The Senakams | Corgi + 3

Just Another Earthquake

I just saw on the news this morning that the 5.6 quake we had last night (briefly covered while I was in the middle of this post) is the strongest one since "The Big One", aka Loma Prieta in 1989 which took down the Bay Bridge and killed dozens of people.

With this kind of credentials, thought I should give it a bit more coverage here. But since it's relatively far from us (compared to the last one we felt), we didn't get as much action up here, even though it registered stronger on the scale.

Everyone's talking about the next "Big One" now. Hmm.....

A Blog on Blocks

We've all played with wooden blocks when we were kids. But who could have thunk to do something this cool with wooden blocks? Not me. But thank goodness one artist Curtis Steiner did.

The beauty of this whole thing is that the idea is deceptively simple: you take 1000 identically patterned walnut blocks, put them together in various patterns, and voila, you've got art. That's it. No gimmick, no technology, just 1000 little pieces of wood.

For how simple the idea is, the endless possibility in its imagery is utterly striking. These pictures don't do this whole thing justice, you have to check out the entire collection here, or, if you're lucky enough to live in Seattle, check out the real thing at the Seattle Art Museum (where it's on permanent display, you lucky bastards).

Or better yet, go visit the artist at his store, Souvenir, in Ballard (a historic and slightly quirky neighborhood in Seattle). I first came across this store while visiting my family in Seattle a few years ago, and was instantly mesmerized by the eccentric collection of antiques and art work in his store, you feel like you've walked into a slightly surreal museum in another time and dimension- probably like Alice first stumbling into Wonderland.

The owner was super nice and patient about answering our stupid questions like "Wow, is this a museum or a store?" and "Could I touch this?" (which he must get tons of every day since everything looks so exquisite).

If you're in the area, you have to go check it out and ask him where he got the idea for this "blocks" project. Oh and don't forget to report back here. The address is 5325 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107.

The 2 Amigos Celebrate Halloween

Bryson and Picasso learned a very important lesson this past weekend at a Halloween Costume Contest- Life isn't always fair. They handled the injustice with great sportsmenship, but we people were totally crying foul!!

Just take a look at them in their matching "2 Amigos" costume (hand-sewn by Picasso's very talented mommy). I mean, how could anyone with eyes not give them the Best Costume title?!!??

This poncho costume is literally a work of art- every trim, every detail (just look at that guitar- it even comes with a strap! You don't get a lot more attention to detail than that). It puts my Harry Potter outfit to shame...

Granted that they did get come home with Second Place, we just couldn't help but suspect there's some conspiracy brewing behind the scenes here... just check out the competition, there's really no competition though...

(Woo... Special Report... Just as I was writing this, a 5.6 earthquake hit the Bay Area at 8:04 p.m.. The jolt was significant enough for me to drop the laptop and run to find Bryson so we can duck under a desk. But of course the shaking stopped as soon as we found a safe place to hide. No harm done, but seismic events like this always rattle a nerve.)

OK, back to the costume competition:

Left: Mummy-dog, 1st prize winner (told ya, no justice) Right: Fishy Chihuahua

Franken-dog, 3rd Place winner, actually quite well done, we wouldn't mind losing to him

Left: "Epicenter" of festivity (pardon the pun); Right: Graciously accepting 2nd Place

It's a bit crazy but we're having fun! (Prison Dog- hmm, not so much for me)

P.S. Sorry the pictures are kinda sloppy, didn't have time to edit them, been buried in work but want to post something before they start growing mold. Want more fuzzy pix? Check out our Flickr album.

How did Bryson Become Bryson?

There have been many occasions where we drew puzzled looks from people when we tell them our dog's name is Bryson.

"Bison?", "Byron?", "Huh?!" are all common reactions when people try to rectify the syllables that came out of our mouths with what could possibly be a dog's name.

"B-R-Y-S-O-N, Bryson", we'd reply. "Oh, he has a real person's name!", or "That's preppy" are some usual responses we get back upon clarification.

I'm actually surprised that his name drew as much attention- but as little recognition- as it did. Only once- ONCE- in the past 10 months has one person correctly identified the origin of Bryson's name...

So, how did Bryson become Bryson?

If you read the very beginning of our blog when we first got Bryson, you may have some idea. We actually stole the naming idea from the "World's Worst Dog", Marley, as in the dog-lover must-read best-seller Marley and Me. The author, John Grogan, and his wife, like most people, couldn't come up with a name that they could agree on. To solve that problem, they decided to choose from a list of musicians they both like- and hence the name Marley (as in Bob Marley).

