So Much to Blog About!

I have a lot to blog about, but I don't want to use it all up in one post, so I'll share a little with you today. First, let's talk about my visit with Winston and Sela!



Winston and Sela are a couple of really nice Pugs, and good looking too! At first, Sela thought she was the lead dog, but I taught her otherwise. Winston knew from the start that I was in charge, so I didn't have any problems with him. I even made out with his Woman and he didn't say a word. See ...



Heck, I stole Winston's new hedgehog toy and made his Woman scratch my butt while I chewed on it and he still didn't say a word.



He's a smart dog. He enjoyed perching on the arm of the couch. It's a good place to sit, because you're at the perfect petting level.



Sela was not so quick to conform to the law of the land, but she submitted soon enough. Isn't that right Sela?



We all got along really well. We enjoyed staring out the window together and barking at anything that moved.



We enjoyed romping and generally frolicking.



And I even shared my toys with them. Well, a little bit at least.



I only shared Hootie with Page, because I knew she wouldn't chew him up and destroy him.



On Saturday, the People abandoned us Pugs and went to Brewgrass. I'm sure nothing interesting happened there though since all the Pugs were at home.



They also went out to dinner that night. I'm sure it was not good food though since all the good food was at home with us Pugs.



Rob agrees that Pugs are the best dogs ever and they should never be left alone at home. Isn't that right Rob?



Lyn is shocked that anyone would leave their Puggies home alone. For shame!



There was talk of taking us Pugs for a walk at the arboretum on Sunday, but it never happened. Stupid People. Instead, they went hiking and to the Farmer's Market.





The guests and the People left early Monday morning. The guests went back home to Florida and the People went to Mexico. I miss Winston and Sela and wish they lived closer to me!! The People say we might visit them sometime in the future in Florida. Doesn't that sound exciting? I think we should leave right now!

Back to Blogging!

Big Girl Sarah did not feel like blogging for me, but Woman is home, so here I am! Yay! Punchy, Girlville and Page have submitted their "sudden death" answers, and Page was the last to miss a question. Here are the answers:

1 - In what state was Woman born?
Ohio
2 - What year were the People married?
2000
3 - What was Woman's major in college?
Computer Science
4 - What is Mr. Ian's brother's name?
Trevor
5 - What is Chew Bear's actual given name; ie, the name registered on her AKC papers?
Trouble
6 - Who renamed the Chewb?
Flyin' Bryan
7 - How many dogs does Mr. Chris currently have?
Three
8 - What college did Woman, Mr. Ian and Mr. Chris all attend? (it's the same one)
U.S.A.
9 - What are Woman's (two) nephews names?
Dalton and Nathin
10 - What is Ian's favorite type of dog?
No Dog!

You all did great! Thanks for playing my game. Page, we will be sending you a prize shortly :)

Extended Hours!

Because Punchy and Page were not able to answer in time, we have extended the contest until the beginning of next week. Remember ... Woman will be out of town this week, so I may not be able to blog. We'll see if Big Girl Sarah is in the mood to channel me ... Stay tuned! Punchy and Page, we look forward to your answers.

We Have a Tie!

Everyone did a fantastic job with my trivia questions! I am so impressed with you all! However, three of you did a more fantastic job than the rest, and you are currently tied with seven correct answers.

Congratulations:

Punchy
Girlville
Page*

The correct answers are:

1 - Tammy
2 - Mobile
3 - Chew Bear (or the Chewb)
4 - AM, Punchy, RPM
5 - Hootie
6 - Seven

The bonus question answer is eight! I have eight NIPPLES!

I gave an extra bonus point to anyone who included more than one name for Chew Bear. A lot of you know her nicknames! Impressive!

So here we are, all tied up. I decided to have a "sudden death" round to break the tie. Following are ten more questions for the three finalists. Whoever misses one of the questions first is eliminated. For example, if everyone gets #1, I check #2. If one person misses #2, that person is eliminated, and so on.

Drum roll please ...

1 - In what state was Woman born?
2 - What year were the People married?
3 - What was Woman's major in college?
4 - What is Mr. Ian's brother's name?
5 - What is Chew Bear's actual given name; ie, the name registered on her AKC papers?
6 - Who renamed the Chewb?
7 - How many dogs does Mr. Chris currently have?
8 - What college did Woman, Mr. Ian and Mr. Chris all attend? (it's the same one)
9 - What are Woman's (two) nephews names?
10 - What is Ian's favorite type of dog?

You have until 11am EST tomorrow to submit your responses. Comment moderation is enabled, so leave your answers in the comments. Since Page is currently en route to my house, I will get her answers when she arrives tomorrow! In person!

(*Note that I did not publish Page's answers, because she included Woman's last name in her answer, and Woman doesn't really want to be googled and my website found. LOL!)

