Help Wanted: Personal Trainer

Seems like my whole adult life, I've always weighed about 10-20 pounds more than I'd like to. So my usual New Year's resolution, along with 90% of the American population, was to lose weight. I'd set the goal of trying to exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY, just for the month of January. I knew it wasn't realistic to keep that up for an entire year, but I felt that for 31 days, it was possible.

Usually, although I might only end up having exercised for 20-25 days out of the 31, I felt it helped me set a pattern of more regular exercise. Doing this for the past several years, I've gotten to the point that if I don't exercise for 2-3 days, my body feels miserable, begging me to stop being lazy and get moving.

But in 2009, I didn't have to make my usual exercise resolution! With new puppy Cabana in our home, I HAD to take her for walks every day. I'm a firm believer that a tired puppy is a good puppy. Because it's not good for puppies' joints to run alongside us (it's considered "forced exercise", as opposed to being able to start and stop at their own will) until at least 12 months of age, I went for multiple short walks with Cabana instead.

I've heard the formula for puppy walking is 5 minutes for every month of age. So a 5-month old puppy can walk for 25 minutes, while a 12-month old can go for an hour. Of course, this is just a rule of thumb and would depend on the puppy and the breed.

In the past year of walking Cabana and more recently jogging with her (almost daily; my husband gives me a break 1-2 times a week), I have lost about 7 pounds, without making any other changes in my diet (heaven only knows since I love to eat--a lot) or overall lifestyle. Yippee!

Recalling what Katlynn shared in her post about Focus, Cabana's half brother, when he was career changed, the trainers said, "Focus is a dog that needs a job – a job to this dog would be to go jogging every day...."

When I read that, I thought about how alike Cabana and Focus seem to be, and how jogging with me every day would be a great job for Cabana! She makes a fabulous personal trainer, pushing me to go faster and further, loving every step, motivating me to get my butt out there, regardless of season or schedule. (Plus, Cabana runs on leash SO much more politely than when she walks.)

I hope I'll be able to lose the other 3-13 pounds in 2010, now that I've got my personal trainer at full tilt. And I encourage you all to get out there with Cabana and me! Our dogs need the exercise every day, and regardless of weight, we humans do, too!! Happy 2010 to everyone!

Wallpaper Patterns

I get tired of the same wallpaper on my computer screen, so I usually change it every month. Today, I came across a selection of guide dog wallpaper images!



They also have a section of Labrador images, although they only have yellow ones pictured, no black. Hmmpph!

Why I Like Steampunk

Steampunk began as a literary movement in the 1980's, with inspiration from 19th century fantasy writers. I've read Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, but not a single 20th century author writing in the genre. Individuals who were inspired by the literature wanted to dress up and role play these characters. Whereas I enjoy costuming and dressing up for that special occasion, role playing itself holds no appeal to me. While the steampunk movement encourages individuals to create their own costumes and props, there is still interest in well made items that are available for purchase. And that's where I fit in. I love making things that I consider beautiful, and that are a little bit edgy, and I offer many of them up for sale. I have no interest in safe art.

U.S. Shako with Cowhide

Rus Viking Helm

Just before I discovered steampunk a year and a half ago, I was constructing leather military helmets, both 19th century inspired and fantasy Viking helms (yes, I know that they didn't really have horns). Creating these brought me much pleasure, but there was little interest from the outside world.

Steampunk Gas Mask

Once I learned about steampunk I made a leather gas mask (shown above), and respirator, and I converted my 1840's U.S. army dragoon helmet into a steampunked version.

U.S. Dragoon Helmet with Horsehair

Dragoon after Steampunkification

Long Awaited Dog Park

At long last, with no danger of Cabana going into season and fully recovered from her spay, we went to the public dog park this morning. It was cold, foggy, and still early--all welcome factors for us first-timers. I didn't want uncontrollable masses of dogs to contend with. Before going to the dog park, Cabana and I also had a 2-mile walk/jog, to help Cabana burn some energy beforehand.

