The Rudy has The Fleas

Oh. My. Goodness.

I'm feeling totally guilty and negligent about our little puppy this week because the poor guy has fleas.  This is a tragedy and also sending me into panic mode... I all but bug-bombed our home last night.

It started as a typical Wednesday night.  BF and I finished eating dinner and sat down on the couch to watch some tv with Rudy before heading to the gym.  The dog had been acting super jumpy and aggitated but we couldn't figure out what was going on.  Rudy had climbed in between BF and I on the couch and rolled over to have his "tummy rubs" that he loves so much.  As we were petting his stomach I noticed a single black dot that started to move.  I tried to pinch it out of Rudy's fur, but it was too quick.  I quickly jumped up and grabbed a flea comb from Rudy's box of stuff (more on that later) and ran back to comb through his fur.  Sure enough I found 3 live fleas!  BF told me that Rudy had been scratching his hind-end a lot earlier that morning but he didn't think much of it since we bathe him pretty regularly and give him monthly Frontline treatments from the vet.

We figured that Rudy must have got it from playing in fields of tall grass that we walk through on our evening walks with him.  Like I said, he's bathed regularly and given monthly flea treatments. None of the other dogs he plays with have them either, but I still cannot help but feel responsible.  He's itchy and uncomfortable and I just feel bad for him.

I immediately ran to the store and bought flea wash and spray for Rudy and carpet and upholstry spray for the house- who KNEW what had been infected.   And who knew that flea shampoo, spray and carpet spray would set me back about $40!  But I figure it was necessary.  We promptly threw Rudy into the tub and soaped him up generously.  As he was drying I took the carpet/upholstry flea spray and sprayed Rudy's bed, the couch, all of the areas Rudy like to hang out in and then under our bed because Rudy frequently crawls under there to sleep when he's tired of his own bed. 

Rudy getting a bath.  This wasn't from last night, but the only pathetic bath picture of him we have during a weekly bathing session.

It became a cleaning frenzy and I stripped our bed and washed all of our sheets, blankets, pillows and comforter with HOT water and a little bleach just in case any had found their way to our bed (even though Rudy is not allowed on the bed you never know... plus, like I said he's frequently under it).  Then I started pulling stuff out of corners in our room and dusting/vacuuming EVERTHING.  Once I was done with the bedroom and main living areas I took some bug spray and sprayed the perimeter of our place, our porch and around all of our windows (outside, of course). 

BF continued on to the gym, but I stayed behind and cleaned... once I get going on a project it's hard for me to break away until I finish!  I then moved on to the extra bedroom and started packing up items that BF and I are going to store (seasonal things that are taking up space but that we want to keep for holidays and for winter/cold months). 

By the time BF got home I felt much better about our situation.  Rudy was still a little itchy but I think all of the fleas are gone or on their death bed.

I'm Not Dead! and Other Amazing Things

Yesterday and Monday were the WORST DAYS EVER to be sick.  I just have so much going on that I didn't have time to sleep and get better, which is precisely why my body was like, "Hey, let's go ahead and catch this cold/flu thing that is going around."  But I survived and today I feel back to my old self again, with an added bonus of congestion.  And even though I didn't have time, it was nice to be in bed for a whole day and eat soup.  I love soup.  You can eat a whole can of it and it's only like 120 calories. 

Between naps the past two days I've been busy packing up my stuff because BF and I start moving TOMORROW.  If that isn't awesome I don't know what is.  I can't even handle it because we will have the best, coolest, funnest house EVER.  You are all invited to come and see/experience the superbness once we are all moved in.  Also we get to eat pizza.  Because apparently that's what you eat when you move.  I'm not going to argue with that.

BF also got his teacher business cards in the mail the other day.  I didn't realize that teachers had business cards, but I guess when you are substituting it's good to be able to leave contact info with schools.  Oh the things I don't think of.  Anyhow, they are pretty snazzy, with a blackboard and a jaunty pile of books on them.  Jealous?  I am.  Mine are plain white with alternating sports figures and sports equipment on them and orange lettering.  I want purple ones.


