This is one of my friend's baby... how precious!

i went to see Ari Hest today!  I just love him...i mean who has greater talent or beauty than he?  He was playing at Pacific Luthern University in Tacoma, which is like 1 hour drive without traffic south of seattle.  It was a little weird sitting among kitty college students, but it was worth it.  They had one of the students open for ari... he wasn't too bad... but his back up singer was a total dud.  i mean she would randomly sing few lines during the songs and rest of the time just standing bobbing her head.  no tambourine or anything... how odd.
I got another CD signed by Ari and his drummer/percussionist/keyboard player Scott.  one of the resident i brought to the concert was sooo in love with scott.  she really loved his straight teeth... strange... 

LOVE ARI FOREVER! 

I just got back from my 4 day trip from Boston.  Actually, from Lawrence/Andover, which is a suburb of boston.  It was great time spent with my cousin and her temporary roommate.  We didn't do anything extraordinary, but did normal things like eat out, watch TV, shopping, etc.  i miss those things with my cousin.  She is so adorable.  It was freakin' cold in east coast!  It was in the teens!  I definitely don't miss that type of weather.  Oh, i am so going say "wicked" every other word for a while!

I was flying on Jetblue... at first, i really appreciated the whole direct flight from seattle to boston... but now... i am soooo over it!  I mean sitting in the same seat for over 6 hours is not fun journey... my butt felt like someone was lighting it on fire!  So uncomfortable!

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you
laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes
and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend.
Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could
you?" -- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were
terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights
of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret
dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went
for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I
only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I
took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of
the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and
more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently,
comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you
about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when
you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I
welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed
her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came
along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness,
how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you
worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to
another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I
became a prisoner of love." As they began to grow, I became their
friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs,
poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on
my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your
touch was now so infrequent -- and I would've defended them with my
life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their
worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your
car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you
produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me.
These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject.
I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented
every expenditure on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity
in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that
does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family,"
but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal
shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You
filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for
her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the
realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to
pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed, "No, Daddy!
Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what
lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about
love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a
good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take
my collar and leash with you.

You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the
two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months
ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their
heads and asked "How could you?" They are as attentive to us here in
the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but
I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I
rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind
-- that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be
someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could
not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies,
oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I
padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet
room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to
worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there
was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days.
As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she
bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your
every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear
ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort
you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my
vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body,
I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could
you?" Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so
sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make
sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or
abandoned, or have to fend for myself --a place of love and light so
very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy,
I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could
you?" was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My Beloved
Master, I was thinking of you.

I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

Written by Jim Willis.

Someone forward me a TGIF thingy last week... one of the image is this...

They totally looked like both of my cats... how interesting...
My cats:

I have determined that i need to be more physically active.  I am going to sign up for tennis lessons, golf lessons, and maybe snowboarding lessons.  Well, after watching the half pipe competition last night, i am definitely more motivated to snowboard. I kept putting it off for the past year... i know i will love it once i get the hang of it, but something always pushes me back.  there are so many places near that i could go, so i am determine to go... i just need the gear. (ugh...the gear part is what kills me!)

I discovered recently that i am truely a dud when it comes to music... i mean i only know that super popular and over played music and nothing else!  But thanks to few of my friends and cool co-workers, i am truely expanding my horizon... it is pretty cool.  Few of my new discoveries:
Keane
Ari Hest
Aqua Lung
Richard Ashcroft (from The Verve)
Nada Surf
Rogue Wave
Snow Patrol
Aslyn

Very cool...

My brother listed bunch of weird sites he came across recently... i checked each one out... there were a lot!  but there was 1 that really stuck out and very very disturbing... very disturbing...

http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/

I mean who are these people... and why does this site exist????  Very disturbing???

I just found this cool website called despair Inc.
Pretty funny... Love it!

I have to say... I LOVE my job... i really think i was meant to get this position...
So when i was interviewing for the jobs last year, i really wanted a job in the Women's and Children's Clinic.  Not really interested in the topics, but it was semi-clinical job... but from what i hear, i am SOOOO glad i didn't get it... plus they are really pissy about the pharmacist hired sharing her time in another clinic...

My position at Madison Clinic (HIV), right now i am doing mostly staffing, BUT it has so much potential... i am already doing some primary care things (non-HIV diseases such as anticoagulation)... eventually i will do more with diabetes, HTN, lipids... i love it!  the staff i work is really supportive of this too... plus, they want to learn it too!  I love that... such a cool staff... AND i love working with men... i was kinda getting sick of working with all women, not that i did love them... but its good to be around some testosterone...

So, the reason i say that i was meant for the position is for several reasons:
1) staff totally supporting my primary care stuff... LOVE it!
2) I was the only one applying for the position
3) came at the perfect time... when i was SICK of Albertsons
4) somehow, when i interviewed for this position, i was suppose to interview at Group Health... but somehow the interview at Group Health totally messed up and i didn't end up interviewing... which led me to accept this current position.
5) didn't get the 4 jobs i applied last year

totally meant to be... by the way... i am totally NOT proud of being rejected from 4 jobs in 1 year...