Foiled Again

My afternoon meeting was cancelled so I left work a little early to meet some friends for happy hour (see post below). And since I had some extra time, I decided to use it by letting the dog out so I could stay out later if I wanted.

He, indeed, had to go to the bathroom. And upon his return, I discovered the 2 inch diameter sore that he had chewed into his tail. (Imagine when you skin your knee and scrape off the skin to reveal a red, weepy, pussy mess). Yes, this was that. Nuts.

I called the vet and they had an opening on Monday.

"Anything sooner?"
"Can you come now?"
"Yes"

And so my happy hour plans are slowly swirling down the drain. I call to tell them I can't make it to happy hour on our way to the vet. Kinley and I wait a while since the vet's office is packed. When it's our turn, we learn Kinley weighs 74 pounds and that his sore is infected.

"We need to shave the area and treat it." OK. The vet comes back a few minutes later to say that Kinley also has an ear infection. So now we're talking TWO medications given twice a day, each. One oral, one otol (what's the term for in-the-ear?). Anyway, we finish up with a healthy sized bill and lots of medications. (Note: has anyone else noticed that Kinley seems to get sick with high-maintenance problems more often when Ken is out of town? Curse you, Roko.)

When we get home, Hughes, Kinley and I sit on the back porch. I gave Kinley his antibiotics, made myself a martini and sat down to read Bon Appetit. No less than fifteen minutes later, the dog starts the yacking.

I love dog puke.

I love dog puke even more when the cat tries to taste it.

OK, everybody out of the pool.

I comfort the puking dog and pet the curious cat. I called the vet who told me to try again tomorrow morning with the medication after he eats. If he's still puking, come back.

Is this really what my weekend is going to be like?

Weekend Plans

Ken's out of town for the weekend, so I am left to my own devices until Monday.

I am learning real time PCR this afternoon and then meeting some of the dodgeball folks for happy hour. Tonight I am going to sleep and do laundry and play with the sans-flea animals. I am exhausted from the week and looking forward to relaxing. Tomorrow is the start of my dodgeball class. My folks both asked why I was taking a class when I'm already playing dodgeball. The answer is to get better. I would prefer not to throw and catch like a girl, if I can help it. Last night, for example, I realized I can throw a side-arm dodgeball. More spin, more curve. Who knew? Anyway, the class definitely couldn't hurt.

I plan on doing a bunch of gardening, moving sensitive plants indoors for the winter and taking it easy. Going on an easy hike with Liz on Sunday. (Not to be confused with the "easily accessible" kind Rob takes me on).

Other than that, a very lazy weekend. I will probably make french toast for most dinners and eat lots of cheese. You know, the usual.

Can you FLEAl the love tonight?

I came home from work to find Ken on his way out the door with the dog.

"Where are you going?"
"To the vet, I think Kinley has fleas. He chewed himself raw."

I can see the red bloody mark on the base of his tail. So my bike goes in the garage and I join them. The vet tech shows us what they look like, to which I respond "I think Hughes has them too. I saw things that look like that on him the other day". We get cat and dog flea meds and come home with our flea comb in hand. Yep, they both have them. The package says 98-100% will be killed within the first 12 hours of application. The thought of fleas in the house just grosses me out. Every itch, I look down for a black spot. Ken says he does too.

So the medicine is applied to both animals as of five minutes ago. We will now resume our regularly scheduled anniversary.

Off to dinner! 7:30 reservation.

2 years and counting

Sara and Drew left this weekend. They stayed with us in the beginning of the week, then with her aunt & uncle at the end of the week. We met them down at Netarts on Saturday for a little R&R which was very fun. 8 adults and five dogs in a beach house. Kinley had a blast playing with three other labradors -- all under 2 years old. We got a picture of them all lined up -- very cute. Plus, Sara's aunt and uncle had a seafood bonanza dinner.... oysters, clams, shrimp, crabcakes, fresh tomatoes... oh my! It was delicious. After dinner, we sat by the campfire and drank our beer. We were all in bed by 11. I loved it. The next morning, Ken, Sara and Sara's dad went on a run to the top of Cape Lookout. Ken said they had some cabins for rent up there. Hmmm. We got back into town around noon -- in time for Ken's flag football game. Then a quiet afternoon and evening in. We were asleep by 9:30. I slept at least 11 hours everyday since Friday. It has been wonderful -- especially since we were both under the weather last week.

