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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

the case of the mysterious pee


A few weeks ago Dental Student told me that he walked out the door, and there on the doorstep was pee. Now, I love the man, but this just seemed absurd to me. Obviously Havi had some sort of accident and he missed it. But he swore up and down it was the Bichon or Chihuahua on our floor. Well, this weekend the pee appeared again! It definitely was not Havi's because I had been inside with her for hours! I totally understand a pup needs to mark their territory, and this may be embarrassing for the owner, but um, clean it up? What should we do about out little pee problem?
Yesterday, one of our most dutiful readers, Law Student's mom, said she couldn't comment on the blog. Does anyone know why a random visitor cannot comment, do you need an account? On that vein, how do I respond to comments you guys write? I'm obviously having a little commentary issues. Law Student's mom had wanted to comment because she wanted to know if anyone out there had a recommendation for her adorable Havanese Mushey. He seems to be going through a chew and destroy phase and needs a new CHEW FREE doggie bed and crate mat. She'd appreciate any help!

We have become obsessed with several Chicago-based blogs. But Compassion for Pits is run by a NYC woman with two pitbulls. Her pittie, Winnie, needs surgery and in order to raise money for the expensive ACL surgery she is selling the CUTEST treat jars on our favorite site - Etsy. Please, please, help her out! She is also asking for recommendations of other personalized things she can make for your pup!

Yesterday, Dental Student's AWESOME SIL, told us about Heartsy, a deal site for Etsy! Please leave your email in the comments if you want our referral code to receive a $5 credit!

And some Havi cuteness to get you through a Thursday:

friday flashback


This bed looks a little small...


This week Havi randomly threw up water. My first response was, "lets put it up on the blog, our friends will help." It made me realize that over the month and a half that we have had such a fun time sharing our adventures, hearing your recommendations, and reading your blogs! You have coached us through treat toys, Havi's tummy problems, and dog park phobia.

Pets Blog United even made us the Featured New Blogger, which has given us more new friends, check it out!

Earlier this week, we read through Maisie and Me's blog from beginning to end, and relearned their story. That's when we realized we wanted to catch up all the friends who may have met us a little later on on how we met Havi and why we started this blog.

its so hard to be wordless on a wednesday...


Last night at 8:37 New York City time, Passover ended. That meant that the Two Grad Students could finally eat bread and other leavened things! We decided to celebrate by meeting for Havi's long walk at Madison Square Park. Dental Student was working in the apartment with Havi and Law Student was at the library so it was fun to meet in the middle at the Park. In the Park is New York's famous Shake Shack! There are three locations in New York for this modern burger stand. The line can be up to a one hour wait for the coveted burgers and shakes. We got on the line on Law Students way home from the library at 7:05 and got our food at 8:17!

We had: A single cheeseburger, ShackStack, regular fries, cheese fries, strawberry and chocolate shakes. They even boast a pooch-ini, but we couldn't get it because Havi's tummy is still to sensitive.


Also, today we ordered Missing Link Probiotic. Havi is officially on Evo dog food for four days after weaning her off Hill's Science and Flagyll over a two week period. Her waste is now verrry loose, and we had a feeling a probiotic may do the trick to balance out the Evo. Dental Student read all about probiotics in class and Dental Student's parents were instructed to give it to their pit mix, the famous Aunt Molly, by their vet. Dental Student ordered it from PetsTruly.com, one of the few sites that carry it. We'll update on how it works, and let us know what you think of this addition to her diet. Has anyone else tried this?

Dealwise:
- It's 31cent scoop day at Baskin Robbins! These deal fiends are heading over there after a long day at the library!
-We wrote in our old blog about the benefits of a CVS drug store points card, and today we were reminded why. After paying for some medications and bathroom supplies we received a coupon for 25% off our entire next purchase. If you have a CVS by you, definitely compare it to the deals at your corner store.

