Urban Dare, San Francisco, Sept. 11, 2010

Taken from their web site, Urban Dare is the race where smarts can beat speed. It’s part trivia, part photo hunt, part mental and physical challenges, and all fun. Think of it as a 1-day Amazing Race.

Teams of 2 solve a set of 12 clues to find checkpoints where they must take photos or perform dares in a race to the finish. You may call smart friends or use your smart phones for help solving clues. It is up to you to figure out the best order to complete your checkpoints.

You may walk, run or use public transportation to get to checkpoints. Sometimes the smart move is to run and other times a bus or the subway may be the way to go. You decide.

I signed up to do the Urban Dare in San Francisco with my good friend Amy. We only signed up a week ahead of the race so we didn't have enough time to realize we might be in over our heads.

Fresh faces at the start.

We checked in at the median in front of the Ferry Building with 100+ other people. The man on the bull horn explained the rules and said come get your clues! I pushed my way to the front and excitedly brought the sheet of questions back to my teammate. She looked them over, quickly noticed only the last 5 questions made our photocopy and asked, "Is this part of the challenge? We have to figure out the first five answers without the benefit of the questions?" Ha! You can't fool us - I got us another copy.

Our strategy was to answer all the questions locate the places on a map and try to figure out the most efficient way to seek them out. Here are the clues in the order we found them.  And a link to the GPS report from my Garmin.

1. He won the national league batting championship in 1929 and 1932.  Get your picture in front of his restaurant.

Answer: Lefty O'Doul's at 333 Geary. Thanks to our research team, we had the address, I put that into my GPS and off we went. We found two nice women who took this slightly askew photo for us.

2. DOUBLE JEOPARDY - Go to the square with the memorial honoring Dewey's victory in Manila Bay for your next dare, and get your picture with the Barbary Coast Trail marker sponsored by the Cotchett family.

Answer: Union Square.  The was the sight of our first dare/challenge - a three legged walk around a small section of Union Square.  Done and done.  Then we had to find a specific trail marker.  That was our only big mistake of the race.  We found plenty of markers, but we some how walked right by this one sponsored by the Cotchett family.

3. Charles Dickens first novel centered on this club.  Get your picture with the hotel that goes by this name.

Answer: Picwick Hotel on 5th at Mission.  It should be mentioned here that we would still be sitting in front of the Ferry building staring at a sheet of paper with not one answer on it if not for our crack support team.  Thank you to all of you who were available by phone to look up the answers!!!

4. Get your picture with a 3-headed Buddha.

Answer: Civic Center Plaza.  This is the only one I actually knew.  Funny side note: The SAME WOMEN who photographed us in front of Lefty O'Doul's took this picture.

We also had to keep in mind a PHOTO HUNT: Get a picture of someone not in the race doing a cartwheel.  So while at the Buddha, we tried to coax a young boy to do a cartwheel for us.  His dad really tried, and even did one for his son as an example - which I photographed.  We thanked the boy for "trying" and off we went.

5. Go to Hard Bop for your next dare.
Answer: At Filmore Plaza there is a sculpture in tribute to Hard Bop, a form of jazz.  For this dare we had to stand 5 feet away from a row of buckets and try to bounce a tennis ball into one of them.  Amy saved us here.  I bounced an entire bucket of tennis balls all around that plaza.

6. Get your picture with the Tonantsin Renace mural.

Answer:  This mural is near 16th and Sanchez.  Very beautiful!

7.  Gerry and Cookie Fleck take Winky to victory in this film.  Get your picture in front of the shop that goes by the name of this movie title.

Answer: Best in Show (you know you loved that mocumentary!)  This pet boutique can be found at 545 Castro.  We had to walk through a puppy adoption fair on our way there and back... dangerous.

8. Go to the replica of the bell Miguel Hidalgo rang on Sept. 15, giving El Grito - the cry to unite and take over their country from the reign of Emperor Maximilian, for your next dare.  You'll find it at Mission Dolores Park.

Answer:  OK, well they gave us the answer, but we still had to find the bell IN the park.  On the grass to the side of the bell we had to complete two dares/challenges.  The first was a wheelbarrow run out 10 yards and back.  Amy, the Rock Star, put her hands in the mud, I grabbed her ankles and out (and back) we went.  The second challenge was to search through a grouping of garden stakes for all the letters in the word "Singapore".  Each letter had a corresponding number which we added all together to get our final number.  If we added correctly, we could move on.  Took us only one try!

