So far so good...

We've hit a few milestones already with Fergie. First of all, as I'm sure some of you knew, one of our biggest concerns regarding getting a puppy was how the cats would react. That has gone surprisingly well. Like REALLY well, all things considered. Absolutely no hissing. Only one minor incident of back arching... and it was not by who we would have thought (AKA Cole, the pu**y) but rather Sheila, who is herself more dog than cat. Once Fergie bounded after Sheila and the poor cat didn't know what to do, ran away and hid under the futon.

The second is that she's pooped outside twice now! And she seems to know what the wee wee pads are for. She's still not so fond of the outside world. For example, cars seem to freak her out. And other dogs. And the cold. And the sky. And rain. And, of all the luck, the day we brought her home (which happened to also be the first day of spring) it was snowing! She did NOT want to go outside. AT ALL. Not even in her stylish new coat (which, admittedly, is too big for her... so much so that she can't really walk in it... more like stumble backwards).

Right now she's sleeping comfortably in David's arms. We can expect to be woken up tonight at about 2 am and 4 am. But it could be worse!

She's finally here!

A few clips from Fergie's first days with us in her new home. Make sure you watch until the very end and pay attention with the sound up...

FERGIE!

It's quite obvious from the polling that our puppy's name is Fergie. To be exact, her name is Ferguson Eunice Germanotta-Ciccone.

Here's the latest picture! Two days and counting!

Telephone Video!

Warning: Do not watch at work, unless you don't care about cursing, homicide and nipple tape in the workplace.

But DO watch. P and I love this song.

Puppy Picture!

T-minus one week until puppy 2010!

Per Carrie's Request...

I forgot how much I love the Oscars.  Well, really, I have such fond memories of the Oscar parties P,D and I used to throw.  We would spend all day making apps, then get dressed up, then have everyone fill out ballots and win prizes.  The BEST part, though, was making catty comments during the show.  Oh, good times.

We had tossed around the idea of linking our Oscar parties, but the one Brian and I were going to host was a much more laid back affair (Bag of Stacey's pita chips and some hummous), plus we had a time difference.  (AND some technical difficulties as we decided to pause tv until our 2 guests got there, then everytime we tried to rewind or fast fwd, it would skip ahead to live tv, so I think we missed a lot.)  I think we should coordinate next year...  maybe we should switch between Chicago and Denver?

Today, I am enjoying looking at pictures from the after parties.  My new favorite couple: Sandra and Jesse.  Most likable celebrity: Gabourey Sidibe (and her mom who laughed heartily at Steve Martin's joke about his first role being as a poor black child, too).  Least likable: Vera Farmiga (or Veal Parmigana as I like to call her.  It helps me remember he name.)  What am I not getting here?  She seems listless to me.  And interesting looking at best.  Also: Woman I Would Most Like to Age Like: Sigourney Weaver. 

An amusing after party shot:

AVATARIZE YOURSELF

Fergie o' the Week

A bit awkward, Fergs, but that's ok. You're still cute.

WTF, McDonald's?!?

I haven't eaten at McDonald's for LITERALLY years. But if there was any chance of that happening ever again it was destroyed by the latest commercial for their Filet-O-Fish. This commercial has played on just about every commercial break for about the past two weeks. And I hate it with a passion. So much. I want to go deaf and blind when it comes on.

And could someone please tell me what the hell it means? Seriously, I want to know! A singing fish calling on the cell phone? HUH?! OMG, just thinking about it makes me angry! Who is the marketing genius that came up with this? Because they should be fired. Now. I'll wait, McDonald's.

Thought for the day

I can never be one of those people who stocks up on food. Why? Because I will eat all of it, probably in one sitting. OK, I'm not THAT bad, but still.

One of my employees just showed me her "food drawer". Said drawer is literally FULL of goodies, and my mouth started watering immediately. If that was my drawer, it would quickly turn into a "food compartment" within the drawer, and eventually would be nothing but a few random loose almonds, a paperclip or two, and an unidentifiable piece of hard candy with lint stuck to it.

Weekly Puppy Picture!

Oddly Specific

 

I found a website called Oddly Specific.  And it totally cracks me up.

Things to Do When You're Bored At Work Part...

I think I've mentioned this before, but when you look at any Blogger blog, at the very top is a link to "Next Blog" which randomly brings you to another blog.  I just did this for about 15 minutes and in that short time, here is what I discovered:

1. Most bloggers put up their own unique header.  I guess I'm surprised.  You have to know how to at least cut and paste code and where to put it.

         1a.  This fact makes me want to pimp our blog.

2.  One out of every 3 blogs is about a family.  Either an entire extended family (with family pictures where everyone is the same general shape and size), a newlywed couple (with LOTS of coupley pictures suggesting getting married is just one big adventure!), or 2 or more children (again, with lots of cute pictures suggesting parenting is just one big adventure).

        2a. I don't mean to sound annoyed, I actually think blogs are a great way to stay in touch.  Not sure about having a PUBLIC blog, though...

