My Dog is Chelsea

Okay, so last week didn’t work out so well in the “blog twice a week” department. But hey—what can you do?

So, here we are on Monday, and I’ve got a mental list of tiny things to tell you about. Here’s to hoping I remember at least some of the items on it:

Calla update!
Last week Calla went ahead and developed an allergic reaction to something—possibly her new incontinence medication. Seemingly overnight, her head, neck and cheeks grew more scabby pockmarks than the face of a hormonal teen. So not only did she have to stop taking the anti-leak drugs, but she needed a cortisone injection to reduce the itchiness, which also happened to make her extremely thirsty. It doesn’t take a biology PhD to put that combo together: One incontinent dog – incontinence meds + increased water intake = a sea of urine vast enough to host the next sailing world cup, located (of course) on the bed of yours truly. Like the age-old saying goes: If it’s not one thing, it’s sure fucking is another.

Ultimate!
Last weekend was Kleinman, a big ultimate tournament that comes to Portland every year. I had a great time; my team went 4-3; it was very hot; lots of people contracted food poisoning from the burritos they served for dinner. The most exciting thing was that a couple of my shining moments were caught on tape (in the first photo, I’ve just completed a diving catch in the endzone for a score; in the second, I’ve grabbed the disc even as a taller male defender closes in):

Heat wave!
So the hottest place I’ve ever visited was Arizona in late May, about 4 years ago. It was 105 degrees, and “dry heat” or not, it was downright unpleasant. (I wrote about the trip on this blog — it was the time Chelsea made a beeline for my friend’s mother’s swimming pool, much to my host’s shock, who was worried not that a dog was in her pool but that the dog may not know how to swim.) Anyway, two weeks ago it was 105 degrees IN PORTLAND, which is considerably worse than in Phoenix, where even the attic is air-conditioned. In Portland, the land of constant rain and moderate climate, we don’t own air conditioners, just like we don’t own snow plows: they are unnecessary. EXCEPT, of course, when there’s a ridiculous heatwave that makes you want to do nothing but complain all the live-long day. UGH. I am SO glad that is over.

Reunion!
I am going on a bonafide vacation this week, starting on Wednesday. First, I fly to New York City for ONE DAY ONLY (New York readers of this blog, take note, and then email me if you’d like to meet up), then I drive to Vermont with two friends I haven’t seen in years to go to our SUMMER CAMP REUNION (!!!) for the weekend. I am so excited I can barely think about anything else. Oh, so this is funny: at Alumnae Camp there is always a silent auction. This year, they’ve gone high-tech (sort of) and put the items up for bid online, to allow people who can’t make it the chance to out-bid me on the hand-knit hat I really want. But the person who registered the URL misspelled the word “auction,” and in typical camp fashion, they decided not to correct it but to proceed onward anyway. So, if you’d like to participate in a silent aution, you can do so at http://www.blcsilentaution2009.com. As a friend put it: even the ‘c’ is silent in this auction.

Reunion II!
Sadly, it’s been five years since I graduated college. WTF?! I received an invitation to my 5th year reunion this weekend. It announced: “Register by October 4 and get the discounted early-bird registration fee!” That’s great and all, but the reunion takes place on… October 8! A mere four days after the “early-bird” fee ends. What this means: a) were a student body FULL of procrastinators, not unlike myself, which is why we chose a school that runs on a block system in the first place and b) “early-bird,” at least to Colorado College alumni, actually means “at the last possible second.”

Goodbyes, and plans for more reunions.
My roommates, Rachel and Hanu, left yesterday to head back to Pennsylvania for graduate school. It was awesome having them here for the summer, sharing CSA veggies and dog-watching responsibilities and freshly-picked raspberry smoothies. Calla and I will miss them both dearly, though I am luckier than Calla as there is a chance I’ll see her in November for a “meet up with all of my friends who left Portland and moved to the New York area” reunion. There are some more goodbyes coming up in the next week or so that I’m not looking forward to. Sigh. Why does everyone move to New York? It makes me fear that someday, I’ll go back, too.

That’s all she wrote. I’ve been staring at a computer screen for nearly 12 hours now. Time for a beer.