So now you all can rest easy because I am on the mend... I know you were worried.


To come... more product reviews and the deal with magnetic bracelets.

Heather Needs A Nap

I don't know what it is about this week but it seems like I just can't get enough sleep!  I'm not going to bed super late or getting up any earlier or doing more than usual so I have no idea what's up. 

Yesterday I was super tempted to go out and take a nap in my car during my lunch break, but I know that once I'm asleep a hurricane couldn't wake me up so I decided against it. 

I think that it could be partially because I had such a full weekend and didn't get to laze around as much as I normally do on the weekends so my body never got that recovery time. 


Also, last night, the whole issue of BF's mom not liking me came to a head.  That was fun...  BF had a conversation with the parents about it and then a conversation with me about it and I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because I don't deal with other people's issues very well when I feel like I've been doing the best I can to help.

We'll work through it, and basically all I have to do is continue to do what I've already been doing, which is to be social with the family and try to get to know them more.  Hopefully it'll be easier now.  It's just frustrating. 

I feel bad because BF is stuck in the middle of the issue. He's trying so hard to make things easier on both sides, but really he knows there's not much he can do. 



On a completely separate train of thought- I bought my Shampooless ingredients last night (for a whopping $8 dollars total).  I'm going to try it this evening after I go to the gym.  I also have a back-up method in case this is a disaster, but I feel like it probably won't be since I've read about a million success stories with it. 

Is it Friday yet? 

Secrets Secrets...

Are totally fun and BF has a hard time keeping them.


This week I decided to take some time off of work to hang out and enjoy the summer.  BF and I started crafting plans for my days off (some of which are listed in yesterday's post). 

Yesterday while I was at work I got a text from BF asking ,"So if i were to plan something for all day/night thursday and come home friday would that work?"

I answered, "Yes, I think so."

To which he replied," Well, you should be sure because I'm making reservations now-ish... Also, it's a surprise.  Also, it will blow your mind."

And then I got all excited because I love surprises, but hate them at the same time.  I could hardly stand the excitement of it.  The rest of the day I was trying to figure out what BF was planning and about a million things ran through my head such as:

1.  Maybe we're going to Seattle.  I don't really like Seattle.  But it'd be fun to get away.

2.  Maybe were' going to Canada... well, that's not long enough to go to Canada.

3.  I think we're going to the coast.  But where on the coast? 

4. Possibly we're going to Mt. Hood.  I don't know where to stay up there, but that's definitely where we're going.

5.  BEND!  Bend isn't that far. 


I attended a work dinner, so after work BF and I were lounging around watching nothing on tv when he says, "Do you want to know where we're going?"

And of course I say," YES!!!"

Then we go back and forth on whether or not he should tell me because he never can keep a secret from me and always ends up telling me what it is well ahead of time. 

Yes, he told me where we are going and it is not only awesome but very sweet and thoughtful of him.  I'm not going to tell you where we are going or what we are doing until I return from said trip. 


I'm so excited for today to be over and for my vacation to begin!

Friday List

This morning I was writing my "To Do" list at work for the day, and then I wrote my "Grocery List" since it's payday, and then I wrote my "Bills to Pay" list- again since it's payday, and then I decided... why not write a more fun list?



Things that I want to do/Things that I want (in no particular order):


1.  Go to the Universal Studios Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park.  I don't even have to explain this one.  Dani and Mike should come too.


2.  Take the train from Portland to Vancouver, BC and then the ferry over to Victoria.  I've been to Vancouver and to Victoria, but it's always been in a car... not the same as a train.


3.  Anti- anxiety meds for traveling.  I hate airplanes.  I hate other people driving.  I'm getting better in cars and vehicles where other people are driving, but not so great in the sky.  Turbulence sends me over the edge.  And then I heard about the plane last week that had to emergency land in Denver because they hit such bad turbulence that people flew out of their seats and hurt themselves.  I would have had a full blown panic attack and possibly a heart attack.