On a side note, I am rather disturbed that AM thinks I have 7 nipples. Don't nipples ALWAYS come in pairs? I guess she thinks I lost one in the war. Also, Punchy is in denial that I have any nipples at all. Someone needs to have a talk with her ... about ... things ... of the nipple persuasion ...

Blogiversary Give Away!

Hello friends! My FIVE year blogiversary is coming up on September 25th, but the People will be out of town, so I probably won't be able to blog. Unless of course, Big Girl Sarah is willing to help me out.

The FIVE year blogiversary is a special one, so I am going to have a give away! Whoever answers all questions correctly (or the most correctly if no one gets them all) wins a prize! Woman has turned on comments monitoring so you can't cheat by peeking at other peoples' answers!

1 - What is Woman’s real name?

2 - Before I moved to Asheville, in what city did I live?

3 - What is the name of my best friend Pomeranian, who crossed the bridge two years ago?

4 - Name two bloggers that I (Norman, not Woman) have met in real life.

5 - What is the name of my favorite toy?

6 - How many years old am I?

All the answers can be found somewhere on my blog, and you shouldn't have to dig too deep to find them. Good luck!

And the special BONUS question that you won't actually find on the blog - How many NIPPLES do I have? I have always wanted to write the word NIPPLE on my blog, and now is my chance! LOL!

And FYI, the People are going to Mexico next week. I don't mind though, because I get to spend a whole WEEK with Big Girl Sarah. She's the best. She gives me something Woman is incapable of providing - discipline. Sometimes Woman tries to discipline me - it's so cute to see her try. "No Norman!" "Obey Norman!" LOL! Silly Woman!

The contest will close tomorrow at 12pm EST.

Hard at Work

Check me out working. This is my job. I am tasked with sleeping a whole lot, so other people don't have to sleep as much. This is why sometimes you can feel just as good on 5 hours as you do on 8 - I slept the other 3 for you. Someone has to sleep all those hours, and as you probably know, people don't always have the time!



I overheard the People talking this morning, and it seems that I am going to have some surprise guests this weekend! I also hear that these guests are BLOGGERS! Can you guess who it is?? First person to guess correctly wins a prize, but you only get ONE guess, so no cheating.

HINT #1 - This weekend there will be a total of THREE puggies at my house. Two boys and one girl.

HINT #2 - All THREE puggies will be FAWN in color.

HINT #3 - The puggy siblings that will be visiting me have a sister kitty who is black and white.

We have a WINNER! Lex guessed Page, and she is correct!!

Inspection Stickers

See this little sticker?



This is a North Carolina vehicle inspection sticker. It is mandatory to have your vehicle inspected once a year, and this idiotic sticker has to be placed in the corner of the driver's side windshield as proof of inspection. This sticker isn't such a big deal for cars that have a lot of windshield space, but for cars like Miatas or Honda S2000's, this IS a big deal, because there is very little windshield space. Once put in place, the sticker cannot be repositioned, and let me assure you that the sticker is not always placed straight or as far down as possible by the inspector.

I'm sure you can tell from my tone that this sticker has been a "problem" in the past for Woman. Woman hates the sticker. She hates the sticker so much that she refused to drive when we first moved to Asheville due to the stupid sticker. She finally got over that, but she still hates the sticker.

I am pleased to report relief from the sticker has finally come! The sticker is being phased out beginning Oct-1! Woman is very happy about this and will be peeling the stickers off both cars in a ceremonious display of disdain for the sticker and the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles.

Anyone else have this stupid sticker on their car??

Out of Gas

When the People moved to Asheville, their eyes were opened to a different kind of lifestyle encouraged by the people and local retailers of the city. A lifestyle more considerate of other people, more aware of the global environment and more centered on community and local sustainability. They began eating organic meat and dairy, buying locally grown farm products and enjoying the eclectic cuisine offered by local restaurants instead of patronizing chains. Woman has always considered the people of Asheville on a whole to be more level-headed and dare I say, special. Asheville has a certain patient meekness to it, allowing other cities to cut in line and gladly sharing her bounty with strangers. Yes, it's a hippy-eye view, isn't it?

This weekend Woman's view of Ashevillians was knocked down a few pegs when the entire city jacked the price of gas up to a high of $4.79, followed by a complete exhaustion of supply. Beginning Friday night, there was no gas to be had in the city or the surrounding area. The media had thrown western North Carolina into a gas-guzzling frenzy, warning that the shortage could last up to 10 days due to Hurricane Ike. In the same paragraph, the media recommended people not buy gas if they had a quarter tank or more, but then went on to warn that there could be no gas for over a week. The people of Asheville bought into the media's sensationalism and gulped down every drop of available gas. Although there was no gas on Saturday, the petro trucks started rolling into town on Sunday. The price is still sky-high, but of course the shortage did not last as long as the media jerks claimed it would.