2nd PHOTO HUNT: Get a picture of a group of 4 people not in the race posed as if they were shooting a bow and arrow.

Thank you drunk group of people who would only be in the picture if they didn't have to stand up or open their eyes.

9. Get your picture with the plaque commemorating where the first slot machine was invented.

Answer: 406 Market (at Battery) you'll find this plaque.  We now know that slot machine was named the "Liberty Bell" was invented by Charles Fey and currently is on display in Reno, NV.   And BTW, what was with the guy who didn't want to stop to take our picture here?  He asked, "You mean you don't want any money from me?"  WTF?  Did we look THAT bad?

10. It repealed the 18th Amendment.  Get your picture in front of the bar that goes by this name.

Answer:  The 21st Amendment Brewery at 563 2nd Street.  The was the last stop before the finish.  Had it not been, we would have stayed to sample their products.

Finish - Go to Katy O'Briens for the finish!

Not as fresh as at the start but still smiling!

The crowd of people in powder blue t-shirts cheered as we ran in the door.  We checked in and showed all of our photos to prove we found everything and found them together.  I'm not sure we looked as fresh as we did at the start, but we had SO MUCH FUN.  We would definitely do it again.  It took us around 4 hours.  It was a warm, beautiful day in San Francisco!

One final "shout out" to Kate O'Briens (579 Howard @ 2nd) - BEST club sandwich and beer I have ever had in my life.  The glass of ice water was the best ever too.  Maybe it had something to do with me being starving and exhausted, but Amy thought they were the best ever too. :)

Pigeon Impossible

10 Years in 7 Minutes

Entrancing video of the world’s 2nd largest aquarium tank

I recommend thin in HD mode and full screen.

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

Alltop Widget

You can deploy an Alltop widget on your site or blog. They provide widgets for every topic. All you need to do is select the topic, configure the widget, copy a snippet of HTML code, and place the code on your site or blog. I chose "diabetes".

Joey's Mum Sierra Comes to Visit

Joey was delighted that her Mum came for a visit today. We do our best to play with her, but she really loves a good game of "Chase". Joey is in the blue collar.

A Favorite Video

Sophie would only drink from the hose her last 2 months so we would often find ourselves outside seeking a beverage. Joey believes the hose is the source of "Bite the Water" game and if Sophie is impeding the stream, well it's only more fun for me.

Oh Sweet Sophie

It is with deep sadness that I have to write we had to put Sophie to sleep this afternoon. She actually had a pretty good day. She had a nice walk this morning, rested in the front window with the fan gently blowing her fur and a big lunch. We were thrilled she ate so voraciously. She was waking up from a nap when she had what we are calling a seizure. She was unable to get herself up from her side and when we got her standing she would fall to the floor if I didn't catch her. Whatever it was that she was fighting, clearly found it's way to her brain.

I plan to descend into the cavernous grief I am feeling for a few days. I will cry hard, sleep lots and pack away her things. I appreciate all the interest and support you all have shown towards Sophie all throughout her life. She was a great dog and friend.

Sophie Has Gained...

Three pounds since her low last Tuesday.

Excellent.

'nuff said.

No Can Do. I Have Plans

If you have been following the thread here you know that Sophie has lost a LOT of weight and she had stopped eating. For any animal this is a really bad sign, but for a lab - especially Sophie - there is nothing worse.

So after a very long, very teary discussion Friday night, Roy and I decided that Saturday we would take Sophie to the vet and put her down. The short story is that she can't live if she won't eat, and her trembling was more and more prominent indicating she was in a lot of pain. We decided that we would give her Tramadol for pain and Mirtazapine for her mood (antidepressant) and just keep her as comfortable as possible. Of course as soon as we decided this my brain went crazy looking for another way out. I hugged Sophie and cried into her fur and told her how amazing she is and how lucky I am. I told her I was trying to do the best thing for her and all her pain would stop soon.

Well, Sophie caught the entire conversation and her response to being put down? "No can do. I have plans."

