Aussie, 1996-2009

My baby dog, I love you. Rest in peace.

Aussie
1996-2009

Aussie Flickr collection

Feeling her pain

My baby dog is in pain today. Aussie is nearly 13, and being a long backed dog, she's got some arthritis in her back and hips and hind feet. Most days you wouldn't know. But Aussie has bad days.

Today is one of those bad days. She's in pain. She's having a hard time walking. Lifting her head is painful for her as well. She's not interested in her breakfast. She's shaking. All she wants to do is lie down. But due to the pain, she's lying in unusual and awkward positions. She's hiding in her kennel, trying to find comfort by hiding in her space. And she keeps coming to me, looking to me to take away her pain.

I don't know what triggers her bad days. Yesterday wasn't unusual. All I can do is give her the Rimadyl (doggie aspirin, liver flavored) and wait. Wait for the drugs to kick in. Wait for her to be herself again.

Watching her in pain makes me hurt. I can't stand it. I want to fix it, but I know I can't. It kills me that I can't make the pain go away for her. I'm dreading the day when this becomes the norm for her.

Orange tabby hell cat

Aussie was "welcomed" to the neighborhood today by a local cat. We went on a nice long walk around the block, to give herAussie some exercise so she will let me unpack rather than demand attention the rest of the evening (yes, I learned this trick in grad school: wear out dog => time to get work done).

As we were rounding the second block, there was a fluffy orange tabby cat sitting by a fence. It has a collar and tag so it clearly has an owner unlike the feral strays in our old neighborhood. Aussie doesn't mind cats. She was raised with one, so she generally either pays them no mind or tries to make friends with them (a hard habit to break her of in our old neighborhood). This cat proceeded to walk right up to the dog and smell her. Aussie, to her credit, just stood there. Didn't lunge, didn't move, didn't even lean towards the cat or try to sniff back. Then, unexpectedly, the cat changed attitude and proceeded to swat at my dog! And not just once, but multiple times!!

Aussie, again to her credit, didn't attack back. And we beat a path away from that cat, pausing about 20 feet away so I could assess for damage. When I looked up, the cat was RIGHT BEHIND US and proceeded to charge my dog a SECOND time and swat at her while hissing.

So we quickly moved around the corner. When I looked back, the cat was following us. It followed us around the corner and about half way down the next block. The orange tabby from hell was stalking me and my dog clearly with intention to harm. So we kept walking, checking frequently to see if was still behind us.

Shortly after the cat stopped and parked itself in a crouch under some bushes (lying in wait for it's next victim perhaps), a woman and her dog came around the corner. She promptly grabbed her dog and made a wide berth around the cat from hell exclaiming that she hates that cat. Apparently the cat has actually attacked her and her dog in the past, leaving her with some bite marks on her arm. Sounds like Aussie and I got of easy. Aussie is fine, a few tiny scratches around her nose, but nothing serious.

I hereby nickname the cat Psycho. We will be giving Psycho a wide berth from now on.

Clever puppy

Well, not that clever. Because she made herself sick. But the process of making herself sick involved a great degree of cleverness.

I've talked about how smart my dog is before. Well, if you didn't believe me, you will now. Last night I ran an errand. Aussie didn't like this. I came home, and then left again. So, she decided to be a bad dog. I had a box of chocolates (a variety pack) sitting in the middle of my dining room table. I use the term "dining room table" loosely since all it is at the moment is a folding table and chairs, but it is what it is. And the chocolates were in the middle of the table, where I thought they were out of dog reach. They've been there for weeks and she's ignored them. I figured she might not even know they were there.

I was wrong. She was just biding her time.

I came home from my errand to find little bits of foil wrappers on the living room floor. And the torn up box under the coffee table. Aussie had pulled the chair out from the table, and used it to get to the box of chocolates sitting in the middle of the table.

The torn up box

She didn't eat very many chocolates, but she did eat at least 5 of them. Just enough to make her sick. We were up all night with her upset stomach/gastrointestinal system.

And I'll be dammed if there weren't little bits of foil wrappers (guess she didn't manage to get them fully unwrapped like she normally does) in her poo this morning. Hopefully that means we're past the worst of the upset tummy.

Silly puppy

Last night I was up way way too late watching the NHL Stanley Cup playoff finals between Pittsburgh and Detroit (go Red Wings!!), alternating between elation and screaming like a maniac at the television. It was that kind of game. I do love the playoffs, despite their tendency to elicit mood swings.

Every time I got happy and excited and started cheering, Aussie came over to see what was up and if she could be part of the excitement. Tail awaggin', equally as charged up as I was.

On the flip side, when I cursed and screamed like a banshee in frustration, Aussie went and hid in her kennel. She got all freaked out because I was freaking out and I'm pretty sure her thought process went something like this: omg-did-I-do-something-wrong-I-better-hide-just-in-case.

In the third sudden death overtime (did I mention how late I was up watching this game?!), the Red Wings lost. The Penguins scored on a power play. Dammit dammit dammit!! And unfortunately for the dog, this means she'll have to experience my wild hockey playoffs induced mood swings again during Game 6 on Wednesday night.

Aussie video!

A short movie of Aussie in action.

She just loves chewing on sterilized beef bones. I know it's gross, but there are few toys capable of standing up to the power of her jaws for more than a few hours. She's a chewer so I have to give her something and Aussie makes short work of rawhide. So sterilized bones and the Kong toys are about it. We've gone through quite a few bones in her 12 years. This one happens to be filled with peanut butter flavored stuff for an added bonus. The grating noise of her teeth on the bone sometimes gives me the chills, but bonus! it does keep her teeth clean. She focuses so intensely it cracks me up to watch her. And she'll focus on chewing for an hour or more at a time.

[Side note: embedding video from Flickr is hella easy!]

Back to basics

I've talked before about how when I first got her Aussie had pretty severe separation anxiety. The only thing that saved my sanity and my wallet was crate training. As long as you don't use the crate for punishment, crate training is a beautiful thing. Basically, when you're not home for any length of time, the dog spends the time locked in their crate. This keeps them from getting into things they shouldn't, etc. When you're home, you leave the crate door open so they can go in and out as they please. Dogs also grow quite fond of their crates, which is incredibly helpful when traveling. Aussie has no issues flying or anything as she travels in her crate (it's an FAA approved kennel) or the crate comes with us to the strange environment. It's kind of like her own personal portable bedroom. It's also security for her, and keeps her calm. She'll go lie in it and take a nap. She stashes things in it to "protect" them (like empty cheese containers she fishes out of the recycling! or rawhide bones she's saving for later). In fact, she's so protective of her crate she gets very upset when I have to clean it (vacuum the fur out, wash the bedding, etc.). She'll watch my every move, peering over my shoulder and periodically whining in my ear until I'm done. Then she promptly goes in her crate to check everything out and make sure I didn't do any permanent damage to her "room."