Much to my initial disappointment, though, there was only ONE other dog when we arrived. He was an old little fellow, obediently trotting along after his owner. Cabana was still happy to play with him, following them all around, completely ignoring me, and sniffing the dog smells everywhere.


But after about 10 minutes, woo hoo! Lots of big dogs arrived, and Cabana got to romp romp romp! I talked briefly to the other dog owners, and they said they hadn't heard of any bad experiences at this dog park. According to them, owners here seem to be very conscientious, and the dogs are all friendly and non-aggressive. The dogs this morning certainly seemed to be, and the owners were very attentive, making sure no one was getting out of hand.

This dog park is very large and has an uneven elevation. Cabana followed some of the other dogs over a hill, where I couldn't see her. So I strolled over there to keep an eye on her, slogging my wet sneakers through the muddy grass. But by the time I got to the other side of the hill, Cabana had come back around to the front...where she had found a HUGELY GINORMOUS puddle.

Before I could get to her, not only was Cabana knee-deep in the muddy water, she was actually trying to swim in it! She got down low and stuck her muzzle in the water, trying to grab something underneath. Blecch! I silently congratulated myself for having had the foresight to throw a few old towels in the car before coming.

I took the opportunity while Cabana was in the water to grab her collar and put on her leash. I knew there was ZERO hope of her coming for a recall, even with the tasty chicken jerky bits in my pocket. She wasn't even acknowledging me when I said her name, so I knew nothing would be more futile than saying "come".

The short ride in the car was enough to make the back seat terrifically dirty (even though Cabana sits on the floorboard, not the seat). And although I cleaned her paws off quite well so that Cabana could walk upstairs without leaving a footprint trail, on our way to the bathroom for a much-needed bath, Cabana accidentally brushed up against my white bedspread, leaving a nice brown splotch.

Nothing like 40 minutes at the dog park to require 3 loads of laundry and hours of cleaning! I think we'll wait until drier weather to go back to that dog park again. After some high-powered recall training sessions, too!

Rhino Gas Mask: Adding the Trim

Today I added leather trim around the eyepieces and the intake port. I also finished putting in all the rivets. I am leaning heavily toward going with the rhino look, by making the nasal exhaust vent "hornish" looking. That way it will pair nicely with Pachydermos.

Little Miss Starshine is Back in Action

Hooray! Cabana got her spay stitches out today. Overall, the healing process was quick and uneventful, as many commenters predicted. The timing was fortunate in some ways, with my daughters on vacation from school. It was easy to have someone watching Cabana the whole time, saving her from prolonged use of the e-collar.


Unfortunately, Cabana missed out on a lot of fun holiday events because of her spay. We had a big party at our house, just 2 days after the surgery. She would have loved to be in the thick of things, but not this time. Then on Christmas Day, we went into San Francisco and enjoyed a beautiful day, going to lunch and a museum. Too bad no more jacketed outings for Cabana, the one big drawback of being a pet instead of a working dog! And two days ago, we had relatives visiting us all the way from Australia. We took them to a lot of places, including the beach, but again, no running for Cabana, so she had to stay home. Poor thing doesn't even know what she missed.


At least Cabana got some nice Christmas toys! Most of them are already somewhat demolished, but here's one I just pulled out for her today. A fleecey star with innards yet intact...

...for the next 5 minutes anyway.

When we were at Guide Dogs today, we stopped at the reception desk, and guess who was hanging out behind the desk?! It's Forte, Fullerton's brother. He is such a handsome guy, currently being evaluated as a breeder.
I have to say, Guide Dogs' puppies seem to be getting more and more good looking. When entering the kennels, we passed by a lot of dogs, all poking their heads up to see who's coming in. Today as Cabana and I walked by, I thought, these dogs are all SO gorgeous. Kudos to the breeding department! They sure know how to pick 'em (even if they did miss out on having a Mama Cabana).

