Will do "Tricks for Treats"...

On Sunday, Grammy Pammy decided to throw a dog party in honor of her Pomeranian’s third birthday.

It wasn’t just ANY dog party, either. This was a dog HALLOWEEN party, complete with costumes, a “bobbing for weenies” contest and the first annual Puppy Parade around the block.

FAN-TASTIC!

I know all you metapeople out there are sad you couldn’t be a part of it. But, wait! You still can! Here are some of the pictures from the event:

The Birthday Boy, Zeus (as a crawfish)...

Foxy as a witch...

I wish I had one of her wearing the hat, too, but taking pictures of Foxy is hard.
She NEVER stops moving. Ever.

Teddy as a bumble bee...
(You get a really good idea of how small he is in this picture. Those are AMY'S sneakers!)

If only he could fly (withOUT help from Alley)...

Whadda' you lookin' at?!

Dolly as a rooster...

How cute is she?!

Scared, yet?! Chicken!

Gypsy Kitty's Native American name is 'Not Amused by Costumes'...

Birds eye view of Gypsy in her costume...

Haskell...

That's 'Officer Haskell' to you...

Haskell on patrol...

All dressed up and ready for the Puppy Parade
(much to Gypsy Kitty's dismay)...

Unfortunately, I was not able to get pictures of all the dogs in their costumes. Here's a complete list of all the dogs at the party (and what they were wearing):

GRAMMY PAMMY'S DOGS -

• Zeus = A Crawfish


• Foxy = A Witch


• Schnitzel = A Spider


• Piper = Superman

AMY'S DOGS -

• Teddy = A Bumblebee


• Dolly = A Rooster

TREVOR'S DOG -

• Alley Cat = A Construction Worker

MY DOGS -

• Gypsy Kitty = An Indian (or Native American, if you prefer)


• Haskell = A Cop

And now back to the party:

Bobbing for Treaties...

Here is the video I made of the bobbing part of the party.

There (sadly) is no picture or video evidence of the Puppy Parade. I think it had something to do with there being only four people available to walk nine costumed dogs around the block. Utter chaos, it was!

My mom lives on a relatively busy street, so we opted for the not-so-busy side streets just as soon as we could (mainly so Trevor and Alley Cat would not back out of the parade and return home. Apparently, Trevor isn't a big fan of being seen as a willing participant in a doggie costume parade). Little did we know, the street directly behind my mother’s house (which is normally quiet) was closed for a weekend block party. The entire neighborhood was outside on their lawns, grilling food and watching the kids ride bicycles in the street.

Suddenly, the Puppy Parade had quite the audience. I think Trevor almost died from embarrassment.

While we were walking on the busy street, Trevor had cleverly removed Alley Cat from her Construction Worker’s costume (so he’d appear like a normal person out on a dog walk that just happened upon a bunch of loonies walking their dogs in costume three days before Halloween). However, now that we were all suddenly in the middle of a block party, Alley really stood out as the only naked dog. Trevor was finally made to put Alley’s outfit back on when a four year old girl came up to him and said:


Little Girl: “What’s wrong with your dog?”

Trevor: “Nothing. She’s fine.”

Little Girl: “Well, why isn’t she in a costume like all the others?”

Trevor: “Uh. It fell off.”

Little Girl: “So put it back on.”

Trevor: “Well…”

Little Girl: “Want me to do it?”

Trevor: “No. I can do it.”

Little Girl: “Then put it on her.”

Trevor: “I will. I will.”

Little Girl: “When?”

Trevor: “I guess I’ll do it right now.”

Little Girl: “What is she?”

Trevor: “A construction worker.”

Little Girl: “Oh. Well, I’m going to go pet the other dogs now.”


Poor Trevor. He can never win.

Anyway, with the Puppy Parade over, we all returned to Grammy Pammy’s house to watch Amy carve another pumpkin from her birthday extravaganza Friday night. These are the most recent creations (she’s really good at carving pumpkins freehand):

Devil

BOO!

Bat...

With my Gypsy Kitty Pumpkin...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

The Lazy Gnome's Birthday Extravaganza…

After all the to do about The Lazy Gnome’s birthday late last week, we ended up having a pretty low key (but FUN!) evening ‘o’ celebration on Friday night.

Amy invited a couple of friends over to my mother’s house, and we all carved pumpkins, ate pizza (Campisi’s, of course), and consumed lots and lots of yummy cake. Then, after the birthday festivities concluded at Grammy Pammy's house, Trevor and I decided to take the girls down to the Dallas ScareGrounds (since no one could decide on an “actual” haunted location to visit other than the Hotel Adolphus).

"Now," as Amy would say, "it's picture time!":

The Birthday Girl...

Carving pumpkins...

Trevor's "Dead Pumpkin"...

Pumpkins carved by the ladies (with flash)...

Janet's pumpkin...

Beth's pumpkin...

