Goodbye Sweet Lucy

As some of you may know, my beautiful Cocker Spaniel Lucy died earlier this week. She was the best dog -- everyone who got to know her absolutely adored her, even though she came from a bit of a rough background. She had her moments but she was the most loving dog and so loyal. I will miss her tremendously.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have sent me such lovely messages. I know many people will find it strange to be so heartbroken over a dog, but she was so much more than that to me.

Dude! I am SO in!

Yes, that's right. You're looking at the newest member of the "in" crowd. Yes, indeedy. I have finally.....been tagged! Being on the outside looking in, this whole tagging thing has always seemed something that the cool blogging kids did....you know, like the Friday night parties in the park, and the 3 a.m. Denny's runs.

So when my friend Michelle (M-Dog) tagged me I was thrilled! Of course, you know I'll need a new wardrobe now. Or are the cool kids still wearing pleated skirts and patent leather flats? (Don't laugh - that is exactly what I am wearing at work today....with a turtleneck, snap!)

Anyway, M-Dog is one of my oldest friends...though we lost touch for awhile as you do when people start to get married and move, ummm, I don't know, across the world! I am so happy that we're back in contact. Oh the crazy things we used to do....*sigh*... So here's to you M-Dog....

List: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections and 3 surprising facts:

Joys:
1. Lucy and Chops - dogs extraordinaire! Both shelter rescues, both a bit funny looking, both so sweet you could break a tooth on 'em!
2. JL -- I had to wait until I was 31 to meet him, but it was totally worth it. Not to get all sappy but he is the best man that I know (other than my father of course, but that pretty much goes without saying). Plus he made me apricot chicken for dinner last night, so you know he has a free pass for like a week!
3. Mexican Food -- what can I add to this? Its fab.

Fears:
1. Spiders -- see earlier post on Spider Wrangling. Enough said.
2. Hawaii -- OK, so I hate Hawaii. I mean, really really dislike it. I went to school there for a bit and don't let those fakey touristy people fool you.....it is rough. And people are mean. But, in deference to the greater good I am getting married there....*sob*....
3. Visas (aka, "Green card-a-phobia") -- getting a "potential spouse visa" in Australia is pretty much like having your teeth pulled without Novocaine. We will, in all likelihood, be subjected to an interview. Its pretty scary when you start having conversations like this, "what, what do you mean you don't know what my favorite movie is? what if we get asked that in the interview? accckkkk!" in the middle of the street.

Obsessions:
1. Mexican Food -- see above.
2. Dogs -- I want 12. Seriously. JL and I are currently in negotiations for Dog #3. He says once we have a house....I consider this the opening offer...
3. Wedding etiquette rules! -- this will be the subject of its own post. Suffice it to say, I know the rules baby, and JL, much to his continued annoyance, is learning them as well!

3 Strange Facts:
1. I once broke Marion Jones' collarbone and wrist during a basketball game. I used to be mildly ashamed of this. Now....not so much.
2. I read, The Fountainhead, when I was 11 1/2. This does not make me cool. I really didn't understand it. But I read it and wrote a paper on it and submitted it to a magazine! I'm still waiting for my response from them! The mail must be slow. :)
3. My first crime was stealing a barbie "clothe" from the kindergarten play area when I was in pre-school. We were visiting the "big kids school". Yeah....I showed them who the big kid was! I'm pretty sure I've been forgiven of this crime since I was only like 5 when it happened....

Now I have to tag 3 people and since I don't really know anyone other than my family, you guys are it:

Deb, Heather, Laurel!

Thanks M-Dog. As always, you rock!

Lucy is FINALLY coming!!!

"Under New Management"

So as you know, I am recently engaged, and as my engagement present from JL I received the most beeyooteeful ring ever made.

Since he was so generous with me, I wanted to give him something in return. Just a little engagement present to show how much I love and appreciate him.

So I did.......

T-Shirt says, "Groom: Under New Management"

How lucky is he??

Mexi-Oz Day 1

Australia is a loverly place....love.err.lee. And I have been very happy here....except...

for the very serious dearth in Mexican restaurants.

Photo of an Aussie, at a Mexican Restaurant....I don't know him, but I know he is not truly focused on the food!

For a Californian, this is a very very bad thing as I tend to get cranky without regular consumption of guacamole, tacos and burritos..... So, in light of that, we have established a new holiday....

"MEXI-OZ DAY"

Mexi-Oz Day is a holiday which is celebrated by an exuberant (and rather disgusting) display of Mexican food consumption which occurs at the whim of its organizer (me) but which roughly averages to once a week.


If you think Mexi-Oz Day sounds daunting, don't be afraid - it only requires 2 things:


1. Eat Mexican Food....

2. In Australia!


So in honor of the first Mexi-Oz Day (which was August 17th, 2008, a day which will go down in the history of>...ummm...., yeah, ok, me....) I made FISH TACOS and if I do say so myself, they were F.A.B.ulous!


