Cook Concert in More Detail

Last night, we saw David Cook with the Crash Kings doing an opening set at the Oregon State Fair. We had terrific seats, only three rows back to the right side or stage left side. I actually ended up in the second row, because the people who had tickets in front of us never showed.

I was pretty surprised that anyone was opening, though I knew the Crash Kings had opened Cook's last few shows. The Crash Kings definitely earned themselves some new fans. I'd heard a couple songs, but was really impressed with them live. Tony, the lead singer, has an amazing range and strong vocal ability. Their lyrics are interesting and quirky and they can ROCK! They put out a powerful sound for being a three man band, for sure. I couldn't get great pictures, but there was a fourth guy sitting at the second drum kit doing nothing but rocking to the music the whole time Crash Kings were on stage. You'll see someone with dark hair in a grey hooded sweatshirt and white heart-shaped sunglasses in the stream. That's Tony of the Crash Kings making it clear to everyone that the dude who sat at the drum kit during his set was David Cook in the same outfit and a blondish wig. Figures!

David Cook finally came on at 8:05 and only played until about 9:20 or so. My only complaint is that I'd have loved for him to play longer! He mentioned he's been on tour since February 13th and I'm pretty sure he has at least another couple months' worth scheduled. Can't imagine being on the road that long and working hard to make every night memorable, but he really did. He puts on an entertaining show, his personality really sucks you in, and his music is really good. You get the sense that he's remained pretty humble and he's got quite a sense of humor. The set included many songs from his latest album, an unreleased song called "We're Only Honest When We're Sleeping," a cover of "Hot for Teacher," and a bit of "Hotel California" slipped into "Kiss on the Neck."

So a great time was had by all! I've posted all the pics on my Flickr stream. This was the first time I'd used my camera in low light, so lots of experimenting. Worked best to go auto with no flash, I think, but wiggling at a concert and my low photographic ability are pretty evident. Here are a couple more just for fun, though!

Oh, yeah!

All I can say is he was fantastic! Here is one of many, many pics and probably not the best one. We were pretty close, which was great. Hub really enjoyed it, too, so guess that means I'll get to see him the next time he comes around! Anyway, this is just a quick preview. More to report/post tomorrow. I think I'll have to figure out Flickr to put them all up.

Oh, here's another to prove he was in Oregon...

Photographic Evidence

And here she is, Ch* Wolfrun White Lightnin' ~



Thanks again to Kim and Mark at Samhain Cardigans for the hosting, support, and wonderful friendship! I think I see a family resemblance between the girls, whaddya think? :)

Yippee!!!

Quick post to say thank you, thank you, thank you to Kim K and Mark for being lovely hosts, supporting us so much, and sharing the points this past weekend!

Most of you have already heard the awesome news, but Savannah is now, pending AKC approval, Champion Wolfrun White Lightnin'. She's even got the new crate tag to prove it! Many thanks to everyone who encouraged us along the way and kept us going even when it felt like we were both beating our heads against the wall. Thanks to Judge Cathy H Daugherty for awarding Savannah with Winner's Bitch and Best Opposite Sex for her second major to complete the championship. Now Miss Mud Princess is looking for a good agility class, maybe a bit of tracking, and perhaps herding if the sheep don't remind her too much of Komodors. And, yes, I'm tempted to special her a day or two at Eugene. ;)

Thoughts of the Red Dog or Revised Priorities List

"Hmmm...let's see, sleep, then basketball, then treats, then food, then chewie, then hmmm...what else is there....hmmmm...oh yeah, doggie secks. Oh, wait, I don't like that at all. I might even like the kitties better than that. Why won't she leave me alone? I just want to rub on her and play, but she just won't get out of my way and she just won't play. Geez, really, leave me alone, okay? I don't like you that way anymore. Seriously! Mooooooooooommmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Poor boy really wants to be rescued and can't figure out what the heck Savannah wants. Savannah, on the other hand, er, paw, can't figure out why Ethan doesn't love her and worship at her feet (or other parts). And Libby's just grateful to not get molested anymore when Savannah turns Ef down. He still thinks the face eating is really cute, but he couldn't care less about anything beyond that. Pooooooor Bobannah!!!

Wow!

People said over and over that neutering a dog, even one who has been intact for five years, would make a difference. Did I really believe it? Only slightly. Did I think it would make a big difference? Not really. Did I think it would happen this quickly? Absolutely not! Am I 100% sold on the change? No, but it is truly an amazing transformation.

