Puggy update

BTW - Loki the Wonder Pug is back to his old self, has been seen by the vet, and given a clean bill of health. He's back to stealing the collanders, demanding attention, and generally getting into all the puggy trouble he can. I could not be more relieved!!

Comedy of errors: how to juggle a baby, a pug, and an angry neighbor

I thought I would share this simply because it was such a comedy of errors that I suppose if it hadn't happened to ME I would see the humor in it: as it stands I'm still licking my wounds.

To give you some background, my daughter is standing and even jumping, so we lowered the crib bottom to ensure she didn't somehow escape the safety of her baby jail. This is fine and all - however, as I somewhat vertically-challenged momma, I can no longer readily reach the crib bottom. A few nights ago when my daughter woke screaming and clambered into my arms sobbing for whatever reason, I attempted to reach into the crib to locate her pacifier. Not only did I failed utterly in this mission, I also wrenched the hell out of my back: so badly that I ended up flat on my back in bed.

So..moving forward,...the evening of my confinement after my kind MIL had left for the day, I let the pug out to go potty. Usually, he is a good pug and stays close so on occasion I stupidly neglect a leash; this day of all days he chose to travel 6 yards away, running away from me. Like a lame cow, I gimped with the baby on my hip trying to catch him and encourage him to come home; I did not have a poop bag, and my attempts to actually grab at him were continually evaded. Finally, corralled somewhat towards home, Loki made a beeline for the neighbors flowers. I followed, tried to get him away, nudge him with my feet, swear - to no avail.

And then...the neighbor comes out. Here I am, standing with gigantor baby in my arms, looking like the 3rd ring of hell with my uncombed hair, bare feet and mismatched jogging clothes (aka whatever was close when I got out of bed) and this giant man comes out, looking down at my now-urinating pug.

"You are standing there letting that dog pee on my flowers??!!! For Christ's sake!!"

I apologized profusely, tried to tell him - look buddy, this wasn't anticipated, and I can't grab him and hold her...and that this was an accident, etc. etc...I left out that my back was by this time killing me. He glared, shook his head, and went back into the house swearing at me under his breath.

And still, the pug would not come. Finally, I took a deep breath, bent down (bad idea) and scooped the pug. Now carrying 20+ lbs on each hip, I make it to my yard and drop the pug. He still won't go onto the porch - I end up putting the baby down in the grass, grabbing the pug and running him to the deck (figure of speech entirely - more like oddly waddled) only to find that the sliding glass door was locked. I was about ready to scream in frustration when my husband opened the door, took one look at me, the pug, and the baby sitting in the yard happily clapping and shook his head.

Wordlessly, I handed him the pug, retrieved the baby and passed her off too. I grabbed two poop bags, went and made my way across the other backyards, retrieving Loki's leavings...swearing never, EVER, to let this dog off-leash again and wincing the entire way... the angry neighbor watching my lumbering progress from his kitchen window. I admit it; behind my back I flipped him the bird.

Pugs and President's Day

Today, I am home for both...it is a holiday, my pug needs me (okay, really, all he needs is a good pillow), my baby needs me, and this cold is still knockin' me about.

That said...I was thinking about President's day. I was wondering, with all of the strangeness of today's politics, what they will say about this particular era.

It's just such a difficult time. While the inaugaration seemed to inspire everyone with a new message of hope at the chance for some change, I watch my local politics in Chicago go to hell in a handbasket. Those we elect to be leaders have proven to be nothing more than a disgrace, my state is a laughingstock...and I can't help but feel some of it mars even the new presidential glow. They talk of saving the economy and making things better - but frankly, this is the scariest I have seen the environment around me in my 37 years. People are scared, people are mistrustful, people are wary.

As a new mother, I honestly wonder what is going to happen. I pray to God that the world is a better place - a more improved place - by the time my little daughter has any idea of what a President's Day is. I hope Obama brings some true opportunity with his administration; I hope that we are able to heal some of the wounds we've managed to create.

In all of this time of stress, and worry...thank God for Pugs and babies and all of those things that make it all just a little better. In the meantime, I will be thankful for the day off and the time to, if not appreciate much else, play with my silly dog and cuddle my sweet, sweet child, and appreciate the day off properly.

Facebook Crazy

I concluded, last night, amid my crazy-arse dreams that I needed another vehicle for expressing my thoughts. I have a jillion and two thoughts running through my head at any one time, and finding the proper audience for these can be challenging lest I appear even more of a total nutcase (which, I probably am) to the general public.

I have no kung-fu in my background, although I do have a pug whose origin is a foo-dog. The name just came to me and I am keeping it.

So...that said...Facebook. Okay, I admit I am a junkie...and apparently a bit competitive. I have basically been accepting each and every facebook invitation to be "friends" that is out there. I am friends with people that tormented and hated me in high school...have even *requested* some of those friends... I am friends with the girl across the street that wrote on my head as a child. I am friends with my sister's friends. I even requested the "friendship" of a girl who stole my boyfriend in high school (not that he was all that great) because I wanted to see what she was doing these days and because I was sick and tired of her showing up in my "people you might know" list.

When I saw that a girlfriend of mine who joined Facebook in response to my inviting her had more friends that I did, I immediately started going through my friend's friends to see if there were people I had missed and started furiously adding them to my list of the 'chosen'. I have, for the most part, not dumped any of these folks that I profess to want to know more about...with the exception of one woman I've deemed even more crazy than I am who kept inviting me to events at her church and posting conspiracy theories on an hourly basis. But still -like 'em, abivalent to 'em, dying to know more about 'em - I am friends with a ton of people whose names I have not mentioned or uttered in 20-30 years - some of whom took great delight in posting our "adorable" grammar school class pictures together. I've been wholly accepting of all of this nonsense in the attempt to feign some semblance of popularity.

But last night - I finally received a friend request that I refuse to accept - from a girl I was friends with at one time in my twenties, but who stole my playstation when she moved to Memphis . She took my TOYS!! I am "ignoring" her. A girl, after all, has to have some standards. :)