4.  Kilted skirt and matching sash in the McKenzie Dress Tartan for special occassions, with the McKenzie clan sash pin.


5.  The new iMac 21.5 inch, 1T hardrive desktop computer. 


6.  New Zealand.


7.  An autographed picture of Craig Ferguson.


8.  More cookbooks.


9.  Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Perfect trip.  I want to go in the early fall before it gets too cold, but when the trees are all colorful at the castles and when I won't get sweaty hiking around.


10.  Ireland, Scotland, England.  I just like old things and old places and these countries are full of old.  That sounds weird.


11.  Road trip to Colorado to see friends with BF.  Colorado is beautiful, and I haven't seen a lot of my CO friends in years so it'd be nice to get back and see them all.  Plus, BF has never been to Colorado so I could take him to all of the pretty places.

Quick, Think of Ways to Cheer BF Up!

... before he knows what's going on.

Last night BF was really low.  It was heartbreaking.  Mostly because I felt helpless because I couldn't fix the situation.  The situation being that BF still doesn't have a permanent teaching job for the school year and the news on that front is that a lot of schools are actually still CUTTING jobs so the prospects aren't looking good.  He has a few leads on jobs that haven't been officially posted so I'm keeping my fingers crossed, sending him my positive vibes, and then trying to meditate it all into existence. 

I know I cannot fix this... but I really want to help.  BF is a very happy and easy going guy so seeing him sad and frustrated is hard for me. 

I've been working on a way to cheer him up and I have a few ideas, but I'm always open to suggestions (hint, tell me if you have a good idea).  Clearly I cannot post my current ideas because I don't know when BF has or has not read the blog and therefore I would be giving up my surprise good ideas if I publish them.

This morning as I was thinking of things I could do, I decided to catch up on other people's blogs so I did a little reading.  I stumbled upon one person's and she mentioned something about how she googled "sad kittens" on Google Images and how it was horrible, so it sounded like a good idea to me.  

You guys, I laughed SO HARD at these pictures.  I don't know why.  I may be a horrible person, but if you think the same things I think are funny then you should try it as well. 

I linked a bunch of the pictures to an email and then I sent it to BF hoping he'd get a laugh out of it as well.  I haven't gotten a horrified text or call yet so I'm hoping he's enjoying it as much as I did.  


In other news, I got to work at ass o'clock this morning and was so motivated I got everything on my "To Do" list done by 9:30 this morning... I'm currently working on a new "To Do" list to occupy the rest of my day. 

Oh, And You Thought I Was Joking

Yesterday I did some intense research regarding where to buy kilts in Portland. I found a few places, but I decided to go a different route because I don't have $400 to spend on a kilt.



I went to the Sport Kilt website and found exactly what I was looking for. Sport Kilts are not traditional kilts because they are not made with the same amount of fabric and they are not made of wool. They come in a few different styles and fabrics depending on what you want to wear them for and are only $40-$100.



Last night I showed BF the Sport Kilt site and he picked the style and tartan he liked and we ordered it! I put it in as a rush order so hopefully we will have it by Brew Fest next weekend where he promised to wear it. I also ordered a lady kilt since we were already placing an order.



On the topic of kilts- did you know that they make kilts for EVERYTHING? They have dress kilts for more formal occassions (like weddings, etc), team kilts for sports, hiking and running kilts, utility kilts for work (for guys who do construction, etc). I was amazed.



I think if we like the kilts we will order dress kilts. I have no idea why I really like the idea of that, but I do.

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Boy Howdy, is that true.


Last night, BF and I went to dinner at PF Chang's because I won a $25 gift card at work, and then someone gave me a $50 gift card as a thank you so we had $75 to spend at PF Chang's... so how could we not? It was awesome. I had the Almond-Cashew Chicken and BF had the Spicy Chicken, but because we weren't paying for it we also got the Fried Wontons and Spring Rolls for appetizers. Dinner out is so much better when it's free.

After dinner we headed to Sellwood to hit up Staccato Gelato because BF had tokens (like mini gift cards) and so we ate gelato for dessert for free as well. I had espresso gelato and pistachio gelato and BF had Black and White gelato and some sort of berry gelato. Fruit... who needs it in desserts?