Saturday, Sophie ate probably a 1/2 pound each of sliced turkey and sliced ham. She had at least 1.5 cups of kibble, some crackers, etc. I could go on, but the point is that Sophie has been eating and eating and eating for three days. Last night she ate 1/2 my dinner as well as hers. She is still inconsistent in her eating. There are still times where she completely refuses food - turns her head in disgust - and times where she refuses, but if you can somehow get her started she really gets started. She is swimming everyday, she is napping well and mostly sleeping through the night. The frantic pacing seems to be gone and she enjoys walking (very slowly) around the block. We have taken her with us to the park for a picnic and around town to do errands. She has been pleased to feel the wind in her face.

We are grateful to still have her. We don't know what any of this means or how long it will last or if it is too late anyway. But my world is a better place when Sophie shares it with me.

Lab Results "OK"

We just heard from the vet and the lab results were "OK". There were a few values that were elevated, but not alarmingly. Some could be explained by the amount of steroids she has been on, dehydration, etc. So that is good news. It means that her body is not shutting down.

And surprisingly her HCT, which is a value related to her anemia, is the highest (best) it has been in 2 years. Also, her slight incontinence (that she has been taking medication for since she was 3) has completely disappeared - and not due to dehydration, it's cured. Sophie is busy getting rid of her unnecessary ailments so she can focus on whatever this new one is.

We still don't know why she won't eat. She didn't want to eat this morning so I blended up some "Grammy's Pot Pie" and used the syringe to force it in. She really doesn't enjoy that - neither do I - but she is putting up with it.

The plan is to remove some of the meds from her plan and see if that helps her appetite. Maybe re-prescribe them at a more appropriate dose. Remember, when they prescribed the latest medications, Sophie weighed 53 pounds. Many meds have different doses for under 50 and over 50 pounds.

What do your dogs NEVER refuse to eat?

Forty Pounds? Seriously?

Yep, Sophie was 40 pounds today when we weighed her at the vet. Sophie who has weighed 52 pounds her entire life is 40 pounds. With all the ups and downs she has struggled through since her surgery to remove the fungus she has not eaten like her old self. We knew she was losing weight, I've said that she is skin and bones, but I didn't think we were at 40 pounds. I would have guessed 45ish. That is over 20% of her normal weight, lost. Do the math with your weight and think about what you would look like and how you would feel. Scary.

While at the vet, Sophie gave some blood. We will have the results back tomorrow. The big concern is that there are problems with her organs - one or many. We of course hope that is not the case. We are hoping for relatively normal labs, and that it's the medication she is on that is causing her not to eat.

Yes, that's right. Sophie is not eating. Today is day 2 of her refusing food. After dinner I blended up a 1/2 can of "Cowboy Cookout" and filled a syringe and forced it down her throat. Unpleasant for both of us, but she needs nourishment if she is going to survive and then thrive.

Come on Sophie!!

Sophie Turns 13!

Sophie had her 13th birthday today! It wasn't long ago that Roy and I were wondering if she would make it to see 13. She had a nice day. She went to the park for the first time in two months. She showed her friends at Boot Camp that she can walk around without any assistance. She enjoyed swiming - she was the strongest she has been in the water in a while. She went on errands with us. She was massaged, and stretched. But it was so cool that she stood herself up a bunch of times and walked around. She did several "victory laps" around the pool.

Go Sophie! Go!

Pretty Good Weekend

Last week was a tough one for Sophie. Starting last Sunday, she was unable to put her right rear leg down and subsequently she would hop on three legs rather than walk on four. When we did our PT on Thursday it was the worst it had been. She was barely able to do her ball exercises since she couldn't stand on both rear legs. The PT folks suggested ice, stretching and gentle massage.

We have been diligent about the stretching. Roy, really, has been diligent about the stretching. I'm on ice and on massage. Over the weekend we saw huge improvement in the leg and she has been walking on all fours for a few days now. She will still hop from time to time, but mostly she is walking (as newly defined by the new Sophie scale). Maybe about 65% of the time she can walk without any assistance. She is trying more and more to stand up on her own, but she still has trouble. We will find her in odd places so clearly she is able to stand and walk somewhat on her own, but she eventually falls. She also has trouble standing. She can get planted, but then her hind quarters starts to sway and she melts.

