manicdote

Okay, I’ve been meaning to post some pictures of what I like to call “Fusion Feeding Frenzy” here at the Manicdote household. When you put food infront of a pug, you must take pictures fast because that food (after a very frenzied excited whine once they realize I’m getting their food ready) will be gone within moments after putting the food dish to the ground. The two of them start pacing, racing back and forth in their crate, running over each other in their eagerness. Then, once that food is down - it’s a no-hold’s barred, all-pugs-for-themselves fight too the last kibble.

Right now, I’m still feeding them a mix of kibble all day and wet-food once a day. If it was just Poley (a little over 4 months old) I would have weened him off wet food by now. But Rukia is still only just barely 8 weeks old and I want to keep her on wet food a little while longer because she’s still a little undersized. But without further ado, here are a few pictures that I just took showing what it looks like around here when I’m feeding my babies.

The first shot (top, left) is how nice they behave BEFORE the food its placed in the crate. Rukia was running around sniffing and I made Napoleon sit and behave while I place the food down. We’re working on the first command, Sit, with Rukia - but we haven’t been that successful yet. We shall prevail, I tell you! My will is stronger than hers!

This second picture is Poley getting too impatient and climbing up on the side of the crate. He sees the food dish in my hand and he wants that food. He is wholly focused on that food in my hand. As you can see, Rukia doesn’t really care. She is somewhat riled up at this point because he is, but I don’t think she really knows why he’s so riled up.

He’s moving around so fast now, you can see that the picture is blurred. Ha! He cracks me up so much. Oh, and I feel compelled to mention that the pink bed is actually Rukia’s. See, we origionally bought them seperate beds. But when they decided to just sleep together on one bed, and ignore the other, we now trade off with the two beds so while one is being washed - they’re using the other…because they enevitablly smoosh food or poop into the bed. Clever, no?

Well, lets just say that they push the food dish around the floor. The food dish starts out on one side of the crate, and it’s always either on the other side or flipped over. I don’t know how they manage it because I’ll go clean up for a few minutes and when I come back - the food dish will be demolished. And they spill food all over the place. We clean their crate DAILY and it still has kibble all over it. Gracious! They are messy eaters. But, I love this shot because you can see - look how nicely they share the food bowl together? I know once they get older we’ll have to eventually buy another food bowl, but right now it’s so cute to see them eating together.

Afterwards, I picked up each of my babies to give them a little loving, and I took the time to take a few photos of Rukia. I feel like we don’t have as many photos of just her, so I’m making a conscious effort to take a few pictures every day of just her. Isn’t she a cutie?

And here’s the extreme close-up of Rukia’s face. You can even see the remnants of food clinging to her whiskers. Aww…I’m sure Napoleon will lick that off later. And yes, I’ve seen them doing this.

In other news, I won a contest on my artistic friend, Melissa Langer’s blog, called Life is art…Art is Life. I’m SOOOO freaking excited because I love her art and I’ve totally been wanting something from her site but money has been so tight lately. She’s going to send me a signed print (of my choice!) - eek! I’m so happy. Terry and I are going to pick out one together and then once we get it we’ll have it framed. Again, thank-you SO much Melissa. We are so happy to have won!

Also, my favorite of the “Favs” on Survivor, Johnny Fairplay, was voted off first. Which kind of sucks (because he cracks me up) but he played the game abominally, so it’s his own fault.

Oh, and right now my favorite TV show is this amazingly interesting and well acted new show called, “Breaking Bad” which airs at 10pm on AMC. It’s already been on for three episodes, but maybe you can catch the show in reruns or OnDemand? The series stars Malcom in the Middle’s Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher with a handicapped child and a pregnant wife. When White is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he breaks down and turns to a life of crime, setting up a meth lab in order to support his family. I highly, highly recommend this show.

Well, last night Terry and I decided that we needed to bathe the puggies. It had been about 2 1/2 weeks since Napoleon’s last bath, but only one since Rukia’s and they were getting pretty ripe. Mostly because they seem to find it worthwhile to poop on there pee-pee pad, and then walk on it a few minutes later. Why do they do this? Mostly to annoy me, I think. *shakes fist in fustration* Actually, Poley didn’t used to do this before Rukia. I think she’s a bad influence on him, I really do. If you look at her, she looks all sweet an innocent, but she’s a bad girl, I’m telling you!

Although I’m happy to report her potty training is going very well and they’re getting along quite famously now. No fights, they play very well together, and most of the time we’ll find them asleep, curled around each other. Rukia’s really come out of her shell and she’s very vocal - lots of cute little barks, snores, farts, snuffles, whines, etc. It’s quite amusing because Napoleon in contrast is very quiet as far as Pugs go (although he does snore quite loud).

