I’m off to see the…. wait.  Going to Bend!

So, this weekend I'm heading out to Bend to hang out with the EllisLab team. Justin and I are driving together, and he's meeting me here at 9am Saturday. Mali will miss two doses of medicine which is fine, and the cats will have endless water and food at their disposal.

Elka will be in daycare/boarding - all day play, night time kennel that's more like a condo. She's going there tomorrow and I'll pick her up Monday evening. I suspect she'll be way exhausted Tuesday. 4 days of all day play in a row? Doggie heaven! I'd actually prefer to bring her with me, but I won't be able to dedicate the time she'd need. Once she's older and has more self-control she'll go with me everywhere, probably.

Maybe.

Speaking of her self-control, we started serious training on that. Anytime she wants something now she has to make and hold eye contact with me. The problem we're having is that while she learns all obedience, she has trouble focusing on me, and doesn't much care about my approval. This is a typical husky trait (and was a typical Elkhound trait; Odin's legacy lives on!) and would have been one of the reasons I would not have intentionally chosen a husky (mix). But, it can be overcome and I can make her somewhat eager to please me, and it just means being very disciplined and making me the center - it's me, or she doesn't get what she wants. Now, I had hoped to have a dog that would be more me-oriented; but I love Elka dearly, and she loves me, she's just is cool doing her own thing. Stubborn and independent, but we'll get through it. I know the tricks and I have the tools at my disposal - including time, patience, energy, and my own streak of stubborn.

Looks like I'll have a much-awaited visitor for a few weeks in September, too. Looking forward to that.

So, driving down to Bend Saturday morning, back here Sunday afternoon/evening. Going to be a great weekend and I'll get to see a lot more of this state.

Oh, and I bought a 24" iMac - 3.06, top of the line one.

Toodles!