I started with a recipe from FoodNetwork.com but it was too fiddly so I made a few adjustments.


Traditional Mexi-Oz Day Fish Tacos**


Ingredients:
1 pound white flaky fish, such as Basa fish
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lime, juiced
1 pinch (or more if you like it spicy) of chili flakes
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 tsp seafood seafood seasoning
Flour tortillas

Garnish:
Chopped cabbage
Hot sauce
Sour cream
Red onion (sliced thin)
Salsa
Avocado, smashed with salt and a little lemon juice


Directions:
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, chili flakes, jalapeno and seafood seasoning and pour over the fish. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes (I left it for about 45).

Remove the fish from the marinade place onto a hot grill - pour some of the marinade over fish. Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then cut the fish into taco length strips. If you'd like (and you will) grill the tortillas on the grill for 20 seconds in the remaining marinade. Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.


Soooo delicious! Now get going on making them!



**These tacos are traditionally served on the first Mexi-Oz Day of the month of August by locals who celebrate this holiday....(i.e., me).

Chopstar: A Sad Tale of Drug Abuse

Our dog....Chops (aka Chopstar)....finally hit rock bottom Thursday night. We believe she has been tottering on the edge for quite a while, but this Thursday the bottom dropped out....

She took....

2 ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PILLS!

and ended up in the doggie emergency room.

OK, OK, so it was only 50 mg, but she is less than 7 pounds so that is a lot! Really...she has no sense of moderation at all!

So the story goes: JL and I had decided to go shopping for a bit after work on Thursday, prior to heading home for the day. Apparently, Chopstar found this entirely unsatisfactory so decided to hurl her small body up onto the dining room chair and then onto the dining room table, where she scrounged around until she found a package of 25 mg rapid release Voltaren and a package of liquid Advil capsules. She then promptly pulled these to the ground and went to work.....luckily she only got to the Voltaren....

When we got home we noticed the situation (she's fallen off the wagon before, but never to this extent!), so we hemmed and hawed, and had a sit down with Chopstar. She looked fine, but she is adept at hiding her habits (i.e., we never see her when she decides to take a poop in the office!) so finally we called poison control! Poor JL - he was a bit embarrassed to call the poison control center and ask about his dog! But being the good man he is, he did it.

Poison control referred us to the vet, who referred us to the emergency vet, who recommended we bring her in for a "look over" which we did.

So then we get to the 24 hour emergency vet....they look her over (she still looks fine to me, by the way, other than not being thrilled when the vet is poking her in the stomach and shining lights in her eyes) and determine that she needs the following treatment:

1. Induced vomiting;

2. Treatment with charcoal to soak up remaining medication;

3. Three days of intravenous drip!; and

4. Special medication to bind to any ulcers forming in her stomach.

$900 later, Chopstar comes home.

I then received the following email from JL:

"You know what's really bugging me right now about Chops' Latest Adventure? She will learn NOTHING from this. She will be pissed at us for taking her to the vet, AND she will eat crap off the table still.

Darn Chops!"

So who really hit rock bottom? Me and JL. Rock bottom of our bank account that is!

And doesn't she look so innocent!

Adrenalin Rush

I feel it pumping through my body.....the tingling sensation that seems to start at the base of my neck and travel down my back, through my hips, thighs, shins, down into each of my toes. It radiates through my arms, and hands.

When's it going to come?

I'm waiting.....

The feeling intensifies, pulsing through my body...

Any minute now....any minute now...

My jaws clench and tighten and everything around me looks just a little too bright, outlined by the shine of my nervousness.

My fingers itch to get going, my feet thump a rhythm on the ground.....dadadadaaa dadadaaa.

And then.....

It arrives!

I hear the little ping and my desktop flashes that little icon we all so love to see....the envelope.

The email is here! It's here!

Now I get to do what I've been waiting for for hours, what has caused me so much anticipation and nervousness...

.............................................................

.............................................................

.............................................................

Forward. It.

.............................................................

.............................................................

.............................................................

And to think sometimes I wonder if the stress of my job is worth it. Clearly.

I blame my mother

You would think I could just sit back and enjoy my own engagement party -- particularly when it was being completely catered, set-up, cleaned up and handled by the place where it was being held.

But no.

Instead, I had to spend 3 full days hand making invitations and 2 full days making little boxes to hand out candies to guests as thank yous (not to mention the hand made "Please help yourself!" sign). I also felt it was necessary to get up at the crack of dawn to go to the flower markets for fresh flowers and then arrange them in white bags with specially shopped for ribbons, organize a guest book with Polaroid pictures of each guest to be included, buy candies and canisters to hold them and buy a new Polaroid camera and Polaroid camera film (which I had to order from the US and have my mother ship to me). I of course also had to taste test and research all the specialty cupcake shops in Sydney and order and pay for 50 cupcakes (which then had to be picked up from the shop on the day before the party). And none of this takes into account the hours and hours I spent debating, researching, freaking out, discussing with JL, researching some more and freaking out some more.

