to all my computer issues when I first arrived. My trusty ol' laptop has slowly but surely been falling apart. Granted I have had it over 4 years, but I was hoping to get another year out of it. But as more things went wrong and as slow as it's running - I just decided it wasn't worth putting money into it to fix it. So, yesterday, I bought myself a new laptop, so I am now the proud owner of a Toshiba Satellite. My favorite feature - how little it is! I'm still getting used to the new Vista software - I'm not totally psyched by it, but I'm figuring it out. I'm still having a few problems with my connection to the office, but still a lot better than it was.

I still need to unpack the majority of my stuff and I still have a handful of move related stuff I need to do, but I think by next week I should be pretty much on schedule. (I hope!)

All in all, I don't really think the realization of moving has actually set in yet. I think I still feel like I'm on "vacation" or something. Lily and Kathleen are leaving for a few weeks to spend time with family in St. Louis this weekend, so after Saturday it will be just me and the dogs. I'm guessing the reality will set in a bit more then. I still think it was a good decision and am not sorry to be here at all - even if I do miss having friends around a little! :-)

So far the things that have struck me as the most odd have been 1) realizing I need to reset all my radio presets in my car. It's strange when you've been listening to the same morning show for years. and 2) there's no Jamba Juice in Baltimore. Jamba Juice is a recent addiction of mine and I absolutely love their "cold buster", but apparently that is just something I'm going to have to live without for awhile.

Otherwise, life is good and I'm enjoying my susie homemaker way of life for the moment. (Though on my first night I did accidentally light the chicken container on fire - whoops!)

I'll post some pictures soon.

From gainful employment to indentured servitude

Big things are definitely happening in my world.

First (and possibly most importantly) - the Cubs. Who would've thought that they'd get this far? Let's just hope Bartman stays home this time.

Secondly (and maybe equally shockingly) - I'm moving! Now, if you're a consistent reader of this blog, you've certainly heard me say that I'm not sure Chicago is really the place for me. I certainly love stuff about it, and it's most definitely home right now, but I've always been drawn to the smaller towns of my youth. So am I moving to Bloomington? Madison? back to Carbondale? No.... I'm moving to Baltimore.

I know, I know - that doesn't exactly fit, but hear me out!

Baltimore, obviously, is where Carl, Kathleen and (the love-of-my-life) Lily live. :-) I've missed having family nearby. I miss seeing them regularly. And, well, I just need a change. I really feel like I've been living in my cozy little comfort zone for the last... let's say 5 years and I need to push myself a little. I need to take a risk. I need to leave the familiarity of Chicago, my steady job, my fail-proof friends and just see what else is out there.

I'm certainly going to miss a lot about Chicago. I don't think I'll really even fully understand how much until I'm gone. But, barring a targeted nuclear attack, it'll still be here if I ever want to come back. And I know I'll visit.

And I'll miss parts of my job. It's been a steady-force in my entire adult life. (Granted my entire adult life is not really that long.)

And, I'll really, really miss my friends. I was telling Nicole last night that while I'll miss her and the rest of my "regulars", I know I will stay tight with them despite the distance. The more acquaintance type friends, the friends of circumstance, friends of friends, etc... it'll be much harder to stay in touch and remain close. And that's hard to walk away from.

I'll also miss being close enough to a lot of my family to drive over for the weekend and see them. Even though I'm not able to do it that frequently, it's nice to know I can meet mom for lunch on the weekend, drive over to either one of my grandparents' houses for an overnight, etc. I've liked having that option! But I know, in reality, the amount I see everyone is not going to change that much.

And I also know this move is not forever. The plan (or as much of one as I've got at the moment) is to live in Baltimore until next May or possibly June. Then, as Carl and Kathleen move on to wherever they go next, I'll move on to wherever I go next as well. What does that mean? Well, I'm not entirely sure. It will likely mean coming back to the midwest. Perhaps to remain close to Carl and Kathleen, or perhaps to check out some new place that seems to fit.

What will I do in the meantime, you ask? Well, I'm fortunate to have found a part-time position in Baltimore in a field I've always wanted to try out. I'll be working at an after-school program in a K-6 school, helping kids get up to proficiency levels in literacy and math. From what I know, it's not a homework help program or a baby-sitting service. They appear to have a very structured curriculum that has been proven to help students reach the levels they need to be at to progress to the next grade. It's very part-time and not a position I would be able to take on if it weren't for my awesome brother and sister-in-law who have agreed to take me in for the next 8 months. But, my hope is, it will help me get a better sense of whether this is a field I'm really interested in pursuing. And if it is, I hope the position will give me some of the "hands-on" experience that every organization in this field is looking for.

As it so happens, my current employer has offered to keep me on part-time to work remotely for a few more months to help make the transition here a little smoother. I'm not 100% sure how that will end up working out, but I've agreed to do it for awhile and see how it goes. This also allows me a little more time to get more of my work-world organized before I'm officially gone.

