Semi-famous

Much to my surprise, my blog is on the list of a Humboldt County Blogs website (http://www.myrtletown.net/viewthread.php?Humboldt_County_Blogs - see #144). Sweet! I'm going to go read other people's blogs now. Peace!

Wildlife

I'm not taking any wildlife classes at HSU but one of my Industrial Technology classes is held in a classroom in the wildlife building. This building is full of dead animals. It sounds gross but it is so cool! I took a few pics, have a look:

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y114/scboarder21/Wildlife/

P.S. (password is orange)

Happy Valentine's Day

Luke is such a good boyfriend. Because of school, work, and truck problems, Luke and I didn't see each other on Valentine's Day. I had a big midterm on Thursday afternoon, Luke came over Thursday evening. I knew we were going out to dinner but I didn't know Luke was going to bring me a HUGE bouquet of my favorite flowers (oriental "stargazer" lilies) and sit through a chick flick with me. The flowers are beautiful and have made my kitchen smell wonderful. We looked online for a place to eat and found a cajun place nearby. I had Jumbalaya, one of my favorite meals, and Luke had some chicken sandwich type dish. For dessert, we had some of the best bread pudding I've ever had. Luke thought it was a bit too sweet and let me eat most of it, lol. Anyway, we came home and watched The Holiday. I've wanted to watch this movie with Luke for quite awhile but because he hates chick flicks, we hadn't yet seen it. My DVD player is broken so we had to watch it on my laptop. We curled up in a very comfortable spot on the couch and watched the movie. I thought it was comfortable, Luke told me afterward that it hurt his back but that he didn't want to move because he knew I was comfy... awww! Haha, anyway it was one of the best Valentine's Days I've had. :)

It's All About the Dogs... (con'd)

I loooove my job. Yesterday, we had a couple dogs whose owners paid for individual play time. I took Sue Lou for a walk (a very strong lab pup) and then played frisbee with Paisley. I still can't believe I'm being paid to play with dogs, lol. We're currently boarding one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met and he's BIGGER AND MORE CUDDLY than Mushko!!! His name is Bruno; he's a Mastiff and is over 200lbs. He's so cute!





P.S. Don't worry Mushko, I love you the most!

Employed!

I have a job. I'm currently the newest kennel technician at It's All About the Dogs in Eureka, CA (www.itsallaboutthedogs.com). The business boards dogs and provides a "doggy daycamp" service. Monday, I looked after over fifty dogs. Most of these dogs were boarding dogs, staying with us while their owners went away for the President's Day holiday. Still, there were several dogs just there for the day. The facility keeps all of the dogs seperated by size (large, medium, small, and toy). When we arrive in the morning (about 6:30 am), we open up the large dog kennels and herd the large dogs into the large dog play area. Next, we move the medium dogs, then small, and then toy. The dogs are given two hours to pee, poop, and play. At about 9:00 am we put each dog's food into their kennels. Each dog has it's own kennel with it's own dog bed/blanket, toys, food (most people bring food from home but we do provide food if needed), and water. By 10:00 am, we begin herding the dogs back into their kennels for breakfast. This is especially hard for me because I don't know their names yet. Once all of the large dogs are put back into their kennels, we herd the medium, then small, and then toy. Some of the dogs require medication. Also, some of the dogs come in pairs but can't be fed together. We give out medication, seperate dogs as needed, and make sure they all have time to eat and relax a little (they've been playing in the yard since 6:30 am). By noon, we let each group back into their respective play areas. While the dogs play, the kennel tech observes. We make sure dogs are getting along, we move dogs around if needed (sometimes large but older dogs do better in the medium group, for example). Obviously, we also pick up poo and clean up pee. Luckily, most of the dogs pee outside so pee isn't a big problem. Having a 130lb Burmese Mountain dog with diarreah, however, is not my favorite part of the job. Still, we have great pooper scoopers so I never come close to touching poo or even having to bend over. I play with the dogs a bit and, of course, give each of them some love. People are dropping off and picking up dogs all day. The gates in/out of each play area are large and dogs often get out each time we open them to bring a new dog into the group or take a dog out. This is especially true of the small dogs. I swear, everytime I had to get into the small dog play area, the same little pug would escape. Each play area is gated so none of the dogs can go anywhere once they get out of their area (other than the office but that door is usually closed). Still, this wheezing (I've never heard such weird noises in my life!) little pug kept running away from me. I'd chase him around, pick him up, and take him back into the small dog area. Sometimes, when I put him back in, a beagle or rat terrier would escape. I'd chase them, pick them up, and repeat the process. I'm still learning how to get in and out of each area without allowing dogs to escape. I don't know how much hope there is though, even when the owner goes in and out of areas - dogs escape! This is where many of my 10,000 steps per shift occur. Anyway, by about 5 PM, we bring the dogs back into their kennels for dinner. This process is similar to the breakfast process so I won't repeat the details. After everyone has eaten, we let them back into their respective play areas to pee, poo, and play a little longer. At about 6 PM, we bring them back into their kennels for the night. Each dog receives treats brought from home or a complimentary dog bone from our stash. We play relaxing music and leave for the night. There are several other things we do throughout the day. The washer and dryer, for example, are ran most of the day. We constantly wash bedding, towels, etc. Each dogs kennel is swept and mopped daily while the dogs are out playing. Dog dishes are cleaned after each meal. In the office, there are a ton of things to do. We keep very detailed notes about each dog's belongings, diet, behavior, medication, etc. We also keep track of all of the dogs' vaccinations. Each day, we call vets to verify vaccinations. If vaccinations have expired, we call the pet's owner and ask that they have their dog vaccinated before bringing the dog(s) back to the kennel. We book appointments for boarding, grooming, daycare, etc. The list goes on and on. It's crazy, I never thought this much work would be involved!

