fun "new" car, at least for the weekend

Well, I got rear-ended last weekend and although there was some damage to the CRV, both of us were insured by Progressive and it was the fault of the other driver. I'd stopped to let a fire engine go through an intersection but the (very nice) person behind me didn't react in time.

I turned the CRV in for repair today and after I explained how 2 giant dogs might not fit in a Neon, they gave me (gratis!) this 2008 Xterra, which I'm going to be sad to part with. The back area is just perfect for the dogs, all hard shell and tough. So, nice job, Progressive.

1973 stuff - a find from unpacking

I'm still unpacking boxes that are in the garage from moving here to Austin. Tonight I ran across an "Interest Inventory" that is dated 1973 (when I was 11.) I love that some teacher made us do this and that my mom kept it for me. Some of the entries are sweet and some are cringe-worthy, but they all intrigue. Warning - probably not at all interesting to a non-family member!

"What I like to make or build" = paint-by-number paintings
"Collection I have made recently" = crayon colection (sic)
"My biggest wish" = For a horse
"When I grow up I want to be" = a lawyer or a horse trainer
"On Saturdays I like to" = ride my bike to the tennis club, order a rootbeer and go upstairs to watch T.V.
"At night I like to" = read until my eyes hurt.

Some things never change, do they? Ha!

I'm sure if I'd known there would be a career as a ScrumMaster, I would have picked that.

hot as *bleep* *BLEEP*

Austin is cranking up to full-on crazy hot, with that direct sun that makes you wish you'd remembered dark glasses and a hat - even for the 200 yard dash out to the car.

Had a very nice thing happen at work today. I was pushing for a certain kind of meeting - to discuss a new way of doing things - and some of my peers kept saying it wasn't needed, that everyone already understood the new way. Well, I stuck to my guns and pushed some more and got reluctant agreement from the peers, scheduled this thing to happen today.

So it turned out that there were a TON of great questions raised by the team during the meeting today and everyone afterward agreed that it had been hugely needed. It just felt great to have followed through on a gut feeling and had a positive result like that. May I have some more, sir?

painting is fun

I had a lot of procrastinating to get done before I finally got set up and doing the color mixing exercises, which turned out, after all the hoo-hah, to be quite fun.

Then, since I had paint out and all, I decided to revamp a painting I'd done a month or so ago. This painting started out life as a study done by my sister. It then became some more organic forms in blues and browns. But today, it wanted to be colorful!! I decided to name it "do over"; both because of its origins but also because it feels as joyful and free to me as when you do give yourself permission to have a "do over."

Wee.

Here are some pix of the color mixing. I did a page of things mixed with Lemon Yellow and then another of things mixed with Cadmium Yellow Light. It was definitely encouraging.

Funny youtube video with doberman

Joy!

july12-2008 018
Originally uploaded by pamplemousse2007

Pronunciation:
\ˈjȯi\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French joie, from Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, from gaudēre to rejoice; probably akin to Greek gēthein to rejoice
Date:
13th century

1 a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight
b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety
2: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss
3: a source or cause of delight

Jake man

Jake man
Originally uploaded by pamplemousse2007

This is a much better photo of Jake, all one hundred and ten pounds of him. It's hard to see how big he really is without something near him for comparison and scale - but trust me, he's not petite.

So far, he's been a total gentleman and sweetheart. We had thunder and lightning one night and he was as nonplussed as Lulu about it, so I double lucked out on that score.

We went to Bull Creek this morning before work and I let him off leash. He had pretty good recall and he just LOVED swimming. It was awesome.

Lulu decides to share Jake's space

Lulu decides to share Jake's space
Originally uploaded by pamplemousse2007

Jake was lying on this bed and I asked Lulu (who was across the yard) to also lie down and she came right over and squidged herself in on this same bed. Very cute. They look like happy campers to me.

Jake and Lulu at wading pool

Jake and Lulu at wading pool
Originally uploaded by pamplemousse2007

Here's a shot of my "new guy" Jake and his best new friend Lulu, enjoying the 100 degree Austin weather and their little wading pool, a.k.a. water bowl. He's a beauty - a great dane / doberman mix probably, weighing in at 110 pounds and gentle as most giant dogs are, very sweet. It's LOVE!!!