My five year old dog hasn't been easy to deal with since he was about five months old. He seemed to be mellowing a bit with age, but still, he's not been easy by any stretch of the imagination. The first shocker was taking him in to the vet. The last time he was there, they had us give him a pill to "sedate" him before bringing him in. If anything, it made him worse. We literally had to dump him out of his crate and then had to corner him to try to muzzle him. This time, we didn't give him anything beforehand, took him in the back door, put him up on the table, had them check him and shave a spot to find the vein on his leg and knock him out, all without a single growl, let alone snap. We felt like that was a major accomplishment, but it's continuing and far beyond that.

The next shocker is how he's reacted after surgery. Any past sedation or anesthetic has made him even more unpredictable than usual for at least a month afterward. I'm just hoping what is happening now isn't a different kind of unpredictable, because now has been nothing short of amazing.

Things that would normally set him off don't anymore. The lovey dovey puppy who was sweet to both me and Hub is back. Savannah is in standing heat and he plays with her and thinks she's cute, but that's it. He loses interest quickly and doesn't react badly at all when she tries to eat his face off. He shares chewies and toys and doesn't get as defensive about treats. He's still not a real kitty fan, but he doesn't seem as focused on hating them as he used to be. And the funny little idiosyncrasies he had as a puppy seem to be coming back. He was a very sensitive puppy. He got his "feelings" hurt somewhat easily if scolded and he'd pout a bit until he was sure everything was okay again. He's always come to "check" me when I sneeze or I cry and has been concerned about what is happening with me. Now it seems to be back with both Hub and me. He got in trouble for going into the cat room last night and proceeded to sulk in the back yard until Hub made it clear that he wasn't in trouble anymore. He also stopped playing for awhile when we brought their special toys out because Hub wasn't playing, too. I don't know if Ethan thought he was in trouble again or what, but Hub couldn't play due to a tweaked back and it seemed to really bother Ethan. Once Hub threw the ball from a seated position, Ethan figured all was well and was happy-go-lucky boy again.

So, I'm incredibly amazed. I wouldn't bet on it lasting, I'm "knocking wood" as I talk about it, but I'm hopeful. I won't ever let my guard down entirely, but I'm certainly impressed. Wow!

Marking the seasons...

As is my norm, I'm documenting when Savannah is back in. She's been smelling pretty good to Ef for about a week, but just started showing signs of poochiness today. I thought she'd be in full swing last weekend, so technically, she's about a week or two late. No biggee! Just really glad Ef didn't get a chance to make last time around puppies or something. Of course they'll have to stay separated this time around again. I'm sure Ef could still have some swimmers in there.
Ethan seems to be doing much better today. Tired still, but acting more normal and wanting to spend more time up. He'll probably get to go off leash in the yard a bit today. Just have to keep Savannah from jumping on him and trying to eat his face off in her oh-so-flirty way.
In knitting news, it's just a week and a half to Sock Summit. I've got homework done for two of my classes and need to work on the other three. Fortunately, it's all pretty quick to do. Can't wait!!!

Twitter, how I love thee

I can't believe I'm so hooked to Twitter, but I sooooo am. I don't do Facebook or MySpace...too time-consuming...but Twitter, oh Twitter. I can just blurt out a bit, comment to someone quickly, and run away. And it works so nicely on my new Blackberry. I find out all sorts of things quickly that I either wouldn't find out at all or it would be awhile before I found out. And the links people put up...I love the links. Here are three I enjoyed just from today. One is a pattern for a cute entrelac knit pouch to give entrelac a test drive posted by @knittingnews. Another is a cute video of Boston Terriers diving for a toy in a swimming pool. And another is an article about medieval knitting, probably also from @knittingnews. I've found long lost friends from high school and talk far more with an old friend on Twitter than I have on email since we reconnected. So, if you Tweet, let me know!

On a totally different topic...David Cook will be at the Oregon State Fair on Saturday, September 5. Woot!

Happy birthday to my beloved red dog

Happy birthday to my ornery, sweet, hard-headed, caring, growly, darling, most beloved red dog, Ethan (CH C-Myste Mission Impossible). He's spending a quiet evening in his crate after tweaking a front paw some time today. He did get a new chewie last night, some show bait for memories tonight, and he'll get a long walk and lots of time with his favorite basketball (ironically nearly the same color as he is) when he heals up. And, without further ado, the picture commentary of my boy...

