Bad As I Wanna Be

Gritty doggy, nearly 4 month old Kona (border collie pup) headed back to school the other day. Local South Sound dog training magicians, Positive Approach, served as our classroom. I was lucky enough to get Numia, our original dog whisperer and mentor to those with two legs and four legs (and vice versa).

So, how did Kona do this time?

Numia, calm but assertive, kind but directive, and very well spoken on all things dog, gave me the analysis and the exercises to see where we were at.

I have a confident dog. My dog is fearless. I have a well trained dog. My dog is cute and lovable. My dog is doggone smart. But....

My dog is not calm. My dog is not compliant. My dog can be as bad as she wants to be and I learned how she gets away with it. She's as manipulative as she wants to be. My dog is sassy. Major sassy.

So what to do?

With Numia's practical advice, I learned how to assert my position as the pack leader. We had our power struggles, however, in the end, Gritty Mama got ahead in the game (well, a little). We have a lot of work to do at home, but it will all be worth it. Kona was blown out exhausted. I have to admit, I was too.

We head back to school this coming Sunday for the "Leave It" workshop. Rest assured you'll all hear more.

Episodic Theatre with an Asian-American Twist

Above center: Cast members of SIS Productions popular soap Sex in Seattle Episode # 17 - Coming Clean at Seattle's Richard Hugo House engaged audiences last night in a short post-play discussion led by (far right) co-writer and celebrated local actress Kathy Hsieh. Copyright 2009 by Mizu M. Sugimura.

It's a real treat for myself to be invited to attend a night at the theatre where the community on stage tells a story from a vantage point recognizable to that of your own. No, I didn't write this particular play, Sex in Seattle Episode 17 - Coming Clean nor is the plot a faithful re-enactment from the stages of my life. But I understand quite well what families and neighborhoods the characters are coming from, a population significantly different from those who were called to write, direct, produce and cast the darkened stages of my youth.

The talented duo of Kathy Hsieh and ShawnJ West of SIS Productions now in residence at Seattle's Richard Hugo House have teamed up to present this multi-racial and multi-character tale exploring the issues of womanhood - using humor and drama - while incorporating themes and values particularly shared by contemporary Asian American women.

Back in those when I used to be an impressionable young girl, one rarely saw actors or actresses of Asian-American ancestry on film or television. Rarer still was a storyline from our perspective. The omission of space on the darkened national stages to tell stories from the perspective of Native American, African American , Hispanic American and Asian American communities was commonly missing - a discomforting fact of life which seemed seldom noted or appreciated by the mainstream population even in situations where our stories might even reflect more similarities than differences.

Happily today citizens with roots in the minority communities are increasingly gifted by opportunities to view stories and themes inspired by their own neighborhoods and communities played out under the lights, on film, television and over the Internet. More delightfully, we further empowered to share with mainstream communities what ideals, viewpoints and special gifts our citizens, cultures and communities offer to the world.

While Sex in the City Episode 17 is not attempting to go head to head say, with William Shakespeare or completely overturn all Western European inspired cultural norms, the long-running series has proven to possess an engaging charm of its own. During the some nine years the witty and well-acted soap opera has taken to unfold it has also built a loyal following. As Hsieh and West proclaim in pre-show publicity : "When the unspoken has been spoken, the soul can truly soar!"

Advance reservations are strongly encouraged. For tickets call the company at 206-323-9443 or go online to http://www.sexinseattle.org/.

Below center: Evening begins last night in the Emerald City. Photo copyright 2009 by Mizu Sugimura.

Local Woman Welcomes Party Crashers

Wanna see how this Gritizen celebrated her recent birthday and how she handled thousands of POUNDS of uninvited guests? Click HERE and check it out.

Happy Anniversary Honey!

Today my husband and I celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary and I would like to honour him, so I wrote this poem and my daughter helped me to put it on the picture. These New York skyscrapers were his mountains for many years, as a union roofer. His belief in the brother and sisterhood of unions led him to be elected the Business Manager for Tacoma Roofer's Local #153 and he gives it everything he's got.