Monday, April 25, 2011

great deals, great city


The Grad Students proclaim that we're never moving out of this great City. The thing is, it isn't cheap to live here. I used to write a lot about all the great deals we find here, but haven't mentioned any recently.

I love deal sites, like really love. I think the business model is practically genius. Although the businesses make close to no profit on the deal, they are exposed to a brand new population segment, consumers get great deals, and the deal site makes a nice profit creating jobs in a rough economy.

So, I thought I'd go over some deals that we've bought in the past year...

Most recently, Best Study Partner and I went over to Papatzul in SoHo, a Mexican place where we received $15 for $30 worth of food through LivingSocial. We both ordered quesadillas (our usual favorite) but these were a little too fancy and a little too greasy. The guacamole was great, but throughout ordering we were told to hurry because they were switching over the dinner menu. Then it was impossible to get our waiter even though there was only one other table seated. I wouldn't go again.... (This is prob a good time to remind everyone to always tip on the original price). On the bright side, with a diet coke for both of us, we each only paid an additional $9, which makes the place a great deal.

Last semester, Best Study Partner and I bought a Beach Bum tanning package for $28 for a month of tanning through LivingSocial. This is a great deal, but I won't promote tanning any further...

Moe's Southwest Grill may be my favorite type of fast food. I am a quesadilla junkie. Dental Student and I both bought a $10 for $20 worth of food from Groupon. There is a location right by Dental Student's school, which makes it a perfect walk with Havi for a study break!

I think every New York City 20-something was chatting about this deal. American Apparel launched a deal - $50 worth of apparel for $25 from Groupon. Law Student got a new dress and two new headbands and Dental Student got a white sweater and grey shirt. For two grad students who spend more money on their pup then their clothes, this was a fun time!

Time Out New York is a super amazing magazine with cover stories ranging from "Free New York" to "Best Happy Hours," so we scooped up a 12-month subscription for only $12 from Groupon. We don't think we'll renew it, because we can get this information online, but it's great fun to receive every Monday.

New York Magazine is Law Student's absolute favorite. She cannot live without it. But her mom told her that the number one thing you cut on a budget is magazines. So when Groupon posted $13 for 54 issues, she jumped on it. And she may just ask for a renewal for the holidays...

In the old apartment we had a cleaning woman clean our apartment once til it shone for only $30. So when we saw a deal for Today's Maid Service for three hours of cleaning for $49 from Groupon, we grabbed it. Mistake! First of all, we really don't need a cleaning woman in this small space, even once a year, regardless of the price. But the woman didn't do much besides chat with Law Student for three hours. Kinda a waste.

Last year Dental Student and Law Student headed over with Brooke and Jer (Brooke claims credit for introducing us) to the National Comedy Theater from Groupon. It looked like something different to do on a Friday night. For $9 we watched two hours of improv comedy with a bag of popcorn. Ah, NYC at its finest...If we're ever bored on a weekend again, we'd go!

I'm manicure-obsessed. In this city its impossible to find a cheap one, but I found a great place by me that offers a perfect mani for $8 and a free one every 10 times you visit. I visit every other week. Down by where I go to school the manis are usually around $20 a manicure, so I skip that. So when I saw a deal for the premiere place by school, Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa, I jumped on it! Groupon offered $12 for the hot lavender manicure which is usually $25. It was so. worth. it.

A few weeks ago, Dental Student and I treated ourselves to dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant, Amber. We received $20 for $40 worth of Japanese goodness via Groupon. They have locations all over the city, be sure to check it out!

We always try to do something experiential for our birthdays, so one year I took Dental Student on Urban Oyster's Street Cart Food Tour. ScoopStreet gave us the opportunity for $20 each (55% off) to try four award winning food-carts around NY. We loved it so much we are even attending the Vendy Awards this year!

Lastly, there have been pet deal sites jumping up all over the place! We recently bought Natural Balance Potato and Duck treats off PetSimply for 50% off. They shipped the treats to us within the week. Too bad we can't feed em to her right now...

