LESSADVENTUROUS

What I've Been Up To: A List

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:31:34 -0700

Celebrating my 23rd birthday (the 17th)
Celebrating a year of employment (the 18th)
Decorating my apartment (hooray for having a coat rack!)
Browsing real estate web sites looking for a condo (there's a great building in Ballard I think I'll check out next weekend)
Teaching Charley to ring the bell when he needs to go outside (a success!)
Teaching Charley to stop barking at every single person or dog he sees (still a work in progress)
Driving up north with my parents to see my cousin before he leaves for Iraq
Listening to: Fleet Foxes, Okkervil River, My Morning Jacket, Liz Phair, Art in Malina, Tilly and the Wall
Watching: select X-Files episodes, My First Home on HGTV, I Love the 80s 3D
Reading: The Great Gatsby (finished yesterday), Blindness (will start tomorrow)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Dog Hunt Redux, part three

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:04:47 -0700

I found some dogs on Kijiji, and actually heard back from the people selling them.

This first one, a female miniature schnauzer, I could have as early as tomorrow, but I think that's way too soon. Also, I'm not sure how a "buff" colored miniature schnauzer comes about, but she's cute anyway (I'm guessing this is the dog for sale, but there are pictures of two different ones in the ad):

Miniature Schnauzer

She's only 11 weeks old, though, and I'm not sure how the apartment managers would feel about that. However, the breeder says she's almost house broken, so that's a plus! She also said she hasn't heard her whine or bark, but I know schnauzers tend to be a bit on the vocal side, which wouldn't be great.

I also heard back from the seller of some miniature dachshunds who has females in black and "wild boar" colors, but I am not too sure about them.

Ah, the pressure is getting to me. I don't think I'll ever be able convince myself to get a dog, because I just keep second-guessing it. I've researched so many breeds over the last few years, and keep going back and forth on them. Plus, there's the fact that Charley is such a great dog, and I'm not sure one I get will be able to live up to the expectations I have. Maybe I just need to go for it and hope for the best. But is that really the best way to go? Probably not...

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Random Etsy Finds

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:37:46 -0700

I've been perusing Etsy lately (mostly looking for art, since I have bare walls), and thought I'd share some noteworthy discoveries:

Rayguns Print

By johnwgolden, who has just a ton of prints available, with various styles and themes.

TTV Print

From AliciaBock, who has a great selection of TTV (through-the-viewfinder) print. I am going to purchase a couple, once I figure out which ones I like best.

Leash Holder

From bumblebellydesigns, this would take care of the perpetual problem at my parents' house: leashes scattered on the floor by the door. Other designs are available, as well, with different dog breeds.

"Flare" Pen Drawing

From yellena, this pen drawing has been on my favorites list for months, and I am sure I'll buy it (or one of the many others available in her shop) once I figure out where to put it.

Cheetah Print

From berkleyillustration, this print and the other animal prints like it amuse me a lot. And as if the pictures weren't funny enough, the accompanying descriptions add even more flavor. Here is the one for the Cheetah: "After cataract surgery ten years ago, this cheetah realized that an eyepatch can be a real conversation starter with the ladies. His eye has long since healed but his social calendar remains quite full."

Starlight Magnet

From CircaCeramics, which has loads more cool magnets, as well as cups, bowls, and vases with similar designs on them.

Fox Print

From groundwork, I pretty much love anything with foxes on it. They are the coolest (alongside koalas, belugas and penguins, of course).

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Dog Hunt Redux, part two

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:02:35 -0700

I just found this little puppy on Kijiji.com, and am bummed that she's so young. I really don't think my apartment managers would let me have her, since she's only eight weeks old, but look at that face!

Dachshund puppy

I'm pretty sure I can't pursue getting her, but she's so cute I figured posting pictures was okay.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Dog Hunt Redux

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:23:53 -0700

I started looking for a dog again, this time on Petfinder. Here are my findings:

Tomi, a terrier/spaniel mix

So this is Tomi, a small terrier/spaniel mix, who is five-and-a-half months old. I filled out an application for her, but I don't think I was accepted because the foster group said they'd contact me in 12 hours if I was, and that was on Monday. Oh well. Cute, though, right? Maybe I'll hear back from them someday.

Mocha, a mutt

Here's Mocha, who is a schnauzer/tibetan terrier/dachshund mix, a.k.a. a mutt. She and her three siblings are at the humane society a few hours north of Seattle, so I'm not sure how interested I am. Also, she's four month old, and my apartment building is hesitant to allow any dogs under six months old.