Anyway, I LOVE the job. It's super busy and there is a lot to do so the day goes by very fast. In comparison to office jobs, I definitely prefer to be on my feet all day. I'm also excited to bring Mushko to work with me (I can board him for free as much as I like, excluding major holidays). I can also bathe him in our grooming tub and use any of our scented dog shampoos (chocolate, vanilla, mint, oatmeal, etc) - all for free!!! Furthermore, if dog toys/treats are left behind, kennel techs can take them home! Because of dog allergies, we can't give treats, food, or toys to other dogs... I think Mushko will love free treats and toys. I took him to the vet yesterday and had him vaccinated so that I can bring him in tomorrow. I can't wait, wish us luck!

My Subaru

Here is a pic of the car from the craigslist ad.

Hooray!

What a crazy week. Last Wednesday, someone came to look at the Tacoma and offered me $5500 for it. He was a little flaky but he finally got the money together and purchased the truck this afternoon. Thank goodness because I bought a car over the weekend! I bought a 2002 Subaru Outback Impreza Sport. It's super cute, resembles the WRX, but has much more room for Mushko. He loves it. I drove him around yesterday and he seemed to enjoy it. He also accompanied me today to pick up the Tacoma, sell the Tacoma at the DMV, to a Dog Daycare I'm hoping to work, Starbucks, Wells Fargo (had to deposit the cash), and then to the beach. The beach was super windy and a bit cold. Mushko didn't get in the water too much (unsual) but ran up and down the beach and smelled washed up logs. He's currently sleeping next to my feet.

I'm so glad the weekend is over and the truck is sold. I was supposed to buy the Subaru on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the master cylinder and slate cylinder and the two couldn't be replaced until Monday. Luke, as always, took care of me (for as long as he could anyway). Neither of us planned to stay past Saturday afternoon. Because I didn't have a way to get home and really wanted the car, Luke found an inexpensive Motel 6 in Petaluma and we stayed Saturday night. We had breakfast Sunday morning, did a little shopping, and then went to Napa Sunday afternoon. I found an inexpensive motel and booked a room for the night. Luke had to work at 8 am on Monday and couldn't stay. I dropped my stuff off in the hotel room and then walked 1.5 miles to Target to buy a phone charger (my cell was about dead). I returned to the room, ate a tv dinner, and then went to bed. Sunday, I walked about 2 miles to downtown Napa. I hung out in a cafe and did homework most of the morning. I then walked another 1.5 miles to the Subaru dealership. The car wasn't ready so I did more homework in the lobby until the car was ready at about 3:30. The owners showed up, paid for the work that'd been done on the car (including fixing a window motor and a new headlight) and sold the car to me. I was finally able to go home (still feels funny calling Arcata my home). I really wanted a Jack in the Box chocolate cherry milkshake but every Jack in the Box I went to was out of ice cream (I went to three). I even went to McDonalds for a sundae and they were also out of ice cream. Ugh. Anyway, it was a long weekend and I'm super happy to be home. It's also great to have money in my bank account now that the trucks gone. I'll post pictures of the new car soon.

Lap Dog

Mushko thinks he's a lap dog.

Almost bedtime...

