Sunday, April 27, 2008

The crazy move

Hi all:
It seems like humans are having fun confusing me - nothing at work seems
to stay the same for too long. So this one evening I heard Chris and one
of the bosses talking - he simply lifted up the desk that she had used
for her English mess, and carried it away. How can somebody carry a huge
desk away, I wonder? Then he started to look around, and Chris told him
she wanted to help him set up things, since nothing was really going on
on the phone line. So after a while of considderation he told her that
he would clear her desk in fifteen minutes, so Chris started packing her
things and turning off the PC. She moved away all her bags beside my
Hapoo bed, and then we moved back and forth between my bed and
nowhereland in the front room. Chris helped the boss unplug and sort all
the cables, and then he lifted up the computer as if it were a laptop
and carried it away. He then told Chris to also unplug the other PC,
which she had fun doing. And the backup lady had fun with her enthusiasm
at that work, they both had a great laugh. Chris carried things to the
front room, too, until finally she also removed my Hapoo bed. She told
the two men to put the phone on the left side, because she could not
dial with the right hand, and so it was done. They even assigned a place
for her, because it was the nicer one. Cool, eh? She looked around in
that corner and found that she was by a window and by a huge plant and
by the sun. And after she had discovered that, she and I went home.

Only the following work day did I find out that I was to stay in the
front office now. I had my royal bed so that I could watch everything
and everybody, until Petra came and put the bed so that our most lovely
backup lady Angelique could reach out and pet me frequently. But still,
I did not like that spot much.

Finally, Chris had enough and told Petra about my feeling, so Petra,
nice lady that she is, moved my Hapoo bed under the huge plant, right
behind Chris. Yes, that's how I want it - lie behind Chris! I think now
I can live at the new place. Chris says that's only an option until
winter, because I am sleeping right in front of a heater.

She thinks that our new spot is more wonderful than the quiet one in the
back office. She loves the sun and the fact that she is sitting so close
to a window, which she can open for as long as she wants. She doesn't
mind the hustle and bustle around her, she has fun joking with the
people. When Christian, another blid colleague, came, she helped him
find his desk, and I think he was grateful. It's good he doesn't have a
guide dog, so I can be the only one to receive pets. We also finally saw
Eric, my most favourite colleague, because he always says hello and
gives me pets until Chris has cleared the desk for him to start working.

Allright, I think another trip is coming up. Gotta run, cheers, Hapoo.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The doctor trip

Hi all:
Almost a week ago Chris got up early and got ready. She even took me on
the short Hapoo walk and we came back upstairs. There she packed the
backpack for work, and soon enough the doorbell rang. So we went
downstairs, and at the door a man was waiting for us. That was a taxi
driver, since he took us to a car and drove us somewhere. O I loved that
trip! I knew where we were as soon as I saw the nurse - we were at the
nice doctor lady's place. The nurse greeted both of us and showed Chris
where we could sit. And then we waited until the doctor lady called us
in. I was so excited that I wanted to dash towards the entrance door,
but Chris made me go into the small room. She put me down by the chair
where she put her backpack, and then the ladies talked about Chris' job
and all that. At one point I thought I could go over and tell Chris I
wanted pets, but she sent me straight over to where I was. Well I did
not quite obey, because I decided to lay down in front of the door. The
doctor lady said that could be dangerous in case the door was opened,
but Chris said I should know doors by now. Sure enough, humans are
smart, the door opened and I had to move. The nurse lady came and gave
me a quick pet on the head.

Finally we left the doctor lady's place, and afterwards walked over to
the nurses' office, where Chris left a bunch of papers and received a
tiny sheet back. She says it is to be exchanged with a package of
eyedrops at the farmacy later.

Another bit of waiting, and in came another taxi driver. The nurses had
called for him to pick us up. The weather was bad, but we went home
anyway. It was raining, and Chris did not look forward to a walk to work
in the rain.

But since she is lucky very often, the rain paused while we were
walking, even the sun came out a little. O how wonderful! And the next
time I will tell you all about yet another move. This lady never gets
tired of moving, it seems.
Cheers, Hapoo.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

The strange party

Well all, here comes the first of three things I have to tell you in the
meantime.

Last weekend after we had come from work, the doorbell rang, and a man
was standing there. Well to be exact, Chris was waiting for him outside
and had not taken me downstairs with her. So I heard the key and then
saw both her and the man. They ate a lot, talked a lot, and then Chris
finally went to sleep with me. In the morning she slept for very long,
and then we went for a walk before waking up the man. Chris spent most
of the day in the kitchen, and the man joined her. The weather must have
been wonderful, so they both sat and had it on the balcony. Anne had
brought the lunch, but the man spiced it up a bit, and Chris had spent
the morning preparing fruit salad and a cake. Then she went to take a
shower, and then Anne picked us all up. We went home to mom's and found
ourselves right by the church. Inside folks were already singing, and
the priestess was talking, so we quietly went and sat down. However, I
had to shake my fur, so mom said she knew that we were there from my
bell.