3.  One out of 3 blogs is pretty Christian.  I only find this surprising because it's blatant Christianity--I didn't have to read far before Jesus came up.

4.  Cool blogs have pictures.

5.  I ran across TWO blogs whose personas were named Seraphine.  Weird, huh?

Time for more Maddy pics!

My niece Maddy is adorable and I've been a busy uncle. So I've been unable to post pictures of her. But my brother sent me these a few days ago. Look at her! She's adorable. And FYI, the fauxhawk is her signature look.

Weekly puppy picture!

Home ownership...

... is great, don't get me wrong. But today, we experienced our first holy-shit-we-need-to-do-something-about-this-now episode. I was innocently doing a load of laundry when the washer stopped running. At first, I thought nothing of it and assumed the load was done. I walked over and realized it was in the middle of the cycle. And no, it wasn't something simple like the power outlet tripping. I'm not THAT bad. I fiddled with it for five minutes or so and got it working again. But it's been a horrible machine since we moved in. It's one of those all-in-one dealies (washer on the bottom physically attached to the dryer -- the standard condo type). It's also circa 2002. It also doesn't dry anything very well, and has a buzzer that you can't turn off.

Cut to D & P at Sears. That's right, Sears. The place I pick on my parents for going to. We met a nice salesman (Hi, Dennis!) who helped us with stackables. Interestingly, he advised us against purchasing one specific brand, which also happens to be the brand that stopped working this morning! Everything was fine until he started asking questions that we couldn't answer. In this respect, I AM that bad.

1. Is your dryer vented? My answer: a confident yes. And it is, it's just that what I thought was the vent was actually the drain pipe. The vent was on the back.
2. Is it gas or electric? My answer: I think it's electric. WRONG! It's gas.

To answer both of these questions, we had to come home, look and go back to the store. I'm sure poor Dennis thought we weren't coming back. I actually started sweating in the store when I couldn't answer his questions. But, it's good thing we did that, because we don't have the option for an electric dryer and it costs more to get the gas version.

In any event, we now are the proud owners of a new washer and dryer. Pretty, efficient, stackable and new -- delivery on Tuesday. It even makes this friendly beeping sound when you turn it on, as if to say "Hello again, D! What can I help you with today, good sir?" It's also very quiet, which is good since our current one is not and is just off the living room.

I'm also the un-proud owner of a Sears card. Between that and my itemized deductions for 2009, I feel ancient.

Poll Open!

The poll is now open. We're workshopping five names. Polls close on March 20, the day we pick her up.

Puppy! (continued)

It's official! We've put down our deposit! The breeder provides weekly picture updates here. We pick her up on March 20!

Puppy!

At long last, we're getting a puppy! We've been on a waiting list for a while now waiting for a Boston Terrier. Technically, we probably could have had one by now if not for the fact that we don't want to potty train a puppy in Chicago in the winter. Today, I got an email from the breeder! We have three to choose from, all females. My favorite (not that you can tell anything from a week old lump of a puppy) is "Fergie", mostly because I find that name adorable. Though we probably will still change it to something less appropriate for a dog. Like Estelle or Stacey. We would get her at the end of March, which SHOULD be the tail end of winter.

My big argument with P right now is that I want to do doggy daycare while she's a puppy. He thinks it's a waste of money. I don't want some tiny little baby animal to be locked up for 9 or 10 hours a day. All she'll do is cry, pee and poop. Doggy daycare is not unlike childcare in that it's $$$, but I don't think we'll need to do it forever. Just until she's able to control her bladder and pooper.

In any event, here's my favorite. You're really not missing much by not seeing the other two. They all look the same to me.

Overheard on the train

*Middle-aged white man (MAWM) who looks much older than I assume he is sitting on train. Wearing a "Phat Farm" coat, which I could not get over. And a fuzzy, dirty "Elmer Fudd" style cap, but not checked -- totally covered in fur. This is all making him sound funky and hip. He was neither. He was gross and most likely purchased all of these items at a yard sale or thrift store. Again, not in a funky/hip way. More like in an old way. Anyway, he coughs.*

*[Younger] man (YM) sitting in front of him speaks*

YM: "Dude, cover your mouth!"
MAWM: *grumble* "I did!"
YM: "No. You didn't. Fourth time, man. Fourth. Time."
MAWM: "Oh, like you can see me with your back to me?"
YM: "I can in that reflection in that window right THERE!"
MAWM: "Oh, right."
YM: "Unbelievable."
MAWM: "There's no laws saying you can't cough on buses." [note: we were on a train, not a bus. But even so, his point was stupid. It's not about laws, it's about common courtesy.]

*friendly woman sitting across from YM asks a question.*

"Would you like to switch seats?"

*My thoughts instantly went to, 'WHY would you want to sit next to all that?!' Apparently she's nicer than I am.*

YM: "Naw, thanks. I already got the swine flu from this one."

*YM switches seats when people exit train*