At home, he is my rock. He is a wonderful dad to Anna, working with us on Lyme Advocacy, and good friend to my son, who has joined us at the Aerie. There aren't enough ways or words to say how grateful I am for my life-partner...honey, I'd do it ALL again!

My wish is that soon everyone will share in the right to marry...to celebrate love in this world.

Autumn Equinox

Well, it seems we have eased-on down the road to another Autumn season. This afternoon at 2:18 Pacific time, we balanced for a moment before beginning our lean-back from the sun.







The light begins to play differently through the leaves and the cool nights begin to send a signal for the plant world to dress in her Cinderella best...starting with the smallest pops of reds, yellows and purples.



















Later flowers still colour our world...and it's early enough that the pumpkins are green in a neighbour's garden. Happy Fall to All in the neighbourhood!

Local Dog Trainers Tame The Gritty Beast (Well Sorta)

Recently, I took my 3+ month old border collie puppy, Kona, to the Puppy Workshop at Positive Approach, local dog training masters. Border collies are known for their intelligence, so naturally I expected my dog to be brilliant.

She was horrible really.

At home, she NEVER barks. There, she barked the whole time. At home, she can and does "chill-ax;" there, no, she yanked and tugged and got into the trainers stuff. The other puppies were sitting at their owners feet calmly while mine is bouncing off the walls, raring to go. I don't think it helped that we got to the workshop late (because Gritty mama couldn't figure out a way to park her oversized car in an undersized parking space) and the Gritty doggie pee'd on herself (with a little on me). We kind of came in the room like a hurricane, but our kindly trainer and kindly classmates didn't mind.

So, the training commenced and we learned all kinds of things about potty training, teaching manners, greeting puppies, keeping puppies safe, healthy, and active, and all the good stuff (of course, I suspect some didn't hear as much in the class due to my noisy pooch). But the best part was letting the puppies off leash to play and interact. Not only was it cool and fun to watch, but I learned so much about my dog.

Kona ran circles around the other puppies--that canine can RUN! She could "dish it out" but sometimes couldn't take it from her fellow puppies. She loved to keep moving. And our training expert really acknowledged this. He was great with Kona (gently whispering to her, "...let's keep you busy."). When he used training examples, he used Kona ("let's put you to work" he'd cheerfully say). She LOVED this. Here's what I loved.

My border collie is too much. Too much of everything. She too cute, too smart, too high energy, too loving, too demanding, too stubborn, too much energy, well, you get it. And this is why I love her. She's an interesting breed; not an easy one, certainly, but fascinating. Most people don't want borders; not enough time, patience, energy, etc. Don't get me wrong, she can be naughty and over the top, but that's why I like her. She'll give me a run for my money.

At the end of the training, the trainer commented that lots of dogs match their owner's personalities. The whole class looked at me and laughed. Yeah, I was the student that asked too many questions, too loudly, and I was shouting, "Run it, Girl! Get that sprint on!" with enormous glee.

Good match, eh?

Take a Trip to Alaska: Visit Scribbit

I would have loved the Internet when I was a young mother. I love it now. Back in the 1970s if you wanted to find out what mothers in other parts of the country were doing you read women’s magazines. Some of them had pen-pal sections and you could find a woman with similar interests to yours and exchange recipes and craft ideas. Most of them were stay-at-home-mothers like me.

Tacoma News Tribune “In Your Neighborhood” blog pal Mizu Sugimura turned us on to Pet Peeves and Other Ramblings a blog written by Grandma L. in Yakima, WA. Now it is my pleasure to turn on the Neighborhood to a gem up north, way up north. A Facebook friend turned me onto Scribbit, a blog written by Michelle Mitchell, an Alaska writer and mother. Michelle has a BA in English, has been a free lance technical writer, done research for the National Archives, gardens, is a wife and is the mother of four living near Anchorage.

In her profile Mitchell writes that she’s “Writing daily from Alaska, I’m mother to four children and publish my favorite recipes, reviews, crafts and giveaways with stories of life in the Last Frontier.” If, like me, you don’t get to travel, the Internet highway can take you places you’ve never been and see through someone else’s eyes.
You can get to Alaska by clinking here