Rhino Gas Mask: The Prototype

Every mask needs a name, and I am calling this one (at least for now) the Rhino, due to its obvious nasal projection.


Here is the first prototype in leather. The paper prototype showed me a lot about the pattern, but paper doesn't bend or stretch or compress the way that vegetable tanned leather does, so until I build it in leather I don't really know what it's going to do.

There are several things I'm going to change on the pattern. The surround needs to be enlarged as I didn't take into consideration the thickness of the leather (I'm using a heavier 5-6 oz weight). I placed a seam above the eyes which doesn't need to be there, so I'll eliminate that. And I've got some rivets that are too close to the eyes which need to be moved. Otherwise it looks quite promising!

New Gas Mask: First Steps

All of my commmissions are complete, so I have time to make something new. While at my local army surplus store I found this new German-made gas mask, and thought it would make a good pattern for a leather steampunk version.

The eyepieces, intake and exhaust vents will all be fabricated from scratch to fit the openings in the leather.


After thinking about where to put the seams I covered half the mask in the curiously named masking tape. Then I marked the lines with a red felt marker.



This mask will be mostly riveted together (something new for me), and I've marked every half inch on the seam lines with a black marker to indicate where each rivet will go. Using an X-acto™ blade I cut the tape off of the rubber mask and laid it down on a piece of heavy cardboard.

To check my pattern before going any further I've cut it out of card stock, and taped it together. The edges and rivet holes should all line up at this point, and I have a few corrections to make (marked in red). Next step will be to add a seam allowance.

After The Fall: Seven Gas Masks Complete

The seven gas masks and respirators that I've been making for the indy film After The Fall are now all finished, as pictured below.

I changed the canisters on Packrat's mask to reflect his workplace, the sewer. Each canister consists of a bronze filter within a protective cage.

Guten Tag!

Guide Dogs gives puppy raisers an assortment of items, along with their new puppy. One of them is a "big" collar, which Cabana started wearing at around 5 months. It's a nice black collar with an engraved metal placard/tag that has Guide Dogs' name and phone number, as well as the dog's tattoo ID (the ID that is tattooed into the pup's ears).

In yesterday's mail, we got our official adoption papers from Guide Dogs. Along with the papers was a new replacement placard. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but it reads, "I'm proud to be a career change dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc." Like the old tag, it also has Guide Dogs' phone number and Cabana's tattoo ID engraved on it.

I was so touched to get this placard and pleased that Cabana can continue wearing her big girl collar. I had bought her a new red collar--but I think the old black one is so much more flattering (black is my favorite color to wear).

I was also impressed by Guide Dogs' commitment to Cabana's continued well-being. The fact that they put their phone number on the new tag shows that they are willing to be contacted, should Cabana ever be lost or found. They also say in the paperwork that if, for any reason or at any time, we decide not to keep Cabana, they would be happy to find her a new home. Although I'm quite confident we won't ever need to use their placement services (even after she's been a mad dog), it's still reassuring to know Guide Dogs will still provide that kind of support.

How much cheaper and easier it would be for Guide Dogs to say, "Good riddance!" to their career changed dogs. But instead, they say, "We're still here for you." What an awesome organization!

60% of Food wasted in the US

United States: The XXL-Waster

Buy one, get another free! The amount of wasted food would be sufficient to defeat global hunger (for the approx. 1 billion people).
Agriculture accounts for 70% of the global fresh water consumption - a quarter could be saved.
Processing and the transport of the wasted food devour 300 million barrel oil (4% of the annual US oil needs).

Mad Dog

This photo captures the Jekyll & Hyde that is Cabana. She looks so sweet and serene, yet laying under her chin is a destuffed, thrashed, mutilated caterpillar toy--a hint of Cabana's dark side.


