Does Todd look like Chuck Bass? You be the judge.

Doug on Youtube...

I know. I'm so lame. I actually posted a video of my dog on youtube. Who am I? Twenty-something professional Or Closet crazy Cat Lady? Hmmm. The world may never know.

We watched this video that my sister sent us called "Pug Head Tilt" on Youtube last night and while we were watching it, Doug was very intrigued by the dogs on the screen. Here is the original and his reaction.

Enjoy,
Crazy Old Dog Video Lady

Thanksgiving

I've been called Un-American several times lately (jokingly of course). But for a girl who was at one point referred to as "The All-American Girl" in college, I must admit this feels a little strange.

The first was during a recent discussion about breakfast cereals. I admitted to some colleagues that when I ate cereal, I had to eat it without milk. Judging by the reaction on their faces, You would have thought I told them that I ate dog food for breakfast.

Anyway, the second instance was during a discussion about the upcoming holiday when I admitted that I didn't really enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving meal. It's not that I have some hatred toward turkey or the holiday or anything like that. In fact, I enjoy it! Especially the time with family and the whole 'giving thanks' part (and even the football!) But the point is, I don't really see why everyone gets soooo excited about it. There are SO many things that I would rather have!

So, In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Un-American girls would like to create a list of meals that I would be very thankful to eat instead of Turkey & Mashed potatoes:

1. Salmon with fruit salsa
2. Pad Thai with shrimp and tofu
3. Greek Salad with fresh baked pita and tzatziki sauce
4. Shrimp, Mango & Avocado Stack
5. Papaya Salad
6. Seared Ahi Tuna
7. Sesame crusted Scallops
8. Yummy fish tacos from Mexico taco stand
9. Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
10. Steak with a delicious BBQ Sauce

Now, just TRY & tell me your mouth isn't watering from that list.

As a side note, I'm definitely not whining about this years Thanksgiving dinner, just bringing up the idea of broadening our horizons a bit. I had a lovely Thanksgiving this year with Jeff's parents down in the Arizona Sun. I definitely appreciate the effort that both Suzanne and My Mom have always made to make add some special non-traditional Thanksgiving dishes that I do enjoy.

Lesson From my Father In Law #1

I recently got married and I'm currently spending Thanksgiving weekend in Arizona with the In-Laws, who I adore by the way. After Day 2, I was telling Jeff that his Dad has so many interesting (and humorous) theories and ideas, he should have his own blog.
But, alas, he is 70 years old and not quite comfortable with the world wide web SO I, his daughter-in-law, shall take on this responsibility and include his advice/thoughts/factoids in my blog...Through a new chapter, I like to call

LESSONS FROM MY FATHER IN LAW

Lesson from my Father-In-Law #1:
"If your dog is misbehaving, you can show him that you are the pack leader by biting him. When he does something wrong, just throw him to the ground and take a little nibble out of his ear". {SHOWN BY BITING HIS 95 POUND YELLOW LAB RIO ON HIS LEFT EAR WHILE PUSHING HIM TO THE GROUND}

A Guest Blog about my Fish.

GUEST BLOG. By Kellie Perez

Upon starting my new job at KGW/NWCN, right around the cubicle corner to my sister, I was given a new responsibility---a fish. This beta was nameless up until its last day of life. This, I believe, is the reason for its death.

Danielle has had this fish for about 2 and a half years and it has been expected to die for about 2 years, 3 months and 12 days. However, even with all the spectators that would daily walk by and taunt this fish into suicide, it remained among the living. Danielle fed the beta twice daily and cleaned its water occasionally...but mostly, it sat lonely on the upper portion of her cubicle without much love or attention. She decided that with her busy schedule and inability to provide for the beta, that i would be a much more suited mother...especially because of my love for animals and my desire to own a sea-creature (okay, a turtle in reality.)


On my first day of work, the beta made the big move 3 cubicles away...danielle maintained responsiblity for 3 more days to ease the transition (and because i was in seattle for 'business') and i came back to care for her on Thursday morning. I even said to danielle as she walked down the hallway, 'So dani-I'm taking over responsibility now, right? Ill feed her? name her?"


