visitors

Had some sweet nice folks come visit me yesterday at the shop. :)
My fans are rad.
I need a haircut badly.
I am short.
Or maybe others are tall...

And if you look behind us you can see all the red walls I've painted.

Howler

So our new apartment is fantastic. It has everything we want... lots more space... great location... amazing view. Fergus on the other hand is having a problem - He doesn't like it when we leave.

We've never had this problem before... maybe this place is too big or the ceilings are too high... but he barks when we leave. Classic separation anxiety.

At our last 3 places we've lived at with Fergus our living room window looked out onto the street and he could watch us walk away. Over the years I've video taped him to see what he does when we leave... he would whine a little or bark at the occasional passer-by but never for very long. Mostly he just watched out the window or slept.

He's not a player of toys while we're not home. Even if we leave him a Kong with treats inside... he'll just wait till we get home and then attack it.

So when we first moved in we had a note tacked to our door telling us that Fergus had barked for most of the day while we were at work. YIKES! So we've been taking him to doggie daycare ever since. He loves it there... gets to hang out with other dogs and is so wiped out from playing that when we get home we don't have to run him very hard before we settle in for the night. But the downside is that it's very expensive and they're not open weekends (when I sometimes have to work)...

I ended up having to work this Sat, so we decided to try him at home alone. I set up the video camera by the door and left. I sat down in the lobby for 30 minutes listening to see if he'd bark and he didn't. We figured that he's settled into the new house now... he'll be cool.

I left a note on my door saying we were trying Fergus at home today and if he barked to please let us know (and I taped a pen to the paper).

We came home to silence (YAY) and a new note on the door (OH NO). It was from our very kind neighbor's (who also have a dog and a great sense of humour). The note was from their dog (hee hee) who told us Fergus barked intermittently during the day. They also left us a doggie cookie (cute).

We came home and watched the video and it wasn't good. Our neighbor's must have not been home all day because Fergus barked... a lot... There was barking, whining, pawing at the door (insert awwww sound here) and worst of all. Howling. Yes. I said howling. We've NEVER heard him howl EVER but at least 3 times during the day he tipped his head back, pursed his lips and howled up at the moon (in this case a lighting fixture).

I almost started crying. I feel soooooo bad. Poor little buddy.

So I guess it's back to doggie daycare on the days I have to work at the shop... but here's the thing. We don't want Fergus to not be ok with being alone. I think it's important for a dog to be ok with being alone sometimes... What if we want to go to a movie? Ya dig?

So if any of you have any tips for doggie separation anxiety I would love to hear them.

Here's a bad quality video of him howling... as sad as it made me... it's also really cute when dogs howl. :)

I have Worry Warts!

For some reason I have worry warts today. I seem to be fretting about everything... And to make matters worse, tonight when Ger and I were walking the dog we walked by an old man who mumbled something to us.

I thought he was saying something about the dog (because people often make comments about how cute he is) so I said "pardon me?"

He yelled "I HOPE YOU DIE OF CANCER!"

Um...
Wow. What a way to end a night.

Morning Wood

Did I tell you about the Morningwood T-shirt I bought Gerry when I was in LA? I can't remember... Doesn't it look good on him?

Dog day afternoon...

So I went to my lawyers the other day to discuss some stuff... and boy-howdy did Fergus ever have fun. You gotta love a lawyer who has a dog in the office.

In other dog news... You may remember my post a while back when Stefan Thompson came to the tattoo shop and we purchased some of his art. Well I commissioned him to do a drawing of Fergus and boy-howdy did he ever deliver.

He really captured the soul of Fergus. I think it's in the eyes... I love them. LOVE THEM!

My friend Laura...

My friend Laura wrote me about my rollercoaster arms ... She's amazing. Thanks Laura.

"In other news I keep waking up in the morning with my arms above my head like I'm riding a rollercoaster. IT HURTS!! What's wrong with me???"

Sarah,
I promise I'm not reading your mind :)

But here's a medical intuitive explanation: You have all these amazing things happening in your life right now, and you're being validated and supported in ways that on some level you never thought would actually happen. In the daytime, you manage to get through w/o paying a lot of attention to how overwhelming it can feel, but at night all those subconscious questions (is this really happening? Do I really deserve this? Can I trust that all these good things will continue to happen? etc., etc.) combine with all the fun you're having. You are literally riding a roller coaster in your sleep--throwing your arms in the air b/c you're having fun but also b/c part of you feels ungrounded and consequently, you're not fully grasping all the goodness that's flowing towards your heart.

Arms are part of the heart chakra, and when you sleep w/ them above your head, the blood goes out but it does not come back to the heart. That's why it hurts when you wake up! This is kind of a metaphor for how you live b/c even though you do take pretty good care of yourself, you are a very loving, generous person and right now you're giving out to your "fans" and the world more good and love and blessings than you're allowing yourself to receive.

My advice? Start consciously recognizing (while you're awake) that, yes, all of this is really happening. That yes, you've worked hard to get where you are, and also you've had some great breaks from the universe. There's nothing wrong with having received a few lucky breaks.You do good service for animals and people, and you're just an all around nice person. The universe wants to reward you, and it's OK (natural, even) for you to open your arms to receive instead of lifting them above your head. When you lift them above your head, it's like refusing to claim your prize. Claiming the prize doesn't mean you're getting a big head, or that if you trust it's there then it won't be--it just means that it's there for you to receive b/c you're you. Giving and receiving are ... a give and TAKE ... it's a natural flow. When you won't allow yourself to take all that's offered, your arms hurt--and it's not good for your physical or metaphysical heart to have that happen. :)

Anyway, this is what I do, so please consider this another gift from the universe just b/c you're you. :)

xoxo

Laura

Veg Family

I have been asked by Veg Family to write a little something for their Expert Vegan Cooking Tips.

Give it a look and then visit the Veg Family site... they're lovely people.