Working With Cindy

Another really long break between posts

2010-10-26T19:27:00.004+10:00

Okay, I know it's been a really long time. I've been reading a lot more books since I discovered ebooks! I started reading on my phone, then got an iPad recently, which is perfect for me as an ebook reader because of the backlight and the fact that I can use different programs to read books, so if I don't like the way one program works I can switch to another one. So far I've been using iBooks. Lousy excuse for not posting, I know! Cindy is still doing well. We had a Guide Dogs follow-up visit not long ago, and she was great. We were walking around a shopping center, and she loves shopping centers. She even walked right past my parents and sister without even looking at them! She does get kind of bored with our normal walks, but if I take her into town and give her a walk around the shopping centers, she's happy for a while.
I've been doing a live show at the radio station on Monday mornings, so Cindy gets a nice sleep in the studio while I'm doing that. I'm in there for three hours, and I usually take her for a walk at about eleven o'clock to give her a drink and a bit of a walk.
I was at the gym this afternoon for an hour and I'm actually not sore or anything. It was fun. It was good to be able to get a lot of exercise. I didn't take Cindy because Mum drove me there and it wasn't worth bringing her when she'd just have to lay around for an hour and I was getting a lift home with Mum anyway.

First post in a long time.

2008-11-03T16:41:00.003+10:00

I've decided to go back to using this blog as I've found myself spending increasingly less time on the computer.
Cindy is doing really well. She hasn't had any ear infections for a while. She's been getting a little stubborn when we walk home from the radio station lately, but I think that's a combination of the weather heating up and Cindy not wanting to go home. She still loves the radio station. She goes straight into the studio on Mondays when I do my live show. It's always nice and cool for her in there. I brought a toy for her once because I thought she might be bored (a toy that didn't make any noise, of course), but she didn't play with it much. It was so adorable when she put her head on it and went to sleep, though. :)

The last two days

2008-02-20T10:58:00.003+10:00

I did some work at the radio station yesterday. It was sunny and Cindy was really happy. She loves lying in the sun. She spent most of the time at the radio station lying around and getting attention from everyone. She had a great time. I'm about four playlists ahead on music, so I didn't have too much to do. There was a bit of trouble with the computer in that some people were having trouble with getting their recording loud enough. Even boosting it didn't help. Mine was fine, luckily.
I gave Cindy her Drontal today. She's currently lazing about and keeping an eye on everyone. Mum changed around my room last night and I think she likes it better than the way it used to be. Her bed is now right next to my bed and isn't near the air conditioner.

Long Walk

2008-02-18T14:09:00.005+10:00

Mum, my sister and I walked Cindy to the vet, shopping centre and video shop this morning. Cindy was good, except for trying to sniff some plants and eat a sausage that was left on the ground! I stopped her before she got the sausage thanks to the halti. She was very well behaved at the vet. There was another dog there and she was looking at the dog, but didn't go over to it. I got a worming tablet for her and weighed her. She weighs 31.3 kg. I took off her harness and let her say hello to the other dog before we left because she was so good.
We went to the shop after that and had coffee with our aunt. Then we went to the video shop and Mum and my sister rented a few DVDs. Cindy was very tired when we got home. At least she's had a big walk. The weather is still bad. It's been drizzling on and off today.

Cindy, balloons and floods

2008-02-17T18:39:00.005+10:00

Dad has had four days off work because of the rain and he starts on his five days off today. The rain wasn't too bad today. It was drizzling all day, but no heavy rain. The weather has been cool. It feels like winter.
Mum and I managed to take Cindy for a walk to J's this afternoon. The boys were playing with balloons. Cindy busted one with her paw and got a fright. She wouldn't go near them after that. She just sat by me and watched everyone. The boys tried to give her balloons, but she ignored them. I don't know how she can be so patient with them. They try to climb on top of her sometimes. She just sits up so they can't.
The city near where we live has been flooded with rain. Everyone we know there has been fine, but we've been hearing on the news that there's a lot of damage. They're expecting more rain soon as well. I hope they don't get flooded again. The rain is nice, but it's getting to be way too much. It'll be really bad if they don't get a chance to recover from the last flood.

Too much rain!