For years she stayed locked in her crate when I wasn't home. And no, I don't feel guilty about doing it (see statement about how protective she is of her crate...it's her personal space). As she got older and the separation/destructive doggie tendencies subsided, I started leaving her out of it for short periods of time like a run to the grocery store. When we had no issues, those periods of time got longer and longer until I stopped having to lock her in there at all. It's been a couple of years since I've had to crate her when I wasn't home.

Unfortunately, Aussie has been a brat lately. I'm not sure what brought on this round of regression into bad behavior, but we've had to go back to training basics. Among other bad behaviors, two forays into the garbage in a three week period is not a good thing. The gastrointestinal impact alone is not pretty (I'll save you and not go into details...but let's just say I missed work one day because we had to make rather frequent trips outside). So we've gone back to crate training to keep her out of trouble.

Aussie is not happy about this. It used to be that as soon as I put on my coat or picked up my keys she'd go into her crate, no prompting or command from me. She just knew and accepted it. No problem. Lately, however, she's been expressing her displeasure about this return to training basics. I've been having to tell her to go in her crate more than once before she'll do it. And even though she does, she kind of drags her feet in the process, taking her time to get up from the dog bed and walking slowly to the crate. We then have yet another conversation about how she's brought this on herself by her own behavior. Which garners a deep sigh from her in response. And she's generally been a bit pouty all week when I'm home. Not a happy dog about having to hang out in her crate. I'm sure she prefers napping on the couch to her kennel.

I'm hoping a week of having to stay in her crate will be enough of a reminder this time. This weekend I plan to try leaving her out as I run a few errands. If all goes well, we'll try a full day next week. Because a pouting dog is not a good thing.

Letting me know

Aussie is very good at making her feelings clear. Yes, she's a dog, but she, like all creatures, does have feelings. She is very very good at letting me know what's on her mind.

For example, she's been known to sigh very deeply when I tell her to do something she doesn't want to do. She'll do it, but she's made it clear she's not happy about it. I'll tell her to go lie down and the response will be a deep SIGH, followed by a plodding walk to her dog bed and a flop onto it like some kind of teenage drama queen. That's one of her more subtle demonstrations.

She also harumphs, groans, growls, and grumbles. Sometimes she works her way up to a full bark. Directed at me, of course. All in all, making her feelings quite clear by voicing her opinion.

Then there are those times that instead of just voicing her feelings or opinions, she acts like a sledgehammer and demonstrates them. She used to destroy things when I'd leave her alone as a puppy. Nothing was safe, not even on the dining room table (Aussie figured out how to pull out the chairs and then use them to get to the stuff on the table). She once destroyed a video because I watched a movie instead of playing with her. There were three of them stacked up, but the only one she broke into a gazillion tiny little pieces of plastic all over the rug was the one I watched. She left the unviewed videos alone. [How did she know? You're guess as good as mine.]

This behavior as a puppy was a direct manifestation of separation anxiety. Not unusual for dogs coming from rescue organizations or a shelter. So we crate trained, and she stayed in her kennel when I wasn't home. Much better for my sanity. Especially when she started destroying the mail...but only the bills. She left the junk mail and catalogs alone. And my books...but only the last 4 or 5 chapters. She'd leave the rest so you could read it, but not finish it. Have I told you my dog is smart? Sometimes it scares me...

Anyway, once she got older the crate training ceased to be necessary. The separation anxiety disappeared. We have a routine, and let's face it, she sleeps most of the day anyway. Generally, she's very good. Of course, I don't leave food anywhere near where she can get to it, because I'm not going to tempt her (that would be stupid on my part).

But every now and then, she decides she is unhappy with me. And Aussie lets me know. In her own not so subtle way. Today is a good example. Today, on a weekend, I left her alone for the entire day so I could go visit my good friend JM and her daughter E down in Delaware. There's nothing like a toddler to give you a different perspective on life, and I needed that, about as much as I needed the hang time with a good friend, so thanks to both of them! [Right...back to the point of the post.] It's not a weekday, so I'm not supposed to be gone very long. Errands are short, couple of hours tops. But today I was gone all day, as if I had gone to work. But it's not a workday, and Aussie knows this.

So when I got home, I found that she had drug my work bag into the middle of the floor. As an accusation. I was gone all day, but I didn't take my work bag, so it was unacceptable to her that I left her alone for that long. And she knew she had been bad, as she went running for her kennel to hide as soon as I got through the door. When I got to the kitchen, I also found she had gone through the recycling, and scattered the cans all over the floor. Aussie got bored being alone, so she amused herself by doing something she knows better than to do. Just to drive home her point. Clear, crystal clear. Like a sledgehammer. Wouldn't you agree?

I love my dog, but sometimes she's a real brat.

Doggie aging

My dog has carpal varus. It's a congenital deformity in short legged dogs where there's uneven growth in the long bones of the forearm (foreleg). It results in severe bowleggedness. Let's put it this way, while Aussie's shoulders and elbows are a good 8 to 10 inches apart, because of the uneven growth of the bones below her elbows, her wrists/ankles touch and her feet turn out. It is something that can be corrected via surgery, but it would have had to have happened before she was a year old. Considering I didn't even get her until she was almost 10 months old, we missed the window of opportunity. It hasn't slowed her down much over the years, but after a frank conversation with one of our vets, we've been watching her closely for complications.

Besides just looking strange, one of the complications is that she's predisposed to arthritis. Her front legs shake, pretty much all the time now. It used to be they shook only when she was tired, but now that she's 12 years old, they shake constantly. To add to the issues, she's not just a short legged but a long backed dog. Long backed dogs are predisposed to arthritis in their back and hips. One of her hind legs has taken to shaking recently, especially when she's tired. She's been on the strongest available glucosamine and chondroitin supplements for years now. Yes, the same stuff us humans take for our joints. And the vet and I have made a conscious effort to do everything possible to keep her at the lowest healthy weight possible to reduce stress on her legs, hips, and back. So she looks borderline thin, but I'm certainly not starving her, and if it means less pain for her, I'd rather have her that way than too heavy. She's still almost 50 pounds of pretty much solid muscle.

