I am testing to see whether I can only take my iPad and keyboard doc, as it will lighten up my bag considerably.
Tomorrow, I head out super early to catch an 8:00 AM flight to Chicago, and a 10:00 am flight from there to Portland.
I am not sure what the rest of Sunday consists of, but have been told that I'll get my dog on Monday afternoon around 2:00 PM PST. I will be sure to write and update everyone on how things go.
I am hoping to catch some sleep on the flight, because I'm sure I'll be pretty tired once I get there.
Hope everyone's doing well, and I'll update again tomorrow once I arive!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Dog number 4
Well, I'm back, and pleased to report that I will be heading to GDB's Oregon campus next Sunday, 1/29/2012, to train with my new guide.
After some thought, I decided to keep my training experiences together in one blog. The reasons I decided to do this were so I could quickly and easily look through and compare class experiences, and also so those who are new to the blog this time round could see both experiences side by side.
I am going to be in class for two weeks this time around, in a completely unfamiliar setting which I am excited and terrified about, depending on what moment you catch me in. I am certainly up for the challenge, and looking forward to the adventure. It will be strange being away from everyone and everything I know, last time, I was in San Rafael, so not far from people I know in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. I also had some familiarity with San Francisco, the airport, Bart, etc, so wasn't especially worried about training there. This time it's a different ballgame, I've never been to Portland, don't really know anyone there, or what to expect in terms of the training area or environment.
In many ways, I feel that this is a good thing, as it will let me truly bond with my dog with out the distraction of friends visiting, me wanting to catch up with people while I'm in the bay area, and me constantly comparing this to when I got Jimmy in the same place. This will really be a chance for me to start with a clean slate, in a different environment, and a different place, which I'm ready for. The uncertainty of the unknown is greater this time, but all in all, this is a good thing. I know that the school will take great care of me, and that they will give me a wonderful dog.
The class is also smaller this time, with six students and three instructors, which is good because the instructor student ratio allows for a more individualized training experience.
As I did last time, I'll try and update this every day with my training experience. Come with me on my journey to Oregon and enjoy!
After some thought, I decided to keep my training experiences together in one blog. The reasons I decided to do this were so I could quickly and easily look through and compare class experiences, and also so those who are new to the blog this time round could see both experiences side by side.
I am going to be in class for two weeks this time around, in a completely unfamiliar setting which I am excited and terrified about, depending on what moment you catch me in. I am certainly up for the challenge, and looking forward to the adventure. It will be strange being away from everyone and everything I know, last time, I was in San Rafael, so not far from people I know in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. I also had some familiarity with San Francisco, the airport, Bart, etc, so wasn't especially worried about training there. This time it's a different ballgame, I've never been to Portland, don't really know anyone there, or what to expect in terms of the training area or environment.
In many ways, I feel that this is a good thing, as it will let me truly bond with my dog with out the distraction of friends visiting, me wanting to catch up with people while I'm in the bay area, and me constantly comparing this to when I got Jimmy in the same place. This will really be a chance for me to start with a clean slate, in a different environment, and a different place, which I'm ready for. The uncertainty of the unknown is greater this time, but all in all, this is a good thing. I know that the school will take great care of me, and that they will give me a wonderful dog.
The class is also smaller this time, with six students and three instructors, which is good because the instructor student ratio allows for a more individualized training experience.
As I did last time, I'll try and update this every day with my training experience. Come with me on my journey to Oregon and enjoy!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
A Partnership ends
It is very difficult to write this, especially after reading about the amazing class experience I had, and how well Jimmy and I did through class.
On Tuesday, November 1, 2011, Brian Francis and I made the difficult decision to retire Jimmy. We were concerned that the screet crossing issues and excitement would never go away, and that no retraining would really fix them. He thought that it was the safest and best thing to retire Jimmy and let me start the application process for a new dog.
Jimmy has a good home with one of my coworkers, and is happy in his new role as a pet by all accounts. It is so strange being dogless. Every day, I think I hear paws, and miss my dog coming to sleep on his bed, right as I go lie in mine. Every morning, I go to feed him, only to remember he isn't here. It's strange and lonely, but I'm doing the best I can. I've submitted my retrain application, and should get a new dog sometime in the spring.
I just can't believe that something so great went so wrong! I will keep you updated as I get a new dog, though will probably have another blog when I start training again.
