This was a first!

All 4 cats in the same small area, that's unheard of at my house. They seem to be playing nice lately so let's hope this togetherness continues!

What a day!

Brook my one day foster

This is Brokeback, aka Brook, my newest foster dog. She wasn't good to the cats at all and had to be sent back after only one night. She was great with the dogs, but wanted the cats for dinner it seemed.

Yikes and Ditto Snuggling

First week down -

Well, my first week at the new job is behind me. It was a good week and everyone is really friendly. The building is a maze and it'll take me a while to find my way around, but I know where the important things are...my office, the server room, the restrooms, the kitchen, and the gym. I've been taking the bus downtown and loving it. I try and get on a really early bus so I can workout before my shift starts. I started documenting the network this week and I'm starting to understand it slowly. It's a really complex network that is going to take some time to figure out, but I'll get there. I have several items on my to do list already and once I get my office in order I'll start hammering away. I think I'm going to like everything about it and will keep you posted.

Bike Tour Of Colorado -

Well, I made it! I rode in the Bike Tour of Colorado this past week and got home safely last night. The ride was 7 days with a rest day in Telluride so I got in 360 miles in 6 days of pedalling with one day being a 100 mile day. Oh yeah, did I mention it was in the Rocky Mountains!! We did over 33,000 feet of climbing and saw some beautiful sights. I had some altitude issues on day 1, but that went away and I didn't have anything but really sore knees the rest of the week.

New job, new opportunity...

For those of you that I haven't talked to in a while, I got offered a job with the US District Courts of Arizona. This is a federal government job in downtown Phoenix. I found out about benefits and salary and all that yesterday and will be accepting the job once all my background checks and stuff come back and I get an official offer. Benefits are better, pay is better, we'll see about the job itself! It parallels what I'm doing now pretty much so it should be good. They use some different technologies and software and have a larger budget so I'm excited to get started and begin learning their environment. I will be done at Robson on July 1st and will be starting with the Courts on July 7th. That way, I'm covered medically in July while I'm waiting for my benefits to kick in. I'm really excited about this new opportunity so wish me luck!

Meet Yikes

This is my newest foster greyhound Yikes. She's either 5 1/2 or 6 1/2 years old and was in a home for about 2 years. Unfortunately the guy that owned her had to give her back because he has to travel for his job. So far she's been a perfect lady, except when she snaps at Ditto for wanting to play too much. I don't think I'll have her long because she's cute, good with cats, and well mannered.

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Sleeping with his eyes open, kinda creepy!

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Blade has a new home -

Well, Blade's time with me will come to a close tomorrow as he is being adopted in the afternoon. He will be going to a family with an English Bulldog and a cat. Should be funny to see a short fat dog and a tall skinny one out taking walks!

What a morning Ditto and I had...

So, I was ready and willing to take a rest day from exercise this morning because I didn't have to come into the office until later in the day. Well, Ditto woke up in his crate at his normal early hour, went out and did his business, then joined me in bed for a while. It wasn't long before he was restless and decided to get a bone to chomp on. A while later he started gagging so I rushed him outside. He came to the window and was looking at me really funny so I knew something was wrong. For some reason, it looked like his cheeks were poking out so I went for a looksie. Much to my surprise he had a bone wedged between his teeth at the back of his throat!!! YIKES. I tried to pull it out and it just wasn't budging. Called my vet and got an emergency number and off we went to Gilbert Road and Guadalupe to the 24 hour animal hospital. Got there and the nurse tried to pull it out with no luck. They brought him in the back and used a clamp or forceps or something and were able to pull it out without getting the doctor, putting him under, etc...phew! He didn't puncture his gums, wasn't bleeding, and was happy as he!! to get that bone dislodged from his mouth. They didn't charge for the removal so I was happy too.

Moral of the story...either they get no bones from now on and just scraps, or I take the bones away after they have stripped the meat off. Not sure which I'll do yet.

What a morning!

Lazy Greyhound!

I guess Blade was too tired to stand and steal Rusty's food! Maybe he was trying to keep a low profile so I wouldn't catch him.

A wee little update -

Well, I took Havoc (renamed Maverick) back last Friday and he was adopted out on Saturday! He didn't wreak too much havoc for being a puppy so I thought Maverick was a better name. I'm sure he'll make his new family happy, even when he pee's on the pillows or dog beds!

Blade is starting to adjust pretty well. I watch him like a hawk when he's in the house because he just doesn't understand "go potty" yet. He broke down the baby gates two days in a row and roamed the house all day which was not good. Needless to say, they don't get so much house room now because he can't be trusted. I'm hoping he gets adopted soon because I'm out of town Memorial Day weekend with my hounds and he'll have to go to a sitter if he's still with me. The good thing is that the Adopt a Greyhound folks will find someone to watch him.

