The Zoo

No, I don't mean our house this time...

I still think it is so cool that we live only 15 minutes from Woodland Park Zoo, one of the best urban zoos is the country. For the price of an annual pass that pays for itself in just three family visits, we get unlimited access to all the jaguars,



elephants


and monkeys we can stand.



Since it's already paid for, it's the perfect short outing for a two year old bouncing off the walls. Apparantly, waking up a 5am for several days in a row doesn't do much to diminish her energy level.
Abigael and I went Saturday morning for a couple of hours, while Brandon went for a much deserved bike ride. I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time there this summer. We left at naptime to screeches of "See monkeys! See baby jaguar! See elephants! Seeeee Zooooo!"

It's a Parade!

After five years in Seattle, we finally made it to the Fremont Parade. It's billed as a celebration of the Summer Solstice. But to everyone outside of that community, we think of it as an excuse for hippies treehuggers free-thinkers to dress up or not dress, whichever the case may be. Anyway, it's one of those things I think you need to see at least once, like Mardi Gras, Hollywood and Las Vegas, even it doesn't compare with your expectations. As it turns out, we had a great time. About 10:30am, Brandon hooked up the sidecar to his bike, we dusted off Christie's bike and the three of us headed out towards Fremont. It's a pretty short ride, only about 3.5 miles. We arrived in plenty of time to lock up and find a good place on the route to watch. Fremont is a small, artsy neighborhood of Seattle, so we didn't have to walk far to find a spot near the beginning of the parade. It started at noon and did not fail to entertain. First on the agenda were the famous nude cyclists. It's not as nearly as bad as it sounds. There were about 100 cyclists of all shapes and sizes, covered in body paint and costumes, riding en masse down the center of the street. It was a perfect showcase for the beauty of the human body and the ultimate transportation device.
What followed was an assortment of floats, bands, and dancers, all celebrating their vision of the yearly cycle of rebirth. I can't say that I agreed with, or even understood, all of the statements being enacted, but it was a blast to watch. Abigael seemed to enjoy the spectacle too. She waved, cheered and danced from the safe confines of Mommy and Daddy's laps. I think our favorites were the kids on unicycles and the belly dancers.

It was so refreshing to see a parade that reflected personality of the neighborhood and wasn't just a showcase for the town's newest firetruck and beauty queen.
Afterwards, we rode home via the Ballard Locks, which is always a treat. Abigael missed this as she passed out in the bike trailer about 10 minutes in the ride. It was a good day.

Track Daddy

Yeah! Brandon finally made a post on his blog! He seems to have covered all the high points, so I get a free pass today! Head on over and read the latest news!

Doctor Who?

Oh no! I just made a horrible mistake!...

If you haven't checked it out yet, you simply must. Friday nights, the Sci-fi channel is running the new Doctor Who series from the BBC. All I can say is "Fantastic!"
For us Gen Xer's here in the States, all we know is the cheesy, cardboard set Doctor Who of the 70's, syndicated on PBS. Now I consider myself a decent geek, but little did I know that this show is like the British Star Trek, it's been around forever. Well, welcome to the 21st century Doctor. For the newest incarnation, take the original premise, fast-forward to present-day London, update the special effects and the clothes, yet still keep that campy feel, and you've got the makings of show worthy enough to air the same night as Battlestar Galactica.
I should have shared this show long ago, as the first season is almost finished (keep an eye out for Sci-fi all-day marathons), but this is like that secret pleasure you don't want to get cheapened by popularity. However, now I find myself with only Brandon to pick apart the details and marvel in the uniqueness of the show. So, if you have the opportunity, check it out. For a first season, the storyline has evolved quite nicely, not to mention the character attachment and the sharp dialog will have you hooked.

Anyway, back my mistake...I decided to check out the official BBC website to see how far along the second season is (about halfway thru) and I saw a horrible spoiler. *gasp* NOOOOO! Howww could theyyy...!!!!?...*sob*...

Zak's post

Just a quick update on one of our four-legged family members...
Well, a few days and a few (many) bucks later, he seems to be doing much better. Turns out it was probably just plain old diarrhea, most likely from eating an old rawhide. He's not quite back to normal with his diet, and he's still taking some antibiotics (just in case), but he'll be just fine.
But...in the course of all the tests we did find out that it may not be entirely our fault that he's fat. For some reason, the doctor decided to run a test on his thyroid function. Guess what? We have a hypothyroid dog. Go figure....for those of you who may be unfamiliar with the condition I'll fill you in, as I am intimately familiar with it.
In short, the thyroid gland isn't working properly and doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone. It can start out of the blue or be triggered by stress, but usually there is a predisposition. There can be several causes for this, but the result is the same. Without enough thyroid hormone, almost every system in the body is affected. The metabolism slows down, the brain getting foggy, and depression sets in. A drastic personality change can occur and it's no fun for anyone. We've been saying for a few months that Zak seems to be getting worse and worse about listening to us, maybe this is the reason for that too.
Anyway, he'll have to start taking medication and it'll probably take a while to get the dose dialed in. Medically, he'll be just fine. Good thing he doesn't mind taking pills because he'll be talking them everyday from now on. Me and the dog...