But things have been getting worse over the past 4 or 5 months. It's more than just her legs shaking. She fell down the stairs. Like slid down the bottom third onto the landing. There's been days that she's had trouble getting up and down off the couch or my bed. This is the dog that cleared a 3 foot fence as a puppy with a good foot of room. We now have a prescription for rimadyl, which is basically aspirin for dogs. And our walks are getting shorter. After one trip around the block she's pretty much done now. No more hiking for Aussie. She still has moments where she tears around the living room like a crazy thing, chasing her tail and tossing her toys around, but they're shorter, and fewer and farther between now. She's still a happy and active dog, but she's slowed down considerably. And lately I've noticed that one of her eyes is starting to look a bit cloudy, like she's developing a cataract.

I am not dealing well with these new problems. It feels very sudden to me. I know there's only so much I can do, but the idea that my dog is getting old is just not something I'm accepting gracefully. But I'm doing what I can. Besides the drugs, I'm hoping to move to a single story apartment in the next 6 months so we don't have to deal with stairs anymore. And I have more dog beds around the house than I ever thought I would. I admit I'm becoming less strict with rules, letting her up on the bed without a blanket down, letting her get away with things I never would have when she was younger (but she's still a very very well behaved dog!). And I'm certainly more reluctant to take her to a kennel and leave her in an unfamiliar environment with strangers. I prefer to take her with me these days, so I can keep an eye on her, or have her stay with friends. And I may be a fool because of it, but she's my baby dog. She's my family. And it's breaking my heart that she's getting old.

One spoiled puppy

Aussie doesn't get table scraps, but I do give her veggie bits when I'm chopping up fresh veggies. You know, that tough end of the zucchini or those bits of tomato that are a bit green and hard? Or the slightly bitter ends of the celery stalk? Aussie's jaws make short work of them and according to the vet, they're good for her. Perfectly edible, but they just don't taste very good or are difficult for us humans to digest. But they don't bother the dog and she loves them. When we were trying to get her weight down to the minimum possible and have her still be healthy to put less pressure on her legs and back, the vet told me to cut her food in half and give her salt-free canned or frozen (thawed of course) veggies as filler. And he recommended baby carrots instead of dog biscuits. But those aren't table scraps. She gets treats, but not table scraps. No human food leftovers at home. I really don't consider giving her veggies spoiling. Or the treats I used to train her. She's loved, but there's discipline and she's well trained (which is constantly reinforced). I believe Cesar Milan would call her a "balanced dog" rather than spoiled.

Not so when we visit family. My entire family spoils my dog. My entire family. Grandmother gives her "great grand-dog" pieces of apple and carrot. My aunt's husband gave her pieces of ham because she "politely and patiently waited" while he cleaned the meat off the bone. Patiently waited. Mind you, this is because I trained her not to beg, but to lie quietly out of the way when food was involved. My aunt saved the bits of ham slice edges to give to Aussie after dinner each night. She got bits of Christmas dinner leftovers [ok, special occasion, and I was the culprit in this case, but nothing bad for her like sweets or onions, which are toxic]. And I know people gave her other bits when I wasn't looking. Bits because "she's just such a good dog." [These people obviously don't live with her if they believe she's good all the time...]

Then there was her Christmas haul. Santa brought her a rawhide bone, peanut butter flavored (her favorite). But she also had her own gifts to open. My cousin and his wife gave her a big bag of fancy treats. My aunt gave her a new squeaky stuffed toy (which she will rip into and pull out all the stuffing and then run around with the "shell" for weeks). I explicitly told my grandmother to NOT get her anything this time, that I would bring a bone for her, as last year she gave Aussie lots of treats PLUS a big rawhide bone.

Then there was what my mom sent her grand-dog. When I walked in the house with that package from her Aussie wouldn't let me move until she had inspected every side of the box thoroughly. It took a good 10 minutes of nose work before I could finish walking through the living room and put the box down on the table. Mom had apologized ahead of time for the squeaky toy she sent, but there was more. Oh yes, there was quite a bit more. A chicken flavored "health bone" with all sorts of vitamins and minerals in it. Aussie enjoyed that on Christmas Eve.

The Rogz squeaky toy is named "Rogzette." Rogzette is a "sportimal" K9 beauty and surfer queen. That's what the label says. She looks kind of like a cross between a dog and a rat, but with no tail, pink spiky hair and a pink bikini. The most disturbing aspect of Rogzette is the little knot of silver thread that's supposed to be a belly-button ring. And no, I'm not joking. Nor did I make Rogzette up. Go look for yourself. Aussie has managed to kill the squeaker, and is now working on ripping her apart and gutting her. She's currently trying to rip the pink bikini bra top off to get at the stuffing.

But perhaps the most interesting gift from my mom were the two packages of strange brown objects that smelled very good to Aussie. So I read the labels. Roo heart. Lamb puff. Lamb ears. Beef hide. OMG. Lamb puff? WTF is that? [I don't recommend Googling it by the way...unless you enjoy being disturbed] I asked my mom about these two little bundles when we talked on Christmas. They're very common dog treats in Australia. I guess kind of like pig ears here in the U.S. But still, um, yeah. And no, I still haven't opened them and given any to Aussie. I can't decide if I'm disturbed by them or not. And frankly I'm afraid of how they might smell.

Aussie will never lack for treats and spoiling as long as my family is around. Never ever. By the time we get through this year's haul it will be Christmas again and we'll have a whole new set of treats and toys! Yes, Aussie is one spoiled puppy. Secretly? I admit I think she probably deserves/earns it.

Winter attacks!

Between the freezing rain on Sunday, the wind on Monday and Tuesday, and the snow today, I think it's safe to say that winter is attacking. The snow that's been coming down for most of the day is sticking to most surfaces...a nice wet snow. It's beautiful. I love how it transforms everything into a white wonderland, covering up all the city grime. All day my friend and colleague KS has been practically dancing in her chair (you can read about her excitement on her blog). I have to admit snow really makes it feel like winter for me too. It makes me want to snuggle up in the house with a steaming mug of hot cocoa after a cold walk in the snow with the dog.

Speaking of Aussie, here is a description of what she sounds like when out in the snow:

snuffle snuffle snuffle
foof! [sharp exhale sending an explosion of snow into the air around her nose]
snuffle snuffle
foof!
snort
snuffle snuffle...

And then she attacks it. No joke. Attacks the snow. Hates the rain. Not too fond of the cold either, she takes care of business pretty quickly when it's chilly out. Unless there's snow involved. Then she must inspect every. single. pile. of. snow. And nothing can make her hurry up. Not even me imploring her because my toes are getting cold. She's in the land o' snow and is lost to the rest of the world.

snuffle snuffle snuffle
foof!
[sneeze]
snuffle snuffle...