So we had an awesome, entirely FREE night out.

I'm going to be somewhat bored this weekend because BF is going kayaking for a class. He leaves tomorrow and doesn't come back until Sunday night. Can you believe you get college credit for kayaking for 3 days and looking at pretty nature stuff? That's insane. I'm just jealous. Whatever.


But while BF is gone, I will be hunting down a kilt for him. This is not a joke. I need to find him a kilt pronto so that he will wear it to the Oregon Brew Fest in a week. If you know where to get one in Portland let me know! I'm doing my interwebs search today.

What Up With That?

BF likes this SNL skit with Kenan Thompson in it where he plays this crazy soul singer talk show host who starts singing, "OOOOEEEEEE, what up with dat, what up with dat?". It's pretty funny, but BF get's so exicted about it his reaction makes the skit 100 times funnier.

Anyway, last week at work we had virus/worm issues and then this week at work my display settings on my large screen were all wonky and I have yet to get my screen view right again... despite my efforts. I just want to know, what is up with technology sometimes? Right when I have things to do it decides, "Nope, not going to work that way... and while we are disagreeing, I'm also going to just change some other things and not notify you so that you are crazy confused as to what has happened." Thanks, computer.

Also, apparently there's a Death Heat Wave on the East Coast. They are all, "It's going to be 105 degrees today!"

My answer to that is, "Hey, remember last year when it was like 105 degrees for over a week in Oregon and my life was falling apart and I got heat rash and allergy induced excema and couldn't eat anything?" Yeah, so take that, East Coast. I'm sure we're going to get it here in the West soon enough. It's supposed to be a million degrees today and tomorrow in the Northwest, give or take a degree, and by that I mean 95. It's not that bad, but our weather has been ping-ponging between 55 and rainy and then 80 and sunny since the end of March so I feel like the weather gods are suffering from bi-polar disorder.

On the same note, I want to remind everyone that when it gets super hot the rolling black-outs are soon to follow. I've put together some stay cool tips and reminders below:


1. Don't leave lights on whe you aren't using them- they generate heat, which you then have to use more energy to cool again. Side note- don't leave anything turned on that you aren't using... because you will contribute to the strain on the power grid and thusly, black outs.

2. Drink lots of water. If you stay hydrated you are less likely to suffer heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Bring water with you when you venture out.

3. If you are going outside in the heat, bring your own shade. That could be a hat, an umbrella, etc.

4. Close your blinds and curtains at home when cooling your house during the day. The sunlight streaming through the window can heat up the house quickly.

5. If you feel overheated, rest and cool your pulse points. Sometimes a nice damp, cool cloth on the neck is all you need.

6. Don't forget to eat. Sometimes when it's hot we lose our appetites. Try to snack on fresh fruits and veggies to help hydrate and to keep your body supplied with nutrients, and sometimes a salty snack like pretzels or peanuts to help us retain salts.

7. Wear lightweight fabrics like cotton or linen. Polyester and other synthetic fibers aren't that great at letting our skin breathe and can trap heat close to our bodies.

8. Wear deoderant. This isn't really helpful to you, but it's helpful to me. I don't want to smell you. This comment is specifically for the people I have to see on a more regular basis. I love you, but I don't love BO. Also, Lady-at-the-Gym, this is for you. You did a great job of clearing out the cardio area the other night and I only had five more minutes left on the bike.


I hope everyone stays cool. I'll be chillin in my AC'd home eating popcicles and using my personal handheld fan while I read my 39 Clues books.

And It WAS Awesome

Like I mentioned yesterday, I got an email from Gustav at 94.7 fm to come and do my perfect playlist in person on the radio and of course I accepted the invitation. It was very exciting because I have this dream I've buried away inmy closet of a mind that one day I will be a witty, adored radio personality.

