Maximus King of the World

What's wrong with Max getting his way? We left him and should now spend every minute sucking up to him. Look at the boo boo on his nose from clawing his way out of the fence!

Yes, he is on the couch. Why would anyone want to take vacation from this? He is so adorable and loving, why would anyone want to leave this?

Max eating his cookies right out of the fridge. (Please do not look at my super size pickle jar or sugar free jello's, I have a problem, okay?!)Perhaps not the best way to train him but this weekend what Max wanted Max got. We spent both days indoors loving up on him.

K

Who doesn't love a train ride?

Here we are at the end of our Boise trip as we rode the Thunder Mountain Train along the Payette River. My brother catered the lunch so we got comp tickets to enjoy the ride. We rode in an outside cart because it was such a beautiful day.

The view along the Payette river was so lush and serene. I miss mountains.

Big Mike had a chef at the lunch stop but he couldn't help but pitch in. Always on the job.

All along the river there were kayakers but wouldn't you know every time we wanted to get a picture, here come the trees. I was smiling the whole way home because the view was just so gorgeous...it just made me happy.

Big Mike and Tash posing in front of the caboose. She is little, isn't she?

Big Red and I doing the tourist thing and mugging for the camera. I didn't want to leave, I just wanted to ride the train all day. I was sad the day we had to leave because I miss seeing my brother. He has grown up so much and I wish we lived closer. But the return to Texas was inevitable and once we got to the airport it all went downhill from there.

Let me just give you the low lights: My glasses broke the minute we passed through security. Air Force One with President Obama aboard landed in Vegas same time we did hence making us sit out on the tarmac for a good 45 minutes (kinda cool actually). We were rerouted to Phoenix from Vegas because they cancelled our flight to San Antonio. We had to wait in Phoenix for hours because they could not find a plane to take us home. I called my parents to let them know about the delay and my dad told me Max had run away because of a severe thunderstorm. Once we got a flight to SA Red and I could not to sit together because the flight was full so I ended up next to a lovely young couple with a sweet baby who cried for the whole 2 hour flight.

We ended up coming in in the wee hours of morning and were thankful that by the time we came home Max was there waiting for us...muddy and scared but safe. Oh the drama...a crappy ending to an otherwise wonderful vacation. Max will now need doggy Prozac and therapy because we are horrible parents for leaving him so soon after Nani died. How were we to realize he would have such anxiety over us being gone a few days when my parents came over every day to take care of him? Needless to say we are looking for a dog trainer to help us figure out what we need to do to help him. I'm quite sure he will consume all our time until the guilt and or shame is gone.

K

Boise or Bust Part II

I have to say that I love Boise, it's just so pretty and clean. They have 10,000 parks and everyone rides a bicycle there. We decided to go to Camels Back Park in this gorgeous neighborhood called Hyde Park. See all those little people climbing up that hill? It's all sand, ever try to walk in sand...uphill? It took me about 15 minutes because I had to keep stopping to rest. I made the mistake of looking back when I was half way up and for a minute I almost chickened out. That hill is hella steep and my legs were shaking. Some little kid sliding down in the sand told me "Don't look back, you're gonna want to, but don't!" Big Red stayed right there with me and kept telling me I could make it and I did!

This is the view from the top looking straight down the hump. Thank goodness they had the posts on the side because I had to hold on to those and pull myself up.

The views from the top were gorgeous. My brother was smart to stay at the bottom with his dog but Tash decided to brave the climb with us.

I'm only smiling because I made it. The climb going down the side of the hill was equally steep but at least there were stairs. You better believe I held on to Red for dear life, I am so scared of heights.

We took a little hike along the river right past Boise State University. It was so breathtaking and awesome. Did you know they have the only blue football field in the country? This University is huge and the student housing is nicer than where I live. My brother was lucky to have gone there for Culinary arts. Red and I have talked about perhaps moving there but not for a couple of years, I have to ponder the snowy winters. It may be fun to go tubing though. K+snow+tube= really chubby snowball.

K

Boise or Bust Part 1

Okay, I can see by the lack of entries that H did not blog at all. Thank goodness I came back in time to tell you about my awesome trip to visit my baby brother Big Mike. Here we are in one part of his restaurant, can I look any prouder? There was so much jammed in to this trip that I will have to break it down. As in all things K, there were good and bad (the bad was only on the return trip) so let's start with the good...the FOOD!

Teriyaki Beef with jasmine rice and mac salad...broke da mouth!

Now this is a loco moco, two 1/3 patties on jasmine rice with asian gravy, onion nest and fried egg on top...this had to be taken home for later, it was so much food.

One of the pupu's we had Kalbi Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese dressing. OMG...these were the best wings.