I'm, understandably, a little sad for all the changes and things I will miss, but ultimately I'm really excited about what's next. I don't know that I'm someone that always needs to be looking for the greener pasture, but I do think it's invigorating to just change everything around and start fresh now and again.

The other day, I was telling Carl all the things I'm planning on doing when I'm there - like walking the dogs, babysitting, cleaning, cooking.... He laughed and said, "You're not an indentured servant!"

And I guess that's true, but I am eternally grateful that I have such a loving and supportive brother (and sister-in-law!). And, besides, I love taking care of people - I'm honestly looking forward to playing susie-homemaker a little bit. Mostly I don't want to be a nuisance and instead help out wherever I can.

I'll do my best to keep you all in the loop as everything progresses. Wish me luck!

Argggh matie

Irie and I spent a good portion of our beautiful Saturday cheering on the kickball teams in the end of season tournament. Irie even showed her Pirate spirit.

Time to PARTY!

All this kickball madness makes a pirate pooch thirsty!
(Check out those dreds!)

The need for education...

Mom and I were out in the NW suburbs yesterday and drove past this sign. We thought it was so funny we had to turn around and go back to take a picture.

Perhaps they really meant "We're for mental health."

Who knows. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share...

One year ago today....

I picked up my new wriggly little puppy!

She was slightly smaller, a few pounds lighter, nameless, scared of Maverick, and quiet as a mouse.

My how things have changed!

Happy 1st anniversary, Irie!

Space issues

Irie has become pretty much unbearable on our walks in Chicago these past few months.

If she sees a squirrel it results in her attacking the nearest tree and giving an ear-splitting yowl which makes people look out their windows at us in disbelief.

If she sees another dog, there's lunging and growling and general chaos.

And don't even get me started on what happens when she sees someone riding a bicycle.

I was about at my wits end and had actually started looking into doggie boot camps. But before I shelled out the big bucks for a long term program, I decided to try my luck with a personal trainer.

Irie and I had our first appointment this past Thursday and have already made some great progress.

What did I learn? First, that all the harnesses I've been using to try to keep Irie walking nicely next to me and not lunging aren't helping. Our trainer said the real problem is that I can't get Irie's attention when she's in "attack mode" and the harnesses make it even harder because they pull from the center of her chest rather than her head. So, despite all my best efforts to find a good control harness for her, he said the best one to use on walks is the prong collar. Now, I have a prong collar and have tried to use it in the past, but it really hadn't worked. He took one look at it, decided it was much too large and resized it to actually fit Irie's little neck. Low and behold - a whole different experience! She is now not lunging and it gives me much more control. I'm not really a huge fan of using prong collars because they look a bit harsh, but I've been assured by many people they're much better than choke chains and they don't hurt the dog. They just remind them to not pull ahead or get too crazy.

So, when Irie decides she needs to attack something he's got me calling her name and walking backwards until Irie finally turns to look at me to see why it is I'm walking backwards. Once she does that I'm supposed to put her into a sit and give her treats. While this results in a very strange sight I'm sure, it actually does seem to work. At any rate it's much better than scolding her to no avail or giving her treats constantly to try to keep her attention which I think actually just reinforces that barking at something deserves a treat.

The trainer also has me working on sit-maintain which is basically means that the dog has to remain sitting until the owner gives the release cue. And that the dog's focus is on me rather than the food or whatever it is they really want.

I was working on this with Irie yesterday morning and much to my surprise (and admiration) she actually remained seated even when Maverick came up to investigate the treats on the floor which would normally send her into a frenzie. So, we're making progress there to.

I went into the training feeling like I had an incredibly agressive dog, but the trainer simply laughed at me when I said this. He said, "Ingrid, Irie is not agressive. I've seen agressive. If she was aggressive, you couldn't have walked her through all the other dogs out there in the other room without her lunging or attacking someone. This dog just has space issues. She's little and she feels threatened when she's on her leash so she does her best to let others know not to mess with her."

So, my pup has space issues - and maybe a bit of an inferiority complex. But she's not overly aggressive which makes me feel better.

We're going to work on these suggestions for a few weeks and then probably go back for another session to work on some other issue areas.

It seriously makes me wonder why we don't have children trainers in the world. I guess we do, they're just not called children trainers - they're called psychologists. And the best part (and oh, how true) dog trainers really do very little dog training - instead they do a ton of people training on how to respond to dogs. Exactly the same concept I believe in for child training - it's all about training the parents.

Irie's rendition of bobbing for apples

I give her a 10

I've been accused often of my blog being all about Lily (and since last fall, Irie). And well, yeah, there's a little truth in that. I am head-over-heels crazy about my niece. I admit it. I accept it as my fate in life. But in my defense, let me tell you - the girl is phenomenal.

