Back to Work

Well, it had to end eventually. After a gloriously productive and fun filled week of doing everything BUT going to work...I had to go to work today. Poo. I have to say that it is surprising how much work you can get done when you do not have to go to work! But alas, kibble costs money and Boyfriend nixed the idea of being my sugar daddy.

Today at work, Caleb met a new friend. A coworker from the company's office in India came to visit our offices in California for a few weeks, and he mentioned that Caleb was the first office dog he has come across, making him the Official Office Ambassador! Caleb greeted him in traditional corgi fashion: By dancing about and then rolling over and demanding a belly rub.

After a day working side by side, however, he did finally ask about his decidedly UN-Corgi like trait:

Coworker: 'Does he EVER bark?'

Me: 'Not unless you bark at him.'

Caleb may not bark, but he will climb in your lap if he decides that is where he should be, and can cover you from head to toe in corgi fur before you can say 'Welcome to California!' Thankfully Caleb's new friend is a dog person; although I am very good at keeping the lap shenanigans to a minimum while at work, the corgi fur coat he'll be leaving with is unavoidable.

Why is it is so hard to go back to work after such a nice vacation? Well, for one thing, despite all that I got accomplished, there was also a fair bit of lounging about...

..For all of us.

Photobooks and iPhones and Vacation, Oh My!

Photobooks:

Ok, all you corgi obsessed folks out there...I follow your blogs and immensely enjoy all the pictures of your fur children, but how about doing something different with those photos? I'm a member of Shutterfly.com (photo printing site - I print lots of photos for scrapbooking), and I got an email with a promo code for a free 20 page 8x8 hardcover photobook. Just upload your photos, choose your theme and page templates and TADA your awesome photobook is complete!

I've seen these offers before, but this is the first time I've had the time to sit down and make one. It took awhile, because I'm slightly obsessive and a bit of a perfectionist, but I think it will be worth it. I made a photobook of Caleb's first trip to the beach for my Grandma, who hasn't been able to meet Caleb yet.

Promo Code: SUMMERBOOK (Enter it after you finish your photobook and add it to your cart)

The Deadline: TOMORROW! (I got them email, then promptly forgot about it until last night)

The Catch: You have to pay shipping and handling and any applicable tax, for me in CA it was about 8 bucks.

I know what you're thinking, and yes, the next time I get one of these emails, I'll make sure to post the promo code for you much earlier! But on the off chance you're having a slow Tuesday, make a photobook!

iPhones:

Boyfriend bought me an iPhone this weekend! He's the best! He knew that I wanted one, but was hesitant to go out and get the one I wanted (Because there's always something more important to buy, like dog food and rawhides). He also wanted one, but was honest enough to admit he really just wanted to play games with it, and probably wouldn't use it to it's full potential. Plus, he hates people who are in social settings but just sit there like zombies playing games on their iPhones and ignoring everyone, and he was afraid if he bought one, he'd become one of the iPhone zombies. So he got the brilliant idea to buy ME the iPhone, so he could play games on it, I could use it for all the other useful things it does, and we could police each other to make sure it iPhone stays away during dinner and other social settings when we should be conversing, not web surfing. A good deal for everyone!

I've already downloaded a few neat doggie related apps:

• Clicker App - It's a little quieter than my actual clicker, but it still gets Caleb's attention.
• Pet Notebook - Organizes all your useful puppy related info (Microchip and registration numbers, vet and medicine info, pictures, etc)
• Eukanuba Off Leash - Finds off leash dog parks based on your current location! Excellent!

Do you know of any other neat dog related apps? If so, let me know!

I've also downloaded a couple of neat non-doggie related apps:

• Dough - Budget program that keeps track of multiple accounts, your credit card balances, upcoming bills list, pretty much everything money related! So far, it's great...except I now have a pie chart that points out exactly how much I've spent on Caleb this month. I have a new appreciation for the saying 'ignorance is bliss'. Yikes.
• ToDo - I am constantly writing myself notes, but that may soon change. This program does exactly what I want, organizes it in a way that makes sense to me, and it is super easy to add new notes. Good bye purse full of post it notes!
• Scrabble - I looooove scrabble. I now have one more way to play! Hooray!