This was spring rolls with ahi inside and isn't this the prettiest presentation you ever saw? I love how when we order my brother tells them to bring a larger order for us. This is the advantage to being related to the owner. I had to ask my hubby if I was just biased because it was my brother or was his food just so damn good and he said the food was ono! We ate 3 of our meals at his restaurant and while we were full we had to try the dessert too because he has this amazing pastry chef.

Oh the pounds we packed on. Our first meal the day we came in was chicken katsu, kalua pig sandwich, chicken satay, sweet and sour meatballs, coconut prawns and strawberry daiquiri smoothies. We actually went back that night for dinner and had the food pictured above plus dessert. We were exhausted when we got home that night but stayed up talking in his back yard that he just landscaped to look like a mini Hawaii. The tiki torches, fire pit, Hawaiian music and even sand...it was heavenly. He and his girlfriend, Tash, showed us the best vacation I've had in a long time.

Tash, Big Mike and the newest member of their family, the baby rottweiler...Kanaks. I have to tell you the rest in another post because I have so much to do!

K

Too much of a good thing?

Wow, I totally realize we are fat but can the picture be any larger? What the hell, H? This just in...IT'S TOO BIG!!! I feel violated and not in a good way. We are supposed to be the Housewives of SA but this is scaring the children.

K

I like it.

So this is the song that I sing for most of the day. If you see me sitting quietly in my office, chances are I am singing this song in my head. If I am in a meeting and not talking, I am probably singing this song in my head. If I am having lunch with you and I drift off, I am most likely singing this song in my head. If I am listening to you and you have been talking for more that 90 seconds about the same thing, yep you guessed it, I am singing this song in my head. It is not in a mean, angry or hateful way. It is just in a matter of fact way. FYVM!

What day is it?

I'm a little tired and sluggish this morning, I think I need a tune up. I am drinking my daily large McDonald's coffee but something is off here. I'm freezing here in my office yet it reads 77 degrees. You know what bugs me? The McDonald's by my office, on a very busy street near downtown, will only take cash sometimes. Their credit card machines go down at least once a month. WTF? It's McDonald's... at rush hour... breakfast time, how can you not get this fixed since it happens all the time? Granted I usually pay cash ($1.50 for a large coffee) but for almost everyone I know who only uses their debit card, what are they supposed to do? Run all the way to an ATM and come back? Annoying for a major chain. That's my two cents (cash only).

K

Dust in the wind

Tonight we picked up Nani's ashes. They wrote a beautiful little handwritten note and included some flower seeds to plant on her behalf. They also included a touching poem and prayer about a pet's passing. It was all very gentle and sweet. But we couldn't help but cry while we held the urn in our hands, we just miss her so damn much. I think Max misses her too, he wanders the house looking...it sucks being sad, for all of us. I look forward to time passing to take this sadness away. Hopefully a change of scenery this weekend will help.

K

Girl, you in danger...

I have the worst headache of my entire life. I woke up with it, it went away and then it came back. Maybe it is an anuerism? Could be. I am in a terrible mood --not just becuase of the headache but because it sucks. I am in a reeeaaaalllly bad mood.

I hope this training I am going to this morning doesn't require me to be all friendly and have group work. I won't do it.

Why do trainers feel they have to entertain you? I am there for CEUs and that is it. No need to be funny or entertaining. I just want to sit and listen. Do not try to be funny dumb presenter.

Introducing the smartest dog in the world, Max.

We have only one dog now so you think it would be easier to find time to take care of him, right? Apparently not. We are obviously neglecting him because he must now get his own food right out of the bag. We are terrible parents. All I told him to do was show me what he wanted and I guess he was hungry. Maximum Security is so smart, isn't he? Maybe I meant smart ass. Either way, he takes after his mama.

K

Feel free to be funny

I didn't mean to bring anyone down. I was just alone Friday night after Big Red went to work and I needed to write down what I couldn't say out loud. There truly were no words to express how I felt and the last thing I wanted to do was talk about it which is why we waited to tell anyone until Saturday. The only person I told that night was H because I knew he would understand my pain, being a dog parent as well. I sobbed after Red left and eventually cried myself to sleep with Max by my side. It is now Monday and I am exhausted from crying my eyes out every time her name was mentioned. Perhaps we should have just locked ourselves in our house all weekend but life moves on and we had to move with it. It's different to talk about this with someone who doesn't love their pets as much as we do, but it gives you a different perspective. My favorite response was from my mom when she said "so are you going to get a new dog?". She did express how sorry she was but my parents are not really animal lovers so that is a normal question for non-dog lovers isn't it? Anyway, I like to think the picture is Nani in doggy heaven, enjoying herself with all the other huskies.

