Thursday, December 18, 2008

my version of baby-picture christmas cards

In response to the adorable holiday cards/belated thank-you notes we have received, all fronted by the pictures of super-cute newborns*, I have decided to post a series of "Awww!"-inducing photos of dogs. 

*Happy holidays to Layla, Maggie and big sis Nina, Eliana, and Daniel and Sofia!



First, meet Hudson. Hudson is the resident dog at a new salon just up the street, SalonBlu. After walking by the shop several times as it was being built and after it opened, Jim decided he was going to give it a try. This was a big step. You see, Jim generally follows the following procedure** for choosing a stylist:

1. Find barber shop.
2. Determine if barber shop charges more than amount of cash currently in wallet.
3. If no, get hair cut.

In fact, I would venture to say that no one who has ever trimmed Jim's hair would, in fact, refer to himself as a stylist.

His last cut, however, was different from every single previous cut in that it was a little longer on the top than usual, and it was a good look for him. So recently, after letting his hair g
row (unintentionally) for way too long, Jim decided maybe he'd give a higher-priced salon (one clearly aiming for the gay clientiele, and specializing in actual, you know, styling of hair) a shot.

Bill, the owner, did a very nice job. It clearly earned Hudson's approval. And neither the stylist nor the dog attempted the hard sell of products. All in all, a good salon experience.

**I am told this is the most commonly-used procedure in the handbook of male grooming.


Next, we have Miss Ellie. Most of my readers are familiar with Ellie -- most of my readers, I think it's fair to say, are actually occupying the same house*** as Miss Ellie...when she lets them.

Ellie is a truly gorgeous, if somewhat insane, purebred Shih-Tzu. She has perfect posture, a perfect face, the perfect size -- the breeder visits and laments that she didn't show/breed this one, who, as the runt of the litter, was predicted to grow up too small to show. 

She is, however, wilful as all get-out, and apparently getting somewhat computer-savvy. If emails start arriving in my inbox with peculiar typos and/or lots of "grrrrrARFARFARF" in them, I'll know something is up.


***Mom, I think you should make sure she doesn't have online shopping access.

Oh, right, this little guy! I couldn't possibly leave Milo off the list! Jim and I are both a little sad that he'll be spending his first Christmas without us, but he will be well cared for by my coworker Beth and her family, which includes two little girls desperate for the promised new puppy coming sometime in the spring**** to their home. To make sure he is looking his best for his trip to stay with the Denton/Carrier family, he's going to get a holiday haircut tomorrow. 

And perhaps a Santa hat.


****No, "Beth" is not a pseudonym for Michelle Obama. Or is it??


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

culinaeria (borkborkbork)

As an anniversary gift, my adorable husband got me a gift certificate.

WAIT! This is a good thing. The gift certificate was for a cooking class at the just-opened, just-around-the-corner CulinAerie .

I took some time investigating the calendar, which, since they just opened, only runs until the beginning of February. Still, there are several classes that I've considered signing up for. Sadly, the "pizza" class was for teenagers.

Kidding! Well, no, it *is* for teens. But I did consider signing up until I realized that.

However, I'm not kidding about the fact that "Sauces" is a three-parter and I just can't commit to that at this point.

It came down to the "Tapas: Beyond Tortilla Espanola" class, and the "Breads for Beginners" class. And while I'm very interested in the tapas, I really want to go and have the space to mix, knead, and shape some sesame chapati, French pain au lait, Moroccan country bread, and banana walnut chocolate bread.

So, I'm going to attend that class on Sunday the 21st. Jim and I will definitely reap the benefits of what I bring home. Let's just hope I don't sign myself up as their fulltime assistant...I need the income from the other job I have, which I truly enjoy.

Even if it doesn't result in crumbs.