From now on, we'll write as we use em!

Quick pointers
1. There are over 30 deal sites for major cities right now, and subscribing to all of them can get overwhelming. If you're dedicated to a good deal like we are, subscribe away, but set up a Gmail filter for em, so that you don't wake up 30 times at 3:00am
2. Don't let your eyes get bigger than your wallet. Look at the deal to make sure its really a good deal. Today, BuyWithMe offered 50% off AMC movie tickets, but only for shows that have been out for two weeks. You may not want to be restricted like that.
3. Make sure you're actually gonna go on that nature hike, or that restaurant across town or else instead of a deal it becomes a money pit. (Unfortunately, I've learned that lesson with 2 mani/pedis and a facial already). And watch expiration dates!

Happy dealings!


sun-filled weekend

Over in New York we're really hoping April showers bring May flowers. It has been very rainy here, and Havi the princess really won't have any of it. So when Study Partner abandoned Law Student for Easter, the two Grad Students and Havi decided to study in the apartment, lounge on the balcony, and go for a long walk. Well, maybe the lounging was just Havi...
Introducing Havi to our new balcony...
We think she's a fan!
Havi has this thing..shes kinda an attention lover...
Note: She never does this for us
Havi showing her corner skills, where she always needs to sit! We met a cool lady at this corner who owns Petropolis, a holistic pet store in FiDi
This tongue made a us realize Havi was super thirsty
So we stopped at the famous Shake Shack for some water
This was Havi's last day wearing the Gentle Leader, we just ordered the Easy Walk Harness, we'll update later this week on the switch
Finishing up our walk and going back in to study some more!

Friday, April 22, 2011

ABC's

I couldn't think of anything that interesting to write today. Especially because its finals season and Im locked in an underground library for 12-14 hours of the day with Favorite Study Partner. So Im taking a cue from According to Gus and The Other Winnie Cooper and sharing the ABC's of the Three Peas in a Pod...

A. Age: Law Student; 24, Dental Student; 25, Havi; 1.5
B. Bed Size: Queen, but Havi seems to stretch out just a little too much lately.
C. Chore You Really Dislike: Like every good New Yorker, laundry. The up and down every 30 minutes in an apartment building is killer.
D. Dogs: Havi Baby!
E. Essential Start to Your Day: Law Student: Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee, Dental Student: Nature's Valley Bar
F. Favorite Color: Law Student: Grey, Dental Student: Teal, Havi: Black and White
G. Gold or Silver: Silver...or platinum ;)
H. Height: Law Student: 5', 5" Dental Student: 5'10', Havi 4'
I. Instruments You Play: Dental Student is attempting to teach Law Student guitar
J. Job Title: well....
K. Kids: Havi!
L. Live: New York City
M. Mom’s Name: Law Student; Geri, Dental Student; Barbara
N. Nicknames: Dental Student and Law Student!
O. Overnight Hospital Stays: Havi's tummy issues landed her there on day three with us!
P. Pet Peeve: As Dental Student says "re"
Q. Quote From A Movie: "Our pets heads are falling off!" - Dumb and Dumber
R. Right or Left Handed: Law Student; Righty, Dental Student; Lefty
S. Siblings: Law Student; 2 Younger brothers, Dental Student; An older brother and his awesome wife who have their own blog Siegel Stories
T. Time You Wake Up: Two points if anyone in the comments knows!
U. Underwear: Us: Always; Havi: Never
W. What Makes You Run Late: Walking Havi!
X. X-Rays You’ve Had: Havi: none.
Y. Yummy Food You Make: Anything and everything Dental Student makes
Z. Zoo – Favorite Animal: Law Student; Snow Leopard, Dental Student; Penguins


Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

toys!

It's ironic to us, that due to the fact we subsist entirely off federal loans for graduate school, that we adopted a dog. We have undoubtedly found the cheapest ways to raise a dog in thisexpensive city, but we still find the largest portion of our money is spent on Havi! One of our friends said it best "she's our hobby."