On Tuesday, November 1, 2011, Brian Francis and I made the difficult decision to retire Jimmy. We were concerned that the screet crossing issues and excitement would never go away, and that no retraining would really fix them. He thought that it was the safest and best thing to retire Jimmy and let me start the application process for a new dog.
Jimmy has a good home with one of my coworkers, and is happy in his new role as a pet by all accounts. It is so strange being dogless. Every day, I think I hear paws, and miss my dog coming to sleep on his bed, right as I go lie in mine. Every morning, I go to feed him, only to remember he isn't here. It's strange and lonely, but I'm doing the best I can. I've submitted my retrain application, and should get a new dog sometime in the spring.
I just can't believe that something so great went so wrong! I will keep you updated as I get a new dog, though will probably have another blog when I start training again.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
A tough post to write
Well, it's been a while again, and I am coming with some difficult news. Remember how I wrote about Jimmy's street crossing issues during my last post? They got better for a while, but were never really cured. The other day he took me right into traffic, and I just didn't feel safe. I spoke to Beth, and we decided to send him back to GDB for a training evaluation. He's slated to sik back to California on November 9, and it remains unclear whether he will return as my guide, or our beloved family pet.
We will just have to wait and see what the trainers decide, but there are concerns about the street crossings as well as his crazy excitement every time he sees someone he knows. GDB have been great through this whole thing, and I have been really impressed with how it's been handled.
It's difficult, and I'm experiencing so many emotions richt now, especially when I read this blog and see how well we did in class. All I can think is what happened? How did we go from that amazing team to this? What went wrong?
I know there are no great answers here, I'll probably never find any, but it's just a tough pill to swallow. I will keep you all updated when I can.
Thanks for reading!
We will just have to wait and see what the trainers decide, but there are concerns about the street crossings as well as his crazy excitement every time he sees someone he knows. GDB have been great through this whole thing, and I have been really impressed with how it's been handled.
It's difficult, and I'm experiencing so many emotions richt now, especially when I read this blog and see how well we did in class. All I can think is what happened? How did we go from that amazing team to this? What went wrong?
I know there are no great answers here, I'll probably never find any, but it's just a tough pill to swallow. I will keep you all updated when I can.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Liv and Jimmy go to Silicon Valley
So I know it's been for ever since the last update, sorry about that.
At the moment, Jimmy and I are in Silicon Valley on a business trip, and things are going well here. I have been here for about two weeks now, and he's doing fine. I swear he remembered the San Francisco airport when I stepped off the plane! He was so happy to be back here, and so am I. I am loving things here in Cupertino, and it will be kind of rough transitioning back into retail, that's for sure. One thing this experience has taught me, is that I certainly want to continue working for this company, and that I want to transfer to corporate as soon as the right job that fits my skill set and other requirements comes along. I thought this might be the case, but it's always nice to have something that you thought you might like to do be confirmed in reality.
These past few months have been good for Jimmy and me. We had to have a follow up visit from GDB in late February when he decided to veer into intersections while crossing streets, but fortunately Beth from graduate services was able to come out and fix most of the issues. She is fabulous! I can't say enough great things about GDB and the follow up. It's great to know that they're around if an emergency like that comes up. While Beth was out, we decided that Jim just didn't fit this dog's personality, so we unofficially changed his name to Jimmy. Jim conjures up images of this serious man, and just doesn't fit this crazy yellow boy, if you ask me! :)
Well, I must sign off, as it's time to go to bed here in Cupertino. I will try and update more often, I promise! Hope everyone's doing well!
At the moment, Jimmy and I are in Silicon Valley on a business trip, and things are going well here. I have been here for about two weeks now, and he's doing fine. I swear he remembered the San Francisco airport when I stepped off the plane! He was so happy to be back here, and so am I. I am loving things here in Cupertino, and it will be kind of rough transitioning back into retail, that's for sure. One thing this experience has taught me, is that I certainly want to continue working for this company, and that I want to transfer to corporate as soon as the right job that fits my skill set and other requirements comes along. I thought this might be the case, but it's always nice to have something that you thought you might like to do be confirmed in reality.