We were inspired by this approach as we went through our laundry list of names that just didn't sound quite right (Max? errr.... Sunak?! You crazy? ) As both Jacques and I love to read, we finally decided on going through a list of authors. And from there, we knew what we're gonna name him in like 3 seconds- Bryson, as in Bill Bryson.

For those of you who've read any of Bill Bryson's gut-bustingly funny travelogues and memoirs, you'd understand why we adore this name. For those of you who haven't, first of all, be warned that you may not want to read his books in public- you may be embarrassed when people stare at your tear-streaked face as your body convulses involuntarily in an attempt to suppress a giggle attack that's about to burst like a bubble.

I know, I know, good- and even great- writers are as plentiful as stars in the sky, what makes Bill Bryson special? I'm convinced that he has a unique gift, he can find humor in any situation and anything that's totally trivial and not even remotely funny (try making dryer lint funny). And he has a way to make you feel like you've actually experienced what he wrote about, so even if you've never been to Iceland or eaten rotten shark (an Icelandic delicacy), you can almost taste the foulness in your mouth when you put down the book. And he does it with such ease it inspires you to write, even when you don't have anything particularly epic to write about. (Yes, that does keep me going on this blog)

If you need any more convincing, watch this brief video excerpt on one of his latest books, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid- a Memoir: (this actually isn't the funniest excerpt of his, I'm just too lazy to walk over to the bookshelf and dig up quotes from his books, I just happened across this one conveniently on YouTube, and who doesn't like a quirky video?)

But you know what's even funnier than Bill Bryson's writing? When we named Bryson, we haven't read his title, Neither Here not There- Travels in Europe. It's a crucial mistake since that's where he describes how much he HATES dogs; yes, he HATES them with a passion. All dogs, according to Bill Bryson, should be herded to an isolated island where they couldn't harrass any human, unless if they're poodles, in which case they should be shot. Oops.

I think if anyone can appreciate the humor in the irony of this naming accident, it would be Bill Bryson. In fact, if we didn't name Bryson after him, he would still be a nobody- he's only famous because we keep explaining to people day after day what a great author we named Bryson after. Come to think of it, he should probably pay us for all these free advertisement.

That's right, Bill Bryson, your bill's coming.

Dogs R'Us

I still can't believe that just a year ago, none of my friends/myself could even begin to imagine being dog owners.

And here we are, chatting about organic dog treats, exchanging training tips and sharing funny videos on our cell phones of our pooches doing tricks (Download gizmo_bang.3gp)

So proud of all of us. Go, doggie mamas!

An (almost-)perfect day in Sonoma

I'm still feeling too lazy from our spa day yesterday in Sonoma to write much, just want to post some pictures of this gloriously beautiful day before this becomes last week's news...

(If you're looking for pictures of the spa, sorry you'll be disappointed. The Rebel just wasn't the right piece of accessory to lug around with a plush cotton robe. The spa at the Sonoma Mission Inn was quite nice though.)

We started the day visiting the Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, 15 minutes north of Sonoma. The park currently sits on "Beauty Ranch", where legendary writer Jack London called home and got inspiration from for most of his later work. We were hiking down the Beauty Ranch trail in the photo here, where I thought we were all absorbing the beauty of nature and thinking some zen and quiet thoughts, only to find out when I caught up with my girlfriends that their neurons were all firing about what business we should go in together... "SERENITY, people!!!" Let's say I didn't feel so serene after lecturing my friends that we should all be feeling serene.

I have to thank my friends for trying to get into the Jack London-nature-serenity thing. See, they're even reading about Jack London's study here in "the Cottage", which is his old residence on the Ranch, now a museum showing glimpses of his colorful life as husband, writer and traveler. What can I say, I love my friends.

Rolling autumn vineyards viewed through an old wall of the ruins of the Kohler and Frohling winery on the Ranch, damaged first by the 1906 great San Francisco earthquake, then by fire in 1965. If this photo doesn't conjure up some serene thoughts, I really can't help you.

I'm not a quoting person, but this quote from Jack London (probably inspired by a scene just like this right out of his windows) describes quite accurately how we felt after an (almost-) worry-free day soaking in the beauty at the ranch and getting pampered at the spa with some of your best friends:

"...I have everything to make me glad I am alive. I am filled with dreams and mysteries. I am all sun and air and sparkle. I am vitalized, organic." - Jack London

For more pictures, take a look at our Flickr album.

You want me to herd WHAT?!

Since we've got Bryson some 9 months ago, we've been wondering, being trained as a show dog all his life, does he have any herding instinct left in him?

Corgis are historically bred to herd, but we're told that show dogs who've been trained to be ultra obedient often has their herding instincts "trained out" of them.

