my life happenings, interests, thoughts, projects...
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Getting ready...
Not able to go all 4 days this year...It's been Philip and my tradition for the past 4 years. We're attending the 5th wedding of the summer on Saturday, so we can't dedicate the whole weekend this year.
If only I knew that discount tickets were available before 8/24! Oh well, I'm thinking a two day pass will do.(prices) I checked the schedule...Friday, The Itals(same time as the end of Wyclef Jean, Nappy Roots, 4th Avenue Jones), we'll have to see if my husband wants roots or hiphop...My vote is ROOTS!...Monday, Jewel
On Friday night we went over to Phil's coworker's house by the Mukilteo Ferry dock. Hot links, hot dogs, chips, corn, beer, henessy, vanila coke, steak, lots of mosquitos. I saved Phil from the Macho man drinking game, because I was cold and getting eaten alive...Saturday, was jussy's birthday party. Phil and I tried making Hawaiian style mac salad by combining a bunch of recipes found online. We almost got it, but there was something still missing. We met some of justin's friends. We were a bit surprised because we thought it would only be family, but good thing his friend's showed cause most of the family didn't come through. Only Auntie Julie and her kids. I guess a drive out of Spanaway is too far for some. If it were me, I'd welcome the invitation away. Late night of eating, entertaining, and later mahjong. Phil, Kuya Joel, Auntie Julie and Mom played into the night while I fell asleep on the couch, with dad snoring beside me one his chair. I was rudely awoken by my husband, hitting me with a folded afghan, "Wake up, Wake up!"...Sunday, 10 am Mass, then St. Ben's Filipino Simbang Araw(Gabi) meeting and potluck. Cancelled dance practice to see Aya off to the airport. Aya became extended family during her 3 month stay here away from her parents in Nagano. We didn't think she would get that emotional, but when she had to head down to the S gates, she hugged everyone and cried. We'll miss you Aya, return to us someday! Summer Slam with the gabdjansofia&daniela. Sofia got bored, so us girls played scrabble. Sofia beat us by over 20 points. It might have been because we allowed her to run into other words, or that we allowed her to us abreviations or maybe because she didn't close her eyes while picking her letters.(She didn't know you weren't supposed to look.) I finally finished reading When Elephants Dance before I fell asleep...
According to Akita Club of America: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD AN AKITA BE ALLOWED TO ROAM THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD!! Akitas are inherently aggressive toward other animals and for this reason, they should not be allowed to run free or roam at will. You can exercise your Akita off leash when you are in an area where contact with other animals and people is unlikely.
Akitas are not tolerant of other dogs especially those of the same sex Male Akitas show aggression toward other male dogs, and female Akitas usually will not tolerate another female. Akitas can live peacefully with a dog of the opposite sex, though some Akitas prefer being an only dog!
Akitas are also very stubborn and when the dog thinks it's a waste of time to "sit" or "stay" one more time, he will simply walk away!
These explain a lot about our baby Dioji. We're smart for following rules, we didn't even know about. I bet he felt a little jealous with all those dogs running around with no leashes, but he got to visit and smell and mark, with no trouble.
Tyson pees on everything too, even Sienna. I guess he's marking her as his...
Tennis one week, Dog park the next. Thanks Fel and Janet!
Saturday: 4th wedding of the summer. Congrats to Philip's co-worker Carlos and his wife Elise! Wierd to be at a wedding at 11:15am and leave by 2:30pm. The guests started eating before the bride and groom were done with their recieving line. I felt bad for going in line before the couple. Later, Phil and Janet played tennis at the private court, while Fel and I sat and watched and talked. I tried playing tennis with the wall, but it beat me really quick. Obviously, its not my talent. Prime rib for two for $30 at Black Angus. Alltogether we had 6 take home boxes. Karaoke into the night on Janet's dad's prized posession 65" flat screen TV. Ebony and Ivory provided good laughs. (Chinese guy with red lipstick and face painted half white, half black)
Sunday: 10am Mass, Dim Sum with Family, home for a nap, walk on Loop Trail at Discovery Park(no dogs allowed on the beach), encountered two fluffy white w/ brown spot Akitas, too cute! Another movie, Late Dinner of prime rib dip sandwiches and our leftover chocolate cake. Kinda early to bed...
