Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals

Yes, they actually have Wienerschnitzel Nationals....it's a big event where wiener dog enthusiasts (aka my family!) gather together and race their crazy little wiener dogs. Arica, Erin....have you heard of this?

I had no idea my family went to this, and that made this video hilarious.

The wiener dog my family chose to race is Blitz, the crazy, jumpy energetic one.

He would have the best chance of winning because Hammy is old and Harley is fat and lazy!

As you can see in this video, Blitz never came out of the gate! All of the other wiener dogs run out in all sorts of different directions and Blitz is the little black dot that stays in. Geez. He even stays in the gate long enough for the gate to close back on him---how humiliating! haha. The funniest thing about this video is that you can hear my littlest sister Jordan yelling and screaming at Blitz to run down the track! And then when the gate closes on him you can hear her go "BLIIIIITTTZZ!! UUUUGGGGGGGHHH!" hehehe. She was so disappointed. Maybe next time, Blitz.

Is there a bulldog nationals? :)

Costume malfunction!

We had quite the show today at the PCC.

I was on the Hawai'i canoe, and my costume decided it was going to give out on me today.

Someone had taken my Hawai'i costume, so I had to wear a random top and pantaloons. Ugh. I hate it when that happens. My top had no hook and didn't fit right, so the zipper would start to come down every time I would breathe in. No big deal... because we have this bright blue strappy thing that goes around our chest and velcros in the back to help hold our top up.

Welp, on the first side, after the kahiko hula, I started to feel the zipper come down in the back. I thought it was nothing and that my hair would cover it. We get up to dance the auana hula, and I start to turn and I notice that strap dangling off of my chest on the right! It would swing around with me as I danced. I look up and I notice the crowd has a general stare in my direction...and I keep dancing...because there is no way I could grab that thing and keep dancing at the same time!

It snowballed from there because I turned again and the strap fell right into the lagoon....eek. Then my zipper started to go down in the back...and then the top started to go down in the front. I was trying so hard to keep my top up with my upper arms while dancing at the same time. Oh and I forgot to mention that the other girls on the canoe were laughing at this point. And then my kupe'e started to fall over my eyes. What a mess.

Ugh. I was so glad when the dance was over. Don't worry, there was no peep show!! The top stayed up high enough. When we passed the first bridge the entire canoe started laughing.

Oh and I didn't get my strap back. It's still in the lagoon. Apparently it doesn't float. And I'm not looking forward to telling the Mama's that they need to make me a new one.

Bulldog withdrawls

Missing my dog today.

I can't wait to see him again! I miss his weirdness/sneakiness/snoring/slobbering. Ok maybe not the slobbering but I definitely feel a void in my life because he's not around.

I miss his weird ways of sleeping...

His super-weird personality...

And who could forget that crazy long tongue of his?...

The way he sits at attention when he wants your food...

His desperate attempts to be as sneaky as possible...

Here's video proof of his sneakiness:

** He's actually able to use his fat body to lever himself over the chair. Crazy.**

He honestly was the cutest puppy ever.

Miss you Fatty!

This week is full of ...

Good beaches...

Good food...

Good friends...

and Good company...

Here's to Hump Day!

Workin' hard

...or hardly working?

I seriously have the most fun job ever with the most fun people ever.

Child Exploitation?

I read an article today about the youtube video "David After Dentist." Have you seen it?

If not, here it is:

The CNN article that I read talked about how a lot of people are angry at the dad of David for expoiting him for personal gain. One guy said that dad should be sent to jail and Bill O'Reilly called his actions "a little exploitative." You can find the article here.

Is it just me or is that a little over the top? When I saw this video, I thought it was simply a funny family home video. Yes, the family has received a lot of attention for it, and probably a little bit of extra cash, but how is that different from videos sent to Funniest Home Videos? The $$ is probably going to send that little boy to college. I just thought that this video was cute and hilarious and was just filmed because it was a funny family moment. David is probably going to have a good laugh about it later when he grows up.

What do you think? Harmless or exploitative?

The Cove.

I can't sleep tonight. I am so incredibly restless. I don't think I am going to be able to sleep until I post about what I watched tonight and how I feel about it, so here goes:

Tonight I watched a documentary called The Cove. You've probably heard of it. It won the Audience award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It is about the work of Ric O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, and their team, as they try to combat the dolphin and porpoise captivity industry, by exposing the brutal mass killings of about 23,000 dolphins, porpoises, and small whales a year in Taiji, Japan.

Here is the trailer:

This documentary team uses covert techniques to get into the cove area that is so extensively protected by the fisherman and police, and place cameras around the area (including under the water) to expose the actions taking place in the cove during the slaughter months of September through March. The film that they get at the end is amazing. I was completely HORRIFIED at what I saw.

The Japanses fisherman in Taiji drive their boats out to where the dolphins are and put these long metal poles in the water. Then they proceed to bang on them really loudly to upset the dolphins, as they are sensitive to sound. They surround the dolphins and corner them. They bring in dolphin trainers who come and pick the "show dolphins," meaning the ones that look/would perform the best for human entertainment, and are taken into captivity. The rest are then herded into a nearby cove that cannot be seen from the beach and are brutally slaughtered and then sold as meat in the market.

Ric O'Barry and Louie Psihoyos go on to show how the Japanese government tries to cover up the act while denying that it even occurs. The dolphins that are lucky enough to not be brutally murdered are taken in captivity and are shipped to aquariums all over the world. They are trained by being deprived of food and are made to do tricks to entertain people. What hit home is that Sea World, San Diego has had dolphins and whales shipped from Taijii, Japan. In a way, they support the actions of what is going on over there. Disgusting. They actually directly prevented Ric O'Barry from speaking about his views on the captivity industry and the annual killing of these animals at an event.