Plus anyone who's seen how wide a berth Bryson gives the cows along the trail we frequent can probably tell he doesn't have a stomach for farm animals.

But we have seen what we thought resembles "herding behavior" in him. One time he had apparently mistaken our neighbor westie as a small lamb and tried to bring her back to her owner. Or maybe he just mistook her for meals-on-wheels...

So when we heard that the annual Pembroke Welsh Corgi herding instinct test is being held in Santa Rosa, we immediately signed Bryson up. We're just curious to find out what his "true color" may be. (For more photos, please check out our Flickr album).

We arrived at the Shepherd Ranch with a mix of excitement and uncertainty- we had no idea what the "test" entails (I know Bryson hasn't done any studying), and what, if anything, we will learn at the end of the day.

But with most other dog events we've been to, people around us were quick to put us at ease, patiently explaining the sport of herding, and how the test will be administered.

They also reassured us that in the case your dog didn't show any interest in herding, that doesn't mean there's anything "wrong" with your dog, they're just not wired to herd, or the desire to herd has been replaced by the desire to obey you through training (sounds familiar...).

And so on we went with testing- we were led to gather around a pen with 3 sheeps in it (they look more like goats to me, they got horns and everything, kinda sinister-looking if you ask me). One by one, the tester called the corgi contestants and their humans in, let them sniff around a bit, guided them towards the sheep, and see if they'll demonstrate some herding behavior (circling, barking, driving, etc).

Some perform beautifully (like Heidi, a corgi we met that day) demonstrates below):

While a few others (including Bryson) did this:

Needless to say, Bryson flunked (his report card says succinctly "Not Interested").

But another 18 corgis did, including Heidi, whose mom shows in the pix here the ribbon Bryson could have received if he were to "pass".

One thing that puzzles me a bit though, is why would you give out ribbons to award instincts. And I'm not saying it coz I'm bitter Bryson didn't get one (uh hmm). I can understand awarding hard work, obedience, and skills. But awarding herding instincts is kinda like giving people awards for having green eyes. Or curly hair.

Anyway, we weren't too surprised that Bryson didn't show any herding instinct. I'm just glad that we did this before we signed him up for a full-on class. That'll be like buying your kid a violin only to find out later he's tone deaf.

Oh well, onto his rally O classes, maybe there'll be a ribbon in his future there some day :D

October SF Corgi Meet up

Another 4 long weeks and finally, it was time for the October SF corgi meet up, yeah!

But this month's meeting is extra-special: it's the first time Bryson is joined by Picasso, his trusted wingman! You can tell they had fun :) For more photos, check out our Flickr album.

I'm having fun! Oh wait, someone's saying hi to me from behind, excuse me.

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Toast (lower right corner) sending his minion to raid the pouch. ("Go straight to the source")

Hi, I'm Picasso, and I'm new here. Nice to meet you!

We're happy too to be joined by Brian and Rita, who suggested that perhaps we should start a group like this in the East Bay. I have a funny mental image of Bryson and Picasso being the ring leaders, waving flags and gathering supporters, hee hee. So we've started collecting names and e-mails from corgi owners who're interested. Drop us a line if you are!

MyCorgi.com

Bryson has finally managed to master the use of the computer (I tell ya typing with those huge paws isn't easy). He did it just so he can join this virtual social club called MyCorgi.com. Think of it as Facebook for corgis. Every cool corgi has to have their page.

Bryson has been constantly on the site since he signed up. He's really gotten a hang of this virtual social scene, constantly updating his profile, checking out everyone's latest pix, IM'ing his buddies... It's quite addictive (for him, of course).

This site's only been up for 3 weeks, and already has 100+ members! That's how many corgi lovers there are out there. Plus the site is well designed, well visited and easy to navigate around.

But of course technology is never a problem for corgis- just ask Ein.

First Rain

It's been an exceptionally dry year here in Northern California, and when the first rain of the season arrived this week, it came with a vengeance. We had over an inch in less than 24 hours yesterday, confirming that Miss La Nina has indeed decided to visit us this year.

And what does all that mean to us? Of course it means breaking out the new raincoat for Bryson!

He has other raincoats, but none of them have hoods (so they don't really count as rain coat). When we saw this adorable fireman yellow raincoat on Petedge, we decided it'll be practical as well as fashionable.

And it only cost $8.49. It couldn't possibly be wrong, right?

Well, it actually could.

Just look at the pictures. He looks like a weird grumpy old man with no legs.