Amy's pumpkin...

MY PUMPKIN...

...it's Gypsy Kitty (can't you tell?!).

All lit up and ready for Halloween...

The cake Grammy Pammy made from scratch (a regular Martha Stewart she is)!

Amy and Grammy Pammy with said cake...

...and Trevor, too!

And (finally) here is the requisite birthday video documenting the evening. Enjoy!!

Like images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary, but different...

Does anyone else see a dog in the hardwood floor below?

Or is it just me?

So, what you're saying is that I’m allergic to Texas…

Yep. That’s right. As Haskell would say, “It’s official”.

And it sucks.

It all started with a doctor’s appointment last week. Just your average check-up. Well, that is until I had the following conversation with my doctor:

Doctor: “I see you are stilling taking Zyrtec for your allergies.”

Me: “Yes.”

Doctor: “And how is that working for you?”

Me: “Okay, I guess.”

Doctor: “Are you still taking Benadryl at night, too?”

Me: “Sometimes. When my allergies are really bad.”

Doctor: “How about your eyes?”

Me: “I use Visine Advanced Allergy in the morning.”

Doctor: “And you’re still getting seasonal migraines as well.”

Me: “Yeah.”

Doctor: “And how many sinus infections did you have this year?”

Me: “Uh. I dunno. Two? Three?”

Doctor: “And all this leads you to believe that your allergies are under control?”

Me: “Uhmmm…”

Doctor: “You realize you are only treating the symptoms, right? Not the problem?”

Me: “I guess so. But…”

Doctor: “And, let me guess, you never called the Allergist I referred you to this time last year?”

Me: “Well, no. I didn’t think…”

Doctor: “Okay. This is what we are going to do.”

Me: “Uhmmm…”

Doctor: “I am going to refer you to another Allergist.”

Me: “I really don’t think I need to go…”

Doctor: “No? Well, I do. And I’m your doctor.”

Me: “Uh…”

Doctor: “This is how this is going to work. I am going to fill your Zyrtec prescription, but only for one month. That will give you plenty of time to make an appointment and get in to see the Allergist.”

Me: “And if I can’t get in?”

Doctor: “You won’t have any more Zyrtec, I guess.”

Me: “Well, that hardly seems fair.”

Doctor: “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Me: “…”


I don’t know about all you metapeople out there, but I’m not used to getting ultimatums from my doctor. As a result, I seriously considered not calling the allergist. You know, on principle. That is until my allergies flared up the next day, and I tried to imagine life without Zyrtec.

Well, no. That’s not true. FIRST, I considered changing doctors. Problem is: I like my doctor. Even if she threatens to take away my medicine to make a (stupid) point, I still like her. At least as much as one can like a doctor, anyway. Plus, I hate the whole getting-to-know-you phase of test driving a new physician.

So, like I said, the next step was to imagine life without Zyrtec.

Well, my imaginary life without Zyrtec wasn’t pretty. Just thinking about it made my eyes water and my sinuses burn. There was also the potential for snot. Lots and lots of snot. Not cool.

As a result, I broke down and called the Allergist. And, what do you know – someone had just called in and cancelled their Monday afternoon appointment. Oh, yippee. Lucky me (I know you can just feel my excitement).

After forcing the receptionist to promise that her boss wouldn’t tape a corn husk to my back for two or more days (don’t laugh. It happened to someone else I know) I took the newly available time slot, promised not to touch an antihistamine for three days prior to the appointment, hung up the phone and sighed loudly. I think I was secretly hoping that there wouldn’t be an opening until mid March of 2008. Or 2009. 2009 would have worked great with my schedule.

The three days without my allergy meds wasn't (by any means) great. I sneezed a lot and my nose was abnormally drippy. However, it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined it would be (i.e. a snotty mess), which gave me hope that maybe (just maybe) my allergies were (mostly) in my mind. Funny. Hypochondria never sounded like a good thing before last week. Guess there’s a first time for everything.

Anyway, Monday finally rolled around, as did the inevitable scratch test. Systemized torture if you ask me. Not fun at all. There is nothing quite like lying topless on your belly while a nurse has WAY too much fun scratching the heck out of your back.

Then, as if THAT wasn’t bad enough, I reacted to NONE of the 80 some odd allergens! That was when I found out that the scratch test is not always conclusive, and a second test was ordered. I’m sorry…what?!

The next test was EVEN worse. 13 needles filled with different types of allergens were INJECTED into my upper arm. It was like getting 13 shots all at once. Seriously. What was the point in subjecting me to back scratch hell if you planned to follow up with something even MORE painful?

Worse still: the injection sites started to burn, itch and swell almost immediately. It was terrible!

Fifteen minutes of I-wanted-to-chew-my-arm-off later, I had my results:

Good News: I am not allergic to my dogs.