2008-02-15T12:22:00.001+10:00

I went to the radio station this morning. They wanted me to record a message for one of the mines to tell their workers that the road is closed and not to come in today. Everyone's been on the two-way asking about the roads around here. Seems like most of them are closed. Dad probably won't be able to go into work tonight.
I couldn't take Cindy to the radio station because it was raining too much for us to walk. She was very unhappy. She sat in front of me when I got my bag and had the saddest look on her face. She's happy now that I'm home.

Car trouble and rain

2008-02-13T18:08:00.004+10:00

Looking back, it doesn't feel like I've been working at the radio for long, but it actually has been a fairly long time. It may not be a paying job, but it's a lot of fun and it's interesting learning how everything works.
Dad had a little bit of trouble with the car when he came home from the city on Monday. It wouldn't start on the way back, but he managed to get it started again and get home. It was raining really heavily that day and it would have been awful if he'd be stranded on the side of the road. He got the car fixed yesterday. It cost him $300.
Cindy has been a bit naughty today. She frightened the chook by jumping at her and went into the garden to chase some birds.
We're going to go to the shops tomorrow, so I hope it's not going to rain. Dad will have the car at work, so we'll have to walk.

Rain and home alone

2008-02-11T15:03:00.000+10:00

It's been raining a lot in the last few days. Cindy doesn't like it at all. I think the only reason she goes out in it is that she loves getting dried afterward. She loves rubbing against my legs and getting me wet too.
The chook made a bit of a fuss this morning. I didn't lock her up last night, so she should have been happy. I think she was letting me know she had an egg, because she settled down as soon as I took the egg.
Everyone went into the city yesterday and stayed the night, so I got the house to myself. They're coming back today. Dad said they've been getting heaps of rain in the city, more than we're getting here. Cindy has been very lazy today. She should perk up a bit when everyone comes home.

Article

2008-02-08T16:49:00.000+10:00

Nothing much today. Just an article I found while surfing the Net.

Guide Dogs With An Image Problem
"Guide dog trainers are having problems with people refusing to believe poodle puppies are the genuine article."
Read the article

Chooks

2008-02-07T13:18:00.000+10:00

J came around with the boys today. Cindy was so excited. She didn't leave J alone the whole time she was here. J has bought some chooks, and the boys were happy because the chooks have been laying eggs. They've got five eggs from them so far.
I was going to take Cindy for a walk this morning, but it looked like it might rain. It's too hot to take her now. I might take her this afternoon if it doesn't rain. It's been impossible to tell what the weather is going to do around here lately.

The Golden Compass

2008-01-26T19:44:00.000+10:00

I went to the cinema to watch The Golden Compass today. It's the first time I've been to the cinema in ages. I didn't bring Cindy because I didn't think she would last for three hours without wanting to go to the toilet. She's been going a lot lately. It wouldn't be fair for her to have to wait. Plus, it was a bit hot for her to walk. My sister was home with her. I thought Cindy would ignore me when I got home like she usually does, but she actually came up to me straight away, wanting to sniff me and get pets. Maybe she didn't think my sister was looking after her very well.
The movie was good. I kept comparing it to the book while I was watching it. There are some differences between it and the book, but of course that's to be expected. I think they did a good job with turning it into a movie. I don't think Mum liked it much, but it isn't her thing anyway.

Sandflies

2008-01-25T16:30:00.000+10:00

There has been a sandfly plague around here. Everyone has been rushing to the pharmacy to get creams and medicine. My sister has a lot of bites. I've been lucky to not get too many so far. I've been putting insect repellent on every time I go out. I've still managed to get bites all over my legs and arms, despite my best efforts. I'm surprised the sandflies aren't annoying Cindy too much.
We went for three walks today. I took Cindy for the first two. I had to go to the hairdresser, then we went out to lunch with Mum. Mum and I had an appointment with the doctor this afternoon. The doctor was running late, so we went to the shops and got a clock radio for Dad, since his isn't working very well. I didn't take Cindy to the doctor's because she was exhausted from the other walks. It was hot in the morning, but it's cooling down now. J has the boys outside playing. Poor S is absolutely covered in bites. Mum put the cream we use on them, so hopefully they'll get better soon.
I've been going to the radio station two days a week now. I might ask if they need any more shows. I think they do need more three-hour playlists, so I'll see if I can do some of those.