On the bright side, Maximus is now the head honcho at home. Any food that falls on the floor while we are cooking is all his. He now has full run of the entire house and has no competition for couch or bed space. Maxipad has all our attention and went on two walks this weekend which made him the happiest dog alive. Red and I walked on the new path that leads to O.P. Schnabel Park and I couldn't believe the number of dog walkers and bikers on this path. It was beautiful and much better viewed flat on my feet than the seat of a bike. Maxamillion now has two bags of dog food to finish and more love than one dog could possibly need. He pads around the house like he is looking for someone and we have no doubt it is Nani but he will soon stop looking. Time will eventually heal our hearts and we have accepted that.

So feel free to be funny, H. I would rather laugh than cry anyway. I am here at work and need to start my day. On a side note, this weather is awesome. We aired the house out yesterday and the cool breeze felt so good. We are also looking forward to visiting my baby brother this weekend and a change of scenery will do us good. Here's to a good week at work, I'm quite sure someone will say or do something funny or stupid to make me laugh and I look forward to it.

K

Nani Maka

My Nani passed away tonight and there are no words for my profound sadness. I am empty.

K

The view from my desk or how do I get any work done with this?

You know what I love about my friends? They get me. Not everyone gets me. They know me and they don’t give me grief if I’m in a bad mood. They don’t make me feel bad or get upset if I don’t have time to talk. They accept it and don’t take it personally. When I want to cut loose and laugh, they are right there laughing with me. Our lunches are hysterical and if you don’t know us you would be lost. We move quickly, we speed joke. If you can’t keep up, you’re out! We move from one dig to the next and the subject matter changes quickly so you really have to get your comment in or your two thousand and late!

With friends like that at work who doesn’t want to come in every day?

K

Wasn't San Francisco the city of free love?

My most memorable experience in a city full of famous landmarks? Shopping in the mission district which leads me to my story. Let me just preface this with I am not a fan of the word communal. The word sounds weirdly religious yet bad. “Awww man, I have to go get my communal now”. Especially don’t like it when it’s used with the words bathroom, living or dressing room. Maybe it’s just sharing in general that I don’t like. I wasn’t an only child so not sure why this bothers me so much. I certainly enjoy sharing my laughs, advice and opinions but not much else. Don't you love how I get straight to the point of my story? Did you have somewhere else to be?

Men’s bathrooms by design are communal and though I don’t use them this still freaks me out a little bit. How does one do their business when just anyone can see? I realize they don’t have to do the full monty when they pee, but still. With women this would be such a big deal. Once I had to use a communal dressing room when I was shopping in San Francisco and it still haunts me to this day. Now I fully realize this is the city of free love, but sister this was just taking it too far. Not only do I not want to strip down in front of strangers but I, in turn, do NOT want them bare ass in front of me.

I don’t want to know that the lady next to me trying on pants does not even bother to wear panties. GROSS! Why on earth would I want to buy pants from someplace where ‘ole crabby crotch was laying eggs in them? I don’t care how cheap or fantastic the deals were, I just couldn’t bring myself to ‘cut loose’. I almost broke down in tears of hysteria when I was shown the dressing room. It took every ounce of self control not to fling my clothes at everyone in there and scream at the top of my lungs for "EVERYONE TO COVER UP YOUR LADY LUMPS FOR GOD SAKES!! HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!” Perhaps this is also why I have never done an orgy…hygiene people. Never mind the rejection factor; I just don’t know where your parts have been so I don’t want them anywhere near me.

This was my only negative reaction to San Francisco. I completely love this city for everything it offers. The weather, the houses, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, the Mission District, Castro Street, riding the BART, Lombard Street, Ghirardelli chocolate…what’s not to love? I have been there many times and never get tired of it. Michelle just came back from visiting S.F. and she wants to move there. I hope she does so I will now have someone to visit and stay with…for free. Did I mention it’s very expensive? As much as I love this city, I just could not live an arms length away from my neighbor, but I may have left my heart there once.

K

Important Announcement!

So we have a fundraising event tonight and we were sent the following e-mail by our development department. The above picture is of our Development Director.

If you plan on attending the event tonight and haven’t yet given me your
name, please do so ASAP!!

Also, please remember to dress nice
casual. The women usually wear nice capris, skirts, or bermuda shorts and
the men usually wear khaki’s or nice shorts.
No t-shirts, jeans or short
shorts. This is a Dominion policy.

Thanks!!

I can only assume this would not be acceptable attire according to the e-mail. Do you really think we could let this slip by without giving her a hard time about it? Then you really don't know us at all. My favorite thing about this photo? Little Gay R with the shocked look on his face. Hey, you think we have enough different kinds of creamers and sweeteners for our coffee? Another fun lunch with the office rule breakers!

K

I am so tired, almost midnight and i cant fall asleep! I am so going to pay For this in The morning, damn George Lopez. Why The odd capitals?