I'm excited. Someone made an offer on my truck yesterday and is planning on buying it either tomorrow or Monday. I found a great car at a very low price and hope to buy it this Saturday. Beginning next week, I'm going to begin working with Jennifer Bowen from the Arcata Chamber of Commerce on the Arcata Green Business Certification Program. I've volunteered to do the work as a service project through school and while I won't be paid for the work, I will receive graduate credits. More importantly, I'll learn a great deal about green business and have an amazing reference on my resume. If anyone wants to learn a little bit about being green/sustainable - I recommend you take a look at http://www.thegreenguide.com/. This website is part of National Geographic; it's so exciting to see large corporations being proactive about sustainability. I recently learned that, on average, Americans waste 1 million pounds of waste per year. How much is 1 million pounds? I'm not positive but I think my truck weighs about 2600 lbs. That means that, on average, we each waste the weight of about 385 Toyota Tacomas! According to the study, if everyone on the planet wasted as much as Americans, we would need three Earths just to store the waste! As I said before, I can't believe how uninformed I was before I moved to Arcata. I honestly thought that, for the most part, the government acted in the best interest of society. I was so naive. For example, look at the automobile industry. How many Americans own large SUV's? How many of those people NEED large SUV's? Over 90% of the fuel needed to move any car from point A to point B is needed to carry the car alone. Less than 10% of the fuel is needed to carry the passengers. We know fuel is expensive, pollutes our breathing air, and has horrible long term affects (global warming), so why do so many people continue to buy these gas guzzlers? Is status really worth the negative impacts each SUV imposes on society? I almost forgot, I was going to explain why I'm losing trust in our government. The government is very aware of everything I just said, however, they still continue to spend our tax dollars on oil drilling and NOT on alternative transportation. At the very least, why aren't oil profits being spent on pollution control? Global warming is a problem. If we continue on this path, we severely compromise the ability of future generations to enjoy what we currently enjoy here on Earth. The government has done very little to help with research and development of alternative transportation (i.e. hybrids, better walking/biking paths, better neighborhoods, etc.). I'd love to see an establishment/increase in pollution prevention, carbon taxes, plans/policies to achieve cleaner air and water, Kyoto Protocol implementation, and the Greenhouse Gas Treaty. Luckily, more and more consumers are showing an interest in hybrid cars. If demand increases, so will supply. As manufacturers mass produce and fine tune their manufacturing processes/capabilities, prices will decrease. While traditional vehicle engines are made up of hundreds of parts, hybrid engines are comprised of only 10 to 20 parts. For the most part, hybrid engines are more like computers than they are like traditional engines. They're much smaller in size, much easier to produce, and much easier to fix (they can often be fixed remotely from a server/satelite). This is especially advantageous for those of us who don't know much about cars... I'll be excited when I buy a car in which I can better understand how it works and probably not get ripped off by some sexist mechanic. This all is, of course, according to what I've read. I have yet to see a hybrid engine. I could go on and on about the advantages (and even a few disadvantages) of hybrids but it's getting late. I'll write more later. I have plenty to say about how much we drive, how our neighborhood and industrial zones are setup, and how hard it is for any of us to safely walk or ride our bikes anywhere. Anyway, it's time for me to go to bed. I miss everyone.


P.S. I just saw a Windex Glass Cleaner commercial advertising cleaner ingredients that are better for families and our environment. Yesterday, I learned that Safeway has switched their entire fleet to "green vehicles." I may be overly optimistic but we seem to be well on our way to a greener environment!!! ....Maybe not, by the time I finished typing that last sentence, a BP (Beyond Petroleum) commercial came on advertising their effort to power almost all of Maryland via solar power! Woo hoo!!!! I have more to say about solar power... another time, same place. :)

Superbowl Sunday

Wow! I'm not a huge football fan but this year's Superbowl was super exciting! Luke and I watched the game at a local pub. I thought the Patriots would kill the Giants, Luke thought it'd be a close game - he was obviously right.

The weekend went by so fast. Luke came up Friday night and was supposed to play rugby Saturday. Unfortunately, there were snow issues on 101 and the rest of his team (Mendo Steam Donkeys) couldn't make the drive to Humboldt so the game was postponed to next weekend. We spent most of Saturday shopping... poor Luke.

It's now Sunday night and I'm, once again, studying in the library. I have to write a two page paper about my experience at Focus the Nation last week. Focus the Nation is a campaign ran at some 1500 colleges and universities across the country. It was pretty interesting. I attended a panel lead by about eight HSU club representatives. The clubs represented included a club focused on sustainable technology ("green living" or "green housing"), a club promoting the legalization of marijuana, an efficient energy club, a recycling club/program, a bicycle/green transportation club, a community food club, a natural resources club, and a green campus club. Because I'm interested in learning more about sustainability, I'm hoping to join at least one of the clubs mentioned. I don't know which I'd like to join so we'll see. The next seminar I visited was held by three members from different organizations in the community and regarded the "Triple Bottom Line." I'm very interested in this subject. Most of the seminar focused on how we can create more efficient houses and neighborhoods but much of what I heard could be applied to business as well. To name a few of the advantages, living in a green home would require less maintenance, improved health, lower operating costs, longer lasting durability, increased return on investment, and increased productivity. Generally speaking, green homes currently cost a small amount more than comparable non-green homes, however, if you calculate all of the advantages in, you'd definitely spend a lot less in a green home. Furthermore, one of the reasons green homes are more expensive is because they're relatively new and still a specialty product. Once demand increases, supply will increase and the learning curve will allow the prices to decrease. There are so many wonderful opportunites for us humans to be more efficient and I can't believe how clueless I was of all of these (necessary) opportunities when I lived in Modesto. I think we'll see a large number of changes over the next decade once more people begin realizing these types of opportunites and how they can benefit us and our enviornment.

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