Heading to New Mexico to see Jen on Friday afternoon. I'm also doing the Santa Fe Century bike ride which should be good. We're going to see Cirque de Soleil too, sounds like a busy weekend to me!

Ditto

Meet Blade

Here's my newest foster dog. He's straight out of the kennel and a pretty good boy already. He's 3.5 years old and is retired because he was too slow to race. He loves the other dogs and is adjusting nicely.

Meet Havoc

This is Havoc my foster puppy. He's 5 months old and they say he's a dalmation pit bull mix but I'm not sure about that. He's an excited little guy that loves the other dogs and attention. He doesn't pay much attention to the cats but they sure know every move he makes! He slept in the crate last night like a champ, only a few squeaks at first, then quiet all night. He's in foster because he has injured ears. He has several stitches but they don't seem to bother him at all. I will have him for about two weeks.

Sonoita Bisbee Bike Ride

Karl, Michelle, myself, and about 105 others did the Sonoita Bisbee bike ride this past weekend. We went down Friday night and spent the evening at the Fairgrounds in the pop-up. We had a wonderful meal, although everyone's steak could have used a few more minutes over the mesquite fire. Up and at em on Saturday for our first 70 mile day. The winds started to blow as soon as the sun came up and just kept getting stronger and stronger as the day droned on. We had a very strong headwind or crosswind the entire way and it was a tough and hilly ride. Karl and I got into Bisbee about 1:40 pm and waited about an hour downtown before heading up the hill to our hotel. Michelle rolled in about 5 pm and had to hustle through a shower and such so we could make our 6:30 pm dinner reservation. Dinner was at the haunter Copper Queen Hotel and was pretty good. We had a typical pasta buffet with chocolate mousse or cheesecake for dessert. I won a Cateye headlight and taillight which was cool. Sunday we started off and had a nice tailwind for a good part of the ride. The winds really started to blow as the day went on and shifted to a pretty strong crosswind which was a bit scary to ride in. I beat my time by 1 hour 40 minutes and was back at the fairgrounds by noon. Waited for my carpool buddies and we were on our way home. Overall, it was a nice ride and good time.

Meet Mood, my foster dog

I picked up Mood on Friday and will be returning him this Friday because he has a home already! What a great dog they're getting. No whining, no potties in the house, no bugging the cats, very well behaved. I'll miss him but there are lots of others to foster.

Mood's racing name was Inn the Mood and he ran in 127 races and won 16 times and came in 2nd 12 times. That is about the same stats as my other Greyhound named Disciple so I think that's good. My other foster Atlanta didn't win even once so he's definitely ahead of that stat!

Have fun with your new people Mood!

MS150 Pics

New foster...

I will be picking up a new foster on Friday afternoon. I am getting a greyhound and going to give that a shot again. His name is Mood and he's about 7 years old. He's been living with a family for about 2 years and has to come back bacause their 6 year old son has developed allergies to the dog. He should be better suited to living in a house so I'm hoping not to have the trouble I had with the last two. I'll post a picture when I get him.

Another MS150 Come and Gone

My 8th MS150 was this past weekend. As always, the ride was challenging but fun. They changed the route this year and it was a nice change I think. It started in Florence and on day one people had the choice of going 35, 75, or 105 miles. I chose the 105 mile route and it was my fastest century to date. I pedalled for 5 hours and 40 minutes. I jumped on some fast pace lines and got pulled much of the way. Of course, I pulled my share too, but with 8 or 9 in the line, we all got plenty of breaks. Day two consisted of a 55 mile ride. I was able to jump in with the guys I rode with on Saturday and got done in just over 3 hours. My right knee was killing me though and I'm not sure why. It's still really sore when I walk and am hoping it'll feel better tomorrow.

When it rains, it pours!

More "kind of" bad news last week. I brought Ditto in for a simple Bordatella shot and ended up finding out he's positive for tick fever...argh! I found out today tho that it's just a mild case and antibiotics should take care of it. It isn't transmittable either so Rusty should be ok, although I may have him tested just in case. Tick fever is pretty nasty if it's untreated. It attacks bone marrow so some dogs have trouble walking and need blood transfusions. Boy I hope Ditto is cured by the meds!!

SAD NEWS...

I got bad news today. I have to stop fostering cats. Why you ask? Well, turns out that Victoria is most likely a carrier for 3 of 5 viruses she was checked for. It started this past weekend when she started drooling all over the place. I mean drooling like a st bernard drooling! I brought her in to the vet on Monday and they ended up sedating her to look in her throat to find the culprit for the saliva issues. He found that her tonsils were all swollen and she had bumps that looked like cobblestone in her throat. He wasn't sure what caused it so he sent in cultures and blood to be inspected. Both tests came back today and they found that she is the carrier for calicivirus, herpes, and microplasma. She may also have diabetes. The viruses all cause of upper respiratory infections which are very contageous. He highly recommended that I don't foster anymore because it'll put other cats/kittens, as well as Victoria, at risk. I talked with the Humane Society and they talked with the head vet and she said the same thing, unless I could keep everyone isolated from each other. That just isn't possible, especially with the active duty cats that I currently have. It wouldn't be fair to them to keep them isolated for more then a few weeks so they're working on finding a new foster home. Not sure when I'll bring them back, but I suspect it'll be fairly soon. : ( That just sucks. On a good note, I'll probably start fostering dogs. Not sure if I'll try greyhounds again or dogs from the shelter. Time will tell on that one.