I headed down to the station in rush hour traffic- because that's how I roll- and made it there a bit early to my surprise, so I had to sit in the lobby and wait. That's when I started to think about being on the radio and got sort of nervous. EVERYONE from work would be listening (because, duh, I can't keep these things a secret!), BF would be listening because I dedicated the playlist to him... it was about him... and the greater Portland Metro area was listening. TO ME. Ugh.

But as soon as I stepped into the studio I forgot all about anyone listening to me or being nervous. Radio Station studios are sort of awesome. Gustav was very friendly and super easy to talk to (probably why he is on the radio) and I had a great time. He even mentioned that I was a natural on the radio. And we all know why... because I did the announcements at B&N, so I have experience...


Oh yeah... so my playlist was based on BF competing in bodybuilding competitions. The songs and reasoning behind them are below:

1. "Beer"- by Reel Big Fish, because BF couldn't drink leading up to the competition and he is definitely a beer lover/connoisseur. Actually, he didn't really eat or drink a lot of anything delicious.

2. “Tangerine Speedo”-Caviar- pretty self explanatory, they wear RIDICULOUS speedos, AKA "posing suits".

3. “ I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”- Arctic Monkeys- because he looks GOOD!

4. “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked”- Ida Maria- see above.

5. “Nice Guys Finish Last”- Green Day- because it’s hard to place very high in the untested competitions if you aren’t on steroids, which he is not.


I'm so glad my playlist was picked because I felt like BF needed a little extra recognition for the hard work he does.

Dayquil Induced RIDICULOSITY

I stayed home sick from work on Wednesday.

Sounds great in theory. It wasn't.

It was one of those days where my head hurt so bad and I had the WORST body aches ever that there was really no way I was going to be comfortable. Every slight noise reverberated through my head like boulders dropped on kettle drums; every ray of light stung my eyes and sharpened the ache; every swallow or movement of my neck agitated the swollen glands and nodes in my throat, and every position imaginable in my super comfy bed was ultimately uncomfortable due to my aching joints.

I'm usually not going to take medication unless I have to take it, so I tried to stay hydrated and took a couple of Advil and hoped that I would sleep it away.

It took most of the day but I started feeling better by dinner time. I still had NO energy (I put some clothes in the dryer and almost passed out because it took so much effort) so I sat around and watched useless tv until I found a "Man vs. Wild" marathon that I couldn't resist (who could, that guy is awesome). And then I watched some foody shows on the Food Network. By 7pm I was ready to crawl out of my skin I was so itchy to do something productive, so I drove a mile down the road to fill my tank with gas and then drove back home and checked the mail.

On Thursday morning I woke up feeling much the same as I had the day before, minus the degree of headache. I HAD to go to work so I just loaded my purse up with Osillococinum, herbal tea bags and Dayquil and was on my way.

It was a day of hazzy, buzzy work bliss.

I got a lot done, but I'm not sure how accurate or awesome any of it was. Dayquil has a way of making me a little insane. By 3pm I was in full crash mode, so I left work and went home to take a nap and eat dinner before BF and I headed out to a show.

I was bundled up on the couch like a flu-burrito when BF came over, watching crappy television and had just taken a second dose of 'dayglow' (as I will now refer to it) to pick me up for the late night entertainment we were about to experience. We sat around for a bit until I realized that I looked like heck and needed to clean up if I was going to be out of the house in public. In a mad-dash I threw on some color, grabbed a cute coat and high heels and was out the door.

The car ride was pretty fun, and I thought it was me getting a second wind and being out of the confines of my sick-house until BF said, "You are high on Dayquil".

You know what? He was right.

I was very high on the Dayglow. Everything was sparkly and magical and hilarious and I loved every minute of it, until the Dayglow started wearing off. Luckily I was in Dayglow heaven until after the end of the evening's entertainment.

We went to a reading of "Road House: The Play" at the Gerding Theater because our lovely friend Meagan is a part of it (and we support our awesome friends, darn it!). It was pretty hilarious so I think we'll be seeing the full production this March.

I woke up this morning and I still feel kinda cruddy, but sort of hung over from all the chemical immunity-aid. I am NOT taking Dayglow today. I'd like to actually think and operate on a semi-normal level.