Woot!

After going fourth in open yesterday, Savannah gave me a fantastic birthday present today by going Winners Bitch and Best of Winners for 5 points at the supported entry at the Chinitimini Kennel Club in Albany today. When Judge Honey Anne Glendinning pointed at her for open, I squealed. I was just pleased she did well there in such a large, quality class. I've been stunned ever since she gave her winner's and can't really remember much after that, other than frequent utterances of "Holy crap!" Official pictures will be up by the end of the week. In the meantime, Emily took pictures of today's festivities, so keep an eye out there. Now Savannah has 13 points and one major, so we'll be looking for one more. :)

Almost as good as watching men do housework...

I've become a wee bit addicted to Twitter. One that I follow called Trazzler offers travel ideas and pictures. Today they lured me with "Watching Men Knit on Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca, Peru". Knitting in public on a whole other level! Love it!

For the dog and knitting fans alike....

Saw this on Shannon Okey's blog today:



I've heard all sorts of things about what men do with sheep, but this is pretty amazing! ;) And what about those dogs!?!

If Savannah was a teenager...

...she wouldn't talk to me for weeks when she found out I posted this gorgeous photo of her in her new grooming gear that I affectionately call her track suit. Pink skulls...how fitting!

You can tell by the look on her face just how hard I was laughing. Thank goodness the hubby took the pic on his cell phone! I couldn't have quit shaking in time. I did fold it back onto her neck so her ears could stick up. She's really not thrilled about it, but it did the best job on the shoulder and butt curls of anything I've tried with her, so she's stuck with it!

The Angle Pictures

I took a stab at drawing the angles on two of my three. First is my boy at almost three. First from the side with angles drawn.

Note that the issue here isn't a short upper arm, but a short humerus. The angle's there, but there isn't enough in the humerus to wrap around the chest. He also tends to have a bit of a flat bottomed chest.

Here is an angle shot of my youngest girl. I think she's got great shoulders and she can flat move.

Yep, that's really me and, yep, I no longer am as wide as my dog is long. :) Not the greatest stack of the rear, obviously, and I'm still playing with the wee curl on her butt, but you get the idea. And here's her front.

Hmmm...didn't seem to get a real good one with today's bright lighting, so this will have to do. She also wasn't standing all that well. I think her chest looks better than in this picture...seems washed out and blended into the table. Her pasterns are on the long side, though.

In knitting news, I finished my black sweater. Here is a picture of me in it squinting painfully at the hubby in the bright sun.

Kinda like a really unattractive mug shot, eh? And I should really try to take a pic of it with a shirt other than black under it...doh! Oh, and look a little happier. :) Whatever. At least it's a wee bit of knitting content. This is the second sweater I've ever made myself and the first that really looks like the typical sweater. Now I'm working on a new one that I got through the Malabrigo club that is a gorgeous spring green soft wool. I just hope I can get it finished in time to wear it before summer!

Here we go again...

So, I obviously don't keep the blog up, but it is a great place to track certain things. This one tracks the days Ethan is in love, otherwise known as Savannah's in heat. Again. Right before a show. Again. Lovely! Guess that gives us a good excuse as to why she won't stand still on the table, eh? So sorry to all the boy dog owners!!!!

In other news, work is crazy. Application time again. UGH! I worked 11 hours overtime this week. Craziness!!! I did it so I wouldn't have to work this weekend, though, and it was worth it. I'm off to have the hair colored and cut, followed by a massage later today. That should make up for some of it!

Knitting is good and I'm bad, because I never take pictures of it. And the sun has hidden away this weekend, so it's likely we won't get any new ones, but I'll try to keep an eye out for opportunities. I've got about half a sock to go to finish a pair, I've got ends to weave in and blocking to finish my black alpaca sweater (the first to fit the new me), and lots of odds and ends that I've either made quickly or am trying to finish up. I've joined two clubs this year. A sock yarn club called Sock Yarnista by Three Irish Girls and a Malabrigo club through Eat.Sleep.Knit. I can't keep up with the socks, though, so may only stay in a few more months. The Malabrigo club is for the entire year. This month's shipment is going out today and is for a sweater. Can't wait!