Why Are Handlers Out of Shape?!

Last night had me struggling to stay awake as I was watching the 'Herding Group' of the Westminster Dog Show. This is my favorite group because it has my favorite dog, the Old English Sheepdog. A friend of mine had one growing up and my Mother's best friend had one too. A few years ago, there was an Old English Sheepdog that was at the top of his game at all the dog shows, Yoshii! I thought he was just so adorable with his fluffed up hair and barely-to-non visible eyes. And now I continue to call all Old English Sheepdogs Yoshii.

'Yoshii' did not disappoint last night - I liked watching him prance around the arena and constantly wondered if he really did have eyes! He ended up taking fourth place in the herding group...he lost to the 'rasta' dog (aka - the Puli) - the one that looks like a mop.

Anyway, as I was waiting patiently, and trying to keep my eyes open for 'Yoshii' to do his thing, I was looking at all the other dogs and how their handlers handle them and I had to wonder - why are there so many out of shape handlers? You would think because they have to train the dog, walk the dog, primp the dog and run up and down with the dog to show him off would have them in decent shape. I'm not saying all handlers are out of shape but some of them are. I wonder if it's bad that the handlers can't keep up with the dog while it's taking it's turn around the arena...does that hurt the chances of the dog winning, at all? Are the handlers sneaking snacks for the dogs and for themselves?

I just had to put that question out there - I asked my husband...he didn't know. I didn't pay attention to the handlers that actually won their breeding class but I'll have to take a look during best in show...how many 'out of shape' handlers actually make it to the 'big show.'

Closing Time

In my iPod right now: Fade Into You by Mazzy Star

A few weeks ago, the Waldenbooks in the Plaza Del Sol "Mall" in Del Rio, Texas shut its doors for good. In truth, it was a crummy bookstore that appeared to be run by a bunch of teenagers who felt it more important to gab and text on their cell phones than to ring up a customer's purchase. The place was in total disarray most of the time, clearly demonstrating where the workers' priorities were. It was really a sad leftover from the 80's, when B. Dalton's and Waldenbooks ruled the world (I know this because together they were responsible for enabling my severe "Sweet Valley High" habit.) It gave me none of those great feelings and imaginary conversations that bookstores seem to promote for me (such as "See how smart and interesting I am? I like to browse history books."). This Waldenbooks had no coffee shop, no music section, no greeting card/gift collection. But it did have one thing going for it: it was the only game in town. When I saw what was happening, why it was having a big "40% off everything sale," I was too sad to even peruse the great bargains. Instead, I went to my car and cried.

The thing is: seeing any store or restaurant going out of business has always made me melancholy. For some people, I guess it's nice to take advantage of the sales, but I can't see past the fact that someone's project, maybe even someone's dream, has died. It's why I have trouble watching "You've Got Mail." I'm the one who needs the tissues when Meg Ryan closes her mother's children's bookstore. It's positively heartbreaking. I guess we're supposed to be happy that Tom Hanks and the big Fox Books rescues her, but it's still hard to watch. I'm not even saying that I wouldn't have patronized Fox Books (I did, after all, pay $25 annually to be a Barnes and Noble "member"). But I still like to support the mom and pop shops if I can, even if they're more expensive. It's worth it; supporting the dream is worth it.

On a more personal level, I can't help but be disturbed that my little town can't keep a bookstore in business. I'm an aspiring novelist, after all. And my success depends on readers. I am all for being that sellout I talked about in my last post. I know times are tough, and almost every industry is suffering, but this is my plea to you:

Please Keep Supporting the Publishing Industry.

You know that feeling you get when you've read a really great book: that feeling that you've escaped to another world. It's a feeling that immerses you, that makes your imagination soar - much more than a two hour movie ever could.

Cherish it.

Looking Back... with Regrets

Looking back through my life, I have a pocketful of little regrets - things that I wish I did when I had the chance or things that I wish I could have done differently at the time. I think everyone goes through these tiny regrets.

There are some instances in my mind that stick out where I think, 'Why did I do that?!' like the time I went to school (high school) in my Victoria's Secret Pajamas that looked like a nice, summery outfit. What possessed me to wear it to school and were other people wearing it? Weird. And I think I did it more than once so that was not good.