Side note: this post marks one full year of blogging for me. My blog is ONE YEAR OLD. That's longer than I've ever managed to keep a journal or diary before...guess I really did form that habit after all.

Finally Friday

So I actually got trick-or-treaters! The ceramic pumpkin in the window did its job. I'm fairly certain I had some repeat visitors. Usually it was the same kid, but with a different group each time. All in all, just over 50 kids came by, of all ages and in various states of costume (some very elaborate, some not actually in costume at all, and everything in between). Aussie wore her horns on her nightly walk around the block, amusing my neighbors and confirming for them that I'm quite possibly insane. But they loved it. She barked every time there was a knock at the door or the doorbell buzzed, so she was exhausted by 8:30pm from all the excitement. I did have a little bit of leftover candy, but my colleagues made short work of it on Thursday morning.

It's been one of those weeks where I just feel like I'm slogging. [Need more coffees!] Between the leak over the weekend, the leak repair on Monday and Tuesday, a trip to the dentist, and Halloween on Wednesday, I was just busy and didn't have a whole lot of downtime. I'm so glad that Friday is finally here.

Fortunately, I have a nice relaxing and fun weekend planned. My friend CH has a meeting in town next week (Monday to Wednesday), so he's coming into town tonight to hang out for the weekend. So I have an excuse to not be responsible and to play in my city all weekend. I love having company for that reason, I get to do all the fun stuff too! Not sure what we'll end up doing, but I do have a running list of things to see and do (including a Stieglitz photography exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art). And restaurants to try. There's always a restaurant I want to try or a cuisine I'm craving. We are going out for dinner on Saturday with my colleague/friend KS and her husband RK to Fogo de Chao (a Brazilian steakhouse), which sounds delicious.

But right now I better get back to work so I can be irresponsible all weekend.

Happy Halloween!!

I do hope everyone is celebrating the day and having some fun with it. I, for one, am sitting here at work in a set of sequined and sparkley devil horns and a matching tail. My colleagues keep doing double takes. I keep telling people I'm not actually wearing a costume...they are there all the time and just happen to be visible today because it's Halloween. (Joking!...sort of...)

I do love this day. It's so much fun. I love seeing how creative people can get with their costumes and pumpkin carving. The "barfing" pumpkins crack me up. And some are such incredible works of art! My dad was always the best carver on the block, even giving our pumpkins hair. We also always tried to pick out the pumpkins from the patch that had the most "character" so we could get even more creative. He could carve just about any design or face we drew. And we'd roast the pumpkin seeds after separating them from the guts...so yummy. Mom would seriously deck the house out with fake cobwebs (yes, fake), complete with plastic spiders, candelabras with white candles that dripped red wax when lit, and all varieties of spooky things. She had some friends over for a visit one year, and one of them reached back to get her drink from the side table, encountering one of the cobwebs in the process, and screamed bloody murder! And had a good laugh about it afterwards. It was fabulous!

Even Aussie gets into the Halloween spirit! She's got two costumes: a pumpkin hat and devil horns. She doesn't like the pumpkin. When I put it on her she mopes. But the horns, now those she prances around in showing off. My little devil dog...takes after her mama (yes, me).

Aussie in her horns last Halloween
(all tuckered out at the end of the night)

So tonight Aussie and I will be wearing matching horns again this year and waiting for any trick-or-treaters. I'm not sure if I'll get any, as there are lots of block parties that people go to and events at community centers and churches instead. I'm putting the big ceramic electric jack-o-lantern my grandmother painted decades ago in my window in an attempt to entice a few kids in costumes to come knock on the door. If not, well, my colleagues will be treated to a variety of leftover candy tomorrow, as it must leave the house lest I eat it all.

Ironically, I went to the dentist yesterday afternoon for my six-month cleaning and check up. And today (and probably tomorrow) I'll be eating lots of candy corn and chocolate. Fortunately, my dentist gave my teeth a clean bill of health, so as long as I brush well I'll be fine despite all the sugar I'll be consuming.

Happy Halloween!!

Weekend in NYC, part 3

First, a note about Aussie versus the balcony/porch. If you remember from our last trip, it took Aussie all weekend to work up the courage to go out onto CH's balcony, even if one or both of us was out there. Well, she's still afraid of the edge, but she did voluntarily go out onto balcony, and at least once all by herself. She still won't get close to the edge, always staying about a foot (at least) from the edge and stretching her neck out as far as possible to peer over at the street below. But she made herself right at home, spending much of the weekend lounging on the couch. Not that that's any different than what she does at home on the weekends, mind you.

Sunday we got up after sleeping in a bit and grabbed coffee from Think, but once again couldn't go anywhere until certain key Rugby World Cup games were completed. Sunday morning were the pivotal pool D games (the only pool completely undecided going into the weekend) so I had to find out what happened. Again, there was much cursing, luckily ultimately much cheering (YAY for Argentina!!) and again, CH dished out a fair amount of grief. Fortunately, I had the chance to dish it back this time, as he was setting up his fantasy football team which also involved cursing and madly checking scores and statistics. We did snack on leftovers from the India Bread Company during all of this. All I have to say is their stuff is just as good reheated or cold. Anyplace that has food that's just as good as leftovers as it is fresh deserves a medal of honor in my book.

Once all sports related events were settled, we headed to Borders to take advantage of the Educators Appreciation weekend. They offer 25% off all regularly priced books, CDs and DVDs for educators (including librarians!) as long as you have your valid id with you. This is an excellent deal, especially for things like children's books, which tend to be expensive. And I needed a baby gift for a friend that's due in November. Given that CH has the same book addiction I do, it wasn't hard to convince him to go wander around Borders for a couple of hours so I could pick up a picture book or two.

Our next stop was a bigger meal. I think this would have been called what my family referred to as "lunner" growing up, between lunch and dinner, but too big for a snack. We had both heard about a place called A Salt & Battery via the Food Network. Bobby Flay did a Throwdown episode where he challenged these guys to a "who makes better" fish 'n' chips competition, and these guys beat Bobby Flay. This place does truly authentic fish 'n' chips, complete with British beverages (beer or soda). Inside there's the order counter, a counter around the edge of the front of the shop with 7 stools, and a bench outside reserved for customers. No tables. They offer a delicious dill dip, malt vinegar, ketchup and salt to have with your fish 'n' chips, as well as a variety of British sides including mushy peas and homemade (savory) pies (I must try the steak and mushroom next time). And OMG this is fish 'n' chips to die for! Truly authentically British, crispy, greasy, hot, and delicious. Perfectly cooked fish and chips. They even had Ginger Beer (non-alcoholic "real" ginger flavor) which made my day. And, get this, for dessert they have DEEP FRIED Mars bars!! Of course...we were too full to eat a Mars bar this time after all the deep fried fish and potato goodness. CH got the large cod bites, and I got a piece of cod (the small, which is still 4 oz. of fish!), and we split a large order of chips. Topped it all with salt and malt vinegar, and it was what I'd describe as just about the perfect meal.