I know, I know, I'm biased. But as Kathleen would say, "she is objectively cute." Virtually everyone I've ever shown pictures to thinks that. Of course, they may say this just to appease me, but I don't really think so. Often the remarks are unsolicited. And I always hear that she looks like me (which I don't 100% agree with), but come on, let's face it - I was a cute baby. Just kidding.

But really, it's not even about how she looks - though the little curls and sweet face do certainly help. It's really more her personality. And really... it's more just how much personality she has. She's just full of it!

I love her tantrums. (Especially when Irie howls along - they're quite the pair.)

And her not so "tantrumy" way of shaking her head and backing away with arms in front of her when she says (in a very concerned tone), "noooooo."

And how she can't say "yes" without a smile on her face. Or the way she says, "please."

And how smart she is. I mean, come on, the kid isn't even two years old yet and within five minutes of my being there this weekend she was upstairs with me and looked at Irie and Terra playing on the bed and said, "Two doggies on the bed." And she can count to ten. Granted 5-10 is said so quickly you have to really listen to understand it, but it's so cute the way she does it, "5, 6, 789n10."

She's very opinionated and quite adept at selecting her own meals, clothes, etc. And determined. I about cracked up when she was carrying a dog toy over to Terra which Irie promptly grabbed out of her hands. She looked shocked for a split second and then started yelling, "No no, Irie. Ra-ra's toy." And when Irie paid her no attention, she turned to me and with a highly pitched pleading kind of tone, "I had it! I had it!" Which I could only take as the reasoning coming from classroom sharing - I had it first, in other words.

Alright, alright, I'll stop now. She's awesome. That was the point. :-)

Sandy dog

This is a picture of Irie after our romp at the beach this morning.

The best dog park ever

Through one of my doggie playgroups I found out about this amazing dog park in the north suburbs of Chicago. It's actually a huge forest preserve where they've designated a big portion of it to the dogs. There are trails, a big pond, prairie grass, open fields... and it's all fenced in! It was an absolutely fabulous place to spend our first nice day in a long time this Saturday. Irie loved being able to run for miles, jump into the pond, and wrangle her way through the underbrush. She was one pooped (and muddy) puppy by the end of the day, as you can see.

The aftermath....

Chicago got hit by a pretty major storm yesterday. It was a little creepy. It hit downtown around 3:45pm and suddenly the skies turned black and the rain started swirling around - it actually looked like it was snowing.

On my way home I was kept entertained by all the branches, debris, etc littering the streets. Thankfully my apartment and car were both fine. Here are some pictures of my neighborhood and a few from the Chicago Tribune.

We're supposed to get hit again tonight so we'll see what happens. A lot of people still don't have electricity and a ton of the street signals are out. Making traffic a lot of fun around here!

A little of this and a little of that

It's been a long time since I've posted. Most of what's been on the forefront of my mind these past weeks is generally inappropriate blogging material. It's unfortunate - there are a lot of highly entertaining stories there, but, still I think careful blogging is in my best interest. So instead, I will offer you some tidbits and hope that my life will eventually go back to its "OK to share with the public" way of being.

First, let me share with you all that I am now 100% debt free. As of the first week in July, I have officially paid off my car. It was kind of funny to get the title in the mail - I sat there and looked at it for a minute and thought, "Now, what am I supposed to do with this?" Don't worry, it's in a safe place now. But since I paid off college loans awhile ago and credit card debt has never been my thing... I don't owe anyone anything. It's kind of a strange sensation. But a good one.

Secondly, we've been having a lot of rain storms here lately and due to this, I've found something that really makes me laugh. Whenever there is a big storm coming, the Chicago stations will run the ticker-tape across the screen announcing warnings. And guess what... Chicago has a fun catch phrase they like to use. "Turn around. Don't drown." For awhile there I only seemed to tune into the warning when it said "don't drown" and I was just convinced someone at the TV station was having a good ol' time putting silly stuff on the ticker. But, no, come to find out, it's an actual saying. Kind of like, "Arrive alive. Don't drink and drive." I have to say I really think the "Turn around. Don't drown" one is more a stretch though. Maybe the difference between a positive and negative outcome. At any rate, it's one of my new joys in life to watch for this warning to come across the screen.

I have also recently decided to throw myself into enjoying all that Chicago offers for the next few months. It's been awhile since I've done any of the touristy things and I think it might be time to give them another whirl. It's easy to treat Chicago like just another place to live, but I figure I'm not going to live here forever, so I should take advantage while I can. It's a piece of a larger plan that is formulating as I go, but not quite ready for public consumption yet.

OK, so now you have some little pieces of information to tide you over perhaps. I'll do my best to keep my eyes open for entertaining things that are blog-worthy.

If I went goth...

These are some pictures of Beth and I dressed up like "Kiss" for a kickball party. I was dubbed "mean Ingrid" for the night. Guess goth isn't my thing.