Woman still loves Asheville, but she is a little disappointed by what happened this past weekend. It seems that many in Asheville dropped the brain and reached for the gas pump instead. If everyone had remained calm and just chilled out, gas would not be $4.21 right now. Now that it is this high, it's going to be interesting to see if/when it goes back down to $3.58. It's sad that $3.58 is considered "low" right now.

As a side note, my People did not contribute to the depletion of gas in Asheville, but rationed their remaining gas to last for the next week.

Buddy has Gone Home / Planning a Bridal Shower

Well, Buddy left before I had a chance to nudge him out of "my spot." Nate came and got him yesterday afternoon. Bummer. I was so looking forward to taking a ride on his back. He's so docile though, that he would probably just lay there and let me sit on his back all day.

On a completely different topic, not involving Buddy, Woman is planning a bridal shower for Allie! What fun. Since most of you are married and all of you have probably attended a bridal shower or two in your day, Woman would like to know what kind of things you have done at bridal showers that you liked, and what things you found to be lame. She is planning a "tea time" themed shower, so any food ideas would also be helpful. The guests will all be ladies. The time is 1pm Sunday afternoon, so most of the ladies attending would be coming straight from church. Thanks for the help. I'm sure I'll be exiled to the back yard for the event, but I might get a peek or two in the window if I stand on my tip toes.

Like He Owns the Place

Buddy has been here for almost two weeks, and he's really getting comfortable. A little too comfortable if you ask me. I hope he knows this is not his forever home, and Nate will be back some day soon to take him back to his real home. When Buddy first got here, he was hesitant to take a goodboy bone when he came in from peeing, and rightly so too. He shouldn't be getting my goodboy bones! They're mine! Now that he's been here a while, he runs to the treat cupboard when coming in from pee-pee and gets all excited for his goodboy bone. The nerve! He acts as though he deserves a goodboy bone! He's no Pug. He doesn't deserve anything. Silly Buddy.

Another thing he does that really ticks me off, is he hogs the best spot in the house. See this spot right here. It's the best spot, because you can see everything that is going on in the house from this spot.



So, I want this spot back. I'm pondering how to reclaim the spot, and here are the four options I have come up with.

a. Jump on his back and ride him like a horse until he submits to me and gives me back the spot.

b. Stare him down until he gets really uncomfortable and gives up the spot.

c. Bark at him like a mad man, blurting out puggy expletives until he gives up the spot.

d. Let him have the spot. He won't be here much longer, and he really seems to enjoy laying there.

So, I'm going to let you all vote, and that's the action I'm going to take. Let me know what you think I should do!

Busy Weekend!

The People had a pretty busy weekend. Buddy and I also got to do some stuff, which is cool. We usually just have to stay home and be bored, but the People actually involved us in some weekend fun this time. Thanks the People.

Woman taught Body Pump on Friday and then went to Katherine and Andy's house to see their new baby! Katherine delivered a healthy baby girl (9 lbs, 2 oz) on Thursday. Her name is Ena Genevie. Woman did not get any pictures, because although she brought her camera to their house, she left the battery at home. Doh! After a nice visit, they got some sushi and came home.

Saturday morning Woman taught Body Pump again, and then the People left us and went for a ride on the parkway. They took the new car. Nice pic, eh?



Woman drove most of the way. She said it was way cool.



At one point two stags crossed the road in front of them. The People stopped to take some pics of the deer grazing on the hillside.



They had a nice little hike, ate some wild blueberries and headed back home.





Saturday night was the best night, because Buddy and I got to go to the "Park Social" here at the community park. Although Woman tied me to a tree, I still had a good time.



I met some new Puggy friends! Here I am with Pugsley.



And this is Pugsley's sister, June Bug. Look at that cute patch of white on her little chin!



We hung out with lots of kids. Here is Paige with June Bug.



And cutie pie Claire.



Here I am with a little girl named Alabama. I don't think she's old enough to know that it is impolite to point.



I had a good time at the party until the People left Buddy and I tied up to go dance in front of the band. Buddy wasn't too impressed with that, so he slipped out of his collar to go find the People. It worked too, because the People came and got us when they caught sight of Buddy wandering around in the dark. Buddy can be a bad boy too!



Pug yin yang.



Caught in the act.



Yeah, I'm a butt sniffer.



On Sunday, the People drained and cleaned the hot tub. It didn't look like much fun. After that, they went to the fair with Lyn, Kris, Paige and Claire. Woman took a lot of photos.

They rode the ferris wheel, which always freaks Woman out for some reason.