Happy Anniversary to us!

Yesterday was our 8 year anniversary! Yea for the gay! It is truly hard to believe that I have been in a relationship that has lasted this long. It was the 8th year anniversary of the day we met. We don't have a wedding date like most people because we can't marry...more about that in a later post.

We had dinner at Citrus, the beautiful restaurant at the beautiful Hotel Valencia in downtown SA. We started with delicious imported beer and then moved to a bottle of fume blanc from France. We ordered the four course dinner that was really good. We had shrimp, crab cake, soft shell crab, scallops, duck, beef tenderloin, and bread pudding -- it was all perfectly prepared. The service was great from the hostess/manager to our great waiter. The sun was setting on the Riverwalk as we ate our anniversary dinner. We finished our bottle of wine as we had great conversation. We had been there for nearly two hours so we figured it was time to go home. I was also growing tired of the old lady a couple tables down screaming about her house in Greece and how they don't pay taxes. Ugh, I hate her, anyway.

It came time to pay...the waiter brought our bill and began to explain something that made no sense. We were prepared to pay a couple hundred dollars for a great meal. He started by saying "ok, your bill is $28 for the bottle of wine, the rest of your meal has been taken care of by Hotel Valencia" "Huh!", we said sounding a bit like Scooby Doo. The waiter repeated himself and said, oh you didn't know your dinner was going to be comp'd? Uh, no...

So the great manager came to explain that Amy Trench had told them to take great care of us and give us whatever we wanted (minus alcohol of course). It turns out that Hotel Valencia is one of R's clients and they knew it was our anniversary so they decided to give us a free dinner. A free $180 dinner! We were so surprised and so happy. It was the perfect end to a perfect anniversary!

Overheard at lunch...part II

Do the drapes match the curtains?

May 13, 2009 lunch

Quote from Michelle when we were talking about the stray pubic hair caper at work. What she actually meant to say was "Do the curtains match the rug?". We were trying to rule out who the evil villain is by checking the color of said hair. Stay tuned for the results!

Overheard at Lunch

Is this mango?

Quote from Fast Eddie. After he had eaten most of the fruit on the plate, he kept asking us this question which we of course ignored. When we finally confirmed the mystery fruit was mango, we asked him why he needed to know. He just said " Because it's good". Why we found this funny I don't really know.

Pain in the

Last night I could not sleep because although I was very tired (UP AT 4 A.M. PEOPLE!) I had a pain in my leg. A sharp shooting pain in my left leg that would not let me slip blissfully off to dream land. The last time I looked at the clock it was 1 a.m. and I was cursing this pain. When the alarm went off at 5 this morning I wanted to cry. A shower and large coffee and still yawning to the point of my eyes burning to try and stay open.

We have had such busy weekends and I long for one weekend where we can just sleep in and lounge around in our underwear all day, we used to call them stinkends instead of weekends. We are off to Austin this weekend to see Big Red's mom and then off to Boise next weekend to see my baby brother. I can't possibly justify taking some time off just to sleep when I am already planning to be off a couple days when we go to Boise. Boise or Bust!


K

Life goes on

Okay, I thought I was all cried out but not so much. Funny how I can just get all emotional at any given moment. I think I have accepted Nani's fate and am over the anger and unfairness of it. I cried a river and am emotionally exhausted from it. We are letting her do whatever the hell she pleases. We feed her out of our hand just to get her to eat, we let her up on the sofa when we are watching T.V. and we are hugging and kissing her every chance we get. She must know by now something is up. Last night she slept next to me on the bed all night and did not want to get up this morning. Which was okay with me since Chris started the night shift this week and Nani did her part in keeping his side of the bed warm.

I realize the world does not stop because my Nani is dying. I have had dogs all my life and this isn't the first time I have gone through this and I'm quite sure it won't be the last. All dogs go to heaven, right? So life goes on and we keep living it. Big Red ran his first 5k this weekend and he did awesome! He reached his goal and I am so proud of him. His Toyota team did great and I'm glad his sister came down and ran the race with him. I love that he is a true blue Cubs fan and wore his team cap for the race.

I will end with me vowing not to get up at 4:30 a.m. to exercise anymore since most of that time was spent trying to get the crappy DVD player to work. I finally had to call Red at work to ask him how to fix it and by the time I got it working I only had 15 minutes left to work out. I am also sleepy from waking up so early so the whole working out in the morning idea, not so great.

K

My Nani is sick and there is nothing we can do about it. The last words the vet said to me was "I'm so sorry". Today I fucking hate the world.

K

"I like Dawn, I think she likes me. I feel like she really cares about me" R - May 6, 2009 - lunch

Maybe I like Ketchup.

I'm annoyed and a little frustrated and I really don't want to talk to anyone about it. Let's just leave it at that.

K