But today, today is our 2nd anniversary (9/25). We're going to go to dinner tonight and just enjoy ourselves. Can't wait. Sounds like Marsha and Brian had a nice first anniversary yesterday (9/24). Still waiting to hear how Tom & Amy's wedding was on Saturday (9/23). Anyone getting married next year? We can keep the streak alive. I hear 9/22 is available.

I hate you Neuroscience!

For getting in the way of this event. via Belmont Beer Station

Third Annual Fresh Hop Beer "Tastival"

Join your fellow hopheads in a joyous salute to our favorite flower. The first two years of this festival were held at the Golden Valley Brewery in McMinnville, OR, but apparently the Oregon Brewers Guild felt they'd have better attendance if the festival was moved to Portland, so the new NW Lucky Lab gets to play host to this year's event.

What's "fresh hop" beer, you ask? It's a showcase for the hop, a celebration of the harvest, and a chance to throw WAY too many hops into a beer. Quite simply, it's a beer made using fresh, "wet" hops picked from the bine and thrown directly into the beer. In many cases the hops are picked in the morning and trucked to the breweries where they're used the same day, especially here in Oregon. Living in one of the world's greatest hop growing regions gives our local brewers access to some of the freshest hops imaginable, and our hometown boys (and girls) go to great lengths to showcase these fresh-picked beauties in a variety of tasty beer styles. Most fresh hop beers tend to be pale ales, IPAs, and other traditionally hoppy beers, but some brewers are beginning to broaden the scope of fresh hop beers to produce fresh hop pilseners (look for one from BJ's in the coming weeks), brown ales, and a myriad of other styles. The process isn't cheap; using fresh hops (as opposed to dried) requires the use of 5-8 times as many hops as a "normal" beer in the same style. This can lead to slightly higher prices on fresh hopped beer, but most people feel the added expense is worth it for this once a year treat.


Here's the vital info:

Who: You and all the other hop heads in PDX
What: The Third Annual Fresh Hop Tastival, featuring upwards of 15 different fresh hop beers from some of Oregon's finest breweries
When: October 14, 2006 from 12 to 9 pm
Where: The Lucky Lab Beer Hall - 1945 NW Quimby
Why: You need a reason?
How Much: no info available, but I'd assume free admission

Back from Vegas

We got back last night. The condo rocked (if any of you are looking for a place to rent in Vegas, ask Ken about this one). The company was also great. The tournament wasn't as organized as we hoped and the gym was super hot and gave me daily headaches. The Portland teams didn't do as well as we expected (except for the Portland Women's team, who won -- although no other women's teams showed up. They played in the co-ed division for free since the organizers failed to tell them no women's teams were registered. They actually ended up beating quite a few of the co-ed teams who were not too happy about getting beaten by a bunch of girls).

Price is Right was a waste of money, but fun. One of our friends got down to contestants row and was the last to bid on a telescope he knew was $250 (he just priced one for himself). So when the last girl said $176, he quickly said $250! When they said the actual retail price was $249, he got all excited. Then confused when the $176 girl got to go up... and win not only the telescope but a Mexican cruise. "But I was closest." I ended up winning a $25 voucher to Bally's since I correctly guessed both showcase showdown contestants overbid. Other than that, the winnings were pretty slim by our group, despite us making up a large percentage of the audience.

Sara and Drew picked us up from the airport. Kinley, Scout and Riley are getting along famously and love each other. They better, given the amount of humping going on. Sara and Drew have been taking Kinley to the park during the day while we're at work. It's been so nice to come home to sweet, somewhat quiet dogs. The amount of energy is exponential as you increase the number of dogs in the house. Regardless of the amount of exercise they're getting. Poor Hughes is very confused and has tried to stay in the basement as much as possible. He did come up and sleep on our bed last night, so I know he's not too terrified.

In other news, the paper that I was working on got accepted today. So that is excellent news. Ken, Sara, Drew and I are going out for sushi tonight and then watch the game. Thank you Tivo for giving me my husband back during football season.

Come on Down!

We're the next contestants on the Price is Right!

The live audience – staged version of the popular TV show. Every audience member is a contestant and plays via interactive touch pads. Plinko, Cliffhanger, Hole in One, In The Bag, The Big Wheel, Race Game, and of course the Fabulous Showcase will all be featured.

Prizes include appliances, cars, and vacation packages.

Contestants must be 21+ to play.