And that's all! So it's a slow search so far, but that's probably for the best. If you happen to see a cute, young puppy available in Washington area (female, preferably), please let me know.

Oh, and tomorrow I finally get to see my Charley! I've missed my puppy, who has been on vacation in Arizona since the beginning of February. My sister and I went down to visit him and my mom last month, and we tried to teach him to swim:

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Some things I bought today

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:09:54 -0700

I've been shopping on Etsy all day long. I decided I needed some new earrings, so that's what most of the purchases were, but I got some other goodies as well (including an earring tree because all of mine are currently sitting in a pile on my counter).

From esdesigns

From hollygems

Vacation in India

From mybellacosa

Green Vase

From marymeestudio

Earring Tree

From TimothyAdamDesigns

I also got some earrings from another website, that are gold and hoop-like. Now I just need some more spring clothes and a pot for my gardenia, and then I'll be all set for April!

Here are some other items I've been eyeing as well, for future purchases.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Wall Art

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:16:58 -0800

I forgot to put up these pictures when I took them, but a few weeks ago I ordered these prints from this Etsy seller. I think they look pretty good, but it's true that I'm quite a nerd. I also got this Life Aquatic one, but haven't framed it yet.

Dwight

Angela

Art and Shelves

Those shelves house part of my TV on DVD collection, which has grown to 102 sets. Only my BBC Office DVDs are on them, though.

By the way, this was my entire TV on DVD collection in late 2005 (my, how things change):

TV on DVD in 2005

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

A Weekend Update

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:32:28 -0800

I've decided not to get a dog at this time. I was kind of stretching my budget to make it happen, and I should probably just wait until that's not an issue. Not to mention the fact that I'd feel so horrible leaving her at home most days. Maybe when I stop looking, the right one will find me. Maybe? But I get to see Charley in Arizona in less than three weeks, so that's exciting.

In the meantime, I've been spending too much time finding ways to waste my money. I got a new book yesterday, despite the fact that I have at least three to read before it. Then today I bought a new moleskine, and a Timbuck2 bag. For quite a while I'd been meaning to find a smaller bag to take to work as an alternative to my Acme Made laptop bag, which just isn't working for me anymore. Aside from its size, I tend to throw everything into the pocket that runs along the flap, causing it to get really bulky and heavy (this week it contained my wallet, keys, key card, gloves, headphones, reusable shopping bag, and a book). So today I spent several hours trying to choose between their different models and fabrics (I almost got a hemp one), and I finally decided to build a small messenger. It looks like this:

Timbuk2 Messenger

I hope I like how it turns out, because it's kind of hard to tell how it'll look in person. Their website doesn't let you view close up pictures of their products, which I think is kind of weird. Simpleshoes.com has a great spin and zoom feature that I like, and Timbuk2 should look into it. Anyway, if I do like the bag, someday I might get their Commute model to use for my laptop. I looked at it today at REI and it was pretty nice.

In other news, the weather was crazy in Seattle today. First cloudy, then sunny, then downpour, then hail, and then sunny again. Spring is great! (It is spring now, right? It was about 60 degrees a few days ago, so I think it is.)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Dog Hunt, part six

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:12:59 -0800

This is the sixth entry in which I've discussed my hunt to find the perfect Havanese. Will it ever end? I hope so.

Yesterday I saw that a breeder in Oregon put up a new puppy on her site named Keeper, and he's the brother of the puppy from my first hunt-related post (Kendi).

Keeper

He's nine-months old, weighs about 11 pounds, and is crate-trained, housebroken, and neutered. If I decide to get him, the breeder is going to give me the mat he sleeps on and some of his toys, which is always a good thing.

My sister and I are going to drive down to her house (which is four hours away) on Saturday to see him, but I do have some hesitations. First, he's actually related to my parents' dog, Charley (first cousins), and I'm not sure I want a dog that looks so much like him. My mom says they look like twin cousins. I was actually hoping to find a black-and-white dog, and Keeper is quite light in color. Secondly, I got a bit used to the idea of getting a female, but I guess that's not a huge deal (except the fact that a tag with the name Ellie is on the way).

I really wish the other breeder hadn't given the female puppy to her sister (they had some sort of trade deal, I guess). I think she would have been just perfect for my situation! Plus, she didn't look much like Charley at all. But I know I just need to drop it, and hope the right dog comes along sooner than later.

More pictures of Keeper:

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Dog Hunt, part five

nobody@vox.com(Katie) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:51:52 -0800

The breeder gave the puppy to her sister today. Back to the hunt...

Read and post comments | Send to a friend