Shopping and the dogs

2007-12-20T17:38:00.000+10:00

We went shopping today. I wanted to get Cindy out of the house for a while. The little dog was starting to annoy her a bit. We met a nice little girl on the way out who wanted to know how old Cindy was.
The little dog seems a bit more settled this afternoon. He follows everyone around. He's a bit timid, but all right around me. He's scared of the chook. :) She ate some of his food this morning, and he wasn't very happy, but didn't try to stop her. Cindy also tried to eat some of his food, but I got up her and she didn't try it again. I think the dogs get a little bit jealous of each other. You can't pet one without the other one wanting a pet as well.

Dogs Playing

2007-12-19T18:02:00.000+10:00

We have relatives staying with us for the next few days. They have a little dog. He gets on well with Cindy so far. She was excited when they first came, but she settled down quickly. They have a play every now and again, but they run out of energy quickly. We went for a walk to the video shop this afternoon. Cindy had a bit of a play with the other dog when we got home. I thought the walk would tire her out, but it didn't! I made sure the other dog was outside when I fed Cindy because I didn't want him getting jealous or trying to eat her food. Cindy tends to eat slowly. It's great that they get on so well. Cindy likes the other dog's toys, so I've had to get them off her sometimes so he could play with them as well. They're both lying down in the lounge room right now.

Kids and Cindy

2007-12-17T15:14:00.000+10:00

Mum is looking after J's kids this afternoon. They're both still sick. J is sick as well, so chances are she won't be out late.
I took Cindy to the vet today to get her ears cleaned and weigh her. She's 31.2 kg. Looks like she's lost a little weight since last time I got her weighed. We were going to walk to the vet today, but it was too hot, so we ended up driving. We're definitely going for a walk tomorrow because I have to go to the radio station. I'm ahead by about three playlists, but I want to double-check everything and make sure I have everything done that I need to do before Christmas.

The last few days

2007-12-08T10:00:00.000+10:00

We had a big storm on Tuesday night. The lightning was so close. It scared Cindy a bit. When the power went off I got a torch and put it next to her bed. She seemed to settle down a bit then.
We went into the city on Wednesday and stayed the night. We did a lot of shopping. Cindy wasn't very happy with us because we didn't bring her bed. It doesn't fit in the car. All the shopping really tired her out. She was so happy to get home.
She has to have a bath today. Hopefully she won't mind it too much because it's very hot today. She's already waiting for us to turn the air conditioner on.

Big day

2007-11-30T19:08:00.000+10:00

Cindy has had a big day today. We went shopping this morning and had lunch with J and the boys. We walked to the Christmas party at the church this afternoon. There were a lot of people there, but it wasn't so crowded that we couldn't get around. Mum won a ham in a raffle. J's boys got some fried rice to eat for tea, and lollies from Santa. We had a little bit of trouble with kids petting Cindy, but not much. It's hard to convince J's boys that Cindy doesn't like getting cuddled when she's in harness. I don't think they really understand what the harness is for yet.
We also gave Cindy a bath today. She was not impressed.

Radio today

2007-11-27T14:04:00.000+10:00

I took Cindy to the radio station today. She loved it. I managed to get two shows done and record an ad. I got the ad right first try. I gave Cindy a drink of water on the way home. We passed some dogs and she did pretty well. She looked, but didn't try to go to them. J and the boys were here when we got home, so Cindy went straight to J as soon as I took her harness off. She loves J.

Walking

2007-11-19T15:20:00.000+10:00

We went for a long walk with J and the boys today. My sister didn't come because she slept in. Cindy loved it. We went to look at some plants, went to the supermarket, and took the boys to the park. There was a loose dog at the park, but it didn't give Cindy too much trouble. It was just curious. Once it had a sniff it left her alone. I walked home on my own because it was getting hot and I didn't want to be walking Cindy home at midday. I think we've seen the last of the rain, which is a pity.

Dogs Playing

2007-11-18T13:28:00.001+10:00

S brought Petals around today. The dogs only played for about five minutes. Now they're exhausted. They chased each other around the yard and played tug-of-war with some of Cindy's toys. They've drank heaps of water.
My sister carried our chook around for a bit yesterday. It's strange that she let her do it. She's been getting really tame.