That's right folks. Ken, Brian, Marne, Lucy, Travis and I have signed up to play Friday night at Bally's. 10:30. Ridiculous. However, I'm very excited as my obsessive tendency to price grocery items may finally be rewarded. We could win a fabulous LeBaron Convertable! Or a blender!

The Roko Seal

Finally, a site that allows you to make your own seal. In honor of our upcoming anniversary, I thought I'd make one for us. Behold:



When I was putting the seal together, I tried to find a picture of two people but the sample pictures were really small. Imagine how much I laughed when I saw the people turned out to be boxing.

Sports are an important part of Roko life, afterall.

Incoming!

We will have two more adults and two more labradors in the house within the next 24 hours.

Sara and Drew, our friends from Tucson, are driving up to Portland for two weeks in order to make the final arrangements for their wedding (on the Oregon Coast in 11 months). Although Sara's from Portland, her folks recently downsized into a smaller place making sleeping arrangements difficult if you're coming with your fiance and two dogs. Happily, we have room for all of them... dogs included. So our house will be home to 3 labrador puppies. My goodness. Kinley is going to be so excited. Hughes isn't going to know what hit him. Luckily, the lot next store is still empty -- meaning we can try to run them around outside and at the park before coming indoors. That also means we have a built-in dog sitter for Kinley while we're in Vegas (we leave Thursday night).

So I'm excited for all the commotion. I love visitors. Especially since they'll still be here when we get back from Vegas. As for estimated time of arrival, Sara and Drew were camping in Zion National Park last night. They expect to make it to Oregon either late tonight or tomorrow morning.

Saturday Evening Post

Last night, I was taking some pictures of the front garden to get an inventory of what was where. I turned to see this little cutie just sitting on the porch watching me.



We hung out with Kinley on the front porch for a while. Hughes didn't want to come out. All pics from last night (and some from earlier last week, where Ken tried to get Kinley to stand up straight for his mom) can be found here.

Weekend pics of the front and back gardens can be seen here.

Slapper Flag

When I have a lot of things on my plate at work, I usually take on a large project at home to distract me. This time, I decided to make a flag for our dodgeball team.

The team voted on the design of a yellow & white flag (looks like a glass of PBR, the sponsor beer of the league) with our Slapper logo in front (both logo and flag design were created by Dennis). Although I have made a quilt on my sewing maching, I no longer remember how to even THREAD it. Therefore, the entire flag was constructed with fusible fabric adhesive. I even made horizonatal and vertical sleeves, so the flag can be hung either way. The Slapper logo was printed off on special fabric "paper" (designed for inkjet printers) that is completely washable. It took 4 sheets to get the logo that big. Pieced them together and ironed them on. Next came the grommets. One in each corner, two in the corners where there were sleeves so I didn't grommet the sleeves closed. Finally, glass rhinestones were added for extra sparkle to the Dodgy writing using a special permanent glue (for use between smooth surfaces/rhinestones and fabric; it is also washable).

Ken made the flag pole -- a 1/2 inch wooden dowel with a PBR can mounted on top (removable and changeable to other finials, of course. See group pic below). It is pretty sweet and we waved it as we played our game on Thursday. We won, 8-2.



Brian then had the idea to turn it into a cape -- to be worn by the MVP of that night's game. He made a PBR bottle cap brooch that held everything together. I don't have a picture of the brooch, but you can at least see Brian sporting the Slapper flag/cape in all its glory at the bar. Everything got rave reviews.

Full Moon

View of the full moon rising over Portland. Taken from Pittock Mansion. Photo from the Oregonian, September 8, 2006 by Jamie Francis

Caldera

We've been passing you for almost two years. We finally made it in last night and it surpassed our expectations. Well done.

Caldera Public House is a neighborhood restaurant on 60th & SE Stark -- right on Mt Tabor. We got sucked in by the big windows and rich-looking interior. We walked in to find deep rich red wall, hardwood floors, rich wood booths and an insanely beautiful ornate wooden bar. There were people of all ages there -- enough to not be empty nor full. Not bad for a Wednesday night at 8. We asked where we should sit and they said anywhere -- "I think there are even some seats left on the patio".

What? There's a patio. Bee-line.

And it was perfect. Secluded. Perfect lighting. Varnished picnic tables with umbrellas. Some small tables with chairs. Lights and lanterns hanging from the tree canopy. Very intimite.