Vacation, Oh My!

I took this week off! Yaaaaaay! I take a day off here or there for a long weekend throughout the year, but I haven't taken a full week off since January. The first half of the week is dedicated to Julie's Project Time (Think cleaning out my closet, hanging those pictures that have been leaning against the wall months, gardening, and scrapbooking). The second half of the week is dedicated to actual vacation. Secretly, I'm more excited about Julie's Project Time than vacation, although I know Boyfriend and I will have a great time once we get there. There's just something about getting all this stuff done that you've been meaning to do for so long that I find very rewarding.

Caleb went to Doggy Daycare yesterday to burn off some energy and is now passed out behind my recliner. When he does stagger out from behind there, he's so tired that he looks hungover. Hahahahaha! A tired puppy is a good puppy.

San Diego, As Told By Julie

I am blessed to have a very happy go lucky dog. Caleb puts up with just about anything I throw at him, including long car rides. For various reasons, Boyfriend, Caleb and I find ourselves driving to southern California on a fairly frequent basis. Ok, ok...we go to Southern California so frequently we have Disneyland Annual Passports, but I digress. Caleb rides wonderfully in the car; he sleeps most of the time, does not get car sick, does not pace in the backseat, really, he does not seem bothered at all, unless he gets a whiff of something then he pokes his head in between the seats and slowly tries to inch his way across the arm rest into my lap so he can get close enough to stick his nose in the air vent.

The only person this bothers is Boyfriend, who tries in vain to keep the corgi hair in the backseat on the sheet he put over his seats. Alright all you corgi Mommas out there, let's just have a nice chuckle over that one, shall we? Caleb's so proficient at shedding I can buy a new shirt, walk directly from the store to the car with the shirt in the bag, get in the car to drive home, walk in the front door, go to my bedroom, take the shirt out of the bag, and find Caleb hair. He's just that good. But no matter, we do this every time. Caleb sheds and Boyfriend fusses, until I want to put Boyfriend in the trunk and Caleb in the front seat and drive the rest of the way in peace and quiet. I always get his car cleaned after we get home, but he just cannot help himself.

We usually stay with family or friends when in southern California, but this time we were too far south so we had to stay in a Hotel. I have the most awesome book by dogfriendly.com that lists hotels, restaurants, and other things to do with your dog in California, so I busted it out and picked one of the hotels, the Marriott La Jolla. It was very nice, everyone there was very friendly, and we only had to pay a flat 75 dollar fee for Caleb. It was a little weird to walk through the hotel and get confused stares from other hotel guests who obviously did not know that the hotel was dog friendly, but we went with it.

I agree with Caleb, the Dog Beach was the highlight of the trip. I was hesitant at first to immediately let him off the leash, even though he's been in numerous off leash parks and situations with other dogs before. I only had Caleb on leash for about 5 minutes before he barked at me to let me know he did not think it was fair that the other dogs were off leash while he was still on leash, so I got over my anxiety and unleashed him. At which point he promptly headed towards the largest dogs he could find: Two or Three Great Danes, playing with an American Mastiff and a herd of Golden Retrievers. Caleb tried to say hello to one of the Great Danes in the typical manner, that is he tried to sniff his rear, however the Great Dane's rear was two feet above Caleb's nose so picture Caleb with his nose straight up in the air trying desperately to get a whiff and tripping over his own feet because he cannot see where he is going. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of this encounter because I was busy chasing down my corgi and dragging hm out from underneath the very large paws of the mob of playful doggies. They were all fine with Caleb, actually they just ignored him, and he plays with bigger dogs all the time, but this was just too many for my comfort level.