Right next door they have a shop with all British products called Tea & Sympathy. Now I know where to go to get my British groceries (like Christmas pud and good chocolate including a selection real Cadbury sweets) and they even have a tea shop that does high tea and traditional British food. Brilliant! I do believe I'll be making trips back there.

Our bellies stuffed full with fish 'n' chips and plans for a return visit (must try that deep fried Mars bar), we headed back to the apartment so I could get on the road at a decent hour. One last trip through the park with the dog, and Aussie and I were off on our way back to Philly. The trip home ironically had more traffic than the trip there, purely because they're doing some construction on the NJ Turnpike.

Sigh...every time I go to New York City, I feel like I've only scratched the surface of all the good food and things to do there. And I always end up adding more to my existing list than I cross off. There's just so much to see and do. And again, thanks to CH for hosting me and my dog and being excellent company on the various food and activity adventures.

Weekend in NYC, part 2

We got a late start on Saturday. I had to check rugby world cup scores before I could go anywhere. A few key games in the pools that determined who moved forward in to the quarterfinals were being played. CH tolerated my obsession fairly well, although dishing out a substantial amount of grief while I cursed at my computer.

For lunch we returned to the Cozy Soup & Burger. Last time I got a good diner breakfast with a huge pile (mountain?) of pancakes. This time I wanted to try their burgers. I chose the blue cheese burger. And it was so good. The blue cheese was very sharp, and the patty was huge. I foolishly thought I'd want fries as well, so I opted to get the "deluxe" platter with fries and a pickle. I finished the burger, but not the fries. I must learn that at the Cozy Soup & Burger to always get about 1/2 of what I think I might eat as everything there is on the very large side. CH got a patty melt with grilled onions and peppers (also "deluxe"), but he did manage to eat his fries (and a few of mine).

Our plan for the afternoon was to head down to the South Street Seaport Historic District. The area was a mercantile and shipping area, and the 19th century buildings have been refurbished and re-purposed into a shopping and restaurant area. Generally more of a "high-end" shopping area, including a Godiva store. They also have a Museum and a fleet of historic ships, including a Coast Guard ship you can tour. There was some kind of event going on down on the pier called an Urbanathon with a band and a half pipe and people everywhere. The funniest thing we saw was the Seattle's Best Coffee shop that also sold beer and cigars!

Our goal was Bodies: the Exhibition at the Exhibition Centre. This exhibit is all over the world, and both CH and I have wanted to see it for awhile. Lucky for us, the New York exhibition was extended, giving us the opportunity to get to it before it left. It was awesome! Since they used actual bodies that had been specially preserved, going in I figured it would be either really cool or it would be creepy, but either way interesting. It was so not creepy, just really fascinating and very cool, and we learned a lot! You get to actually see how the body works. How our bodies function is so incredible as it is (we are an incredibly complicated piece of organic machinery), and this exhibition illustrated that and broke it down into manageable chunks, while still showing how it all fits together. Different rooms focused on different elements, like bones, muscles, digestion, and the nervous system to name just a few. It was really neat to actually be able to see the nerves in my left arm that were injured in the car accident a few years ago, and see how they connected between my shoulder and my hand. I could feel how they connected, but seeing it and being able to see the "path" they take down my arm helped it all make more sense in my head as to how they were injured and why it hurt where it did as they healed. I hadn't visualized my nerves as being so thick...in my mind I saw them as threads, but they are much thicker than that. We were in there for 2 hours, and I think if I went again I'd learn things I didn't absorb the first time. So much information, and so well presented.

After the exhibit, we headed back to apartment for some coffee and to watch the Stargate Atlantis season premiere (which we had recorded on Friday night...we had gone in search of food when it aired). After walking all afternoon, it was nice to just sit on the couch like a lump and be entertained for a bit. And it gave me a chance to check the last rugby scores of the day (yes, I'm a rugby addict, and I am not ashamed).

Before picking up some slices of pizza for dinner, we took the dog to the nearby dog run in the park. Aussie showed a bit more interest this time, and barked at the dogs running around chasing each other in play, but still wasn't all that into getting involved beyond the initial greeting. So we left the park and walked her over to pick up the pizza. Just like the previous night, she attracted a fair amount of attention. The West Village is a bit busy on Saturday nights (that's the understatement of the year), so there were lots of people and Aussie was feeling quite tolerant about people petting her.

As an example of the kind of attention she gets, I offer the following conversation:
Dude w/girlfriend runs up behind us: "Hey! Can we meet your dog?"
Me: "Sure."
[lots of dog petting and the dude cooing over my dog, his girlfriend was much less interested]
As we are walking away, the following comment:
Dude: "She takes up a whole [sidewalk] square!!"

I do like CH's response to the "can I pet your dog" question: "If she lets you." She'll bark at the person if she's not comfortable with them (she's never bitten anyone, she just barks at them to back off). But I was still amazed at just how tolerant Aussie was on this trip...often she can be quite wary when there's lots of people around, especially in an unfamiliar environment. She must be mellowing in her old age.

Weekend in NYC, part 1

This past weekend I went north to New York City with the dog to visit my friend CH again. I needed to escape Philly for a bit.

My trip up Thursday night was fairly uneventful. Not a whole lot of traffic, other than the expected right around the Holland Tunnel (is there ever *not* traffic??). And bonus! I found street parking about 1/2 a block from CH's apartment on my first trip around the block. Now, the reason I had to make this trip was because I missed the entrance to the apartment complex, but when I looped around to try again lo and behold there was parking. Miracles do happen. We attempted to get Indian food from Indian Bread Company, but the place had a "rush" and they were forced to close early! Bummer. No naaninis tonight. Instead we opted for falafel and hummus pitas and split a spinach pie.

On Friday CH had to work in the morning so we knew the day was half gone from the start. We got up and took the dog for a quick walk and got coffee from Think before CH heads into the office. The dog and I hung out at the apartment getting some work done as well (ok, I worked and she slept).

We were both starving by the time we were done with work (for the weekend, mind you). We opted to get sushi for lunch at Marumi (546 LaGuardia Place). OMG so good...good prices, and excellent fresh sushi. They offer lunch plates that come with set sushi and the choice of soup or salad. You can substitute one option for an extra $1. I had 3 rolls (California, salmon and avocado, spicy tuna) and a salad, all for about $12. My spicy tuna roll was a bit loose, but still tasty. It had been far too long since I had sushi. So good.

