Well, since the system is down, I figured I could do a dog update. I took him to the vet this morning to get fixed and was back by 8am. I need to get 8 hours in today before I pick him up this afternoon. That is now physically impossible at this point. Also, work added another telecommuter to the Student Accident product. I'm really frustrated with myself. I told Marlynn I'd do 300-350 claims per week. I've been doing 200. If I'd kept my promise, we wouldn't have another analyst. Not that it's bad. It's just easier if I'm the only one processing claims. I won't have to decipher anyone else's notes. If I was doing 300 claims/week, I would be able to handle this product without another at-home analyst. Also, I would be able to pay off my debt. I recently laid down a ton of cash for a personal trainer. Plus next week the dog starts training as well. That program is $1000.00. We are 6 weeks into the year. I could have $2400.00 more in my pocket if I was working as much as I could.

I came across a video journal from a year ago, and I was expressing the same frustration with myself. So, to make it worse, a year has passed and my behavior hasn't changed. And it's not that I'm doing anything worth while. Friday Emma came up and we took the dogs out on an hour walk. Then we went shopping. Then we hit Red House for happy hour/dinner and headed someplace else for desert. Then Kate and I saw a movie. Saturday I spent the entire day catching up with my online watching: 30 Rock, The Office, Jersey Shore. Sunday I finally worked a couple of hours, but I had 2 shows starting at 7 and grabbed drinks after. Yesterday I worked for a couple of hours, but didn't do anything after I hit the gym. I finished Gandhi. Today I was all ready to process starting at 8am, but can't access the files I need b/c the remote user is down.

Ugh, anyway, this was about the dog. I'm hoping that a year from now I can look back on these past few weeks and think, it's not so bad. The first couple of days were hard, obviously. Then I took him to the vet for a pre-neutering appointment and they found he has bilateral luxating patellae. Bad knees. Like his mama. Unbelievable! I freaked out about that cost, and applied for pet insurance. Which, of course, does not cover pre-existing conditions and now his knees are considered pre-existing. But I got a second opinion and they said he's not in any pain. He will definitely have to have surgery at some point, but it's not immediate. I can spend this year paying off my credit card debt and hopefully will be able to afford the surgery next year. Assuming I work more.

Since he's not trained, he doesn't know "drop". This is especially difficult when we're out on walks and he comes across food that he eats. Bones are his favorite. Who knew there were so many freaking bones out there! Last week he ate one before I could get it out of his mouth. The next morning he threw up on my bed. He spent the next two days whining the entire time. Including all night. I was sick and not sleeping since the dog wouldn't shut up. I have a new appreciation for single moms. I can barely take care of this dog without getting super frustrated. Moms have a whole human person to deal with. I finally took him to the vet after 2 days of not sleeping and some poop problems. They gave me antibiotics and prescription food, which he loves. Unfortunately, that visit was over $200.00. His neutering today will be close to $150.00. I just feel like I'm hemorrhaging money with this little guy.

But I'm so happy to have him fixed. He's been doing things to my pillows that I cannot repeat. If I don't make my bed and leave my door open, he'll go in there and ball the spread up and hump that. To completion. My current bedspread is getting cleaned after the first time he did that. I've been using a duvet cover the past week. Which, by the way, was much easier to wash when he threw up on it. So, silver lining!

He's also taking up more time than I had planned for. If I had an older dog, I wouldn't need to play with him as much. We go out in the morning and the evening for 30 minutes of sniffing, marking, and exploring. We have an afternoon walk which lasts about an hour and a half. There've been a couple of nights I've come home late and the only thing I want to do is go to bed. Nope. Must get bundled up to take him out. I'm worried about him being bored. Which is another reason I'm looking forward to training him next week. The program I've picked has him come to the center two days a week for 2 hours a day. He gets to socialize with other dogs on top of the training. Then I get homework. The main two things I want to work on is "drop" and having him off a leash. When we go out for bathroom breaks, I would like to be able to let him wander, so I don't have to follow everywhere. But the fences wouldn't hold him since he's so small. I need to be sure he would stay right by me and come when called. Even if something exciting like another dog or a bird was on the other side. We'll see. I might never be able to have him off a leash. Who knows. "Drop" is the main thing. I don't want him to get sick and die because he's eating things he's not supposed to.

Don't get me wrong, I love this dog. When I'm working sometimes he'll start to snore on the couch, which makes me smile. Normally I have him sleep in his crate, but sometimes I let him sleep with me in the bed. He's a great cuddler. It's nice to have another living being around. I'm just looking forward to having a well-trained, well-behaved dog.