Roofracks and rooftop cargo bags: We already had our Roofrack, so Friday I went on a mission to find a Rooftop Cargo Bag. I found a little one to fit our little car at REI. The only thing I would do to improve the design, is to make the zipper go around the circumference of the bag, instead of just a slit down the middle. Philip's workaround the the problem was to pack the roofbag on the ground first and the lift it up onto the roof. This works well if its only light stuff, otherwise you have to get up on the car roof and pack the thing.
The Vehicle Pet Barrier: I should have purchased this a long time ago! Dioji road in the back on a 3 hours car ride. He didn't lick the back of the passengers heads and couldn't jump over the back seats up into the front seat when he saw something he wanted to GET(like a cat or a female dog in heat). We stopped a couple of times, so he could drink water and pee. Otherwise, he was looking out the window at the scenery the whole time. What a good dog!
One bad invention: the retractable leash Sure it lets your dog roam 26 feet out and simulates freedom. But when you're not paying attention and your 140 lb dog, who doesn't bark or growl before attacking, decides to pounce on a little rat like mini doberman, there's no way to reel him in. Philip and my dad ended up with rope burns on their hands and had to tackle Dioji to get him to stop. So control wins out over freedom. Our Gentle Leader comes to the rescue and is more humane than letting Dioji pounce and maul a little rat-like dog. My opinion of retractable leashes? Leashes for people who are too lazy to train their dogs. On the other hand, I wish we could train our own dog well enough that he responds to sign language. I saw a lady 10 feet in back of her dog, clap to get the dog's attention, do the dog training sign for sit and the sign for stay, and the dog responded obediently and waited for her to catch up with him. I guess that would also depend on the breed of dog. Maybe instinct wins over obedience in Dioji.
It was another great summer weekend. A good summer wouldn't be complete without a trip with the family to one of my favorite places in the whole world...Look, it's beautiful!
Church and family breakfast after mass. Home for a quick nap. We took Jayme to see Signs at the Cinerama. It was pretty good, but the 2 homeless guys sitting three seats down from us were the real entertainment. One of them must have got his check! Enough to treat his friend to a bottle of the finest and a matinee for two. Let's just say we were way more tolerant of them than some of the other movie goers. The funniest part was when they started snoring and then you hear, "HEY WAKE UP! I DIDN'T BRING YOU TO A MOVIE SO YOU CAN SLEEP!" Then you hear from all directions, "SSHHHH!". "Shut up!" Jayme and I were just cracking up! We spent the evening walking the dog, doing a little gardening(I got a new lavender plant during our walk!), having a late candle lit dinner of chicken ceasar salad for me and rice and buffalo wings for philip, then finishing the evening by reading all our newspapers we didn't read during the week.
I'm driving a Chevy Cavalier this week. The RAV4 is getting a makeover finally and will be almost brand new when I get it back. All we have to do later is get an oil change and get that new muffler tightened up, so it doesn't sound like a stupid rice rocket.
I admit that I very much enjoy teen movies. There's something about the standard plot...The overlooked "out-crowd" girl getting swept off her feet by the "in-crowd" guy. It's true, ie, Sixteen Candles, She's all that, Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club(Allie Sheedy hooks up with Emilio Estevez). The standard plot can always swing the other way too, the dorky guy gets the popular girl, ie, Say Anything, Can't Buy Me Love, Breakfast Club(wow, this one has it all! Molly Ringwald hooks up with Judd Nelson), Valley Girl, Clueless, Footloose.
A Walk to Remember follows the same standard plot, but has a twist. Let's just say, I cried watching a movie again. Is it me at an overly emotional time? Or is it really the movies?
Philip said Mandy Moore reminds him of Cindoy, but he can't put a finger on why... I say 'cause they're both cute.