After lunch we caught the subway uptown to possibly go to a museum. We head for MoMA, only to discover a very long line. Apparently Target was sponsoring a "free Friday" event where admission was, well, free. We asked one of the MoMA people what the latest exhibit was, and he told us they were "in transition." Meaning nothing special going on, just their permanent collection. As much as we both want to see that (it is the MoMA), standing in line for an hour and then fighting massive crowds inside is not something either one of us was particularly interested in. I'd rather spend the money to go sometime when I can actually see the art without peering through and over people and fighting crowds.

So we opted to wander around Central Park instead. The weather was perfect! A beautiful fall day. I have no regrets about deciding to spend it outside rather than inside MoMA. We started at the south end of the park and wandered up to the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace and eventually up to the Great Lawn before looping back around again. It was a great day for people watching. Lots of families out, a couple of groups having wedding photos taken, baseball games on the Great Lawn, all kinds of activities.

On our way back from Central Park, Tonnie's Minis cupcakes just happened to be between the subway stop and CH's apartment, so we just had to stop and pick some up (you all know my love of cupcakes). We chose a selection of 4 varieties to try (yes, we did split each one like good little children). And they were all delicious (lemon, coconut, red-velvet heart, carrot cake). Mom, don't worry, we didn't eat all four of them at once. We spaced it out over the next 2 days, I promise.

For dinner we decided to go for Indian Bread Company again. Yay! Success! We opted for the Vegetable Tandoori naanini, Chicken paneer naanini, and a Lamb paratha. I don't think I can explain just how good the food there is.

We took Aussie with us on the walk to pick up dinner. She'd been napping on the couch all day and needed the exercise. But taking the dog on a walk through a busy are means random people talk to you. I'm used to this, as it's been happening for years. People always want to know what she's mixed with, if they can pet her, where I got her, how old she is, etc. And they'll comment at random about her to whomever they are with, which I hear when walking past. Grown men tend to "coo" at my dog (yes, coo). CH found this an infinite source of amusement, as he had never really experienced it before. While we were waiting for our food (we got it to go as Indian Bread Company has no outdoor tables), the following conversation occurred:
Dude: "What is your dog mixed with?"
Me: "Basset Hound and something." (my usual reply, and it's the truth, I don't know)
Dude: "And AWESOME!"
Me: !!

No joke, people. No joke. This is now my stock reply to the "what is your dog" question. She's Basset Hound and awesome!

The mouse is still stirring

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! The mouse I caught was definitely not acting alone. I've seen subsequent evidence that one of it's family members is still infiltrating my kitchen.

So I bought live traps. You know...the kind that once they go in they can't get out? I carefully baited them with peanut butter AND a piece of dog biscuit (since they seem to have a fondness for dog biscuits). I really don't want to kill them.

It's not working. I apparently have a clever mouse. Unlike its sibling that I trapped in the box of dog biscuits and exiled to the dumpster using a plastic bag, I can't seem to catch and evict this one. [FYI, to assuage concerns that the mouse in the plastic bag suffocated, it was one of those grocery bags. The ones that always have those little holes in the bottom. So I'm assuming it escaped into the land of plenty of the dumpster.]

The mouse has explored the traps. Thoroughly. I've seen evidence that it has crawled over, around, and through the little tunnel that the opening is in since I put them out (a little over a week ago now). But it has not gone in the trap. The bait is still intact a week later (might need to freshen it come to think of it - or do mice like rancid peanut butter?).

Since I have a clever mouse that has thus far evaded capture in the live trap, I'm going to try another method: repel it. There's these sonic repellent devices that emit a high frequency noise that's not supposed to bother humans, canines, or felines, but rodents hate it. I've heard conflicting reports and read conflicting reviews that they've worked and that they're worthless. I'm going to find this out for myself in the next week. Good think I don't have pet gerbils anymore.

To Aussie's credit, she's actually shown some interest as of late. She's not watching for them, but if she sees movement she'll go after it. She cornered one the other day. Had it trapped behind the trash can in the kitchen. Unfortunately, when I walked into the kitchen to figure out what she was up to nosing around the trash can like that, she took her eye off of the mouse to look at me questioningly ("why are you yelling at me?"). The mouse took advantage of the lapse in observation and made a dash for freedom and I saw it run under the radiator in the kitchen and disappear. The accusatory look I got from my dog was priceless: "MOM, look what you did! Now I've LOST it!!" Aussie then spent the next 30 minutes lying on the kitchen floor peering under that radiator. A knock at the door pulled her away, otherwise I think she would have continued to lie there waiting for it to reappear.

The downside: it escaped. The upside: I might know where it's getting in. There's a crack right along the baseboard behind the radiator that I didn't see before. But I see it now. Soon I will make that crack disappear. I live in an old home. There are lots of cracks and gaps due to settling and previous tenants. I spent a good hour the other day crawling along my baseboards with a flashlight looking for holes to plug (with steel wool...they hate it and can't chew through it) and obviously I didn't find them all. Unfortunately, steel wool isn't going to work with the crack, it's too long and oddly shaped.

So my plan is to journey once again to the hardware store and this time make two purchases: expanding insulating foam to try and plug the crack, and, one of those sonic repellent devices in case there are more holes/cracks that I missed.

Like I said, I don't want to kill it. I just don't want a mouse stirring in my house!

Adventures in NYC, part 2

After our late night of dancing, CH and I got a slow start on Saturday morning. Of course, there was coffee and a walk through Washington Park with the dog, and a bit of time at the dog park.

Once the coffee started to hit me, we realized we needed food. And soon. We dropped the dog off and headed out up Broadway in search of a diner. We ended up at the Cozy Soup & Burger (739 Broadway). For you movie buffs out there, Adam Sandler filmed the diner scene in one of his movies there (I think Big Daddy, but I can't remember for sure). I knew I wanted breakfast food, even though it was definitely lunch time. And CH wanted lunch food. So the diner was perfect and satisfied both of us. It's not large, but clean and bright, and we didn't have to wait long for our food. The staff is very good and there was steady traffic of people in and out the entire time we were there. I got pancakes and eggs and CH got a reuben. The reuben was huge. So were my pancakes. They even came with REAL maple syrup, not the fake stuff. And good. Very very good. I definitely recommend the Cozy Soup & Burger. Next time I'm going to have to try a burger...I saw one the table next to us ordered and wow did it look good.