Bad News: I am (to quote the doctor), “off the charts reactive to mold”. Oh, joy. The building I work in has flooded twice in recent memory, the carpet has never been changed and the walls never dried out. Bet there is no mold around here, huh, RR?! I’m also allergic to pollinating trees, grass and all things classified as “weed” (as in Ragweed).

Apparently, the majority of my allergens exist in Texas YEAR ROUND, so I wasn’t kidding when I said I am allergic to this state. The doctor even suggested I consider relocating to a more arid climate. Thanks, Doc. I’ll just file that away with the hundreds of other reasons I have for moving to Colorado.

The only good thing that has come out of yesterday’s appointment was that the Allergist refilled my Zyrtec prescription. He also told me to keep up with the Visine and Benadryl as needed in addition to writing me a new prescription for Nasenex. That’s right. Even more drugs to treat my allergies. Yippee, skippy.

However, my FAVORITE part of this story is the following tidbit:

While I was complaining to the nurse about the addition of Nasenex to my already full daily allergy prevention regimen, it came out that Zyrtec will be available WITHOUT a prescription starting in January. That’s right. My doctor fooled me into going to the allergist by threatening to cancel my prescription for a drug that will soon be available without a prescription.

Yes. It’s official. I’m an idiot.

Night of the Living Gnome...

So, my sister left a note for me that read:

“Just FYI: I want to go somewhere haunted and eat pizza on Friday. Then I want to watch something haunted and sleep over at your house in your bed. I'm so excited!”

See, it is her 22nd birthday tomorrow, and she loves:

1. Haunted Houses. And not places like THIS (although she enjoys those, too), but “real” haunted houses with “real” ghosts (or at least “real” ghost stories).



2. Pizza. Especially, Campisis. Yum.



3. Movies and TV shows based on “actual” hauntings.



4. Sleeping in my bed. It’s a Temper-Pedic (can you blame her?!).

I think I’ve got items 2-4 covered, but number 1 is presenting a problem. Apparently, Dallas isn’t known for its wealth of earthbound spirits. Well, except for The Lady of the Lake, I suppose. But she doesn’t seem tied to any one particular part of the lake, and I don’t feel like driving in circles.

Here are some other options:

1. Millermore House at Old City Park is apparently haunted. A so-called “friend” of mine works there, so you’d think I’d be able to work my connections and get my sister locked in the house after dark. Apparently, not, though. Grrrr…



2. Snuffers on Greenville Avenue is supposedly haunted. Sounds like the ghost only shows up for the restaurant staff, though.



3. Waxahachie has a lot of haunted locations. But, really. Who wants to drive to Waxahachie on a Friday night?



4. The Majestic Theater purportedly has a long dead benefactor that “moves backdrops, operates phone lines and emits strange smells”. Hmmmmm. A farting ghost? Interesting...



5. Flag Pole Hill sounds intriguing. Well, at least until you consider the reported paranormal activity. Legend has it that local police warn people about driving on this stretch of Northwest Highway at night after several vehicles suffered “unexplainable damages”. Yeah. No thank you. Damage to my car isn’t cool. I don’t care if you ARE a ghost!



6. If it wasn’t $200 a night, I’d totally consider booking a room at the Hotel Adolphus. I’d even put on my “brave face” for a chance to see the marble staircase that leads to the old ballroom. I’m a history dork, after all. Stuff like this fascinates me. Although, I’d prefer to see it during the day (and sans spirits)…

Any other suggestions?!

A Friend is There When the World is Closed…

Since today is the last day of the State Fair of Texas (thank goodness!), I figured I would post these pictures from a recent fair visit with out-of-towners, Phil and Hilary.

Enjoy!:

The Texas Star…

Phil and his fried cheese…

The Gondola…

The Esplanade…

International Boulevard at dusk…

The Tower Building…

Sunset over the Esplanade…

Sunset over the Esplanade…

Big Tex…

View from the Texas Star…

Hilary…

View from the Ferris Wheel…

Looking straight down…

Awkwardly sitting Emu…

Phil’s new buddy…

Piggies!

Fried Cookie Dough (ew…gag)…

Lessons learned from the weekend of Phil and Hilary’s visit (posted below pictures of the State Fair in the hope that no one scrolls down this far):

1. Don’t plan in advance. If you do, their flight will be early, your car won’t start and Phil and Hilary will be left stranded (temporarily) at DFW airport.



2. Only drink beer or wine at Gilley’s. If you switch to mix drinks, consider not tipping the bartender. I know this sounds wrong, but tipping leads to STRONG drinks. Strong drinks leads (directly) to (me) licking people in pictures.



3. Warning: After consuming strong, mix drinks at Gilley's, I may be tempted to “grind” Trevor if BABY GOT BACK is played by the band. I will have NO memory of this the next day. If you are lucky, neither will you.



4. Do not put ice down my shirt as this may cause me to dump the entire contents of my beverage down the front of your top as a result. I will have no memory of this, either.

The End