At last, a pic of Tequi !

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So, her name is Tique...

I finally have the right name for the female active duty foster cat, it's Tique (Tiki). I emailed the owner and she got right back to me with lots of information about Tique and Josh. The parents are in Guam and she says it's beautiful but she misses her cats and is grateful the Humane Society does fostering for military men and women. I still don't have a picture of Tique because she doesn't come out much yet. I'm sure she will eventually, but until then, I'll keep laying on the floor and try to pet her while she's taking refuge under the futon. Josh has ventured out of the room a bit and has smacked Ditto through the baby gate. I imagine the first swat where he has his claws out, Ditto will learn not to mess with him! Victoria visits their room every day and is making friends.

Meet Josh, my active duty foster cat.

Looks a lot like Nash huh?! I picked up Josh and his sister Tequila Jean yesterday, these are the foster cats that I will have a while because their "people" got sent into active duty to Guam. Josh is a 14 pound linx point siamese and Jean is a 13 pound short hair black cat. She hasn't come out from under the futon yet so I wasn't able to get a picture of her. I am going to keep them isolated for a few days so they get acclimated to the dogs barking, other cats meowing, stuff like that. They still have their claws so I don't want them going postal on anyone either! Josh seems really sweet and has very soft fur. Wonder what TJ feels like!!

Valley of the Sun Half Marathon

I completed another half marathon yesterday. It was a great run but difficult. There were a few pretty good hills to climb and my body decided to fight back by cramping. I had to walk several times because of the stomach cramps but I still got my best time for a half yet! I finished in 2 hours and 16 seconds (2:00:16), that's over a minute faster then the Lost Dutchman run but I didn't have to walk in that one. I am disappointed about having to walk, but considering that I hadn't run since the Lost Dutchman run, I am pleased with my time. It was a beautiful run and I'm glad that I participated.

Nash

Meet Nash my new foster...

He Passed!!

This is my proud Ditto getting his graduation hat from our trainer Crystal. He passed his Canine Good Citizen exam last night after months of training and preparation. The exam is a pretty big deal and it's great that he passed. He had to pass 10 different tasks, including heeling, sit and stay, come, accept a stranger, sit politely when being petted, stand while being groomed, no reactions to distractions, and sit politely when meeting another dog. He doesn't do so well with meeting other dogs because he wants to meet them so bad, but he did really well last night. Now he is certified to be off leash in places like Phoenix if I so desire. Good job Ditto!

Bike Update

I tested out my new bike this past weekend. What a SWEET ride! It absorbs most of the small bumps and rides like a dream. I guess it was worth the money!

New Foster Cat...

I got a new foster cat yesterday. He's a 3 year old, 12 pound, linx point siamese. He came to me because he has an injured front leg that needs to heal. It doesn't look all that bad and I'll only have him for 2 weeks. He doesn't have a name yet but I'm working on it. He's very vocal like most siamese too! I'll post a picture as soon as my phone cooperates...

Funny Side Note: when I got to the Humane Society to pick him up, there was a homeless woman up near the front door and just as I pulled in, she dropped her drawers and pee'd all over the front entrance. I guess she was there to steal some of the donated cat/dog food because once she was done doing her business, she grabbed a bag of food and waddled off pulling up her pants. I-I-I !

Lost Dutchman Half Marathon

I ran the Lost Dutchman Half Marathon today. I wasn't doing very good all week when I'd try to train so I was concerned whether I'd be able to run the whole thing or not. My legs held out and I beat my PF Chang's time by about 3 minutes. I think that's pretty good considering that this run was really hilly. It didn't seem so hilly when I did it last year with my sister but I think that's because we walked it. It's all good though, I had a great time and finished strong.

My New Ride

I bought a new road bike the other day. It's an Orbea Diva and is going to be a SWEET ride! I only took it out for a 2 mile spin, but I was pleased with the responsiveness, handling, and smooth ride. I'm hoping to give it a good test this weekend and will keep you posted on whether it was worth the money, I sure hope it is!

Ski Trip Cont'd...

