On my day off work I go back to work to meet the ‘gals’ to go to lunch. Gals. I have vacation time to burn up so I’m taking a day here and there to keep it manageable until I go on my vacations later (camping in the BWCA, the Badlands, Austin TX). Since my boss takes every Friday off and I was �ber-busy early this week. So I take a wednesday off, but we had plans to go to Cupcake and I’m not breaking those plans!! This is Cupcakes! If you have that whole healthy thing going on, you do not eat at Cupcake. If you worry about carbs or sugar or weighing your portions you do not eat at Cupcake. If you are one of those people that makes it really hard to go out to eat with, I will not invite you to Cupcake.
Cupcake is torturous hell for the anorexic/orthorexic crowd! They frost everything. I think my egg salad sandwich had a crown of rich buttercream on it the last time I was there, I can’t remember, i went into a sugar coma.
Yeah, so…Cupcake today.
Then I go back home, get the all too charming Maddie-Delicious and bring her BACK to work so the ‘Gals’ can meet her. Then I take her to petcosmart whatever and get new collars for them. Something sparkly! Target had nothing in the way of cool collars, they did have an entire section devoted to those tiny yippy little dogs. It was upsetting.
I restocked the chew toy supply as Ghengis was getting dangerously low on things to chew on and was digging out toys he never wanted to touch before. I picked up a big pack of rawhide rolls and offered one to each of them. Maddie is not so keen on taking things from people, especially if she does not know what it is. She’s not particularly interested in chew toys anyway. Ghengis, on the other hand is a selfish jerk (and I mean that in the most loving way!). He ran off with his rawhide and then came back and got Maddie’s and put that next to his. I got Maddie a new one (you just can’t teach dogs about personal property, they believe everything is theirs). Eventually, Ghengis ended up with a pile of rawhides and Maddie napped next to me unaware.
The only thing Maddie IS protective of (besides me, and that’s its own post) is mushy food. We gave them some and Ghengis naturally pushed his nose into hers and a great explosion rattled south Minneapolis as these two dogs battled. David got them apart and I held Maddie down. She was terrified that she was in trouble, I felt so bad for her. I know now to keep them apart when there is mushy food!
Yeah, okay so housewarming party is 8/27. If it is a manageable crowd (doubtful when I start to look at the list) we’ll have sushi dinner. If it’s bigger we’ll do finger foods. Suppose I’ll have t decorate before then and set up the fish tank!
Ordered hiking boots and walking shoes yesterday. Ordered 2 different pairs of each and will send some back. The walking shoes are a toss up, the New Balance are lighter and more what I need, the Vasques are kiwi green and cute as hell (and probably way more than I need in that they are trail running shoes). The hiking boots are just going to be determined by which feel better.
Yeah, I bought hiking boots and walkign shoes. Jesus. Maybe I don’t have cancer, maybe I am actually losing weight. Doubtful. I’m going to Cupcake anyway. Suckers.

Or something…2 dogs at the vet, one gets shots and a general once over. The other gets urinalysis to make sure her bladder infection is cured, she gets x-rays to find out the hard lump in her belly is a poop and not a tumor, she gets her ears check to make sure THAT infection is cleared up, she gets her eyes examined as the vet thinks she might be going blind, she gets Heartguard. They both get Frontline. Total cost for all of this? $390! The bulk of the cost was on the Heartguard and Frontline but you can’t really not get that if they go outside the way my dogs do!
Yeah, it seems that the vet thinks Maddie might be going blind. It’s hard to tell for sure right now without expensive tests so I’m just watching ehr for signs, vet seemed sure that she was acting like a dog losing her sight. It’s sad in a way but not really. I’m not upset about it, it’s just one of those things you deal with. Just means I can’t move the furniture.
Maddie and Ghengis get along beautifully. They play all the time and I’m thinking of moving the dining room table to give them more room; especially on days like yesterday where it was too hot to go to the dog park.
Took the two of them out to my dad’s for a bbq. My sister and her boyfriend made the fabulous pork tenderloin, brats and grilled portobella mushrooms. They announced that they were moving in together. I’d have congratulated them except THEY ALREADY LIVE TOGETHER. Their announcement had about the same impact as kd lang announcing she was a lesbian.
Just kidding, congratulations you crazy kids! Oh, and Keith, just remember you invited her in, man. Don’t come crying to me later!
This week has been a week of reflection (when I have time to reflect, you know like when I’m not sick or hugely busy at work). A year ago I would never have imagined me in this position. I never would have anticipated this kind of success.
Anyway, breakfast is at 9:30 on sunday at OPH. Be there.
ps David got some great pictures of the dogs napping together, I’ll get those posted soon as I know you just can not wait to see even MORE photos of dogs.

fear.com is a dumb movie. dumb.
Sky Captain and the World of my own Butt is a stultifyingly dumb movie.
My dogs are the reigning champions of jackassville. They still have the occasional scuffle for alpha-hood but generally they are getting along like happy dogs. Took them to the dog park on Tuesday, I was worried Maddie would be overwhelmed or something but she loved it, she had a great time.
The dogs have this game, it involves jumping, growling, butting their heads into each other, running around and using me as some sort of home free base. Generally, this is a fine game until I have to be home free base too often. Jackasses.
When they play fight Maddie has this great tactic where she whips around and knocks ghengis with her butt. Good times.
Other than dogs and dogs and dogs…hmmm.
I am recovering from what is becoming my semi-annual bout of strep. Go me.
Still love my vacuum cleaner in an unnatural way. Today I clicked 2 buttons and emptied the canister without touching a bag or anything. It is so very very wrong to love this thing so very very much.
oh but the big hooray…the big HOORAY!!
My birthday present from David. Achewood!!! It was personalized with my special nickname and had a hand drawn picture of Phillipe. This was a seriously happy and thoughtful gift. We love Achewood and there’s even a cute story involving Achewood and how we met.
And he DID order it on time, but Chris Onstad had a baby and everything is late. I was glad to wait it was worth it.
Also, Ray’s Rad Chilis garlic chili sauce is the shiznit.
So long Chochachos, this girl’s off to bed.

I can do a post not revolving around the dogs.
Jesus, strep, two ear infections, the common cold. Pretty sure it’s time for Bush to declare war on the biological insurgency in my body. It’s what he does, he should do it here.
Started watching Carnivale first season. Interesting, a good watch, has some moments. I think the whole ‘Scudder’ business, while good adhesive for a series, is just slow and trite. Yes, Scudder’s a bad man, he did bad things, I think there just comes a point where you say “this man is as bad as it gets” and you move on.
but this is why I don’t write for TV.
Another fab hair cut today. Love Owen! Picked green for my clor this time, we’ll see how it turns out. This is a true green, I wish they had more of a mint green, but I think this will be good. Change is good. I’d like to do the pink again, I love the way it looks but if I do pink too much then it becomes my ‘color’ and suddenly it’s pink everything. I still want pink running/walking shoes or pink hiking boots.
one dog thing (sorry) Maddie is starting to play more, she’s goofy about it. Regularly, though, she must stop to stand in front of me and make sure I am safe from the rabble. Shar peis are funny that way. She’s a total doll.
that’s it. no more dog stories until tomorrow.