A New Dog A New Life

 

Life has changed a lot for me recently with my boyfriend’s and my decision to adopt a 2 year old corgi sheltie mix. Remy (the name we landed on) was in a high kill shelter and came into our graces through a wonderful organization, Perfect Pet, who often saves dogs in such shelters. We had been looking for several weeks and couldn’t find the right match. The moment our eyes fell on Remy, we were in love. He was so sweet and loving and wanted kisses and attention. We were told we could walk him in the neighborhood, and with his cute little strut and his sweet demeanor, we knew he was the one. Of course he came home with kennel cough (needing medication) and a “cone of shame” because he had recently been neutered, so we hit the ground running making sure all of his needs were taken care of. The first day we had him it seemed like he peed one hundred times! The responsibility for taking care of another being was slowly hitting us.

In our early discussions about adopting a dog we discussed how we wanted to train him and feed him etc., many choices we disagreed on making it an annoying, yet educational process. I wanted to be a good dog mom, but I also wanted to respect my boyfriend’s opinions (he tends to be a bit more laid back), so we had to do a little give and take.

 

Remy is a real joy, although a handful. I was worried about how a rescue dog would connect with us, but with Remy we don’t have that issue. He will follow us everywhere, waiting outside the bathroom door when I shower and always at my feet when I walk around the apartment. He also loves to lie down in the funniest positions, often propped up, or with his head hanging down. It has been such a learning process for me and I definitely appreciate my parents a lot more after getting a small taste of what it is like to care fore something and love something so much. It makes me think of my sister who  is due in a week or two. I can’t wait to see her blossom into a wonderful mother.

Time in Between

 This quarter Wednesdays are long days for me. I have two classes, Survey of Decorative Arts from 1:00-4:00 and Project Management from 7:00-10:00. After my first week of class I realized that I would have to pay a flat rate of $8.00 for parking by school and I would hit rush hour traffic after 4:00. This realization led to my conclusion that leaving in between classes made little sense. Meaning, I would be gone from 12:00pm -10:30pm and have three hours to kill in between. Now, you must know that I am one who enjoys schedules and list, and three hours of free time in between classes was embarrassingly enough, daunting. I had to find something to do.

The first week I walked to a near by movie theater and saw a film. The following week I got my nails done and window-shopped, and another week I studied in a café while consuming a chai tea and toasted cranberry baguette. I was able to do all of the things that I rarely indulge in during the middle of the day, yet are so relaxing and restorative. While I write this I sit at a wonderful little coffee shop in Westwood, Espresso Profeta, which is the perfect place to spend moments in between. I actually read pages in a book today that I have been reading for over a year, just because I never take the time to find the time to pick it up. Sitting here reminds me of the times I sat in cafes in Florence while studying abroad. I would wonder the streets until I came upon a charming little café that would engulf me in quite Italian chatter as I wrote or read. There is something about cozy shared spaces and a warm drink that enables one to delve inward and reflect. I found that I do this a lot more when I travel, because there are often times in between the next activity, but doing it in my own town is new to me. I hope that reading this inspires some of you to take time in between your everyday hustle and bustle to read, write, walk around, paint, play an instrument, sit at a café, or just sit and see where your mind takes you. I know I will try my hardest to sneak 3 hours of me time in every now and then even after my Wednesday built in break is gone.

Rooms I Like

After continually finding  images of rooms that I like and want to keep track of, I made a folder on my computer called "Rooms I like". This image was one of my first images placed in that folder. It is warm and cozy yet a bit funky and historic. I love the day bed piled with pillow and the industrial light fixture. The curtains behind the day bed, help make it feel extra special. I would be perfectly happy picking up a book from the table and lounging for a few hours dozing in and out of sleep.

Looking at an object in many different ways

In one of my earlier classes in the design program we were assigned to take an everyday object and recreate it in four different artistic styles. Of all things, I chose to use a beat (one of my least favorite vegetables). I was attracted to it because I thought the plant had great character, almost like a human face. The heart of the vegetable had lines and indentations like wrinkles on a face, and the foliage had volume, creases and layers like hair. It's fun to come across these old assignments and see how I went about tackling them.