Snowmageddon

Here I am in downtown "Center City" Philadelphia. According to the news, we got 16 inches of snow Wednesday evening - alls I know is that the snow is now taller than me. Big huge flakes fell for hours, and there was thunder and lightening mixed in too. We woke up Thursday morning and went outside....the normally bustling streets were eerily empty. The lights were even off at the Dunkin' Donuts across the street. Snowmageddon.

We walked around for a bit - it was actually warmer than it had been in awhile. The streets were somewhat plowed, but what was left was super slippery - we had our own private ice rink! We heard an engine around the corner and went to check it out - a guy on an ATV with a snow plow attached to the front plowing the sidewalks. As the day went on, the sun came out and people came outside.

I'm on my own with a dog sitter this weekend while mom heads back to Seattle again. Rumor has it my cats are coming to join me!

Jet Settin'

Last weekend was another whirlwind of adventure. We hadn't been able to make it back to Seattle since mid December (Thanks to the 'Blizzard of 2010' - see earlier post), so we hopped a plane back to the Northwest this past weekend for a quick couple of days. The goals were simple, yet significant: pack my toys and say hello to my kitties. 

As this was my first trip to the Philadelphia airport, we got there plenty early to check things out. I was very impressed with their pet area, although the foot of snow made it difficult to give it a thorough run down. Even with the wintery conditions, I can say its my second favorite airport pet area, right below Palm Springs. 

It was also my first flight on US Air. Its seemed ok to me, but I heard my mom say something about wishing we were flying Alaska. I was pretty tired and slept for most of the flight, and when we got off the plane I knew right away we were in Seattle. Rain! I never thought I'd be happy to see rain. And it was warm enough to not wear a sweater or my wool jacket. 

Saturday and Sunday were all about playing with my kitties and staying out of the way of all the commotion. I made sure that my toys made it into the pile of stuff the movers would bring to Philly. It was great to be home, although I wish there had been time to see my buddies at the Amazon. I'm sure they wouldn't believe that my new job is sleeping on the couch, watching ESPN, and hanging out with the dog walker for a bit. 

The flight back on Monday was a bit different.  The gentleman in the seat next to us was actually a pilot! I was able to get this quick picture of the two of us before I got in trouble for being out of my bag. It was a good thing it wasn't his turn to fly the plane, cause he slept the whole flight! 

Back in Philly, its been another relaxing week. I hear we're going sightseeing this weekend, as long as we don't get too much snow. I'm hoping we get to try a Philly Cheese steak before too long!

Stay warm everyone!  Wall-e

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!! We headed to Philadelphia on New Years Eve and got settled into our apartment downtown. Its not home but I'm told its just for a little while until we find a place where there's room for my kitties and all of my toys. The place is just a few blocks away from this cool old park called Rittenhouse Square. The picture here is from Rittenhouse last weekend early in the morning when we were up before any of the other dogs. Philadelphia has alot of really old buildings and statues - I haven't seen the Liberty Bell yet but stay tuned. 

 I'm getting used to this snow thing, although the cold is another story. Sometimes its so cold I wear both my sweater AND my wool jacket. This weird guy stopped us on the street a few days ago and said he didn't blame me for being dressed up in the sweater, he blamed my mom. The rest of the conversation doesn't meet the Wall-e blog "G" rating, but I have to say that personally, I think he was just jealous....between you and me I actually like the sweater.  :-)

Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the New Year! I'd like to get a special shout out to all of my friends at Amazon. There's been a steady stream of Amazon boxes showing up here at the apartment,  and they usually have something for me inside. (Editor: and no sales tax! Keep up the good work). 

The Blizzard of 2010

I'm not sure where to start.....the past few days have been an experience like no other in my short 2.5 dog years. It was the day after Christmas and there was all kinds of excitement about this thing called a 'Blizzard' that was coming. Whatever it was, it had folks dashing around picking up supplies & such. It wasn't supposed to hit until Sunday night, but it showed up early and barreled in without excuse, like accountants heading for the Top Pot donuts back at the Amazon.