As I sit here and watch VH-1 Classic and Cher's 'If I Could Turn Back Time' plays in the background, where she's strutting around a Navy ship in her sheer bodysuit with satin strips of fabric covering all the right places, I wonder, does she ever look back at the video and think 'What was I thinking when I said 'yes' to that outfit?' I won't deny that she has a killer body in the video and she doesn't look bad in the outfit, but was it really necessary? Couldn't she have stuck with her super cut-up jeans and a skin-tight top and had the same effect? I mean I know we're talking about Cher here and our fashion tastes definitely do not run the same course, but aside from this video, do you think she ever looks back to the 'Sonny and Cher' era and gag at her Bob Mackie gowns?

Nine Inch Nails - In or Out

Okay - Nine-inch nails are probably an exaggeration - I do heart the band (or one-man band), NIN, but this isn't what this posting is about. I'm talking about fake fingernails. Are they still in or are they on their way out?

Growing up, there was no shortage of women in New Jersey that had long, fake nails. I know when I was little, I did somewhat admire them for the way these women could handle everyday tasks with these "claws." My parents were SO not into the "fake" anything - hair color, nails, what have you...so it was a rare occasion that I was able to sneak some 'Lee Press On Nails' into the grocery carriage to 'experiment' with my own fingernails when I got home - and it wasn't successful by any means. I think part of it was because I was DYING to grow up and be an adult - with my tiny fingernails. So naturally, the adult Lee Press Ons didn't fit my child-fingers. I think I had to use the 'pinky' size press-ons just for my pointer fingers. But it was just so fascinating to me, after watching the commercials, how you could get these perfectly sized nails onto your finger, and they looked so natural...not so. I see, now, the work that goes into nail extensions at the spa and it looks like a chore.

You'll be happy to know that I was able to get customized fake nails for my senior prom. Of course I couldn't carry off the 'claws' that many other women could because I was pretty rough with my hands - so I had to get 'sports length.' The adhesive that was used to get these fakers onto my fingers - I think she used Crazy Glue - no joke. I remember when I first got them on (my first, and last, taste with fake nails), I kept tap, tap, click, clicking them on the table - I couldn't believe I finally had fake nails that fit my fingers. The only other thing I remember about them was getting home from the prom that night and trying to RIP those things off my fingers. I felt like they were taking over like the adhesive was sinking into my skin. I also knew my parents would blow a gasket if I ran around the house with fake nails so I had to get them off ASAP. And that was hard - my nails looked like crap for DAYS afterwards because nail polish remover wasn't as effective of a 'glue remover' as advertised.

Fast forward to today and I feel like fake nails are not as 'in' as they once were. I mean, DJ Kool use to give a shout out to girls with the fake hair, fake nails, fake tans (a la 'Let Me Clear My Throat') - but I feel like nowadays, people either don't pay attention to getting the fake nails or they're going more natural with painted, short nails. I have since abandoned my 'long nail' envy and much prefer the clean, nicely manicured short nails with polish. I think it looks just as nice and it's certainly more manageable. I mean, I still wonder how real nails grow under those 'fake nails' but not so much as say 10-15 years ago. I've let that thought go by the wayside.

Maybe the ladies in the DC metro area are just more into the 'au naturale' look and my fascination has kind of died. Maybe ladies all over the place are just looking for a quicker way to 'look nice' without spending the time or the money to get the fake nails. Who knows....I say claws are out. That's what my gut says.

It Was a Breeze

So this past weekend saw me going into Georgetown for a birthday lunch and running an errand at the Paper Source - I LOVE that store. When I told friends that I was heading into Georgetown on Saturday, I got a lot of 'Hmmms' and 'That's very ambitious.' From my previous post, you can tell I was very hesitant about the situation but I looked at is as an opportunity to experience something inaugural and maybe catch some celebs shopping around.

The results - I experienced nothing inaugural (except for some signs) and I saw no celebs. It wasn't busy at all. We got into Georgetown, parked with no incident, and got a table right away for lunch. We were able to get the 'fish bowl' table at J. Paul's to make for optimal celeb watching but instead we saw...not much. As our lunch was ending, to make ourselves feel better, anytime we saw an Escalade with tinted windows or the Rolls Royce with the tinted windows, we said, 'There's a celebrity.' That was the extent of our celeb watching.

After lunch, we were even able to walk freely, without crowds, down a few blocks to the Paper Source. The weather was freezing but the walking definitely helped and after I was done with my errand at the Paper Source, there was no hanging about in Georgetown, no matter how optimal the 'crowd' conditions were.

Overall - it was a breeze - it was actually a little bit disappointing. Oh well. At least I was able to have a great lunch with friends and get my errand completed. It just goes to show you never know what's going to happen - your initial inclinations might turn into nothing at all....