I'm happy to report that the ski trip got much better starting on Monday. I got my boot bag with all my gear and I was able to ski with my own stuff. The mornings started out pretty chilly, but warmed up nicely. I ski'd both Blackcomb and Whistler mountains and saw some beautiful sites and went down some great runs. Some of the blue runs were really steep and would be considered blacks at a lot of resorts. I only fell once and that was on day one when I was renting boots and trying out my new skis. The 2010 Winter Olympics are going to be Whistler and Blackcomb so we got to see some of the construction projects but they didn't affect our time on the mountain. Our trip back was uneventful and we made it home on time...YES!

Whistler ski trip woes...

What a nightmare so far! So, we take off for Vancouver at 6:45am on Saturday in hopes of being to our destination (Whistler Blackcomb Ski Mountain) by 7pm. Get into Denver a bit early and have a 2 hour layover until our flight to Vancouver. Then the board says its late by 3 hours. Ugh, but we'll still get to Whistler at a decent hour we think. 3 hours turned to 4 which turned to 5 which actually turned into the plane being 8.5 hours late and us in Denver airport for 11 hours! Get to Vancouver to find that my boot bag has been misplaced. Jesus, what next! Not only were my boots inside but all my other ski gear as well. Ski pants, socks, gloves, you name it. They said my bag had arrived in Vancouver but couldn't locate it. They will locate and deliver they say by the next morning. We have two buses leaving for Whistler, one to the condos and one to a 5 star hotel. I'm at the hotel. I get to the bus and they tell me the hotel overbooked by 46 rooms and we can't go to Whistler that night. What the fu+&?! They put us up in downtown Vancouver and we'll leave for Whistler the next morning, but not early enough to make first tracks. People are fuming mad. They feed us lousy pizza at midnight and we head to our rooms. Bags need to be ready for them to load by 6am, not much time for shut eye. Get up, get our sack breakfast and off we go. Get to the real hotel, check on my boots (they haven't found the bag yet), the rooms aren't ready. They truck us up and down a hallway 4 times and finally after over an hour we have rooms. Still no ski gear. I decide to rent and buy what I need so that the day isn't wasted. Some nice woman on the trip loans me gloves, I buy socks, neck warmer, etc and rent pants, helmet, and boots. The guy has no idea how to adjust my bindings and starts wrenching on my brand new never been ski'd bindings. I quickly stop him and tell him to either comp me skis or find boots big enough that he doesn't have to change my bindings...he gets bigger boots. Of course, they're a size bigger then I'd like but at least he's not wrecking my skis. Put on my rented ski pants and find a twenty spot in the pockets...sweet!, things are looking up! Head to the mountain and ski but its so bloody freezing I am only on the mounain a few hours. I call about my boots, still no progress. Get a voicemail later saying they'll be to the hotel by 7pm, great, no more rentals this week! 7pm comes and goes, still no boots. Its now Tuesday morning and I have no idea where my gear is. Sounds like an adventure so far, eh?!

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What's next...

What's the next adventure for me you may be wondering. Well, I will be skiing all next week in Canada. Should be a good time, eh?! After I get back, I have a couple more 1/2 marathons planned, as well as a century or two in the works. I will be riding in the Tour of Colorado in June so I really need to start training hills as much as possible. The Tour will have 6 days of riding and 38,000 feet of climbing...YIKES! I'm still not sure what I was thinking when I signed up for that one! I'm hoping to have a new bike before that ride but that'll depend on my tax refund. Other then just trying to get in shape and keep active, nothing new is on the horizon.

No foster cats or kittens right now

I currently don't have any foster animals to tell you all about. I decided that after my last ordeal and having vacation coming up that I'd take a few weeks off from fostering. I leave for Whistler tomorrow for a week of skiing, and it should be great! Once I get back, I'll start up the cat lady house again and will keep you all informed of my newest friends.

PF Chang's 1/2 Marathon Update

I ran my first 1/2 marathon yesterday. My time was 2 hours 4 minutes and 20 seconds and I'm thrilled! I was hoping to finish in 2 hours and 10 minutes so beating that time was exciting. My quads started to hurt at mile 9 and got progressively worse until the end of the race. By mile 12 I wasn't certain that I'd be able to finish, but I told my legs that it'd be only 1.1 miles left and to suck it up and finish! They cooperated and I was able to hobble over the finish line. I am still really sore today but I'm sure it'll get better in the next few days. Now what? I don't really have anything major on my list of things to accomplish. Maybe my next goal should be to try to beat the 2 hour mark...

Checking out their pics on my blog...

Ditto hanging out

Portland visiting the cat lady

Sad day...

I got bad news today...I picked up a new foster cat last Saturday that had part of her tail amputated as well as some abdomen wounds. After 24 hours of her not eating, drinking, or using the litter box I brought her back into the Humane Society to have her checked out. Unfortunately, she was too sick and had to be put down. I didn't get a picture of her, but she was gray and white like Orlando and Daytona. Hopefully she's in a better place now...

Why aren't you listening to me?!

Have you seen my dad??