"Yes," she replied. and it was on. the beta was now mine.


I had been brainstorming fish names for some time...mike came up with darby, britt came up with rhonda and kara wanted me to name is some other OLD MAN name....Jessica, my loving ex-coworker and ex-blog P.I.C (partner in crime) encouraged me to gift the name Beebs to my loving fish in honor of our fearless leader at our ex-employer. And so she was born...well, 2 and a half years later, as Beebs.


I like my job a lot. I'm busier than i was in old-job, I have freedom to walk away from my desk and live on my own schedule, and I like the people i work with so far very much...especially that bossy sister of mine...thursday morning was going swimmingly (pun intended) and I was enjoying the sight of sea-life to the left of my computer monitor. I was in the middle of some new contract input when Beebs suddenly starting thrashing around the mini-tank making QUITE the scene. Honestly, my thoughts were---'wow, people dont lie about betas. they are aggressive.'---but this fish was creating quite the ruckus. I didn't think much of it after that...just watching her run into the side of the tank was enough for me to CHOL (read: chuckle out loud) at the thought of OLD boss running around her office and slamming into walls...


I headed down to do something for the guys in Master Control. I came back up to my desk, log back into my computer and glance lovingly over at beebs' tank.


I'll admit: i actually did believe she was sleeping for a few minutes..I tried to disturb her and to let her know that new-mom was home...but to no avail. She layed on the rocks with no movement. I yelled over at Pam who works 1 cubicle away and she scurried over---she has been here since the betas life began 2 and a half years ago, believing that it was on its way to being flushed many moons ago. She grabbed a pencil, poked it and beebs remained still.


i had to call my sister and give her the bad news...she wanted to know what i did with the fish and wasn't thrilled when i told her that i put it back on her desk. It took us until the next morning to say a proper goodbye....and the womens bathroom on the second floor of the building may have some gravel stuck somewhere...


i mention this story for 2 reasons:


1)I went to happy hour with my ex-coworkers yesterday..and i miss them dearly. But to tip toe around the possibility that the beta committed suicide because of its association with old boss would be dishonest.


2) I like my new job. I like my desk, having my sister work nearby, the daily in's and out's of this place and the second floor womens restroom...okay, maybe thats not true. but the story had to tie in somewhere.

Google Talk Video Chat

I LOVE google talk. My love stems from the original AOL Instant Messenger back in the 90's. When I was in High School, (pre-myspace, facebook, youtube) we were all about the AIM.
Granted you had to wait for the 5 minute dial tone/fax machine sound and if the phone rang while you were online, it would disconnect you. BUT for e-flirting, it was definitely the tool of choice. (At WCHS anyway) Back then, I was Dani123@aol.com. Those were the days.

But anyway, Google Talk is like a much improved version of 90's AIM and the more mature version of myself loves it for these reasons:

1-Perfect for gossiping among cubicles while at work
2-Ideal for Laughing about funny/strange phone calls at the office while still on the phone with 'Funny/strange' person mentioned below.
3-Gives me the chance to chat with my awesome girlfriends (about important things and not so important things)
4-Great for stalking pets for adoption with Kara from www.petfinder.com
5-Checking in with the fam; With the exception of my Dad, the whole Perez clan are frequent'google-talkers'
So, Last night, Kellie and I were hanging out at my house and decided to use the new Video Chat feature of Google Talk and I have to say. It was AWESOME! We called my Mom, made a bunch of akward faces in the camera and used a lot of props and ended up cracking up on the floor after about 15 minutes. Just wanted to share some photos commemorating my first experience.

With my.....by myself.

I am obsessed...With a Saturday Night Live Video. I have watched it daily at work for 2 weeks and have shared it with at least 25 people and now, yes, I'm admitting it.... I've actually dreamt about it. So, if you happen to be one of the FEW people I haven't shared this with, google "SNL Lawrence Welk".
Also, please note that during a recent trip to San Francisco to see Erin & Ted, we not only watched the video 4-5 times, we also found The Lawrence Welk Show on PBS and watched the original show. (See Photos)

Megan & Fosters.

