no dogs on pick-up truck

Every once in a while I see dog owners let their dogs ride in the back of their pick-up and I am always scared and worry for the dogs. A few times I even see dogs riding on a pick-up while their owners drive on or onto the highway. That always terrifies me. With the weather warming up, more and more people want to go out with their dogs and enjoy the sun, and therefore more and more people are letting their dogs ride in the back of a pick-up.

STOP IT! More than 100,000 dogs die each year as a result of riding on a pick-up without protection. American Humane Association's article titled
It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog! shows dog owners it's a BAD idea to let your pet ride on a pick-up without protection, and offered helpful hints to safely ride with your canines:

It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog!

DON'T let your dog travel unsecured in an open pickup truck bed. Dogs can't "hold on" the way humans can, and any sudden start, stop, or turn can toss your pet onto the highway. If the impact of hitting the road at a high speed doesn't kill him, oncoming traffic probably will. It is estimated that at least 100,000 dogs die this way each year.

There are other hazards to consider. Most dogs love the feeling of wind blowing past their ears at 60 mph, but that wind can seriously irritate mucous membranes and blow pieces of grit into the animal's eye. It may require veterinary attention to remove the foreign material, which could cause permanent damage to the eye. Insects or flying debris can also lodge in the nasal passages or get sucked up into the windpipe.

Open truck beds provide no protection from the weather. Rain, snow, and freezing temperatures are obvious problems, but even warm days have their dangers. Hot sun can heat the metal floor of a truck bed enough to burn a pet's paw pads. And once the truck has stopped, a dog left sitting in the broiling sun without water or shade may suffer from heat stroke before long.

It is safest to allow your dog to ride inside the truck cab, or leave him at home. If he must ride in the back of the truck, put the pet inside a crate that will give him some protection from the wind and weather, and tie the crate securely to the walls of the truck bed, so it cannot slide about or be tossed out of the truck. Do not leash your pet inside the truck bed, as many a dog has been strangled when tossed or bumped over the side of the truck and been left helplessly dangling. Special harnesses are available to prevent this kind of horrific accident.

Provided by the American Humane Association

layout for the new project

We've been revising the layouts our desingers sent us every day for the past few days, and because the company is in Asia, we usually have to stay up late in order to talk to the people on the phone... talking business at 2 in the morning is not ultimately the funnest thing to do, but I think I'm getting used to it and enjoying it! If only I don't give John a hard time when he tries to get me off bed in the morning...

The lady who's in charge of our project is very kind and offers great support and help. We're working on the 4th revision of the layout and it's looking very good.

And I'm starting to feel like a real business woman! Ha!

the citizenship interview

I was scheduled to have the Citizenship interview with a USCIS Office of Citizenship officer today.

The notice letter said that it would usually take about 2 hours for the inteview and the tests. I did it in 20 minutes! I passed the test on American government and history, and I also demonstrated my knowledge and love toward this country. (yeah!)

I do need to send in a proof that John and I are still married and 2 passport style photos. And then I'm on my way to be a citizen.

new banner

I finally changed the banner on my blog. The white snowy one just doesn't seem to fit any more in this spring weather. The background picture was from a photo I took at Doutonbori in Osaka, Japan. Doutonbori is a busy and giant street (or from my point of view, an area!) with tons of great food vendors, restaurants, and fun. The crab (kani) in the photo is supposed to be "famous."

And I'm starting to miss the food we got out there! Gotta go to Japan again some time soon.

guinness stout

I've finally come to an understanding that I love beer. Belgium and Japanese beer are probably my favorite, and just last night I realized that I liked Guinness Stout too. Yumminess.

John used to brew his own beer at home. I wonder when he's going to pick that up again.

*smacking lips*

strawberry apple

I poured this one at the caffe in an 8oz. cup and it looked sort of like a strawberry, or an apple?

the weather weirdness

It's April 18th and we woke up to a snow-covered world! We got to the caffe and it was still snowing. It rained and got cooler yesterday and I figured, "Well, this is spring in Utah." Today it snowed! Now I guess THAT is spring in Utah.

happy easter

The restaurant upstairs Stoneground put up a little sign by their elevator for Easter.



... incontinence ... hmmm...

naicha on couch

Naicha is my giant Samoyed/Shepard and possibly Timberwolf mix. She's about 30 inches tall when she stands on all 4 legs! She's often destructive but she's also the one who would pay the most attention to me and everything around her.

She has a bad leg and had 2 surgeries already... but that doesn't stop her from chasing the other dogs (and cats!) in and outside of the house. I don't take pictures of her often because every time I pulled out the camera she wants to come and sniff it and stick her nose IN the lense.

I've noticed that every time when Naicha sits on the couch with me in the entertainment room she puts an arm on the back of the couch... like a little person! It's just weird, but John thinks it's because she has the bad leg and it feels better resting that leg (arm) on the back of the couch.

A lot of time Naicha seems to be a little boy trapped inside a giant dog! Hmm...

the sushi magazine

Kevin loaned us a few copies of the Sushi Magazine from Japan. I love them! Some people know that John and I are working on a new project and these magazines are really helping!

These are giant magazines with 220+ pages! I wish my Japanese was better so I could understand everything in the magazines.

kitty couch

Jasper and Ginger like to lie on top of the couch in the front room, if I put a towel or blanket on it, because they don't seem to lie on the leather as much. And most of the time the dogs will let them have the couch without trying to sit on them.

I think I spoil them sometimes, but they are just too cute. Oh, and I got the Hello Kitty bedding set in a night market in Taiwan.

new phone

I got a new phone through the Verizon Wiress new-every-two program for free! Yay! Well actually I had to pay $30 because this Motorola Razr V3 is in limited edition pink. I'm lovin' it.

the bayou

I've long heard of the great beer selections at The Bayou, and we finally went with our friend Brian last night.

It was a fun place, with good beers and liquor and food. Brian recommended a fruity Belgium beer for me and John recommended a dark German one for me. They are both wonderful. I also steal both John and Brian's beer. I'm glad they are still willing to be my beer buddies.

Our sushi chef friend Kevin told us about a Japanese buckwheat beer "Morimoto soba beer." We finally tried it and it was yummy. There are many more beer I have yet to try. Gotta go back to the place soon.

nuki is zen

Naicha sometimes like to terrorize Yama by taking his bones or toys away from him. Last time Yama put up a fight he was slightly wounded, so for now he usually tries to finish up his treats/bones quickly so Naicha doesn't take them away, or he'd just have to face the fact that Naicha is twice his size/weight and let her bully him.

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch chillin'. Yama found a little piece of pork chew skin thing from downstairs, carried it onto the lovesac next to the couch and was licking it. Naicha quickly realized that she did not have a little piece of something in her mouth, so she started staring at Yama, possibly trying to force him to give up his piece.

Nuki didn't make any noise. He walked away for a few seconds and came back with another piece of chew treat. He didn't chew it up; instead he dropped it midway between Naich and Yama and sat down by me.

So instead of trying to take Yama's treat Naicha picked up the piece Nuki dropped. It was peaceful and nobody got hurt.

I love Nuki. I think he's wonderful and has a special gift. He knew Naicha would have taken Yama's treat and there could have been a little fight. He didn't go and give either of the dogs this other piece that he found, but he simply presented another solution to a little fight over the first piece of treat. He's done similar things like this and it makes me feel wonderful every time I see him like that.

Nuki is love and Nuki is zen.