PT was good today. Massage, ice, laser, fitball, and (JOY!) underwater treadmill. below is the side view of her walk. You can see that it isn't great for a "normal" dog, but for Sophie this is a miracle. Also, she is wearing her walkabout harness which you will see me refer to (in other posts) as her "pants".



The fitball is used for Sophie to 1. practice balancing on her back legs (and even remembering she has back legs) and 2. strengthening her legs by standing on them and being rocked left and right, forward and back.


And Finally, a video from the front for comparison against last weeks video should you happen to be one of Sophie's vets. :)

Physical Therapy

Sophie has now had three PT sessions. Each session they do a little massage (more and more now that her right leg is so bad), the hit her with the laser therapy (in her leg), they do some balance work on the fitball, and sometimes they do abdominal work or other stretching. But the BEST part in Sophie's book is the underwater treadmill.

Don't Mess With Sophie...

Or you'll have ME to deal with.

~ Joey

Joey has always been noble when it comes to Sophie's welfare, but she has really taken it up a notch. She has stepped in at the dog park when she felt other dogs were not showing Sophie her due respect. Now that Sophie is "special needs" Joey has taken it upon herself to "just be nearby". She knows Sophie is not a snuggler, but she stays close by, just so Sophie knows she is loved, AND that someone else could watch the house if she wanted to take a nap.

I love these guys.

New Harness, New Hope

Sophie has had a rough few days. She has been holding her right rear leg up - way up - which means it is very painful for her. She still has been trying. Let her be a lesson to all of you. She has never stopped trying and trying hard. She holds her leg up high and hops out to the grass for potty breaks, holds the leg up to take care of business, and hops back into the back yard. If she is sick of lying around, she will hop a lap or two around the pool.

Sophie has started physical therapy. I threw my pride out the window and humiliated myself through pure begging to get her an assessment PT appointment on a day they don't normally offer them. We needed this appointment for Sophie to get started - otherwise she would have had to wait until the 14th for the assessment appointment then therapy would start after that. Sophie will do her third (including the assessment) PT session tomorrow. They consist of abdominal work, stretches, laser therapy, balance work and walking on the underwater treadmill (her favorite). She has been doing well.

So based on advice from the PT vet and her techs, we have purchased a "Walk About" harness to better support Sophie's hind end while she walks. We have been out twice with it and she already has tried to put her right leg down. Our hope are again high. We also have been icing her leg and I've been massaging the muscle spasms 'til they stop. We are also giving her pain medication so she can try to put her foot/leg down without pain. So far she is tolerating it well (you may recall a bad reaction to medication after her surgery).

Finally, just because I think this picture is SO CUTE, here is the swim therapy team:

More to Worry About

We brought Sophie to VSA in Campbell yesterday so she could be assessed for physical therapy. We even scheduled the appointment at a time that gave us the option to do a therapy session - we were hoping with the underwater treadmill.

The (new) vet did a physical and neurological assessment, reviewed all the chart notes and the x-ray. She said that she didn’t want to start therapy because her exam revealed that Sophie is experiencing pain in multiple spots in her body and wasn’t presenting as she would expect a spinal issue dog to present. She felt we would be better served figuring out what the issues were so that a more appropriate therapy could be prescribed – whether that be physical, acupuncture, medicinal, whatever. So we took some blood and joint fluid samples and more x-rays. All her vets will get the results and talk today before contacting us with information and a plan.

She has her good days and her bad ones. Saturday was awful - very painful for her, but Sunday was the best in a while. "Best" is a relative term. It means that she seemed to suffer only one short bought of bad pain, she ate half of what she would normally eat in a day and she squatted for potty breaks. She still has trouble standing herself up, once standing she would collapse if I didn't have her in a sling though she gets better and more aware of her feet once she is about 10 yards into walking.

We'll see what today brings.

The Back Legs Are Trying

Group Therapy

As usual, Sophie directs all of our activity. She was in the pool with me for her second therapy session (Roy does it in the morning) and Joey just could not stand it anymore. She had to join in.


We both think the swim therapy has helped not only with exercise and neruological issues, but also with emotional issues.


Sophie seems to be improving though at a glacial pace. She has been able to stand herself up a few times, but it isn't a regular occurance. She has the most trouble when she first stands. It takes her a few seconds to figure out her feet. But once she gets going she motors along pretty well - especially if she has a goal (swimming, drink from the hose, potty break).