These past few months have been good for Jimmy and me. We had to have a follow up visit from GDB in late February when he decided to veer into intersections while crossing streets, but fortunately Beth from graduate services was able to come out and fix most of the issues. She is fabulous! I can't say enough great things about GDB and the follow up. It's great to know that they're around if an emergency like that comes up. While Beth was out, we decided that Jim just didn't fit this dog's personality, so we unofficially changed his name to Jimmy. Jim conjures up images of this serious man, and just doesn't fit this crazy yellow boy, if you ask me! :)
Well, I must sign off, as it's time to go to bed here in Cupertino. I will try and update more often, I promise! Hope everyone's doing well!
Monday, September 13, 2010
update
We've been home for three months now, and I can't believe how well things are going.
Yesterday, we had our quarterly meeting at work, and Jim got an award for being our stores best friend. All of my coworkers love having a dog around, and are very happy to play with the boy when he's not on duty. His work continues to be great, and he is doing well at navigating me through the city. Mostly, we work around my neighborhood and Georgetown, where my work is located. He is doing a great job at taking me across busy streets, and really handles anything I throw at him. Customers also love Jim, and seem happy to have him in the store.
I am delighted to report that things are going well for me at work as well, and that I am very happy both with work, as well as with my dog. These have been busy, but happy months for both of us, and I am very excited about our progress as a team. I am looking forward to many more years of partnership with my boy, and want again to thank everyone who had a hand in training and raiing him!
Yesterday, we had our quarterly meeting at work, and Jim got an award for being our stores best friend. All of my coworkers love having a dog around, and are very happy to play with the boy when he's not on duty. His work continues to be great, and he is doing well at navigating me through the city. Mostly, we work around my neighborhood and Georgetown, where my work is located. He is doing a great job at taking me across busy streets, and really handles anything I throw at him. Customers also love Jim, and seem happy to have him in the store.
I am delighted to report that things are going well for me at work as well, and that I am very happy both with work, as well as with my dog. These have been busy, but happy months for both of us, and I am very excited about our progress as a team. I am looking forward to many more years of partnership with my boy, and want again to thank everyone who had a hand in training and raiing him!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Life since returning home
Things are going amazingly for Jim and me! I can't believe we've been home almost two months, or that we've both been gainfully employed for just as long!
Every day we get up and go to work at the Aple Store in Georgetown, where we sell macs, phones, and iPads to customers. Jim continues to do excellent work, and he's become a kind of store mascot. My coworkers love him, and he seems to really enjoy being with me on the sails floor and interacting with customers.
Since coming home we've taken subways, taxis, busses, and done plenty of walking. We've survived a 12 hour day during the iPhone four product launch, had great times with family and friends, and bonded in ways that I didn't think possible until I got Jim. He is my constant companion, my closest friend, and is always with me. We've only been apart for a few minutes at a time since coming home, I know I need to get him used to being alone for longer periods of time, but I just love having him with me and truly believe that he is on his way to becoming the best guide dog I've had!
I can't thank my wonderful puppy raisers, or GDB enough, for all of the work that you have put into training him. I will do my best to get some pictures of Jim at work in his Apple shirt, yes, he's an Apple employee :) he has a blue shirt just like the rest of us :) I need to get a coworker to take a good picture. As soon as I can get one, I'll figure out how to post it here!
I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for reading, and I'll do my best to keep you jupdated on our adventures!
Every day we get up and go to work at the Aple Store in Georgetown, where we sell macs, phones, and iPads to customers. Jim continues to do excellent work, and he's become a kind of store mascot. My coworkers love him, and he seems to really enjoy being with me on the sails floor and interacting with customers.
Since coming home we've taken subways, taxis, busses, and done plenty of walking. We've survived a 12 hour day during the iPhone four product launch, had great times with family and friends, and bonded in ways that I didn't think possible until I got Jim. He is my constant companion, my closest friend, and is always with me. We've only been apart for a few minutes at a time since coming home, I know I need to get him used to being alone for longer periods of time, but I just love having him with me and truly believe that he is on his way to becoming the best guide dog I've had!
I can't thank my wonderful puppy raisers, or GDB enough, for all of the work that you have put into training him. I will do my best to get some pictures of Jim at work in his Apple shirt, yes, he's an Apple employee :) he has a blue shirt just like the rest of us :) I need to get a coworker to take a good picture. As soon as I can get one, I'll figure out how to post it here!
I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for reading, and I'll do my best to keep you jupdated on our adventures!
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