Whew.

With the conclusion of the Judging Seminar my goals for this part of the year are all in the past. I am pleased with how our first Nationals went, though I have to say Ten's bars in Jumpers and Hybrid were really disappointing. I suppose that's not a huge suprise to anyone. Next year I'll do a better job of keeping her brain in her head (and my brain in my head) and the jump bars in the jump cups.

I was tickled pink with Ky's performance at both Nationals and Tryouts. Such a good baby dog.

So, what's next for my dynamic duo? Ack - trio? Dynamic trio just isn't quite right.

Ten needs one more GP Q to be qualified for USDAA Nationals. That's our next big event. That's not really a goal on its own though.

This is a post in limbo . . . because at the moment we are rather in limbo. Plans being made. Plans being acted on. Plans swirling around in my mind . . .

David Byrne had middle age figured out. I remember being a teenager and realizing that some was not "for" me. Teen angst - different.

Yesterday I passed the AKC New Judge Seminar (test). Wow. That's pretty weird! I was then asked to fill out an application to become a judge. I get the idea that's a bit of a rubber stamp, but I won't be running around calling myself a Provisional Judge until I get my Judge's number.

I'm definitely going to have to do some buckling down. I feel like I have a ton of work to do before I should actually judge anyone "for reals." [Yes, I am plagiarizing myself here]

It's one thing to have passed the test but when I walk into *my* ring for the first time I really want to be a lot more confident than I was in the practical judging part of the exam.

One idea I hope could be fun is to have some wine and cheese "fun runs" army place. Set a course and have a group over to run it and enjoy some snacks and chat with beverages after.

Some fun facts from the weekend:

Number of fast food hamburgers consumed: Six.
Number of miles hiked along a lovely lakefront trail: Three.
Number of ticks I picked up in a 2 minute detour after I wandered off the trail in a dog training planning reverie: Five. One attached.
Number of times I looked up lyme disease last night: Surprisingly, zero.
Number of airplanes I've been on since Thursday: Four.
Number of cockroaches found in my room in Sanford: One.
Number of times I cursed myself for not getting a NICE room for an extra $40 last night instead of the very dodgy Microtel: Undetermined, lost count.

Here I am in North Carolina. Sometime on the plane after the connection in Ft Worth I realized that this is the North Carolina that recently passed some pretty hateful legislation and felt a little grumbly about giving them my tax dollars. Still do, but I can't claim my lack of recreational shopping has anything to do with that since I don't actually do in person recreational shopping.

I digress. Because I am bored. The last two days? Not boring at all. The seminar has been fun in it's way. Engaging and I learned a lot, though certainly the focus is equally on teaching and testing.

I came into the seminar feeling pretty unprepared and ready to fail the first time. At this point hope has reared it's ugly head. I'm down to one test, the practical judging, and at this point I'm weakly passing. You will be amused that the chief problem with my courses is that they aren't hard enough. :-) Missing side switches and options discovered at the 80 minute mark on a 90 minute test will lead to sending dogs into the wall over a triple . . .

I think I'm going to have to enter FAST and actually try to play it. Research project. Damn not ever having put Ky in it . . . She's be in novice. . . Also good research I suppose.

I'm sure it's my own fault for not looking harder for better food, but I've eaten HORRIBLY while here. My meals have all consisted of sugar and grease. Oh, plus sodium - my face looks all puffy.

Part of the problem has probably been my two week eating and drinking too much binge that started Sunday night in MN. Wow, gotta say, I really can pack on 7 pounds LICKETY SPLIT.

So, back on my "thou shalt not spend all afternoon sitting in the sun drinking a six pack" drugs. Too bad I *like* sitting in the sun all afternoon drinking a six pack. It is counter productive to everything else in life though. Dogs, relationships, getting a damn thing done. You get the gist.

Here's the part I should lead with since no one but me cares about all the blah blah. The girls are home with Scott trying out being latch key kids. Rave has been on a sleepover with his friend Birdie and her person since Thursday and comes home today. There are pictures. Heck if I can sort out how to post them from the iPad.

Wow - what a weekend. 


Super Monstar.


( Lots of blah blah here. )

Ky and I are off to tryouts tomorrow.  Our team work has plenty of room ahead for development, but getting her on the turf at Hopkins and me on the "stage" at Hopkins as a competitor have value.  I am spending time today packing, doing my toenails, hydrating, and reflecting on goals for the weekend.

Ky is mostly enjoying being wet after she hated having her paws groomed and getting a bath.

Ready baby dog?  We're going to have an adventure!

For a lady of liesure, my liesure time of late has been annoyingly short.  I don't have time to THINK and I'd really like a DRINK.

( Things on the plate (a lot of blah blah blah): )

Here are pictures.  Puppy!

Someday I'll grow up to be a big 'jility dog like my sisters. Handsome. Dork. Edit - - Awesome, pictures are nto showing up . . . maybe I'll try again later.

I'm a bad, bad, bad blogger. Stuff is happening. Lots of stuff. One of the things is *not* spending a lot of time writing and reflecting.

So - instead - PICTURES.

( Pictures! )

It could go this way.

Puppy is still offically Noname, but I am trying out some call names today. I think I've got his registered name down. Need to pick something, as last night he was biting the shit out of my hands during play and I started calling him Little Fokker.

I've been awful about blogging lately. Actually I've been awful about doing much of anything other than playing with the puppy. The lead up and away from Nationals really seemed to drain me. I'm behind on everything. Online classes, judging seminar prep, exercise, training and prepping Ky for tryouts. I'm way ahead on sleep and bathrobe time. ONE more cup of coffee and I'll get back in the swing, I'm sure.

Little Fokker is a pretty awesome puppy. He's a mouthy little dude - I mean talky not just bitey, since of course all 10 week old puppies are bitey. He gets VERY annoyed when he can't have something he wants and sings to the world about it at top volume. He has great toy drive and is already retreiving toys to be tugged with. He loves food too, though I'm not using much of that yet since he's got no name and the only thing I do with puppies with food is a recall.

He's not wild about people reaching for him. Maybe because it always precedes being contained, but I've been working to reach for him before play and before good things too. I may actually have to buy him a collar and do collar grab work with him. A good exercise, just not something I've done since I trained Cass back in the day.

I haven't gotten him out into the world much this week. A couple of days at the trial and different friends over last weekend, but not into the "wider world." I wanted to let him get settled in first. I suppose now it's time to go sit in front of Starbucks and take him for some trips to visit downtown.

Pictures! All iPhone stuff. My good camera battery is dead and I haven't found the charger since we moved. :-(


Puppy? What puppy?

I definitely don't see a puppy here.

Oh. Yeah - THAT puppy.


Noname Puppy - out of Groove and son of Manfare's Kurt Cobain and grandson of All Trade Flower Power Elvis.
Born to be a rockstar . . . hopefully without the pesky vomiting and goat roasting.