More March Madness & The SPCA

Thanks to everyone for getting your brackets to me. Currently we have a total of 7 people playing and I should get an 8th this morning, so the pot should be 80 bucks. I will update wins and losses each day there are games so we always know where we stand (and we can taunt those who aren't doing well. Also, if you didn't keep a copy of your bracket and would like me to scan it and email it to you, let me know. This is my favorite day of the tournament because it's when all the upsets happen and it looks like the first game starts at 12:20 ET with Xavier taking on Georgia. Good luck everyone!

In unrelated news last night I went to volunteer orientation at the Central California SPCA. I want to run my next marathon as a fundraiser but I didn't want to do Team in Training which raises money for lukemia research because they already get a lot of people running and raising money for them. so I started to look at local organizations. I also wanted to start volunteering somewhere and helping animals sounded like a good idea.

The orientation was really long because the woman just wouldn't stop talking and consistently went off on tangents. Someone asked something about why ferrets were illeal in California and she went off for 10 minutes even though it had nothing to do with the SPCA. Anyway they have a lot of various jobs that they need done like cleaning the cages, walking the dogs, greeting and helping people who come looking to adopt or find their lost pets, education, special events, taking pictures of the dogs and so on and so forth. I am not sure yet what I will be doing but probably a little of everything. They are also really flexible with their volunteers, you basically just show up whenever you want to and do something. I plan on going in every weekend to help out.

They took us on a tour of the facility and it was definitely hard to see all of the cats and dogs in cages that were sometimes dirty and marred with feces and urine. Some of the dogs growled at you, some were very friendly, and some seemed sad and depressed. It will not be easy knowing that some of these animals will be euthanized but I figure if I can't stop that from happening, then maybe I can help either prevent it by educating the public or just make the dog a little bit happier and more comfortable for a short time. What is also is going to be hard is not being able to take one home with me! They had some beautiful big dogs there that I would have loved to take with me but alas, I have no yard, someday though. I even thought some of the cats were cute and I could take home with me and I generally don't care very much for them.

Anyway they need a lot of help and a lot of money at the SPCA so hopefully I will be able provide a little of both. Fresno is way behind in spaying and nuetering their anmials which is one reason for such an abundance of homeless animals and seeing as you can get that done for free there as well as get free obedience training, there is no reason for it.

Thats all folks.

Odds and Ends

Yesterday I went to Centerpoint Gym so I could try it out before I switched from my current gym. Some pros were that it is closer to my apartment, the hours are much better, there is a lot more equipment and amenities, and it is cheaper. On the con side I anticipate I will probably have to wait for equipment more frequently. Pretty much that is the only con, the gym is busier, so it was a pretty easy decision to make. Now I just have to break up with my personal trainer at my old gym.

This weekend I have the 6.1 mile run in Tower and also the 6th Annual Central Valley Bike Classic will be in Tower which is always fun to watch. Don't forget to spring forward your clocks and hour, as the time changes on Sunday as well (I really better remember this!).

I have signed up for volunteer orientation at the Central California SPCA on the 19th of this month. They have a lot of jobs for volunteers to do so I am hoping to work out a schedule where I go out there once a week and help out. I am going to fall in love with all of the dogs there though so it is probably a good thing I dont have a house with a yard because I would want to take them all home with me. Some of the duties they need help with are walking and socializing the animals, cleaning up cages, greeting the public, helping with special events, etc. so I am sure will find something I like. I would like to take the pictures and write the little blurbs they have on Petfinder because I am always dissapointed when they dont give any information and it seems like the animals from the SPCA rarely have any written info.

I am also considering doing some kind of fundraising for my fall marathon. Team in Training is a popular way to do that but I frankly find them somewhat annoying. Dont get me wrong, they do a great job of raising money for luekemia research but any race I have been in they are easy to spot because they are wearing the purple jersey and they are always super excited and super happy. Also their main goal is just to raise the money and they dont care as much about the race, which is fine, but I want to focus on running well too. I could always set my own thing up and raise money for a local charity on my own though, maybe the SPCA.

So thats whats new with me!