They handed us drink and food menus (happy hour is 5-6 and 9-close -- daily. Good to know, a perfect happy hour place). I got the dark garnet (herradura reposado tequila, pomegranate juice and fresh lime served in a martini glass), which was awesome and smokey. Kyle would have loved it. Ken got Walking Man's Black Cherry Stout (Which they had on tap. Per WM's website: ABV 7.2% IBU 35. Our stout combined with the richness of dark cherries. Chocolate and cherries – a perfect match.) They were right. It was killer. Great nose, not very fruity or sweet. But just enough of that cherry heaven. Again, Kyle would go crazy for it.

Their menu items were reasonably priced -- most expensive item on the dinner menu was $13. I got the shiitake penne with chicken and gorgonzola. Ken got the cheese manicotti. Neither were outstanding, but both were good. Ken's also lacked a bit in presentation -- he thought it looked like Ellio's Pizza.

They also had a great dessert menu. But we were full. Definitely will go back though -- perfect place to just grab a bite to eat and a beer/cocktail while sitting outside. Well done, Caldera!

Better

Went to Ken's double header softball game last night -- complete with propane grill, cast iron griddle, my camp chair and a gin & tonic -- perfect for making lots of grilled cheese sandwiches for the team after the game. Made 6 at a time, 12 altogether. Cut in half for easy grabbing. Sandwiches were either caprese (mozzarella, basil, heirloom tomato from the garden, balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper) or plain (cheddar cheese). They were a hit. I love grilled cheese sandwiches. They were all eaten, too.

It also turns out that I can now say "drinking saved my life". Last night, I reached down to get a lime for my gin & tonic when a stray ball went zooming past - right above my head. Apparently I would have gotten wailed if I were standing up. So thanks for teaching me the importance of drink garnishes, Dad!

Fried Out

I remember why I don't fry very much. Other than it being not very healthy, it is a huge pain-in-the-ass. I think it might be one of the worst choices for group entertaining.* The food is best served hot and crunchy. Meaning you have to make it right then. Meaning you spend your time over hot oil rather than drinking sangria and talking to your guests. Bad choice. I like the food items that you can bake and/or make ahead. Everything I made for yesterday was good, at best:

Calamari -- good, not very crunchy. pieces were pretty small. a lot of work for not much taste. they were all eaten though, which is a good sign.
Fish Tacos -- good, but not as good as usual. Plus folks weren't so adventureous with the crema style fish taco sauce that goes with them. Oh well. I'll have to get my fish taco fill next time I'm in Tucson or San Diego.
Calabacitas -- fine, nothing to write home about
Tomato pie -- good, but I didn't cook it long enough.
Iced Tea- nobody touched it
Sangria -- awesome, but I didn't even make it! Well, unless adding the garnish counts.


* That said, parties revolving around frying can be fun... i.e. Karl's fry parties (deep-fried ice cream sandwiches anyone?) and when he deep-fries a whole turkey. I'm talking above about medium sized frying ventures.

Squid Pro Quo

Ken's on a flag football team this fall. Sunday Touch Downs -- STDs for short. They're having their first practice this afternoon and I volunteered our house for the labor day bbq afterwards.

I loooove cooking for groups of people. Tonight, I'm making fish tacos, kyle's tomato pie, calabacitas con queso (zucchini/corn/cheese dish) and having sangria and iced tea on the side.

Oh, and for a little fun, I've decided to make calamari for an appetizer. I've never made them at home, but I used to make them for Janos all the time... marinate in ginger ale, use a bit of cayenne/salt/pepper in the flour dredge, and then use panko for the crumb. Simple. We went to the asian market yesterday and picked up the fish for the tacos. And then I saw the package of squid all cleaned and pretty -- a little over a 1 lb for $2.87. Totally reasonable. I put that in our cart and we were heading out when I saw the HUGE 5 lb box of squid for $6. Hmmmm. I chose them instead only to find that they were still fully intact. I'm talking eyeballs and beaks, folks. And I've never cleaned a squid before - ever.

But the internet is a wonderful thing and quickly learn that the key to cleaning squid is not to "BUST THE INK SACK!!!". What? What ink sack? I also learn that busting said sack sends a spray of black ink across the counter and onto the kitchen wall. 5 lbs of squid later, I became rather adept at pulling off the heads, removing the quill & guts, peeling them and chopping them into 1/2 inch pieces. Next time, I'm just going to buy the precleaned ones.

OK, back to my coffee and my tomato pie!

For my Tucson Friends

You have a league of your own!