It turns out that listening to that little voice was the right decision. Right after I convinced Caleb he could have more fun playing on the opposite end of the beach with slightly smaller dogs we heard quite a commotion from that group. One of the owners screamed bloody murder, ran to get her dog, fell down, then started flailing her leash at the swarm of dogs once she got back up. They were behind a sand dune, so we could not see everything that was going on, but at one point the two dogs in question moved to where we could see them...it turns out it was not a fight but...umm...unapproved hanky panky. I am glad it was not a fight, but still I would not have liked to have seen Caleb in the middle of that fiasco.

Caleb would not swim in the ocean, but he did wade in up to his tummy. As soon as the waves hit his tummy he would jump and head for higher ground. On the one hand, it was pretty cute to watch and made my life much easier, as I did not have to worry about wading in to retrieve a waterlogged corgi. But on the other hand, I still do not know if he can actually swim!

Leaving was not as painful as I was afraid it was going to be. Once Caleb was dry, the sand brushed off pretty easily, although some still managed to make its way into Boyfriend's car. Thankfully I think the sun and sand put Boyfriend in such a good mood that he decided to let it go and we were able to head back to the hotel without any fussing. Caleb was asleep in the back before we got on the freeway.

San Diego, As Told By Caleb

I went to San Diego last weekend! It was a bit of a drive, but I slept through most of it. I would have liked to have sat in the front seat in Momma's lap the entire time, but I have trouble sitting still and as it was explained to me "A dancing corgi in a little two door civic is not appreciated in the front seat". Dad may have also mentioned something about the copious amounts of corgi fur flying about, but I cannot be sure because I WAS IN THE BACKSEAT.


Ok, I am over it now, really. *dramatic sigh*

When we checked into the hotel, I attracted a bit of attention from the hotel staff. One nice man gave me a welcome gift bag that included a package of TREATS, a handful of poop bags, and some no wash doggy freshener stuff. It was almost like he knew I was coming...amazing! He was a very nice man. Another one of the hotel employees asked what sort of mix I was. Poor, uneducated soul. He was quickly educated by my Momma.


This was my bed at the hotel. It was nice and fluffy.








Oh, Momma and Dad had a bed, too. It is that one right there.








The next day, Dad had some work to do, so Momma and I wandered around the area, hung out in the air conditioned hotel room, oh and we enjoyed the lounge area of the hotel so the maid could clean our room. We had to schedule the room cleaning, they do not come to rooms with dogs in them, unless you work out a time when you promise the puppy will not be there. I find this odd. This is a photo of me in the lounge, and proof that I can sleep anywhere.

The day after that, WE WENT TO THE BEACH! This was my first time to the beach. At first, I did not know what to think of the sand, and I was slightly miffed that Momma was a little slow to remove the leash. There was all this water all over the place, and if you know me, you know that I am not a water dog. Water dogs have legs.



But the other dogs looked like they were having so much fun running and chasing each other, that I decided a little bit of water on my man bits was tolerable as long as I could play chase with the other dogs.





After splashing and chasing, we lounged on the beach for a bit (I call this my sphinx pose).







Eventually, we had to head back to the hotel. I am sure that other things happened while we were in San Diego, but as they did not involve other dogs, lots of sand, or the ocean (I may be secretly becoming a fan), I did not pay much attention.





And yes they made me stay in the BACKSEAT on the way home, too.

Caleb in a Cop Car

It looks like Caleb is saying, 'You, there! Drop that cookie!'

I'm already getting ideas for my next blog series...'Caleb in Cop Cars'. I'll admit, maybe I'm being overly optimistic. I doubt every cop I come across will be as accommodating to let me poke my corgi in their vehicle for a photo op. But wouldn't that be AWESOME? Caleb in a cop car, next to a police bicycle, on a police segway (I don't think we have any nearby though)... OHMYGOSH we have mounted police in our city! Caleb on a police horse!

Oh, the possibilities.