We couldn't even see out our window for most of the night and we moved my dog bed away from the window once the thunder and lightening started. Monday morning we woke up to a scene like nothing I'd ever seen before. There was snow taller than me just about everywhere, and my normal exit door was blocked by snow that had blown into the building. Even with my sweater and wool jacket it was so cold! The wind still howled and was blowing the snow all around. I was forced to stay outside until all of my business had been completed - torture I tell you!

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur - something about cancelled flights, staying here a few days longer, lots of phone calls, etc. I pretty much stayed out of the way and hoped they wouldn't make me go back outside. We did get in a good fetch session in the hallway - the hotel knows me by name here and gave me this awesome ball with a squeeker. It got even better when dinner arrived and some hamburger and fries made their way into my bowl. Tasty!

We were able to get out and about a little more today, and I hear we're heading to the airport tomorrow. It'll be a quick trip to Seattle, but we're going back to pick up one of my cats before heading out to the Philadelphia. Hope everyone is staying warm!

Wall-e

Me and my BFF - Miss Sabi Kilroy

I'm a little late with this post, but wanted to get a shout out to my (now former) office mate & BFF, Miss Sabi Kilroy. Sabi is a wise old girl who worked part-time here in the Amazon. When she would come to the office, Sabi set the standard for good dogs & was always a picture of grace and calm. 

Sabi has some special skills, most notably the ability to eat and drink from bed while fully laying down. Its something that will take me years of practice, but I'm committed to perfecting it. One of her skills that I will likely never obtain is the ability to entertain myself. Sabi is the only dog I know that didn't have an array of toys surrounding her. This is both impressive and unbelievable, not to mention frustrating for me given my knack for swiping my fellow canine's playthings. 

When I first started sharing an office with Sabi, she would grin at me. It was pretty clear that this wasn't a  'hi, how are you?' type of welcoming grin; it was more of a 'stay on your own side of the office little boy' type of grin. It took some time, and a lot of treats, but I eventually endeared myself to Sabi. Like any good relationship, it was all about compromise - I learned to respect my elders, and she came to tolerate my adolescent outbursts. 

Sabi - I will miss you. :-)

Don't Fence me in!!! - Midnight

Happy Friday! Today my good friend Midnight came to the Amazon. She only comes in every so often, so I know when she's here there's a special occasion. Midnight lives out in the countryside in a place with so much land that there aren't even any fences or leashes. It sounds fantastic!

We are all excited to have Midnight come visit us here in the big city. The excitement was a bit overwhelming, and Midnight forgot that office life means doors and lots of people. In all the commotion of going out for an urban walk, she got a paw caught up in the door and hurt one of her pads. Luckily, there are lots of dog friends here in the Amazon and after a quick bit of triage she was back ready for action. The rest of us are a little bit jealous of her new shoes, but she tells us she'd rather be barefoot.

So what's the special occasion? It my last Friday in the office. There's beer all over the place and we're heading out for a party later this afternoon. I'll make sure and get some pictures.

Philadelphia?!?!?

The past few weeks have been pretty exciting....I'm told that we're moving to Philadelphia! I'm not quite so sure what this means, but everyone at work looks at me like its not a good thing.

For as long as I can remember, my day job has meant heading to the office. Its a pretty cush job - I sleep, eat, pass some gas, and play with my fellow office dogs. Every once in awhile I tear up a box or play fetch. There are treats everywhere and people to visit and lots of other dogs with toys.

From what I hear about this Philadelphia place, my job is about to change in a big way. For starters, no more heading to the office. And there's a lot of snow there, like really super freezing snow. I have a feeling there will be plenty to blog about in the coming months.

All's I can tell you right now is that during the last few more days at my current job, we're going to have some fun - stay tuned!