 
It's supposed to look like this                     It's not my fault I'm vertically challenged

Go San Francisco DINKs and Dogs

If you've been reading our blog and think we're spoiling Bryson absolutely rotten, you may change your mind after reading this article in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday:

"Pets in America have $40 billion spent on them by their owners".

According to this article, San Francisco is where you can find pooches sporting $5000 diamond-studded Cartier collars, rolling in luxury sedans- in the front seat, and strutting into the downtown Bloomies with their humans for some serious retail therapy.

So we're perfectly justified when we buy Bryson an occasional doggie cupcake and take him on vacations with us every so often. And yes, he rides in an Audi- but he always sits in the back- perfectly appropriate for a well-behaved doggie.

And what makes San Francisco the super dog-centric city it is? The article explored several theories, and one that especially strike a note with us is the fact that there're more DINKs here than anywhere else in the country.

DINKs?! Yes, I said DINKs. Double-income-no-kid couples.

They're young, career-minded, enjoy an occasional night out, and doesn't want all the responsibilities that go along with having kids yet. And so they get a dog, a child substitute really, and focus all their time and energy and resources on it while escaping the worries about toxic Chinese toys and saving for college funds.

And yes, that sound very familiar to us. Why do we live here even though it costs all of our 4 arms and 4 legs?

It's because San Francisco has what all DINKs are looking for- a liberal and edgy climate where opportunities abound; a vibrant city with enough culture and good food to entertain you every night and day; and when you're sick of the city, you can drive half an hour in any direction and you'll find yourself immersed in the beauty of nature- mountain trails, ocean beaches, redwood forests- you name it, you got it.

In our minds it's really pretty close to having it all- us, Bryson, and the beautiful place we call home. That is, until the some-day child decides to barge into our lives and we become DINKs no more. That's when we buy a minivan and move to somewhere like Suburbia, TX. Ugh. (No offense, Texans. It's a joke, of course. Hmm.)

Bryson's Rally O Practice Video

After weeks of practicing individual exercises, Bryson is proud to show you in the video below his first attempt at a "full" course at his Rally O class this evening. Albeit a bit clumsy (mostly because of handler error), it was quite fun to watch.

The goal here is for the handler to correctly interpret the signs placed on the floor along the "course", and guide the dog to perform these tasks with them in harmonious unison.

Bryson gets it almost 100% of the time when we do our part right. The hard part is to get us to do our part 100% right. *sigh*

These are some of the signs we had to follow on this course:

Feel free to ignore the annoying commentary, some of them are useful advice from the instructor, but most are random conversation (and unhelpful correction doled out by me).

I don't know how Bryson does it, he can keep his neck craned for the whole hour during class like this. He probably needs (and deserves) a massage afterwards. Good boy!

My Dog is Smarter than Your Dog

Ah, the age old question. Is my dog smarter than your dog?

Such is the question that occasionally wander into our minds when we take Bryson to class. I'll be the first to admit that we're probably a tad bit biased- of course Bryson's the smartest dog in the world! I mean, roll-over, giving paws, heel, he'd learned them all within minutes while some of his classmates seemed completely dumbfounded.

And it's not just our little parental bias here, when the Japanese animation hit Cowboy Bebop needs a "data dog" who can drive, use the phone and hack into computer programs, who did they create? Ein, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi (see right for his vital statistics. Ooh).

But then again, there are a couple things that Bryson just don't seem to get. Take fetch. I've tried every way described in every book and every website. He just looks at me like "eh, pardon me?"

What makes one breed of dog so different from another in their capabilities?

Is there a breed of dog that's really smarter than all others? Hmm...

Well, the author of this book thinks he has the answer.

In order to find out which breed has the best working/obedience intelligence, he polled dog trainers and trial judges all over the country, and asked them to rank breeds according to their performance in trials.

So, what's the answer? (Drum rolls, please...) Out of 131 breeds, Border Collies, not surprisingly, ranks #1. Pembroke Welsh Corgis ties with the Australian Cattle Dog for #10. Not bad, and it proves us and Cowboy Bebop right that they're one of the brightest dogs. Yippee!

You can read the full intelligence ranking here. (There are many ties, so the actual ranking number only goes down to #79 even though there are 131 breeds listed)

A few surprises (at least to me), are Poodles at #2 (I know they're smart, but smarter than German Shepherds and Goldens? No idea...); Dalmatians at #39 (somehow there's a perception that they're not very trainable); and Beagles at #72 (8th from the bottom?! Isn't t Snoopy a beagle?)

I'm sure like any test that human creates, there are flaws and biases. But I like this test- not only because it ranks Bryson, oh, I mean Pembroke Welsh Corgis as one of the brightest dogs, but also for what the author chose to grace the cover of his book:

Take a closer look - - - - - - >

Corgis rule!