The vet appointment

2007-11-14T19:59:00.001+10:00

Cindy's vet appointment went well. She hardly noticed the needle. There was an adorable little kitten there. It was so sweet. I thought Cindy would try to play with the cat, but she didn't. She was a bit curious, but not as interested as she usually is in other animals.
We went to lunch with S after we finished at the vet's. S has been having dizzy spells lately and hasn't been able to go out much. I told her she should bring Petals around to play with Cindy sometime. She said that Petals has too much energy, so maybe Cindy can wear her out a bit.

Radio and vet appointment

2007-11-13T13:48:00.000+10:00

Cindy was good on the way to the radio station today. She followed me around while I was there, which is strange. Usually she lies down and goes to sleep. I had to work on two different computers so I was going from one to the other. I did my first two hour show today. I also did the music for next week's show. It's no different from the one hour show, just more recording. I'm lucky with the time that I'm on as well. The news only comes on at the start of my show and that's it, so I don't have to worry too much about the time that takes up. We didn't have any computer trouble today, which was great! I remembered where everything had to be to record as well. I was afraid I'd forget, but I didn't. The good thing about the computer I use to record is that not many people use it, so the settings aren't changed all the time.
Cindy has a vet appointment tomorrow to get her yearly vaccination. She'll love that. She doesn't care what the vet does to her as long as she gets treats afterwards.

Raffle tickets and rain

2007-11-07T16:34:00.000+10:00

I can't believe I managed to sell 100 raffle tickets in two days! I sold most of them today. It was 3 tickets for $5 dollars or 1 ticket for $2, so most people bought 3. There's one lady who didn't have any money with her who wanted me to save some tickets for her, so she'll probably take the last 3. I thought it would be harder to sell them than it was. Cindy enjoyed the walk. She tried to sniff a few things, but she was good aside from that. We had lunch with my aunt, J and J's son S. S has been sick with asthma. J's oldest son was at daycare. S didn't eat much. The doctor gave J some medicine for him today, so hopefully that will help clear up the asthma and make him feel better.
We had a bit of a storm today. It started raining just after we came home from our walk. It's stopped now. Mum is happy because she doesn't have to water. It's not as hot as it has been because of the rain, so I hope we get a lot more. I'll probably take Cindy for a long walk again tomorrow if the weather is as good as it was today.

Update

2007-11-02T19:43:00.000+10:00

I thought my days of getting stressed over nothing were over. Guess I spoke too soon. :) To think answering a mere phone call can still do this to me. Gah! I've been trying to calm down for hours without too much success. Guess I'm going to have to go to bed tonight and hope I manage to get some sleep. It probably wasn't a smart idea to say yes to the fund raising thing, but I figure I'm going to have to get used to it eventually. I'll feel a lot better when it's over. I just have to sell tickets for a raffle, which will hopefully be drawn at the end of this month.
Mum and Dad are helping a friend clean their house today. They're going to sell it. They might already have a buyer. I'll have to call Mum tonight and find out how they went. Mum and Dad are staying overnight. Dad was worried that there might be a storm tonight, but there hasn't been. It wouldn't have been a problem if there was. Cindy doesn't mind storms too much, and there's not much in the yard that can be blown around. And no trees are in a position where they might fall on the house.
Cindy has been in the air conditioner all day today. She went outside for a little play not too long ago. She's not too happy that Mum and Dad aren't here. She really hates it when any of us leave for too long.

Radio and hot weather

2007-10-30T11:37:00.000+10:00

I went to the radio station today to do my show. They've asked me if I want a two hour spot. I think I'll take it. A two-hour show will be fun. Plus, it's a prime-time spot. I probably won't start it until after Christmas, though.
Mum met my sister and I at the radio station after we were finished. She was going to the shopping centre. I walked home, because it was too hot for Cindy. I've turned the air conditioner on for her and she's sleeping at the moment. She doesn't go outside much during the day since it's been hot, except to lie in the sun for a little while and have a bit of a play. I wanted to let her have a play last night, but there were toads around and I didn't want to let her off the leash in case she tried to eat one.