After stuffing ourselves silly, we knew we needed to walk a bit. So we continued up Broadway to Union Square park. They have a big farmers market there every weekend and several days during the week. Lots of local fresh produce, local vendors offering everything from bread to cheese to meats and eggs. Despite how full I was from my pancakes, I found myself drooling as we walked around. One vendor was offering 12 ounce cups of cold fresh apple cider for a dollar a piece. It was so sweet and delicious. And lucky for us, the weather cooperated beautifully. Sunny but without being scorching. After a few hours, we wandered back down Broadway to the apartment for a nap. Between the food and the walking, I needed it. Who knew relaxing could be so tiring?

We had a nice rest, and decided to go see a movie before grabbing some dinner. Neither one of us had seen the Simpsons, and it proved to be an enjoyable few hours. Definitely not serious (come on here, people, it's the Simpsons), but definitely entertaining. I was impressed they managed to continue the same thread for the entire time without losing it. Of course, like any Simpsons episode, it had it's high points and its low points, but it was definitely worth seeing and it made me laugh. What more could I ask for?

We walked back through the insanity that is the Village on a Saturday night. People everywhere. Everywhere. Craziness. At times we just walked in the street because the sidewalk was packed. Instead of joining the insanity, we opted to pick up some beer and take out. Unlike Pennsylvania, you can actually buy beer in the grocery store in New York. What a concept (feel the sarcasm...having to go to a beer store here drives me nuts!)! For food, we decided on Indian. CH loves this place called Indian Bread Company, which puts a new twist on Indian by serving it as Naan sandwiches or wraps. I understand why he loves it. OMG it was delicious. They put your filling (traditional Indian dishes like Saag Paneer) between two pieces of Naan and then grill it up like a panini. We each got a "naanini" and split a stuffed paratha (flat bread). Absolutely fabulous. I had the leftovers for lunch on Monday and they were just as good cold as they were warm. I think I'd eat there all the time if I could (no joke). Dinner was accompanied by more Food Network. TV about food goes well with eating food.

Sunday morning we slept in a bit. I think we were both tired from our late night on Friday and all the walking on Saturday. The coffee and trip to the dog park was now our morning "routine" for the weekend, and I certainly didn't hear the dog complaining.

Since we had walked up Broadway on Saturday, we went the opposite direction and walked down Broadway on Sunday. We took Canal street over to the Hudson River bike path along the Hudson River Park. Gorgeous. What a setting for a nice run or bike ride. We walked along the path down to the edge of Nelson Rockefeller Park where the North Cove Yacht Harbor is. Great views of the Hudson River. Beautiful weather. A nice long rambling walk. I do believe those are the ingredients for a near perfect relaxing day, despite the mild sunburn I ended up with from being in the sun almost the entire time. We cut back through into the city by the site of the World Trade Center, which I hadn't seen in person. Still just as mind-boggling now as it was almost 6 years ago. We took the subway back to Bleeker Street, where CH's "favorite block" in Manhattan is. In one block is a great bakery, a cheese shop to die for (on par with the local DiBruno Bros. here), a butcher, a fish monger and a market. Everything you need. And all walking distance from his apartment. Incredible.

Unfortunately, it was time for me to head home. CH had a soccer game to get to, and I didn't want to get home too late. So back to the apartment to load up the car and get the dog. One last walk around the block for the dog and away we went. As expected, traffic heading into the Holland Tunnel was bumper to bumper. I think my favorite sight while sitting in traffic was the man reading his magazine. And I had to laugh when I saw the signs for "alternate merge" as they brought up all sorts of memories from the weekend I visited EM. Other than the expected Holland Tunnel traffic and some shore traffic heading back into Philly, my drive was uneventful. Amazingly, I didn't get lost on my way there or on my way home. That's new for me. Maybe I'm getting better at not getting lost...nah, who am I kidding, I just got lucky this trip.

It was a wonderful weekend in NYC. Relaxing. Full of good food and friends and lots of fun. Exactly what I needed. So a big thank you to CH.

Adventures in NYC, part 1

So my weekend in NYC was full of food and activity. After arriving on Thursday evening at CH's place (in the Village), we drove in circles to find a place to park. We lucked out and found a spot not far away. By this point, the dog was a bit freaked out with the car ride and being in a new place, so rather than leave her alone, we decided to get take out and just vegetate on the couch to some Food Network (the foodies in us strike again). We ordered from Suzie's on CH's recommendation. Some of the best Chinese take out I've ever had, actually. So good. Always trust a foodie's recommendation. Always. We won't steer you wrong. That's advice to live by.

CH lives in a high rise building, and on the upper floors. This was Aussie's first experience with staying a place that required elevators and was really high up. She did just fine with the elevator. Didn't bother her at all. CH's porch, on the other hand, freaked her out. Now, the porch has a fence all around, and this is not Aussie's first experience with a porch, but it was her first experience being more than 2 stories above ground. I've now learned my dog is afraid of heights. I'm not sure she ever got closer than one foot from the edge. She'd stand there, and extend her neck as far as it would go to kind of peer over the edge. It took her two days to be willing to even do that! The first day, whenever CH and I went out there (great views by the way), she'd stand in the doorway and give us this "you two are absolutely crazy" look. Overall, she was very well behaved, which confirms what I've always believed: my dog would be an excellent big-city-apartment-dweller dog. Coolness.

Friday morning we got up and took the dog for a walk and got coffee (beverage of the gods, by the way, second only to beer). Washington Square park isn't too far from the apartment, so we grabbed coffee at Think Coffee on the way (so good...and the iced coffee is cold brewed!) and headed for the park. Like most parks in NYC, Washington Square has a fenced in designated dog park in the park. Awesome! Figuring Aussie needed to blow off some steam, we decided to make use of the park. I think it freaked her out a bit as it's been quite a while since we've been to an off-leash park. She stuck pretty close to me and CH, and just kind of observed all the activity. I think she was more thrilled with all the attention she got from people than the other dogs. Nonetheless, the trip to the dog area in the park was a regular part of our weekend.

After our walk, we headed back to the apartment. CH generously agreed to watch the dog (he also had work to get done) so I could meet up with a friend I hadn't seen in years. AP and I have been friends since high school, but tend to only see each other infrequently. Now that we are both on the same coast, hopefully that will change. We met up at St. Marks Place, an area near the East Village with lots of good restaurants and little boutique shops. Unfortunately, the weather was less than cooperative, so instead of walking around in the rain, we headed for food first. We ended up at an Afghani restaurant called Khyber Pass (34 St. Mark's Place). Good. Not excellent, but good. We both got kebabs, but different varieties. I tried a lamb one, and she got a combo with steak and seasoned beef. Both came with rice. We also got coconut cream lattes, which is a latte made with coconut milk. The latte was delicious. Slightly sweet without being a dessert and the flavor of the coffee didn't overwhelm the drink. The kebabs were well seasoned, but a bit on the dry side. The rice, on the other hand, was delicious. Brown basmati rice topped with carrots, raisins and almonds and I think a bit of citrus juice. There were plenty of other things on the menu that interested me, so I'd definitely try Khyber Pass again.