Within the walls of our home, Cabana is the nicest, most well-mannered dog in the world. After almost 2 weeks, Cabana still leaves all our Christmas ornaments and wrapped packages alone. She never bothers her spay surgery incision and has been perfect about only getting on the couch when the blanket is put out for her and she's invited.

But outside the house, on walks, Cabana can be a stinker. Cabana was much better before her surgery, when she could happily run alongside me, the leash between us forming a perfect J. But now, not only can she not run, but I also hurt my back a few days ago. I've been hobbling around like a little old lady for the past few days, unable to stand completely straight up. So my husband has been walking Cabana, but today, I thought I could manage it--IF we walked slowly and IF Cabana didn't pull too much.

Slow walks just don't cut the mustard for Cabana, although I tried to compensate by letting Cabana sniff the grass along the sidewalk almost the whole time. This kept her from pulling, and she was happy doing her doggy thing. But at the end of our 2-mile walk, after we passed a couple of neighbors who gave Cabana a short pat, Cabana got riled up and had one of her episodes. She leapt and flailed, trying to mouth my hands, running around me in circles.

All of this was rather painful on my back, but I managed to reach down, grabbed Cabana under her chin by her head collar, told her to sit, and held her in place for a minute until she calmed down.

Today's episode was probably a build-up of Cabana not being able to release enough energy during this past week since her surgery. And although her episodes aren't daily or even weekly, they do happen fairly regularly. I think they are always triggered by Cabana being frustrated. She often gets mad at me if we stop to talk to another person with a dog. If the other dog hangs back and doesn't want to sniff or play with Cabana while the other person and I are chatting, then Cabana takes out her frustration on me, by flailing and trying to bite my hand. (I know she isn't really trying to hurt me, as in removing a portion of my flesh; it's more like a toddler pounding on his dad's chest, like, "Ooooh, I'm so mad and I've just got to do something!")

Do your dogs ever get mad at you? Is this still a puppyish thing that Cabana will potentially outgrow? And is there something I should be doing that I'm not when Cabana has these episodes? :(

MouseRug

Der Mausteppich

Spanx for Dogs?

Before you all think I've gone over the edge with the chubby dog issue, Cabana is not wearing Spanx or the Kymaro Body Shaper!

The e-collar is an ordeal to get off and on, since it attaches to her flat collar--plus it makes Cabana go a bit bonkers, which is not desirable at this point. So this morning, I made her a soft lycra knit "belly band" to cover her incision, just for a short amount of time when I can't keep an eye on her. It's a simple tube of stretchy fabric with elastic on the top to help it stay in place. I was glad to be able to use materials I already had on hand, and it took less than 5 minutes to make.

Cabana doesn't seem to mind wearing it one bit. And it gave me peace of mind while I was in the shower this morning.

We went for a very early walk this morning, hoping to minimize the number of dog meetings, which would be too exciting for Cabana. The sky was all pink as the sun rose, and then voila, a big orange sun! Cabana wanted to run, or at least walk really fast--but she finally got the idea that we were going to keep a leisurely pace. I can tell that inside, she's saying, "Why so slow? I've got a need for speed!" But the only thing we want to be speedy for now is, hopefully, her recovery.

Little Miss Pudgey is Home

This afternoon, I went to Guide Dogs in San Rafael to pick up my little pudgeball, where she was recuperating after her spay surgery yesterday. For some reason, I thought Cabana would be really calm, maybe sedated and woozy from her operation. Boy, was I wrong! She came out like a bucking bronco, wearing that horrendous contraption of an e-collar. The e-collar was attached to her flat collar, and I didn't know how I could get her head collar on through it, so she pulled and flailed all the way to the car.

The first thing I did was take that e-collar off her, poor thing! I've been running around like a headless chicken for the past couple days while Cabana was gone, trying to finish up all my Christmas shopping and preparations--so now I can relax and keep a close eye on Cabana. I am surprised at how oblivious Cabana is to her stitches--she hasn't made any effort to lick her incision at all so far.