By the time the day of the durn party came along I was exhausted and in a panic....

And then.....it started to rain....for our outdoor party....

Poor JL - not only did he have to deal with me freaking out, crying and venting, I then put him into a total panic and he had to rush around taking care of all this really necessary stuff that I had insisted upon.

Good times, I tell you what.

This morning I was talking with my Mom and she told me how she had my sister and her family over for a BBQ on Saturday night. Apparently she didn't know what my sister was bringing over so she rushed around shopping, making salads and cutting veggies and of course worrying about whether there would be desert or not. She cleaned the house, bought lighter fluid and BBQ fuel, and generally worked her butt off to get ready for having 6 people over....ALL FAMILY!

So I blame her. I am genetically unable to simply host a party.....my DNA does not permit it. If I don't freak out, its not a party.

Can't wait for the wedding!!!

Friday: A Work Day

K: What was I doing? Oh, yes, I have to call that guy back.

[picks up phone - starts dialing]

K: I wonder what he wants. Wait....Maybe I should just email him. Then HE has to call ME back.

[hangs up phone]

K: Yeah, that's what I'll do.

[stares blankly at computer screen]

K: My head hurts - maybe I should take some medicine. Hmmm, when was the last time I took some.

[picks up meds and looks at package]

K: Were there always an odd number of pills left? Maybe I took too many...or dropped one. What if the dog ate it. Crap, did I put that rat poison up? Did the rat poison get on the floor when the pipes burst. Maybe I should call John.

[starts dialing - hangs up]

K: No I can't call John until I get some work done. What was I doing? Oh, yeah, I have to call that guy. No, no, I was going to email.

[opens Outlook, begins to compose message]

K: As soon as I send this he's going to call me. Maybe I should do my blog reading first. What time is it? 2:39....hmmm. Only an hour or so before I have to meet my trainer. I really hope she's nice today. Did I pack extra underwear?

[rummages through gym bag]

K: Here's some. Wait, I think I wore these yesterday. Maybe I should just cancel. I do have this headache and I already worked out once this week.

[looks up as coworker wanders past. realizes she has a pink thong in her hand. smiles idiotically and frantically stuffs pink thong back into gym back]

K: Well that was smooth. Well, whatever! It probably just looked like a tissue, or something. Ha! Right. Keep telling yourself that Kristen. This is very embarrassing. Quick type something....look busy.

[looks at email already started on desktop]

K: What is this? What was I doing? I wonder why my inbox is so full. Maybe I should delete some emails....but then I have to start filing them...that's probably a better job for Monday. Then I can do the whole week all at once. I wonder what I need to do this weekend. I should make a list!

[whips out pen/paper - begins making a list]

K: (1) clean apartment (particularly rusty water in kitchen)
(2) wash dog

K: ............I should probably just get her groomed. I hate spending the money, but she looks like a freaky Ewok right now....hehe, freaky Ewok. That was a funny blog post today about the Rancor from Star Wars....I should check those other posts. What time is it? Oh, 3:28....I probably have time....

K: No, No! I need to do some work....What was I doing?

[looks at desktop with confusion. sees partial email.]

K: Oh....emails....speaking of....I really should email Mom....

[starts typing email to Mom]

K: Ehh, I really should just call her. What time is it there? 10:29....is that too late? Nah, I've been waking them up for years. I think they're usually up anyway....

[picks up phone, dials]

Ring Ring Ring Ring

[hangs up]

K: I shouldn't call this late. Oh crap! I forgot to call my trainer to cancel. Maybe I should just run down. No, then I'll have to workout, and with this headache and all......I'll just send her a quick text and cancel....

[whips out blackberry and sends text message]

K: Sheesh. Another thing done! What a day.......

K:

[stares blankly]

K:

[stares blankly]

K:

[stares blankly]

K: What was I doing?

[sees email on desktop.....again.....]

K: Oh, emailing Mom.... No. Calling her! That's right. I should really see how Lucy is doing anyway. She's such a good dog! I wonder if she'll remember me when she gets here. I should call and talk to her. I can call Mom and she can put her on the phone.......

[picks up phone. dials international. twice.]

Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring

M: Hello?

K: Hello?

M: Hello.

K: Hello.

[laughing hysterically. she always does this and thinks its reeeeaaalllly funny.]

[its not]

M: Yes?

K: It's your favorite daughter!

M: Oh! Hi Debbie!

K: Ha ha, very funny.............................I just called to see how you were.

M: Pretty good. How are you? Busy at work?

K: Yes! So busy! I've been trying to return this guy's phone call all day and I just can't seem to get to it.....

[30 minutes later.........]

K: What was I doing?