March 12, 2007 Intense weekend
It doesn't seem like Tom and I are able to have a quiet, restful weekend. Ever. This weekend started uneventful. I taught my classes at the gym, went home and had a shower. I started making a salad when the doorbell rang. Our neighbor had come by and Tom accidentally let Beijo sneak through the door, resulting in her bounding down the street. Our neighbor caught up to her, but freaked her out as he approached, which caused her to take off down the street. By the time I went out the front door, I saw Tom and our neighbor P.T. chasing and calling after her. Fearing the worst, I ran in the house and grabbed her leash, then proceeded to join the chase. I couldn't seem to find anyone. Concerned neighbors rallied and folks in cars stopped to tell me the 'little black dog' ran that way. Beijo is a big-cow-looking dog so obviously it was a doggie free for all in the Mission Terrace neighborhood that day. I had visions of Beijo running towards the pedestrian feared Alemany Ave, or worse, Tom running into the street after her without thinking. She ended up running around the block and back into the house where she hid and cowered until we all met up back home and found her. I don't think she will do that again.
So then Tom and I went to Royal Motors to check out a new car to lease. While waiting around for our credit check, a minivan rammed into a parked truck in front of the dealership at full speed and sent the truck flying into the parking lot right in front of where we were standing. A steel pole stopped the truck from colliding with the row of cars for sale, or even from any of the people in the lot. Apparently the driver was a drunk homeless man who was living in his minivan and apparently fell asleep at the wheel. Nice. A woman came to claim the truck (which wasn't even hers) and everyone agreed that she is pretty much screwed since the homeless guy doesn't even have license, let alone insurance. Only in San Francisco.
Regardless of the events, Tom and I drove away with a brand spanking new (a first for both of us) 2007 Audi A4 2.0T Avant. This baby is fully loaded. It drives like a dream. Of course it isn't cheap, but after our trade-in and a bit of money down, our monthly payments aren't too much more than with our old ass Golf. And nearly all the services are included in the price. Now we don't have to put the seat down to fit Beijo in the car
Even after all of that drama, Tom and I were able to sort out a lot of stuff around the house. I totally cleaned the front room (fireplace, trim and shelving still needs to be finished in there), moved around the plants, we finished off the bathroom by hanging the mirror, towel racks and pictures. We brought up our wall hanging shoe boxes and clean and installed them. I guess I have to say that it was a 'count your blessings' weeekend- close calls, yet no harm done.
March 6, 2007 Rascal and Beijo, part 2
This weekend, Tom and I decided that having both Rascal and Beijo was too much and we took Rascal back to his original owner. We are very heartbroken over this as he was such a cool dog. He is still a young dog (only a year and a half) and needed more training than we have time to give. We felt it would have been unfair to him if we kept him. Unfortunately, his original owner also cannot keep him due to illness. She is temporarily housing him until he finds a new home. We are all hoping he can find a home up here in the city or suburbs of the Bay Area. Please, if you know ANYONE who is interested and would like more information on Rascal, please email me at jen@jenfu.org.
This experience has been bitter-sweet for Tom and I. We really took to Rascal and knew his potential, but both of us working full-time and without enough time to spend training him would leave him frustrated and unhappy. We know it is the right decision, but it doesn't make it any easier. On the other hand, Beijo is doing really great and is super chill. She just sleeps all day and has a lot of energy for her walks- she really loves to run around the Canyon. She is really thriving. I'm just hoping everything works out for Rascal.
March 1, 2007 Rascal and Beijo
We picked up the dogs over the weekend and it has been quite an interesting few days. These are country dogs who aren't used to walking on a leash, or having visitors or seeing other people, dogs or children. Their previous owner, who had Rascal from when he was a puppy and Beijo since about age 1 (they are now both 2 1/2), is a very sweet woman who really loved them both, but let them pretty much run the show. As a consequence, they lack structure and their diets were fairly unhealthy.
We are in the process of changing a lot of their behavior and training them properly. It is going really well, but it has taken a lot of time, effort and patience. Rascal is very smart and takes well to the training, where as Beijo is fairly stubborn and has a hard time taking any commands. Both have a nervous/aggression habit of barking at strangers, especially in the home. We are working on stopping that behavior all together. Every day is getting better and now we need to integrate them more with strangers and to start leaving them on their own for short stints. We both have been partially working from home but that won't last for more than another week.
Here are pics of us with them in Glen Park Canyon, which has been our morning walk destination.
February 9, 2007 Trailer for 'Cigarra' movie
Check out the trailer for the Documentary "Cigarra Capoeirista" featuring Mestranda Márcia "Cigarra" of Abadá Capoeira San Francisco. To be released 2007 by Marla Leech and edited by Dale G Nabeta.
January 29, 2007 Old 16mm Video
My dad sent me more video on DVD. Sometime in the 80s my dad took the VHS camera and filmed the projected 16mm video. It's pretty funny because you can hear him laughing in the background or, every once in a while, my old cat Clio jumps in the frame and meows. This video here must be right before or right after I am born. The kids are my brothers and sisters and a few neighborhood friends. My dad comes in (pay close attention to his pants. They are hard to miss) at the end.
January 15, 2007 Dogs
Tom and I drove over to the Central Valley to look at two dogs we are hoping to adopt. Their current care taker is ill and can't work so she has to sell her property and leave California. She really loves the dogs, but can't properly take care of them due to her illness.
Since the owner lives in the sticks, the dogs are not very used to people, nor walking on a leash. We figure we will need a trainer to work with us right away. The are very smart and obedient so I don't think it will be too difficult to train them. They will just need some time to acclimatize.
Aren't they cute?!?
Today is my brother's birthday- Happy Birthday Tom! He has always shared his birthday with MLK day. So today I honor them both.
January 11, 2007 Capoeira Class at World Gym
I am co-teaching a capoeira class at World Gym. Saturdays 9:30 - 10:30am. Let me know if you are interested in coming and I can get you a free pass for the class and they gym facilities for a day.
January 11, 2007 Happy New Year
I know it's a little late but HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope everyone's holidays were nice.
Tom's parents where in town for most of December and a bit of January. It was really great to see them. It was unfortunate that our floors were not completed before their arrival. Our friend Joe offered to sublet his apartment for the majority of their stay. It really saved us! We spent a lot of the holiday taking walks in the city, going to museums, shopping and of course eating and drinking. Tom's brother Sam and Sam's girlfriend Emily arrived a bit after Christmas. Emily actually was held back at Heathrow because her passport didn't have a barcode in it. Apparently you cannot enter the US unless you have one, so she had to stay the night in London and go to the passport agency the next morning to receive a new passport. It really sucked because she was traveling for 36 hours. Poor thing. On top of that BA lost Sam's bags completely, or at least they never left Heathrow.
We cleaned out a room downstairs for Sam and Emily and even though it was cramped (and not very clean) they were able to stay with us while they were in town. We had a great time and miss them now that they are gone. Here are some pics of us walking in Muir Woods and along the coast near Sutro Baths in the New Year.
So it looks like our floors are just about done. I will take some pics and post them along with the bathroom (all the fixtures are in!). Good news- our dishwasher should be fully installed by end of day today. Bad news - our water heater broke this week and we had to get a new one. I think we should start eating Ramon Noodles from now on. I wish I were kidding.