Astor

Animals, Work

Bring Your Dog to Work Day 2011

Last Friday, June 24, was National Bring Your Dog to Work Day. After a bit of finagling, we got it approved at work. It was nice meeting my coworker’s dogs- they were all so well behaved. I knew that Astor would be a handful, so I scheduled to work only a half day.

She looks so happy, yeah? Little brat. I am covered in yellow fur.

My coworker Mary Ellen cuddling her gigantic pup Willie.

Astor chilling out in her under desk basket.

Dog day was a great idea in theory, but so stressful in execution. Astor was so bad! She barked at the other dogs, and was quite restless. These aren’t bad traits for a dog, just hard to manage while also working 🙂

Life, San Francisco

Astor Goes Clubbing

 

At Madrone Art Bar on Divisadero. Dropped by here to grab a couple drinks, and day turned to night, the bar turned into a dance club… and so… and so we became the freaky people who dance with their dog at the bar. Yup.

Life, San Francisco

Astor’s First Critical Mass

Critical Mass is a gigantic group bicycle ride that happens once a month, in 300+ cities worldwide. I’d seen the Mass in New Haven, but it’s nothing compared to San Francisco. It figures-this is where it was founded in 1992- going on 20 years.

Last month my coworker invited me to ride along, and I had a great time. At first I was nervous about it, as a friend of a friend was injured riding in CM years ago. Also, as a bystander, just watching the Mass go by is nerve wracking! And Critical Mass riders have a bit of a  reputation for being “Massholes.” All of these fears vanished once the ride began (er except for the Masshole part… keep reading…)

I decided that I had so much fun last time that I should go back again this month, this time with Ryan. By mid day of the ride my friend Tristan decided to join, and by 5pm, Astor was coming!

Everybody met up by the Ferry building and lounged around to techno music while the the Nestle Quik Rabbit did a little dance. Tourists were excited.

Time passed, more people showed up. Oh, I should mention that there were a number of naked riders (“Critical Ass”). I’ve tried not to include any photos of them, so photos are limited… hehehe

Soon it was time to go. Astor got set up in her milk crate and net…

And we were off! We went all over the place- downtown, SOMA, the Mission (the above picture is near my house), Chinatown, Civic Center… It was a hot mess. There were bikes that blew bubbles, bikes that played music, and bikes with dogs in them. Police on motorcycles escorted us. We biked through tunnels screaming and laughing. Some people drank. I kept getting dangerously close to naked riders. It was surreal. Through it all, Astor just chilled out. Amazing.

Around 30 minutes into the ride the Critical Mass people decided to be assholes and block traffic at Mission and Van Ness. Yikes.

Then we took off again.

Around Civic Center the Mass took another break. Astor was getting ansty, so we decided to stop off and do dinner instead.

Fun times, and I’m so proud of Astor for being an instant bicycle dog!

Knitting

Knitting a Dog Sweater for Astor

I have knit many things in the six years since I taught myself to knit. I’ve made stuffed animals, crazy cowl things, a bag with the image of Audrey Hepburn stitched on the side, shawls, hats, gloves, cardigans, socks, mufflers, t-shirts, tube tops, oh, and yes scarves, many many scarves.

I’ve never knit a dog sweater before- but now I will! Things have been super windy in San Francisco lately (10-30 mph winds), so I think Astor would appreciate it.

What’s that blurry yellow thing running around Alamo Square?

Oh! It’s Astor!

 

Mmmmmm it’s windy…

Normally I’m sorta picky when it comes to choosing garment patterns, but the size of a dog sweater is really not much of a time commitment. After a little googling, I’ve decided on the Darling Darby Sweater I found on Ravelry, by Desert Rose Designs.

It’s super customizable size-wise, so the sweater will fit her perfectly (er… if I do a good job). Another plus is that the pattern is written for worsted weight and should only take about 300 yards.  I’m thinking that a superwash merino would be perfect. Maybe a sporty bordeaux and cream striped sweater?

I haven’t felt this excited for a project in a long time. Looking forward to rummaging through my stash and hitting up yarn shops this week!