Kate and Annie

 ummm isn't someone supposed to be writing every day? maybe you are writing elsewhere. i hope. i am at the honolulu airport 3 hours early for my overnight flight back to lax. i just tried to put my compression socks on and i couldn't get them over my swollen feet. ewww.  today was perfect. i rode the bus to waikiki (brought my backpack cuz lazy), found a spot on the very crowded beach, got changed in the beach toilets and then floated! the water was perfect. i went in a few different times. and finished my harlan coben thriller novel. now i have nothing to read, though!! omg! maybe i will watch a movie. the last photo i took this vacation was of a rainbow. yay

I was joking that would be the name of my dog boarding business.  Brian suggested kate's kennels but that's a bit pedestrian, doncha think?  Also, "kennel" doesn't really describe the very upscale, exclusive, boutique hotel-for-dogs vibe I'm going for.  Then again, the house of many dogs maybe is just a weird thing that me and my dad would find funny.  Good thing we're in no danger of starting a fucking blog let alone and entire business, which would necessitate the perfect name.   How is New Zealand South? Are you still in Picton? Did you have fun with Leigha (leia?) Dorable? How was your ice cream?  Omg Brian went over the top buying groceries for my birthday cause he feels bad that we are trapped on an island in a house full of dogs where no restaurants are open, and came home with a key lime pie, even though I have almost an entire Val Cakes cake in the fridge. He made this huge breakfast with dairy-free hollandaise because I'm off the buttah....

 I wrote something yesterday, about two German Shepherds I've been walking for a while, starting in the Gus days.  And they remind me of him in so many ways, especially the girl, Greta.  It's all too raw and disorganized to share yet, but it helped me think about how to organize my book. Anyway, this is just to say that I did write yesterday. Did I tell you my plan/commitment to myself? I'm going to write every day, here or in a note for myself or whatever, and I'm not allowed to open TikTok until I do! It's kinda scary because I am very addicted to TikTok, and I miss my "friends" when I don't check multiple times per day. Oh my GAWD that is pathetic.  I assume this feeling will dissipate with time.  Yesterday was a very exciting day for Murph! We started at the dog park, because I wanted to him to meet Maddy and/or Lucy, who are Megan's black lab girls.  Megan is my favorite dog park friend, a real dog person, and very kind and sometimes I talk to...

 omg, keep dog blogging! i guffawed at a cafe. i don't know how to spell that - but i did catch myself smiling at the screen the whole time i read it. good stuff! if you weren't on a tiny island i would say keep the bitching about other people thing in there - cuz that is what people relate to, but you're on a tiny island and even if you changed everyone's name "they're gonna know...." i changed hostels last night and stayed at 'trek global' and apparently a month ago when i booked it i was smart enough to know i would need a private room, so yay. until i got there, opened the door and it was a double on the bottom, single on the top bunk but the bottom bunk had been slept in and there was all this trash in the room. a sane person would have just gone down the ONE flight and told the desk that the room hadn't been cleaned, but apparently that's not me. instead, i just took the sheets off the bottom bunk and threw them in the corner, ya know...

 Today was my last scheduled Ruby and Shilo park date until after school vacation, so I very selflessly did not cancel when woke up with a sore ankle (what else is new?) after a shitty night's sleep to very dreary, raw, drizzly weather.  I bought myself a coffee and a ham and cheese croissant on the way to the Grey Barn, and listened to some fun music, because mentally healthy girls make an effort to change their shitty mindset in the morning.  But when I pulled up to Ruby's house, I was magically cured by the vision of my sweet sweet girl sitting in the entryway, looking out the front door, waiting for me.  Tail wag, doggie smile, tippy taps, I got the whole shebang. Molly was heading out when I arrived and asked "You don't mind taking her today?" Are you kidding me?  How could I resist?   The park was fun, Shilo was wearing her big coat, and her mom told me it was partly to hide her love handles because the vet said she needs to lose 10 pounds. ...

 hi friend,  so i'm in wellington and it's raining. i raced back from the other side of town at 2pm to try to check in first (check in is at 3) so i could get a bottom bunk in my room of 6 - but when i got into the room all three bottom bunks were taken and all 3 tops were available. so i grabbed the one furthest from the window and the person below had sheets tied up all around their bed - thank god i didn't peek into one!! because as i was sitting up on the top bunk reading, i heard them move below me! the room was empty - except for some weirdo hiding behind sheets below me! i left soon after and walked around some more, went to a bookstore, had some chocolate milk for dinner, etc. but i just came back and they are still there and i'm like 'do they have covid?" yikes.  so now i'm down in the 'tv room' off the common area, and i was alone but some bitch just walked in. ok, she's probably really nice but whatevs.  it's only 6pm and raining ...

 I'm at the bondi beach starbucks having a latte and using their free wifi.  omg, kate! i'll probably call you in a bit and tell you all of this, but... so i left cairns at 5am, took an uber from the airport - nice somali man who might be moving to tasmania soon - anyway thank goodness i got there early because i showed the ticket guy my email w ticket number from a compnay called smartfares.com - i bought the tix a month ago for like 150...anyway they couldn't find my ticket so she brought me to her supervisor, a nice gay man - who couldnt find it either and basically said i had to get another ticket for the 830 flight so i was gonna do tht but first i called smartfares and they said it wasn;t their fault and that the airline should check again, etc. so i went back to the counter and the guy's supervisor came over and made a few calls to her supervisor and finally i got my ticket. but kate, they were sooo nice about it. and helpful! all the while the airport was full w...

 first of all what's with all the flatulence on a plane? i feel so bad for the guy sitting next to me - who may or may not have been ben affleck. something about air pressure makes all the gas in your body escape - so i was letting it rip for about 15 hours straight - all the while thinking no one could hear because we were in the back of the plane - the lovely last row- and i certainly couldn't hear anything. but then when we were almost arriving in Melbourne i realized to my absolute horror that i had been wearing headphones - better yet those foam things that you curl up and shove in ur ear and then they expand . going through check in just now leaving Melbourne i had to go through security and i got there and realized i had two sips of water and started to guzzle and the very kind woman behind the counter was like, "oh, no dear you don't have to drink it, just put it in the bin. no need to take anything out of your bags, either. leave your shoes on. lovely . then i...