Minutes after getting home, Cabana went straight to her bed. She is exhausted! Usually, she wakes up when she hears the camera shutter, but not this time.

Here's her poor shaved tummy and stitches.


They also shaved a little rectangle off her front right paw. Anyone know why?

As far as Cabana's girth, we will cut back to 3.5 cups a day (2 in the morning, 1.5 at night, since she'll have more opportunity to burn her breakfast off). I personally don't think she's fat right now, but as others commented, it is winter, and her activity may be somewhat reduced, especially during the next two weeks. Cutting back on her kibble will also give me more leeway for occasional carrots and green beans and whatnot. ;)

Cow Gas Mask: Step Three

This is the third and final installment of making a cow gas mask.


I've added the leather surround, and temporarily inserted the eyepieces for final shaping.


I designed the snout to accentuate the cow's mouth, so it would be readily identifiable.


Brass hardware has been added, and the mask antiqued to make it look old.


The final mask with cold cast resin parts, displayed on the fiberglass cow. Moo-o-o-o!

Cow Gas Mask: Step Two

Here I have cut the duct tape pattern pieces apart with an Xacto knife, and I'm peeling them off one by one. The wooden disc leaves a hole for the eyepiece and its lens will go.

I transfer the duct tape patterns onto a piece of heavy cardstock, which after some fine-tuning become my final patterns.

Starting with the snout, I cut the leather pieces along with the stitching holes, case them in water and handstitch them together. While still damp I fit them onto the foam model to ensure a good fit.

Here the mask is mostly together. The darker leather is where I got it wet in order to stitch on the eye trim. Still more to come.

Off to the Vet

I dropped Cabana off at Guide Dogs' vet clinic this morning. One sniff when I opened the car door, and Cabana knew where we were. She was so excited I could barely get her head collar on her. You'd think we were at Disneyland! The vet did a quick examination of her and said she looked great. Then, he sent me over to kennel reception so I could "get her a room" for the next two nights.

When I went to kennel reception, the woman working there took one look at Cabana and said she was too fat!! She said Cabana didn't have enough of a waistline and asked how much we fed her. I said 2 cups morning, 2 cups evening. She said that was way too much and that we should even switch to a "light" food. She also asked dubiously if we ever exercise her, and I told her we walk her DAILY, 2-3 miles. I know she was trying to be helpful, but I felt like I had been slapped. I don't think I could have felt worse if she told ME I was too fat and ate too much!

But I know I don't need to take it so personally. I'll just cut back Cabana's food a bit--but I had always felt Cabana was on the thin side so it totally caught me off guard. It reminded me of Kate, saying the same thing about Faulkner--he was always thin and then all of a sudden, he chunked up!

Before I took Cabana in to the vet this morning, I got a nice email from Nicole, Chelsie's mom, wishing Cabana well for her surgery, and saying how much I would miss her and that the house would seem so empty. I thought, pah, no way! I'm going to do my Christmas shopping without worrying about getting back home, and it's going to be a great break for a couple days.

But darn it, Nicole was right! Now I'm worried about Cabana being fat, about the surgery, about her being lonely in the kennels. And the house does seem too quiet. I did manage to do some Christmas shopping on my way back from the vet, but it seems like a small consolation. :(

Cow Gas Mask: Step One

I was commissioned by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to construct a leather steampunk gas mask for a fiberglass cow, as part of an upcoming exhibition on global warming. Here is how I went about making it.


This was my initial drawing as submitted to the aquarium.


And here it is somewhat altered after receiving their comments on the design. This drawing was approved.


They sent me this foam copy of the cow's head, from which I could make the pattern. The ears and horns are indicated by the red plastic cups, so I could figure out where to put the straps.


Here I have covered the head in duct tape, and marked the individual pattern pieces to cut off and transfer to leather. I've also indicated what type of stitching I'll be doing on each piece. More to come.