Nothing has become a bigger waste of time and money than Havi's toys. After everyone meets Havi they bring her a stuffed animal. These stand NO CHANCE against Havi. She plays generally with her IQ ball, bones, kongs, and tennis balls. I'll let her play with a Flossy Rope, but only under supervision (if the rope comes loose it could strangle their intestines).

I have noticed that many people note different toys and games they give their pups to withstand the "ultimate chewers." Our latest toy attempt was the Survivor Tire Trax. We were HIGHLY recommended this toy.

Here is the result
What is currently left of this highly recommended toy
What my floor has looked like for the past month
Havi claiming it wasn't her!
Caught her!

So today's question, of course: what toys have you found last the longest and withstand the "ultimate chewers?"

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

why is this night different than all other nights...?

We celebrated Passover in the Graduate Student Apartment the past two nights. It was just Dental Student, Havi and me due to school but we still had fun making dinner and finding the Afikomen!

We made:
Matzo Ball Soup
Quinoa with spinach
Asparagus with feta cheese
Salmon Teriyaki






We only had to improvise on one little thing. We're supposed to have a shank bone on the Seder Plate, but Law Student forgot. So Havi let us know her bone can be used in its place!
How have you improvised on the holidays?

Monday, April 18, 2011

festive weekend!


That's right - this isn't Havi! This cutie beagle is Peanut! Dental Student's Brother and Sister-In-Law came and picked us up in the city early Saturday morning to head to Dental Student's parents home in NJ for Passover dinner. That's one tired pup!
Havi paced the whole afternoon, she was very nervous...
But she was SO happy to jump and play around with Aunt Molly
This is Aunt Molly looking quite distinguished
Peanut and Blossom patiently waiting by the snack drawer
The adults had amazing Crumbs cupcakes

The puppies got cranky by the end of the day
Then the humans got cranky
Blossoms favorite spot
Peanuts favorite spot
Havi's favorite spot
SIL and peanut towards the end othe night...
At the end of the night we had played, eaten, laughed, and then we were all puppied out. Nine humans, four dogs, and a good time was had by all. How are your pups celebrating Passover?

Thursday, April 14, 2011

fun things


Today is Havi's foster dad's birthday! His wife sent an email to all his friends and family a few weeks ago that he didn't want a party. So she thought of something fun. Everyone would send a video using www.KeepTree.com to foster dad wishing him a happy birthday.

Havi loved this idea, and wanted to send a video of some of her tricks.

The video is encoded so we cannot reproduce it here. But here was Havi after a few too many takes of trying to get it right...

What are some other great, low-cost brithday ideas you've thought of?

Sunday, April 10, 2011

walking, walking, walking...


Happy Monday! Last week, StubbyDog asked What's Your Favorite Way To Exercise Your Dog? After attempts at different dog parks, playdates, and playgroups as well as a harrowing walk schedule, we finally think we have it down. As of last week, we instituted a new walk schedule that we think will exercise Havi as well as us!

Havi gets walked for a full hour before we leave in the morning (around 6am), a quick bathroom break mid-day (whenever Dental Student can get back from the Hospital), a full hour when we get back from work (around 6pm) and then a bathroom break before bed. This, along with socialization three days a week in various forms we think will exercise Havi appropriately and will enable us to have fun in this warming NYC weather!

We'll take more pics on tomorrow's walk, but here are a couple...
Every pup needs a souvenir from a good walk...
Let's stop and everyone look at how pretty Havi is

Last week we missed Follow Friday so check out Tucker Tells All!
This week's Monday Rescue Pup goes to Lexus - a special needs mix. Please give her the home she deserves!

Lastly, we hope everyone got to check out CBS Sunday Morning yesterday. Besides the fact that Havi, Dental Student, and I love Charles Osgood with a cup of Sunday morning coffee (Poppy is so proud) but yesterday's episode was called Pets: All In The Family! Check it out!