dogface

I haven't posted much on here for a while, I've been way too busy with school, but I'll just say for the record that Lili is currently laying in the living room belly-up with her feet pointing towards the sky. She's awfully cute! We've had her for about a month or so now and she's adjusted pretty well to life around here. She's a real sweetheart, really smart, rather endearing, and cute. She loves to follow me around the house, play with her rope toys/squeaker toys, gets real excited about squirrels, loves to go for walks, and do pretty typical Lab stuff. The only odd thing is that she has absolutely no interest in water...pretty strange! The only real problem we've had with her is that she's also never been socialized to be around other dogs, so I can't take her within 100 ft. of another canine.

Do the right thing

Ever wonder how your spending habits may or may not contribute to making the world a more sane, livable place? Ever wonder which companies are "doing the right thing"? I found a very interesting website today: http://dotherightthing.com
This site focuses on companies 'walk the walk', who are setting an example on how to combine profit with ecologically and socially positive impacts on the world. Intended for consumers, investors, and people who are looking for careers with corporations that share the same vision; this site provides a user-friendly way of educating yourself. What makes this site different is its positive orientation (while it's useful to know who's busy raping and pillaging, it can get a bit overwhelming and depressing sometimes. This site has a refreshingly different way of presenting this information in a way that isn't a complete turn-off/downer for people who are just beginning to explore).

cars are ick

So my car finally died...we were coming home from a movie on Sunday afternoon and while sitting at the intersection of Powell and 39th, something went "bang" and she started smoking. After hauling it over to the dealership, the bad news is it will cost more to repair than what I paid for the car to begin with, so it's time to move on.

What sucks is I don't even like driving, and I here I am, having to buy another car. It's a weird dilemma, but here's some of the reasons I can't just go carless (the way I'd like to):

#1 Job-I'm not even working right now, but eventually I'm gonna be done with all this school crud and start teaching somewhere, and knowing my luck, that somewhere will inevitably be as far away from where I live as is humanly possible. And that's assuming I can even get a job--I might be subbing, which definitely requires transportational flexibility. At the very least, I need to be able to go to job interviews. And even if by some miracle I do get a job somewhere bus-able, I still need to be able to haul all the crap around that teaching tends to generate.

#2 Can't drive stick-we have another vehicle but it's manual, and I can't drive stick to save my ever-loving-life.

#3 They actually have a lot of car-share options around here, which I'm really into, but that's not practical option for daily commuting--it's more of a solution for errands/out of town trips, and I don't live near any of the parking spots where you pick up the vehicles-they tend to be located closer to the central city.

The job is the main problem. If I had one already, I could probably figure something out (the way I always do), but I'm at the hunting stage, so I need to be pretty flexible and open-minded about driving over the county line. I wish there was a way to just borrow a car for 6 months, but if I want one at all, I'm pretty much stuck buying it-leasing is absurd. As a person who's not very excited about the prospect of driving to begin with, buying a car is a weird weird experience. I'm not really that excited about what's out there in my price range (a sea of run-of-the-mill former rental cars), I have no haggling skills but an over-developed bullshit-detector, and I absolutely hate talking to salespeople. I don't want an SUV, and I don't want something "girly". All I want is something relatively non-descript that I could park in any neighborhood, functional, something that gets decent gas mileage, and has enough room to haul crap and people around in (for future offspring). If it weren't for the gas prices, I'd just buy an old beat-up pickup truck. What I'd really like is a hybrid, but I can't afford one, and even if I could, there's waiting lists...urrgh. Like I said, I'm really not excited about buying a car, and kinda wish I could put it off for awhile, but this is a problem that's not gonna take "no" for an answer.

cartwright baby!

It's official folks: Elizabeth Amelia Cartwright was born on May 6, 2008, at 12:12 am. She weighed in at 7 lb, 2 oz, and measured 20 inches long.
See photos and such at http://janandjohn.blogspot.com

Chinese astrology: Born in the Year of the Rat

Though the Western rat is reviled as little more than a bottom-dwelling disease carrier, this animal is viewed much differently in the East. The Eastern rat is revered for its quick wits and its ability to accrue and hold on to items of value; rats are considered a symbol of good luck and wealth in both China and Japan. Clever and quick-witted, the Rat of the Chinese Zodiac is utterly disarming to boot. Its natural charm and sharp, funny demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone. The Rat likes to know who is on its side and will treat its most loyal friends with an extra measure of protection and generosity.

Behind that sweet smile, though, Rats are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas. This Sign is motivated by its own interests, which often include money; greed can become a problem if the Rat isn't careful to keep its priorities straight. This Sign's natural powers of charm and persuasion can definitely come in handy! Although they are often hoarders, Rats can be very generous to those in their pack, namely friends and family members who have proven their loyalty. Others might perceive them as quick-tempered and sharp-tongued, but never boorish. Verbal jousting is a great pleasure for the Rat, a Sign that everyone around will quickly learn either to love or to hate.

Rats enjoy being on the outside looking in, as the outside affords a view into the inner workings of a system or situation. The Rat's keen mind always seeks out new knowledge, to be stored away for future use. This ever-curious Sign also welcomes challenges as a way to stay sharp. If boredom sets in the Rat is no fun at all, but that isn't likely; this Sign knows how to keep itself entertained.

A valuable lesson for Rats is to learn to consider others above themselves, at least sometimes. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats could find true happiness.