Another Spectacular Duh Moment

All the extra projects I've taken on to play the corporate game has really taken its toll.

And I didn't realize how completely wiped out I was till I had one of the most spectacular Duh moments of my life yesterday.

It was Friday morning, and I dragged myself out of bed feeling utterly exhausted. I have exactly 5 minutes before my first conference call of the morning - if you don't know that about me already, I never miss a minute of shut-eye and I don't know what sunrise looks like.

I'm lucky I work from home, which means all I need to worry about is putting on a pair of contacts- no make-up, no hair- just slip on the bunny slippers and I'm good to go.

And I can't even do that.

I tore my contacts. Probably since I've worn it a whole month longer than I'm supposed to. I also rubbed it a tad bit overzealously while begrudging over all the frigging work I had to do that day. And I freaked- it's the last pair I have (other than a spare from 2 years ago), my glasses give me headaches, and I'm almost legally blind without them.

And now you've learned another thing about me- I'm the biggest procrastinator- I work on projects the day before it's due, I'm chronically out of toilet paper, and I order birth control when I realize I've taken the last one the day before.

So, with the conference call looming closer in less than a minute, I promptly popped in the spare, got to my laptop (could barely make out my keyboard), went onto the 1800-Contacts website, and searched frantically for its customer service number so I can re-order.

OK.... 1800-Contacts..... where is your number.... I wonder, hmmm...... 1800-CONTACTS, why don't you make your NUMBER easier to find.... hmm.....

Alright! You have my permission to stick the biggest "DUH!!!!!!" in my face!

5 minutes later, I found their customer service number on their website. And it says in a cheerful yellow print "Contact us conveniently at 1-800-Contacts (1-800-266-8228)".

I got onto my teleconference which I'm now 4 minutes late for, poured copious amount of bailey into my coffee, and started my day.

Bully Stick Eating Competition

Inspired by the famous Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Competition that made Japanese national Takeru Kobayashi a household name, Bryson and Picasso decided to elevate the sport of competitive eating to a next level... and thus born the 1st Annual Bully Stick Eating Competition!

For those of you non-dog owners who don't know what "bully sticks" are, read this.

Yes, it's gross. But dogs LOVE it. Plus it's purportedly much healthier than raw hide bones since these are completely digestible. And they take non-stop jaw action to consume even just a few inches, providing your doggies endless hours of entertainment. Bryson and Picasso couldn't find a challenge more suitable for this contest.

Here're some snapshots from their inaugural contest:

Bryson using the time-honored "2-hand" technique favored by corgis, but Picasso is gaining ground rapidly with the trademark "No-hand" technique he specializes in

Picasso continues to go strong, while Bryson switches to the more mechanically-correct "Cantilever" technique, but he's falling significantly behind...

Bryson decides it's time to go ALL out

After hours of intense competition that lasted from day to night, both contestants took a much-needed post-game nap

America's Next Top Rally O Star!

Bryson is inspiring to be the America's Next Top Agility Rally O Star!

Yep, you read it right. The focus of Bryson's ambition has taken a slight turn. Agility- out. Rally O(bedience)- in.

We've probably made a mistake in diving head long into an agility class that's really more suited for serious competitors (I just can't get over the no-tug-no-good philosophy). The lack of space in our living quarters also makes practicing challenging- even downright dangerous if you consider my own level of agility.

Recently, we heard through friends about this other dog sport called Rally Obedience, Rally O in short. It's sort of a hybrid between agility and obedience (maybe a bit more obedience). Read here about what it really is.

Considering the fact that Bryson will do any numbers of sits and paws and rollovers as long as one tiny kibble is in sight, and that he's starting to give us the I'm-so-bored-I-could-chew-up-the-new-rug look, we thought we'd give Rally O a try. Above is a pix of Bryson in his Berkeley Humane Society Rally O class (he's only got one other classmate, individual attention is never lacking).

And over the weekend, there is a Rally Obedience competition in the area, so we took the boys (Picasso is with us again) for an immersion experience. We expect they can learn by osmosis.

We're mesmerized by these dogs' obedience during a trial. What's really in their head? "Arrgghhh, that itch behind my ear's killing me!" "This is SO boring..." "What's for dinner, hmm..." "ZZzzzZzzzzz..."

Bryson: Hey, are you paying attention? Look what they're doing there. We're supposed to learn.
Picasso: Yeah, but there's a squirrel over here...

Dog and person in unison- the beauty of Rally O

Um, excuse me Daddy, I think I'll observe better if you can get that leash out of my eye