The savage killing of theses animals is absolutely horrifying. It is etched in my mind as I cannot believe that there are people in this world that can do such a thing as their daily job...laughing and joking around as they inhumanely murder these animals. The sounds of the dolphins as they are being slaughtered is unforgettable. The scenes that are caught by the documentary team are unbelievable, and literally brought me to tears as I watched.

I'm shocked. Sad. Upset. Angry. Angry at the men that do this. Angry that the Japanese government covered this up and won't do anything about it. Angry that this has been hidden from the general public. Angry that I personally really can't do anything about it.

I felt like that this documentary was somewhat life changing. Or it could be, if reached to people all over the world. Bringing this into the public can put a stop to this, and other acts like this that are occurring. I will never forget the ended scene of Ric O'Barry walking through crowds with the footage of the killings playing on a monitor that is strapped to him. The scene shows the determination and will power that one person can have. It's truly incredible. The fact that I was so affected by this documentary just reaffirms my desire to go into veterinary medicine and wildlife conservation. I care about this with all of my heart. It just drives me absolutely crazy that people do things like this. I feel like I need to do something about it.

So what can I do about it? Well first I can decide to not support aquariums or organizations that support dolphin captivity. Like Sea World. I promise you I will never being going there again. Sorry future children, no dolphin shows for you. Those animals belong in the wild. I have been volunteering at the Zoo veterinary clinic for over a year now and I can tell you that wild animals belong in the wild. When they are brought into captivity, their behavior changes, their mental and physical health changes, and their life expectancy lowers. I have seen animals go into depression, and die due to the stress and illness of captivity. This just shows me how much animals belong in the wild and not captured from their homes to be starved and made to do tricks in front of a loud and stressful crowd of people.

I can spread the word of what is going on in Taiji, Japan. Please start by watching The Cove. I hope that this post inspires at least one person to watch it.

I can go to graduate school learn more about wildlife conservation and go from there (a variable personal goal, of course!).

I can also write a letter to the leaders of our country, and sign a petition for them to take action against the Japanese fisherman (Done). You can too. Go to SaveJapansDolphins.org.

Watch The Cove. You will be amazed at what you see. And if you care, which I hope you do, please try and do something about it, no matter how small.

Scrumptious!

I had one delicious day today!

Easter is coming up, and you all know what that means...

CADBURY MINI EGGS!

They're only available around this time of the year, so now is the time to stock up!

I found some at a FoodLand downtown and I went crazy and bought 5 bags. Don't worry...they're supposed to last me a while.

Yum yum yum!

The day ended at the Cheesecake factory with my hubby. I ate a delicious plate of chicken madeira, asparagus and mashed potatoes. When the server brought us a dessert menu, I couldn't resist! Cheesecake is my #1 weakness. Especially good cheesecake!

I picked up one of these:

The fabulous Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake: God's gift to mankind.

It was supposed to be for tomorrow, but I ate it as soon as I got home. Oops.

Small Accomplishments!

I've given myself a week, and I feel a lot better now.

Things have been good lately; going about our normal daily schedules. The only downer is that the weather has been HORRIBLE here. The last few weeks its been SO windy and rainy. There has hardly been any sun! Its been so windy that I feel like I'm going to blow right off of the sidewalk. I haven't been running out in Laie in a while because I feel like I'm moving backwards! I hope it stops soon. Like in an hour soon because I have to ride my bike to work.

So in opposition to my last post, I wanted to post about some accomplishments I have had lately! They are small, but accomplishments nonetheless!

1. I finally got my refund check from BYUH.

Ok this doesn't sound like a big deal, but if you've ever gone to BYUH you know how hard it is to get administration to do anything for you. They send you in circles, to person after person, re-delegating responsibilities until you ended up right where you started from. To make a long story short, I signed up for a class a few months ago through their CITO program, and they ended up canceling it. And they never refunded my money! I went back a few times and reminded them, but they kept sending me to other people, who sent me right back to the first people. So frustrating! Anyway, this has been going on for 3 months. Can you believe it? So on Monday I went in for the 1,447,388th time and finally sorted things out and got them to mail me my check. Geez.

Photo credit: Google

2. I re-learned the Maori canoe.

It's been 3 years since I've danced at the PCC, and I was surprised to learn that I didn't remember a lot of the dances as well as I thought I did! They changed them a little as well. It took me a week or so, but I re-learned the Maori canoe, and finally got on this week. The Maori canoe is my favorite one to dance, and I am so excited that I get to do that every day!

3. Eradicated an unwanted visitor.

I couldn't bear to put up a picture of this one. Yesterday I successfully killed the biggest roach I have ever seen. Of course, this roach decides to come into my home when my roach-killing husband is away, but in a way I am kind of glad I was by myself because the screaming and throwing of everything I owned was kind of embarrassing. But the end of the story is that I killed him and he is dead. Phew.

4. Headstand posture without a wall.

This was my biggest accomplishment. I have been trying so hard the last month to get into a full headstand posture in my ashtanga yoga class. Its hard because you have to use your abs, back, and arms to pull your self up, and not put any weight on your head. My instructor has had me use a wall the last few weeks, but the other day in class I was finally able to pull myself up into full posture...without a wall! Wahoooo! It's actually quite the meditative pose as well. My instructor still reminds me numerous times to not put any weight on my head, so I still have some work to do, but I'm just so excited that I was able to get into posture without my trusty wall!

Ok so my accomplishments have been small, but they have lifted my spirits in this last week. Plus, I was hoping Seth and I could head down to the Honolulu Festival this weekend. That should be fun! Pictures to come soon!

Bad day.

Today...

...was not my favorite day.

I found out that I'm not going to veterinary school this year.

Hmmm.

Like I said... it's been a bad day.

[Photo credit: Flickr]

:(