So, without further ado, here is a small gallery of photos from the bath last night. And don’t think we’re freaks who bathe with their dogs. Terry had to jump into the bathtub last night to corral them into one side of the tub because they were running around and Poley tried to escape on more than one occasion (one time successfully). And yes, Terry was clothed. Perverts.

Okay, first shot. This is when we put her in the bath and she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Here’s the best picture of her , trying to get out of the tub. It’s not cruel that this shot makes me laugh, is it..!?

And the last picture is a great parting shot of Napoleon all wet, right after his great escape… When Napoleon jumped out of the tub and went running down the hallway, Terry retrieved Poley and then jumped in the tub to make sure the pugs stayed put. Such a great guy! And you can just spy Rukia in the background refusing to move, and whining about the entire process.

My thought its…….if it’s this much work for them when they’re young…..what’s it going to be like once they’re both bigger!? Yikes!

In other news, tonight is the season premiere of “Survivor 16: Fans vs. Favs” and I’m SO excited. My favorite contestant was this guy named Johnny Fairplay and he’s on the show. Sweet! So I’ll definately be watching. I’m even dragging Terry into watching the show with me, despite his complaining that the show is vapid and innane. I pointed out to him that I watch WWE for him, and that I just wanted him to give the show a try - and he agreed that he’ll watch it with an open mind. I hope he gets hooked!

Not sure if you guys are aware (but since I work for a CBS affiliate - I’ve known this for a while)…but Dexter, the amanzing Showtime televison show is coming to network television. This is all because of the WGA…….So, go writers! CBS, seeking to fill programming holes left by the writers’ strike, said on Monday (1/7/08), it will rerun the entire first season of the crime drama “Dexter” from Showtime, its sister cable channel, starting next month on Febuary 17th. I can’t wait! While I’ve already seen this show, I missed the season finale so I can’t wait to re-watch all of this, and I hope it airs to a great rating sweep and they also show the 2nd season which I missed entirely.

I hope the fat cats of Hollywood break down and give the writers the money they deserve………however, I think this is quite a smart idea for the various networks to borrow programming from sister cable networks and air it on there channels in order to produce “new to you” programming.

So, check out “Dexter” in Febuary on your local CBS channel and catch a fantastic show you might have missed the first time around. And if you Hollywood fat cats are reading this (highly unlikely, but you never know) - PAY THEM THEIR MONEY! We wouldn’t have any of these shows to air if it weren’t for the creative people. Do we really want nothing but reality shows and game shows all day every day? Yikes!

And above and to the right —-> is my daily gratuitous picture of Poley. LOVE HIM!!!

Hi guys! Has the WGA strike got you down? Do you miss your comedies and dramas? Are you sick of the reality TV rut? Well have no fear true believer because I am here to provide you with the next best thing to a new episode of your favorite show! Witness as I cross the picket line to provide synopsis of new episodes for your favorite shows!

 Episode: The Talented Mr. Grissom

Summary: It is a shocking night in Las Vegas as the Crime Lab is taxed to their limit when more then two people get killed in one night taxing the team to its limits. Tension runs high when only one team member is assigned to each crime. Even with their crazy fast DNA testing and Magic Photoshop buttons can the team catch the culprits? It turns out all the cases are related as all of the victims were killed with boil weevils and chicken grease. Grissom uses his knowledge of entomology (boring and gross insect junk) to piece together the mystery. It turns out that the insects were let loose by the weekly character actor, the chicken grease was just a fetish because pretty much every episode is some werid sex pervert so why mess with that winning formula. Grissom also makes a lot of witty/smug/ironic comments that make Greg think that he is an ass. Also in this episode Warwick is killed by a velocyraptor.

Episode: The Hiro in Me

Summary: The new season of Heros starts with a shocking twist that tops all shocking twists that have come in every episode ever! In this land mark, watershead episode we find out that Hiro has been replaced by Future Hiro, who is now EVIL…and part CYBORG, and THE SON OF HITLER! Anything to keep this stuff going. Things turn even worse for the united forces of Peter, Niki, and Claire…..when Sylar discovers he can use the Vulcan Nerve Pinch on Claire’s ass….and TOTALLY get away with it! Truely he has no shame! Also in this episode Mr. Bennett discovers he has had a power all along…the power of being a total badass! He then proceeds to sucker-punch Batman and bitch-slap Superman’s head clean off so hard that it impacts on the Moon and destroys it.

Episode: Seriously, are you kidding me?

