if a tree falls

Gonzo is like me: keeping busy

Just in time for Black Friday

Last year I made a calendar of pictures of Gonzo so that my sister, his self-declared best friend, could see him every day. This year I made the calendar with a new service, one that lets you make an online shop. So if you're a fan of Gonzo's like my sister is and you need a 2008 calendar, today is your lucky day. Click here or on the badge below to take a look.

Gonzo can has candy?

The Muppets, the puppy and me

It's no secret that I'm a huge Muppets fan-- I grew up on Sesame Street, inherited a cheesy sense of humor from The Muppet Show and even named my dog Gonzo (after the endearing weirdo and the great Hunter S. Thompson). So I was both mortified and delighted to see SNL pay homage to Rowlf, The Swedish Chef, Janis, Zoot and Animal-- if that's what they were trying to do. It's not much of a skit beyond the sight of cast members in costumes, but for Muppetphiles like myself, it's worth a look.

The camera loves you

I had an impromptu photo shoot with Gonzo yesterday, and he was surprisingly expressive. I felt like the stereotypical fashion photog: "Now, gaze into the distance. Give me longing."

"Now give me cool and disinterested."

"Great! Now a profile."

"And... turn!"

"Give me ferocious! You're an animal, baby!"

"What! Are you tired? Fine, I'll stop. Geez, no need to be a diva."

He's seven in human years

Yesterday Gonzo turned one year old. Our little beast is a fully grown dog. We took lots of walks, rewarded him with his favorite treats and he got a new toy, which was destroyed by the end of the day.

Here he is the first day we met him, at 10 weeks old:

And here is now:

Happy birthday, buddy.

Indecent Exposure

Back in December, Joe's department at his very corporate job (VCJ) held a Secret Santa gift exchange. We got Gonzo in November and were still very much the obsessive new pet owners, so it was funny, appropriate and a bit embarrassing that Joe received clothes for our little beast as a gift. There was a raincoat and a varsity sweater. The pictures were rather hilarious. So hilarious that the coworkers made him a mug with this picture on it.

However, neither of us realized until today that Gonzo seems to really like this sweater. Like, really like it. He's having a Playgirl moment.

Oh. My. God.

I never noticed it before. In fact, I thought that Joe's coworkers had added it for laughs. That was, until I looked at the original. This picture has been places. Like on a mug. On Joe's VCJ desk. On my hard drive. In the Gonzo album. For all to see.

We are unwitting doggie pronografers. (misspelled purposely for search engines)

And the worst part is that he was still a puppy, only a few months old. There's no such a thing as puppy pedophilia, right? Right?

Things I have accidentally thrown on Gonzo in the past 72 hours

• a shovel full of dirt, while gardening
• a half cup of grated parmesan, while cooking

Number of baths he has had since: zero

Metaphor

I've been in a lot of waiting rooms lately. I've been seeing a podiatrist every three weeks for the last two months and started with a new dentist last week. My general practitioner has been sending me to get regular bloodwork for hypothyroidism. On top of that, Gonzo had a vet's appointment on Friday to get some new vaccines. One of these was a Lyme vaccine, since the ticks seem to love his furry little self.

Imagine my pleasure when we found a strange red circle on his belly last night. Today we shlepped to the vet in the rain to find out what it was. A week of antibiotics, negative diagnosis and $68 later, I'm waiting to pay and get back to what was supposed to be a productive day, when the vet's cocker spaniel lifts his leg and pees on my jeans.

Honestly, I didn't need a metaphor to articulate how I was feeling.

Someone needs a weekend

This is Gonzo last weekend:

This is Gonzo today:

I think it's about time for another weekend.