My good friend Megan posted this lovely letter after a weekend at the Oregon/Stanford Game. I thought it was funny (especially since she stole the Fosters from us and it was the drink that put her over the edge. Love ya Megs :)


Dear Fosters,

While the following is obvious and could go without being said, you were the first of several bad choices Saturday. While I appreciated the things you stood for initially (a chance to act like I was as cool as my 20 year old brother and steal you from the original klepto, internal warmth, and temporary dryness postponing me from seeing any of the Duck game), you are in fact the devil in disguise. You may be Australian for beer, but you will forever be known to me as Recipe for Disaster: noted side effects include crying, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, headache, loss of short-term memory, loss of appetite, loss of common sense, and temporary resemblance of a sloth that could last up to 24-48 hours (if longer, please see your primary care provider). In addition, destruction of every piece of electronic equipment I know and love.

Though it seems you’ve won this encounter, my learnings from this weekend far outweigh your negative side effects:
1. Boyfriend is far more caring, sympathetic, thoughtful, compassionate, kinder, and gentler than me.
2. Parents are never too old to take care of their grown children.
3. Unconditional love.

Life is about choices, and I now must choose to say goodbye. With that being said, I bid farewell to you Fosters and hope our paths shall not cross again.

Sincerely,

UoLuckyDucky

CC: Freixenet
Skyy
Widmer

Election Night Photos

We had a great Election Party Kara's place on Tuesday...Good Friends, Delicious Beverages (kind of) and the exciting news of the new President!
It was so much fun and I don't think I'll ever forget Alexis' shriek when "BREAKING NEWS: OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT" lit up the screen. (And while I was made fun of for taking pictures of the TV screen, I'm pretty happy now to have this picture which was literally taken within 10 seconds of the announcement!)

The Duck Game this weekend:
Dear Fosters,

While the following is obvious and could go without being said, you were the first of several bad choices Saturday. While I appreciated the things you stood for initially (a chance to act like I was as cool as my 20 year old brother and steal you from the original klepto, internal warmth, and temporary dryness postponing me from seeing any of the Duck game), you are in fact the devil in disguise. You may be Australian for beer, but you will forever be known to me as Recipe for Disaster: noted side effects include crying, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, headache, loss of short-term memory, loss of appetite, loss of common sense, and temporary resemblance of a sloth that could last up to 24-48 hours (if longer, please see your primary care provider). In addition, destruction of every piece of electronic equipment I know and love.

Though it seems you’ve won this encounter, my learnings from this weekend far outweigh your negative side effects:
1. Boyfriend is far more caring, sympathetic, thoughtful, compassionate, kinder, and gentler than me.
2. Parents are never too old to take care of their grown children.
3. Unconditional love.

Life is about choices, and I now must choose to say goodbye. With that being said, I bid farewell to you Fosters and hope our paths shall not cross again.

Sincerely,

Uoluckyducky

CC: Freixenet
Skyy
Widmer

Election Night 08

Today is November 4th, 2008. Election Day. But Rather than rambling on with political commentary, I thought I'd share some of the very valuable information that can pertain to members of any political affiliation or party.

DRINKING GAMES FOR ELECTION DAY 2008:

1. Every time the term "battleground state" is uttered, take a drink.

2. Every time young voters and Obama are referenced in the same breath, take a drink.

3. Every time McCain and Bush are referenced in the same breath, take a drink.

4. Every time John King thinks he's John Madden trying to illustrate something on his CNN magical board, take a drink.

5. Every time a pundit says "The race was really over when ..." or some variation, take two drinks.

6. Every time a battleground state is called for one candidate or the other, the first person to yell "Joe Sixpack" gets to distribute six drinks among as many people as they would like. If you're drinking alone, you might as well drain your drink. It's going to be a long, lonely night.

We may look to incorporate some of these games into tonight's festivities. However, we've decided to focus our election night drinking game on a true American tradition: Jello Shots. And tonight, I plan showing that I am truly Pro-America.