Summary: You this is actually the easiest show because I can write it just as well as the old writers. I will just make a bunch of random ass crap up. Watch! It is really easy! Jack makes his way back to the island only to find himself face to face with that polar bear again. The polar bear challenges him to a game of chess with the lives of the other survivors hanging in the balance. Then we are thrown into a flashback about the polar bear and how he was once a successful investment banker before happenstance brought him to the island…happenstance being twelve bottles of Rum and twice as many callgirls. At the same time Sawyer battles with The Others. He winds up getting captured and forced to watch Sandra Bullock movies until he is converted to their side.  Kate then discovers another hatch, inside are rabid mongooses who must feast on human blood! NEXT WEEK: More zany and pointless crap!

 So there you have it, consider yourself freed from the oppresion of the WGA strike!

Gave my fat little puggie, Napoleon, his weekly bath. First - we started off with trimming his nails, which grow extraordinary fast. He is usually surprisingly well behaved during this process. I mean, he doesn’t love it or anything, but he usually submits and lets me do it. I have done it three times now and have only cut him “to the quick” once and he bleed a little bit but he was a brave boy and didn’t whine or fuss at all. I was very proud of him.

Then I put a small towel in the kitchen sink and filled it up part of the way with warm water. I soaped him up with puppy shampoo that smells like baby powder and then I used some of my (human) Pantene conditioner on him because I was too cheap to buy him dog-conditioner. I’ll eventually break down and buy some, but buying the puppy and then all the various accoutremonts that went along with purchasing a puppy was like $300. So well, I’m trying to cut a corners a little bit if possible. And isn’t human conditioner  pretty much the same thing as dog conditioner? Anyways, I lathered him up and then rinsed him off. He’s grown to where he rather enjoys the warm water and he splashes around in it.

After the shower came the DREADED blow dryer. He is quite afraid of it and whines and whimpers and trys to run away from it. I had to have Terry hold him down so that I could blow dry him properly. I felt kinda bad about it, but it had to be done. I didn’t want a sopping wet pug prancing around the house!

Then afterwards we watched some Food Network (Tyler’s Ultimate) and chilled out on the couch, the incident with the blow dryer quickly forgotten when presented with a treat for good behavior and being able to sit on his father’s chest and have his picture taken. Such a good boy!

Let’s see…what happened yesterday? Not much…I’m getting excited because we’re getting Napoleon in less than one week, so I’m pretty happy about that. I can’t wait until he’s here with us and we get to take care of him. ALSO, I talked to my Mom last night and she’s coming out here for Christmas…! Woot! I miss her very much, so I’m really excited to be seeing her. She’ll probally get here sometime Friday night, and will be here until the day after Christmas. She’ll be able to come with us when we get Napoleon, to meet Terry’s mother, as well as just being here for Christmas and being able to go to with us to the Christmas service at church with us.

 Today my agenda is filled with creating some Christmas cards for Terry’s coworkers. I’ve got the paper and the stamps…I just need to make them. Also, I bought clear glass ornaments and I’m going to pour paint and glitter inside them to make marbleized colored ornaments for his coworkers at school (Christmas gifts). I also have to make him 6 dozen cookies for his cookie swap that happens Friday morning.

Oh, here’s a picture of our Christmas tree. I finally got around to uploading the picture of it. Isn’t it pretty..?

Guess what? I just got off the phone with my new employers (local TV station, WRBL) and I’m starting tomorrow!!! I know it may sound strange to be crazy excited about going to work, but I am. I haven’t worked in months and I miss it. And, on top of that, I’m really excited about the actual work that I’ll be doing. AND I’m ready to get paid again. It’s been a hard three months being out of work and it took WAY longer to find a job out here in Alabama than I thought it would. I’m so SICK of being told that I’m “overqualified”. Eek! Hooray for me!

I wanted to post how excited I am that tonight finally begins the Fall TV Season Premiere week! I’m completely looking forward to this new show called “Journeyman” starting tonight on NBC. It stars Kevin McKidd who is a dude that goes back into the past and helps people along the way. Kinda sounds like Quantum Leap, but I don’t care. He’s a great actor (he was the lead actor in HBO’s “Rome”), and I love anything with time travel. I hope this show lasts longer that my last favorite sci-fi television show, Threshold (which, I think, only lasted 6 episodes).

Another new show that I’m looking forward to is “Reaping” which is by Kevin Smith. That looks pretty funny – I’ll defiantly check it out. Oh, also the latest Iron Chef show on Food Network where the Chairman and Alton Brown are looking for a new Iron Chef. That should be great stuff!

I’m also looking forward to some of the usual suspects like “CSI” (Las Vegas), “Bones”, “Project Runway”, “Supernatural” and “Ugly Betty”.  

What shows are you looking forward to? Post a comment letting me know!