After lunch and several hours of talking, we realized the rain had stopped and so we decided to walk around and find dessert. We found our way back over to the West Village via a stop at her apartment and then the subway (thank goodness I kept my Metro card from my last visit to NYC!). AP knows of my love of cupcakes, and wanted to take me to her favorite place, Tonnie's Minis. They are known for their carrot cake cupcakes. YUM. Unfortunately, when we arrived, they didn't have any, so we had to settle for a red velvet heart (yellow cake with a red velvet center and butter cream icing). SO GOOD. I love cupcakes...little single-serve bundles of sweetness all wrapped in a cute package. After demolishing our cupcakes, we sat and talked a bit more. As we were leaving, we ran into a guy standing on the porch eating a carrot cake cupcake! Freshly made!! So we turned around and headed back into the shop to get some to go. I got extra, knowing CH's love of carrot cake and to thank him for being so nice while his guest (me) disappeared on him for the entire afternoon.

AP and I parted ways, she off to meet a friend in Chinatown and me back to CH's apartment. It was so good to catch up and find that even after years of not seeing each other we can still be so connected. Hopefully I'll see her again soon!

The plan for Friday evening was food and dancing. Knowing it would be a late night, I realized that I: A, needed more coffee, and B, needed a nap (not necessarily in that order). After a brief nap, CH and I grabbed more coffee and took the dog for another long walk. She explored a bit more this time, but Aussie was still pretty mellow about being around lots of dogs. Ah well, she is almost 12 years old now (when did that happen??!!).

We headed out for a late dinner, deciding to just walk around and read menus until something struck our fancy. We overheard some hilarious conversations, including one where a young woman was explaining to an owner why he needed to put up with her drunk friend that was making a scene and not kick them out. Her defense: on a "corporate level" they bring lots of business to the bar! OMG that was just too funny. As we walked by one place, one of the owners was out front trying to draw in business. She told us the food is good, not to expensive, no waiting for a table, so come in! There was a couple leaving at the time, and the confirmed everything she said, so we figured we'd give it a try. Ciao Stella (206 Sullivan St.) was pretty good Italian food. Filling, well cooked, decent flavors. Every meal includes a glass of wine. There was enough food that I had to take half of my chicken with artichokes to go! Fortunately, we weren't far away from the apartment, so we dropped off my leftovers, checked on the dog (snoring contentedly on the couch...hello! spoiled!), and headed back out for dancing.

CH had decided to take me to a place that calls itself a Bulgarian bar and is down in the East Village: Mehanata. The DJs spin a blend of world music from Latin to Middle Eastern to East European. Not your usual pop-mix or dance mixes. It was a bit crowded, but apparently they usually have a downstairs that's also open. Unfortunately, it wasn't on Friday, so everyone was crammed upstairs. The people were just as varied as the music, and everyone was having a good time! About the only thing that freaked me out was when people started jumping around I could feel the floor bounce a bit. But so much fun. Great music, and the DJ did an excellent job of blending one style into the other. After several hours of dancing (and I have the blisters to show for it), CH and I walked back and crashed out. What an awesome start to the weekend.

Music in the park

During the summer the Philadelphia Orchestra performs free concerts in parks around the city. It's the "Free Neighborhood Concerts" series. Tonight was the one in Clark Park, where the farmers market I usually go to is on Saturday mornings. A few of my colleagues live in very close to the park, and they said they'd save a bit of space for me when they staked their claim on a patch of grass. They all have toddlers and infants or are (very) pregnant (KS was hoping Bolero would bring on labor... but no luck), and I brought my own four legged furry child, Aussie.

I love the symphony. I always have. In college I was fortunate enough to be friends with some of the people that played in the city orchestra, so I always had free tickets to the performances. In graduate school they had deep discounted tickets for students. I went every chance I got. When I got my first job and moved to a big city, friend JT and I decided to split the cost of a season subscription for two seats to six concerts. We always made an evening of it, going out to a restaurant and then to the concert, often discussing the performance afterwards over drinks or dessert somewhere. She and I had a blast. So when my friend KS told me about the concert in the park, I knew I was going to go no matter what. It had been far far too long since my last orchestra concert.

I got there with plenty of time, which was good since I had to park a good ways away from the park. I overheard someone say that around 2,000 people attended the concert. Wow.

They had a theme to the pieces they chose for the evening, focusing on Spanish music. I couldn't have been more thrilled. They played Chabrier's Espana, portions of Bizet's Suite No. 2 from Carmen, Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34, Danzon No. 2 by Marquez, a tango from Barber's Souvenirs, and finished up with Ravel's Bolero. What a fantastic selection. It was a bit hard to hear the quieter parts of the pieces and movements, mainly because they didn't have the speaker volume up high enough. Overall it was beautiful. Very well played. The conductor, Rossen Milanov, was energetic, often dancing while he conducted. I love watching conductors when they're really into the music. The Philly Orchestra is really good. I now have a goal of finding a way to see a few performances during their regular season.

Free neighborhood concerts are not only fabulous for the music, but for the general ambiance and experience. Where a concert in a performance hall tends to bring only to adults, concerts in the park bring out whole families. Small children, like the toddlers and infants I was surrounded by, get to experience music in an environment where they aren't shushed the entire time. They can move around, dance, and no one minds if they get a bit rowdy at moments. People bring picnics and spread themselves out, lying back and letting the sound of the music envelop them. It's peaceful, yet there's an energy. The ambient noise of the people and kids and other dogs doesn't bother me in the slightest. For me, it only enhances the experience, being able to watch and hear others enjoy the music as much as I am.

The only negative moment of the evening was when a local news helicopter hovered overhead of the park for just a bit too long. I missed hearing an entire movement of the Carmen suite because that damn helicopter drowned out the music entirely, even the loud parts. Very annoying.

Aussie behaved quite well. She enjoyed the attention she got from the kids and other people nearby. I'm sure the small bag of dog treats I brought helped a bit as well. She was a bit restless with all the activity around her for most of the concert, watching everything, that is until the last song, Bolero. My dog took a nap during that song. Who sleeps through Bolero?? Only my dog. As if I needed more confirmation that she's weird.