A Learning Tangle

My brain is in such a knot. Such a knot that would make Celtic knotwork look simple and easy.

I've had an idea for a re-design of my web site for Gryffyn's Aeyrie. I've kinda got it mapped out and kinda not. There are some more things I need to learn in addition to more CSS techniques. I need to learn Photoshop and its brush tools (I currently work in Paint Shop Pro since it was easier for me to learn way back when) and I need to learn how to work with vectorizing pictures. My head hurts. I feel way to old to learn this stuff and my memory seems like a sieve as of late. I have plenty else to do - so why do I bind myself up in these things. I was once told, while on a date, that I have a "curious mind". Not sure if they meant I was a perpetual student of sorts who was always looking for a learning experience...or if they just meant my mind was curious in that I was impossible to figure out where I was coming from and that I myself was a curiosity. Possibly both.

To add to the mangled mess, I was looking into digital scrapbooking as well in terms of styles and layout techniques. Now I can't concentrate on anything for more than a minute without wandering off into another tangent - the ADD has kicked in full throttle. Sometimes it's quite the asset for multi-tasking - but right now it's a huge barrier to getting anything done!

We may have some hellacious weather for the next 12 hours or so beginning this evening. The university posted its inclement weather policy and if the roads are iced tomorrow morning I may be wandering through my learning fog at home. But actually, I don't have time for that. We have a mess of dogs to groom for a special supported entry event on Saturday at the Abilene dog show.

Site Redesign - Lone Star Borzoi Club

Figured it was time to do something new and updated and redesigned the LSBC website. One new thing I worked with was using a Spry accordion widget to display TSE results for the last few years. It slides up or down when you click it to display the different results and/or trophy sponsorships. Click on the screenshot to visit the site!

More Excitement!

The last two weekends have provided us with more excitement. Solo won Best of Breed two of the three days at the Dallas cluster, got pulled in the group on Friday and then received a Group 3 on Saturday. Oddly enough, the judge who had pulled him in the group opted to ignore him in the breed on Sunday. Heard it happened in a LOT of breeds too and one person mentioned to me that he was in a "giant killing" mood. Although Solo is faaaaaaaaaar from being a giant (although I will admit he's a bit too tall for me ).

This past weekend the shows were in Rosenberg, just southwest of Houston. Solo won Best of Breed both days and won the Hound Group on Saturday! He was also pulled in the group on Sunday - just about giving me heart palpitations! Bugg won Reserve Winners Bitch both days, and Wulf....well, Wulf was a naughty child. But he's still beautiful!

I also got to have a nice visit with my father and we went to dinner with a group that he belongs to called Lifeline, which is for widows and widowers. It was nice to see that he has a wonderful support group to fall back on and they keep busy with various social activities. After such a long day, having got up at 3:30 that morning to drive down, the warm company and excellent food (sirloin and lobster...yum) were a great cap to an exciting day.

Great Beginnings!

Well, we've started out the New Year with a bit of a bang at the Nolan River Kennel Club shows in Glen Rose, TX! Not only is there conformation shows both days, but lure coursing as well - which made for interesting scheduling efforts and running back and forth. Ick - it also made for *VERY* early ringtimes - not fabulous for someone who is definitely NOT a "morning glory". We also debuted the two "Boogie Boys", Wulf (Gryffyn's Aeyrie Rock Me Amadeus) and Buster (Gryffyn's Aeyrie Bust a Move), from Monkee's May litter sired by Solo. They were originally to debut at the November TSE event in Houston but managed to bang and bruise themselves up beforehand - so evaded that working weekend. They weren't so thrilled about seeing flat-faced breeds like Pugs and French Bulldogs - and REALLY gave the eyeballs at Bulldogs, but they made it through without too much of a scene. On Saturday, Buster decided he had a time limit for trotting his fancy self around the ring and proceeded to throw on the brakes (brat) and Wulf decided that his good behavior on stacking at home, would remain at home and managed to crouch and post and alter his standing outline in a myriad of ways. On Sunday the boys were markedly improved - although they still weren't thrilled with Bulldogs. Victor showed Buster and I showed Wulf - and they both trotted around the ring reasonably well, and I couldn't believe I was stacking the same pup I had attempted to the day before. Wulf even defeated an older male in the Bred-By class (we dared not enter them where they would be in the ring together - can you say CHAOS?).

Solo did well in conformation, winning Best of Breed both days in an entry sporting the most specials we have seen in a while (5d/3b entered). Points in both sexes qualified for majors too. Then comes that running back and forth part...We showed in conformation, then out to the field for some "hurry up and wait"(HU&W) - run in prelims - HU&W - drive back to the building to show in Groups - back to the field and run Finals.

Sunday brought more excitement, with Solo taking 4th in the Group - after Jill thought that maybe I should just stay out on the field with him, not expecting the judge to use him . Glad I opted to have him there! As soon as we got back to the field, he got out of the van, got blanketed and went straight to the line for his Finals course. His performance on the field that day garnered him compliments from his competitors, who figured it to be between him and a new, fresh JC courser. But it was not to be.

Magik, on the other hand, finished her AKC Field Championship from the Veterans Stake. She had been searching for that last major for a seeming eternity - becoming more and more coursewise (and frustrating). We realized we had our own major of veterans and opted to bring some of them. Sassi had shown a bit of discharge, so her and Magik's father, Arthur, came along to the field. He put in a nice run for an old man approaching 10 years of age - can't wait to get the pictures. Magik was being obviously deferential to him though, plus he came off the course holding up his left foot, having hit a bad spot (the field is notoriously lousy for coursing due to its size and obstacles, like bleachers). Monkee was her usual creative self, and Doodle opted for about half a course before, well....doodling on the field. Flareon - obviously unhappy with being pried off the couch, turned in her two runs and was ready for getting back to help hold down the sofa. So Magik is now formally known as DC Chataqua Gryffyn La Magie Continue, MC JOR GRC FCh.