hanging in there.

got to start my 2025 planner (wonderland222) this week since it starts in december 2024 and sunday is december 1st. 😊

headed to my partner’s parents’ new house for the holiday. just two nights, and then we’ll come back and do a friend hang with some folks in town.

the instructor for my rally obedience class said i could bring loki (oldest, aussie) to class next week so i could video his final rally novice submission he needs for his title. it will also be echo’s third (and final) rally novice course! she was the only dog in class last night, so we got to do more off leash work and play between running the course, which she seemed to very much enjoy. i need to read up on the rules for AKC’s fetch titles, because i’m pretty sure she could get 'em with a bit more practice.

was walking a client’s dog and was attacked by an off-leash dog yesterday. fuckin’ sucked. everybody is ok (i think? i didn’t stick around), but the other owner was very entitled and seemed to think their dog didn’t need to be on a leash??? even after it attacked us??? the client’s dog (a very large german shepherd) reacted appropriately to defend himself (and probably me) from any damage. he disengaged as soon as the owner finally pulled her (collarless!!!???) dog away. i called animal control after because this is an affluent neighborhood, the owner was white, and i wanted it on record.

still struggling to cope with the election results.

got rid of a bunch of stuff via free stuff markets over the weekend. echo also came out to the second one to get pets from all the strangers, which she loves.

echo has her second rally video session tonight; fingers crossed for a good take so we can submit it for our second score. she got 97/100 on her first one, which is great! the three points off were all handler error.

the restaurant across the street had its last day yesterday after ~six months of being open. it wasn’t that great. the place before—which was there for ~two years—was amazing. curious to see who will move in next. it’s one of the few neighborhood locations for retail/restaurant, so it being vacant is disappointing.

i’ve been doing the audiobook thing a ton. it’s the primary way i consume books these days.

thanks! (also, worst birthday present ever, AMERICA.)

thanks!

got my early vote in on friday, since i suspected the lines were going to be long today.

today is my birthday. 🥳

sheepdog festival last weekend was great. echo got to hang out and get a billion pets from all kinds of people, which is her favorite thing! she also had her first hotel stay, which went really well. she only barked three times (at the shower).

last night, our first rally submission was recorded, which i sent in today for judging. pretty sure we’ll get a passing score, easy peasy. i want to look into some more virtual titles we can do, since i get ring stress pretty bad. 😅

A vote for Stein is a vote for Trump unless you’re in a ranked-choice locale.

unless your in NC and voting for josh stein, who’s actually pretty great.

another weekend, another fast CAT event! jean did her two runs perfectly (no trying to bite the releaser), which solidifies my thought that the people the weekend before were handling her too roughly. she got to wear her fancy new collar with the handle, which may have helped, too. echo actually ran a couple of times (1/2 distance the first time), but she didn’t really know what was going on, haha. i figure i’ll do a few more practice runs with her before i start entering her “for real.”

echo also starts her first rally obedience class tonight! i’m really excited, even though its from 8-9pm (so laaaate).

i’m just about done with the border collie rescue website (pro-bono work), and i’ll be sure to share that once it’s live. lots of cute dog pictures there. :)

ooblets is one of my favorite in this genre. it’s got a great soundtrack, the humor is spot-on, and it’s got an anti-capitalist message.

Miss Shirley, my 10yo cat, is walking on a leash now!

i love that!

scheduled when i plan to vote (early). need to do my research first!

good news: jean (chi mix) got a new personal best on sunday for her 100-yard dash (8.65 seconds / 23.65 mph)! we have another event this coming weekend at a different club, and we’ll probably meet up with some social media dog friends. :)

i’m pet sitting for a sweet border collie from the same rescue where i got echo, so that’s been fun. speaking of echo, we’ve stalled a bit on our nose work course, so i need to get back into that once i’m back at home. been having too much fun with treibball.

firewatch is a personal favorite.

the individual therapist matters a lot. i know friends who have gone through many before landing on one that actually helped them. i know that’s not ideal, but it is an option. it’s also a slow process for lots of folks.

two friends of mine are actually on ketamine treatments to help with their mental health after trying everything else.

Therapy didn’t help

there are lots of different kinds of therapy, so i hope it doesn’t completely discourage you from ever going again.

saw the substance last week, and i’m still thinking about how great it was.

planted an oak tree.

took loki (aussie) and echo (border collie) to try a couple of new sports on sunday: treibball (pronounced try-ball) and barn hunt. loki liked pushing the big ball around a lot in the former, and echo has a great nose for barn hunt.

“what remains of edith finch” and “gone home.” waiting for the right rainy day to play them.

wingspan

i love both the physical and digital versions of this game. 🕊️

been offering moral support for a friend who is (was?) renting a house in black mountain (western NC). they still have no power or water, and they can’t get their cars down from the mountain because the road is still blocked by a ton of trees. they were able to get a friend to pick them up at the end of their road at the bottom of the mountain at least.

got to see zach galifianakis and josh stein (NC governor candidate) on saturday which was neat.

ordered an oak tree that is going to replace the maple we had to cut down in the front yard last year. picking that up on saturday.

echo is currently going through an online scent work class which has been fun. loki and jean started agility lessons back up now that the weather is a smidge cooler.

had some really icky back pain last week, so i’ve been trying to do yoga in the mornings before work.

jean got another title and i fostered a puppy over the weekend.

picked up a dog bike trailer yesterday from a friend, and i started teaching echo (border collie) how to sit/stand/lay calmly in it this afternoon in the driveway. hoping she will enjoy it!

it’s the dogs! i love dogs, but having them jump through the window destroyed me.