Baby Claire seemed to enjoy the ride.



Paige and Lyn had a good time too.



View from the sky. Check out those mountains.



Woman and Lyn rode the Freak Out!



They were a little disoriented after the ride. Woman said it was a lot of fun. If you keep your eyes closed, it's not as intense, so she kept closing her eyes, and opening them for just a few seconds. Lyn sprouted a hand out the top of her head when she got off the ride. It had to be surgically removed later. Don't worry - there was a tent at the fair for that sort of procedure.



They got to pet a lot of cool animals, including this camel which gave Paige a kiss.



The goats liked to nibble on Claire's little toes.



Woman took Paige on her first roller coaster ride! Here she is before the ride started moving. She looks a bit ... apprehensive.



And here she is during the ride. Check out that bulging vein in her neck! Woman kept a tight hold on her so she wouldn't get tossed around, and it was a kiddie ride after all. Woman said she's been on better roller coasters. LOL!



Woman said the coolest animal they saw was this big guinea pig looking thing. It's actually called a Capybara, but I think it's just a giant pug-eating guinea pig.



And the freakiest thing she saw at the fair (aside from some scary red-necked people) was this creepy white-faced horse. It's body was black, and it wore a pure white mask on its face. Woman said there was just something creepy about it. It was also kicking the door trying to get out, so it seemed a tad aggressive.



According to Ian, dogs are not allowed at the fair. I don't think this is true though. Camels and freaky-faced horses are allowed but not dogs? I'm going to have to make a few calls to get this straightened out.

So, that's my weekend people. It was pretty good, don't you think?

RecycleBank

Due to me recently pooping on the new rug, I have to do some community service. So, please stand by for a public service announcement ...

A new Philadelphia-based organization, RecycleBank, is offering rewards for household recycling. Their trucks pick up your recyclables, and their employees even sort it for you at the plant. All you have to do is place it in one of their specially-coded containers and haul it to the curb once a week. You earn 2.5 points for each pound of trash you recycle. Points can be redeemed for all sorts of rewards from companies like Stonyfield Farms and Bed Bath and Beyond. Service is currently limited to PA and parts of MA, CT, VA and NE, but you can request service using this link.

The coolest part of the program (at least to Woman) is that they track how much you are recycling and report it back to you in terms of how many trees or gallons of oil you have conserved. It's cool to be able to put your efforts into real traceable numbers.

So, if you have access to this service in your area, please use it! If you don't have access, please fill out the request sheet. Woman says recycling is very important. I don't usually listen to her, but it seems she might be right about this one.

New(er) Car Thing!

The People bought this 1995 Mazda Miata in 2001.



Miatas had always been Woman's dream car, since she saw her first one in high school. When Woman's piece of total and complete crap Beretta finally pushed her to the edge of car maintenance sanity, they went searching for a new(er) car and found this little fella.



He was banged up and needed a new top, but Woman loved him anyway. Woman has loved him ever since, seeing him through a new water pump, an exploded radiator (from towing him in first gear for two miles), and a new master cylinder. She even endured the hot Alabama sun when his air conditioner went kaput.

I used to ride around town on the "shelf". It made people laugh.



The People never did get that new top or fix the air conditioner, and decided about a month ago to find a new(er) car since this one was going to cost a bit more than it is worth to get it back in shape. It's difficult to drive a car with no a/c very far on the interstate. So, they went looking for a newer Miata. Apparently Miatas are in popular demand during the Summer, or maybe high gas prices are bringing these little cars back in style, as each Miata the People called about was already sold. That is when they started looking at other convertibles, and found this sexy little machine - the Honda s2000.



The first time they drove it, Woman knew it was the car for them, so they bought it. Not only was it in awesome shape and priced well, but she LOVES this color, and it drives like a jet. OK, maybe not just like a jet, but it's really fast.



Sadly, there is no shelf for me, so I don't get to ride in it. It has a really cool blue interior, don't you think?



The People were then faced with the difficulty of selling the Miata. Woman still loved the Miata and wanted someone to own it who would love it as much as her. She knew Trevor loved the Miata and offered it to him and the Gammy first, but the insurance for a 17-year-old boy was way too high. I guess the silly insurance company doesn't know how mature and responsible Trevor is. Gah! They started to worry that they would have to sell it to strangers, and that made Woman sad, but then the Gammy found the perfect buyer for the Miata! Some friends of hers from church have been wanting a Miata forever, and when Gammy drove it to their house, they fell in LOVE and knew it was the car for them. After some time of getting the money together, the People finally delivered the car to its new owners today. And Woman was so happy. She is sad to see the Miata go, but happy it will move on to owners who will take good care of it and appreciate it for the rest of its days.



So long Miata!