The priestess must have said nice words, because Chris cried a tear or
two. When everybody walked out, we finally saw mom, and we greeted the
priestess. All of a sudden a bunch of kids gathered around us and wanted
to pet me. Chris says she was amazed, because she is not usually a
children's favourite. And then we went for a long walk. People were
takin to the place of the party by car, but we did not have so many
cars, so a few of us walked. First a niece took Chris and me - I was
allowed to run on flexible leash - how nice. And the weather was
gorgeous. Chris really enjoyed the sun. And when the niece got into a
car, the sister took us with her and it was wonderful. Then we all went
and the humans had coffee and cake. Two little girls wanted Chris to sit
by them, so she did. First sister Suse said something, and then mom
introduced everybody. Of course, when she introduced Chris and me, Chris
told me to bark, and so I did. I love barking. There was also the tiny
dog of Suse's, and he doesn't like people clapping their hands. He
always barked when they did. They played a game, and then Chris went
outside with a friend of mom's to enjoy the weather. Then she organized
the key to her room and took her bag there with the aunt,and then they
stayed outside and talked some more with Suse and the aunt and the
daughter of hers. Soon enough there was supper for the humans, while I
had my day of fasting. Chris says I have put on some weight and I don't
need to eat all that much. It's no use complaining, that I have
understood.

Chris was so so tired that she was about to fall asleep at the table, so
she went to sleep. The cool nephew took her over to the house with the
rooms. She slept almost as soon as she dropped in the bed, and I only
disturbed her when I barked people away. At one point one of her many
nephews opened the door and wanted to sleep in the room, but I told him
that I was here, and Chris told him that the other bed was for mom.
Quite some time later mom came and finally freed me of my signal jacket,
which Chris had forgotten to take off me. To be fair, it doesn't bother
me all that much, it's thin flexible fabric that I wear for hours while
at work. But mom talked to me - o I love it when she does that!

The next morning they stayed in bed and talked some more before they got
up. Chris let me run free in the area, and I immediately spotted cats to
chase. Yippee, I did chase them, and when they were all out of my reach
I returned and behaved. That's the way to do it, don't you think? The
humans had breakfast, folks loaded cars with folks and stuff, and
finally the sister Suse took me and her boyfriend and the spontaneous
buest of ours and Chris back home. They had coffee and left, and Chris
and I stayed on our own. Chris slept after she watched some tennis, but
she also cleaned up a bit.

I later found out that this big party with all the family was mom's 70th
birthday. I don't know what that number means, but it must be a big
number for a big party, and mom certainly received a lot of nice
presents.
Have a good time every one and all, cheers, Hapoo.

Friday, April 18, 2008

The crazy times

Hi you every and all ones and twos:

Can you imagine Chris lets me use this keyboard? Well I am not
complaining much. Since a while ago we have been spending most of our
days at work. For me that does not only mean sleeping on my royal Hapoo
bed, but we also have to walk through the office at least once a day.

Chris is still at the same office with the same wonderful people, but
she does not only talk on the telephone. She talks a lot, that is true,
but not only on the phone. She has her PC talk to her first and then she
suddenly gets up, waits for the noise from the printer, runs towards it
and slowly returns to the desk with afew papers that she puts into
various folders. She says she has a folder for each of her students, so
she remembers what she has printed out. It's that no-feel print that her
eyes cannot read without help, so she has to be really organized. And
after that she even writes down in her little talking machine - a laptop
without a monitor - what she has just printed out for whom and all that.

And every now and then somebody appears at her desk and tells her that
he or she is ready to go. Then she grabs a bag or just the tiny talker,
harnesses me up and we fly through the office towards the exit door,
pass the hallway and end up in one of the small quiet rooms. And there
she and that victim of hers talk in English, sometimes more, sometimes
less, depending on the people.

They are all different. One man pets me all the time, and then blows my
Hapoo hair off the desk. The friend of Chris' says hello ad then
concentrates on what Chris gives her to do. The other lady is the
bestest of them all, I love getting scratches from her. The third
doesn't care about me, so I just sleep by Chris. The second man greets
me and pets me until he has other things to do. And for the third man I
am the therapy dog I was supposed to be in the first place, When he gets
too wound up about his English, Chris tells me to go say hi to him. And
when he pets me, he is only so slightly distracted that he calms down
and delivers far better sentences, Chris says. He always calls me mouse
- how weird's that?

Chris says she loves her English. And she loves her tennis, because we
are surely going in a few weeks from now. Maybe I am getting another
ball to play with - just a tiny little maybe?

There were two more things we did a while ago, but I hope I will manage
to wrte about them later. Cheers for the moment, Hapoo.