Graduation

Buster completes step one of his "become a good doggy and make my daddies spend thousands of dollars on me" phase tonight. He has learned so much!

Like Steve, he has the book smarts
Like me, he has the unique, dashing, almost unparalleled combination of street savvy, book smarts and wit. I kid.

We are proud of him!

Also, happy birthday to Marley, Abby and Pete! Lord knows what we would be doing tonight if we were at Colby.

Hasta la proxima,

TS

Random thought: Leather Remains Weird

It was a nice, warm day in SF today, yet hundreds of thousands of people came to the Folsom Street Fair wearing ass-hugging, sticky leather outfits. I was expecting to be more shocked by the sights, and we ended up only spending an hour or so there.

So many people look forward to this fair to express their inner (and during this weekend, outer) leather-ness. Weird to me.

I don't hate....I appreciate.

I am glad we live in a city where so many people feel comfortable expressing their uniqueness. That being said, leather whips and chains are still really weird to me.

Off to study.

Hasta la proxima.

Excess

Just got back from our every-three-month Costco run. We bought oodles of wine, cereal, etc. - so if you want to come party and then get the munchies for some cereal, you know where to be!

This week has been pretty busy at work with my new "leadership" role. I had to exercise some authority today, which was a bit weird. I was surprised that it was taken so well by my coworker. I have also been hitting the books pretty hard since we do not have cable. I did see some movies (6th sense, AKA) that I had not seen in a long time.

This weekend should be fun. Tonight, we are just keeping it low-key with some wine after spending $$$$ at Costco and then Whole Foods. Tomorrow, we play tennis in the AM, then plan our vacation to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver!!!

(This all depends on whether Steve can convince me that the winter olympics are worth the crazy expenses involved). Also, we booked our flight to a wedding in Hawaii in May. This means I will not be able to head back east for the college reunion, but there is always the 10 year fiesta!

This weekend is also the Folsom Street Fair. I saw so many rugged men downtown at work, and there were all these rumblings about the fair, etc.

So, Folsom Street Fair is about excess, camp, etc. Costco involves a different type of excess. I never thought I would buy a 20-lb bag of frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts.....

Hasta la proxima,

TS

Surprise

What a great day! Great review (surprisingly) at work, promotion AND tickets from Lauren to the Giants game tonight. Now if only they were to give out free Cold Stone Creamery, I would be the happiest camper.

So, thoughts of leaving work are officially behind me. Onward and upward.

(Those who speak to me regularly...just tell me to shut up if I talk about leaving again).

More tomorrow...Off to the game!

Appreciation

First off, congrats to Mrs. and Mr. Rufo. Secondly, I'm thankful to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Today, I saw the usual (attractive) man asking for "help for food" outside of 7/11 on my walk to work. Now, I have never helped this guy out (don't carry cash or much food), but many do. He looks so genuine and appreciative when people give him $$$.
For the first time, I saw him accept food from someone when they said "all i have is this yoghurt". Remember, he asks for HELP WITH FOOD. Well, this nice young lady forked (or spooned) over her yogurt, and you could see she felt good about herself after making this random act of kindness. What does the guy do?

***IMMEDIATELY THROWS THE YOGURT IN THE TRASH***. I got so upset for some reason, even though I am sure lots of homeless SF-ians do similar things when not given change or money as an offering. Anyways, needless to say I will look at this guy very differently every morning as I pass.

Got me thinking about appreciation. Many of you have heard about my discontent at work, but my mom brought up an excellent point - I should appreciate what I have.

I should also learn to realize that this is not the time in my life to "call the shots". I'm putting in my time for an eventual reward. I cannot and should not rush this reward. That being said, this "annual review" at work tomorrow should be quite interesting as I have a lot of feedback to give (and receive, I am sure).

Agotado

Means "exhausted", "spent" in Spanish. Full day of speaking/writing Spanish with potential clients from Spain (mi segunda patria - second homeland.......ok maybe third after Chile).

I have such trouble falling asleep when I know I need to get up early (be it 5:30AM like today, or just on a Sat. when I am planning on working out). This is frustrating. I worry about sleeping. How messed up is this?

Too tired to write much....long day, but it was nice to reconnect with some Spaniards (a couple from Salamanca even!).

Hasta,

TS

Random Thought: Dogs are Cute, but Weird

Disclaimer: NOT Buster, but looks like him.

Buster had school again last night. Will bring camera next week and post pics. He has learned what "down" means and I teared up the first time he did it on his own. This guy's a proud papa.

I got to thinking how weird dogs are, specifically mixes like Buster....how does a Boston terrier swing a cute chihuahua into making sweet love, then producing a thing like Buster. That's one lucky terrier.......or chihuahua. (btw how lame does "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" look? Ask me in a year and I bet I will have seen it)

Buster gets the most eye-gunk (eye boogers, however you like to call 'em) I have ever seen a dog have. They are worst (most plentiful) in the mornings or when he wakes up, but his eyes can constantly use a good wiping.

His nose is also totally wet, which is normal for dogs. He also has the most "ups" I have ever seen a dog have (ie, boy can jump). He still chews on his yellow blanket from the shelter...all night long. He howls like a wolf when provoked. He throws his head back like whiplash when over-excited. He spins like 8-9 times before doing his business (#2....tmi???). He "bloops" when in a deep sleep.....I don't really know how to describe this sound....but it makes us smile in the middle of the night.

One of the weirdest creatures I have seen....but that's why we love him.

Hasta la proxima,

TS