If you know me, you know that I'm a dog person. I'm really an all-around animal person, but I especially enjoy dogs (much to my sister's chagrin). You know all about our dog, Fritz (a.k.a. Fritzstoferson, Fritzgerald, Fritzmas, Brutus or Bubba) from reading yetanotherblog...I really should get back to my TGIFritz theme.

Well, I came across this blog called BARK a while back and have been following it ever since. I've been resisting making mention of it on my blog out of a fear that you all would realize how much of a dog nerd (derd?) I actually am.



This photographer, Erin Vey has many things going for her. She has a cute house and style, she lives in my home state, she has an AWESOME Great Dane (I've been nagging J for a Great Dane for going on 3 years now. The man has super-human resistance.....mostly to Great Dane sized yard ornaments in a LA sized yard), AND she is a FANTASTIC photographer. Really. She's great.

Today's photos are so great that I absolutely had to share them with you. I'm a sucker for puppies and this puppy just about slayed me. I mean, look at him. And the name? Augustus? C'mon. Killin' me softly. This is certainly not helping my puppy fever, but I do love looking at her photos.

Some of you may be wondering if I would pay to have pictures taken of The Fritz. You mean, would I pay a session fee starting at $250 for pictures of this dog?




I think the real question is would anyone actually take money to photograph him? Maybe if he were sleeping or drugged.

Yes, folks, the best week of the year has arrived. It's Shark Week on Discover Channel! Set your Tivos, DVRs and VCRs (if you're still back in the 90s). You DO NOT want to miss this spectacular Selachimorpha week.




Those of you who are not familiar with the superior programming that is Shark Week may be wondering why a seemingly normal person like me would be so excited about a week that features shows about one of the scariest predators on earth. You have obviously never had the pleasure of watching Shark Week and your shark knowledge probably includes trivia you've picked up from Jaws and possibly Deep Blue Sea. You see, I was once like you, thinking all sharks were basically the same. That is, blood-thirsty monsters that attack for the pleasure of the attack. Granted, there are some pretty aggressive sharks out there, but if you'd like to know the truth about the hundreds of varieties of this amazing creature....
WATCH SHARK WEEK!



This year's Shark Week began with the MythBuster's Shark Special. The MythBuster's always do a great job. Even now, I've already learned that the myth of using magnets to repel sharks is in fact false, unless the shark you're trying to repel is a 5lb baby shark. In that case, you could probably just push it away.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

That was my first reaction. Check it out, though. It's pretty cool....and revealing. My most common word is "something" - nice. I think I need some quality time on thesaurus.com.



(I can't figure out how to get it to show up bigger, so you'll have to click on it.)

We've been working hard on a new budget all day and decided we needed a reward. Why not go see a movie, right? (We went to see 2 other movies this week, because...uh... it's summer.) Tonight's movie was Kung Fu Panda and let me just say... OH. BOY.
I don't think I've laughed out loud in a theater that much
since, ummm, Nacho Libre. HA-larious.



I'm not sure how much longer it's going to be in theaters, but if you're looking for a reward after a hard day's work or if you're wanting to celebrate summer, go see this movie. If you're going to go see the movie, let me know 'cause I might join you.

Click here to watch the preview

At any rate, it's definitely going to be a part of our
DVD library as soon as it's released.

Ok. So we went to see "Batman: The Dark Knight" this evening. It was a great movie...generally clean, great directing, fantastic editing and sound design, good music, great acting. But the real story is that we had another star sighting tonight. Now it wasn't Christian Bale or Morgan Freeman, but it was still pretty fun. Do you know the name David Koeschner? I didn't know it. He's one of those guys that you see and go,

"Hey! It's that guy... from that movie...OH what movie was it?! He was funny. He was kinda goofy. Man, I just saw it too!"

You might know him from his most recent role in the movie, "Get Smart" as Larabee. You might also recognize him as the character Todd Packer from "The Office." He typically plays a goofy side-kick kind of role and is usually pretty funny.



Tonight, he arrived late for the movie with about 10 other people. We went to the Arclight in Sherman Oaks and if you've been to the Arclight before you know that when you buy a ticket, you're actually buying an assigned seat. It's not hard to find your seat in the theater. There are ushers all around who insist on showing you to your seat even if you already know where it is. For some reason, Koecshner and his pals weren't able to find there seats for about 8 minutes. They stood around talking with 4 ushers looking confused and not being subtle in the least. The reason I noticed him was that I was getting annoyed at his group for making so much noise. As they walked toward me, I looked at them to see what in the world could be so difficult. He stopped right in front of me to talk with his lady-friend (yes, in front of me, blocking the screen....nice. Good thing it was only the previews) as I looked up with a look on my face that said "Hey Buddy, the seats are numbered. It's simple - look at your ticket then look at the seats..." I recognized him as an actor. I was pleasantly surprised, but still a little annoyed.

It's almost 12:30 on Friday night after Susi's wedding. I'm starting to upload the pictures from the day's wonderful events and I turned on the TV for some noise. I had to post right away because I'm absolutely in awe of the current program (program...isn't that what my Grandma called TV shows?). It's a documentary all about ferrets and ferret owners. Called "Ferrets: The Pursuit of Excellence.," That's right. You read that right. Why am I watching it? Because it is quite possibly the oddest thing I have ever seen. As I'm typing a rather "interesting" ferret owner is giving her ferret a shower. Yes. A shower. She's holding the ferret at it's armpits under the shower head and using Brilliant Brunette Shampoo. WHAT'S. HAPPENING. I have a few comments:

1. Isn't it illegal to own ferrets - don't they carry the plague or something?
2. Ferret owners, at least the owners interviewed in the documentary, need to get out more.
3. Is this for real? Really?



And I quote:

"I have pots of roses around my house and I bury my ferrets in the pots. That way the ferrets are always alive and I take them with me wherever I move."

"For me, it seemed like as my children got older, grew up and got out that I replaced them with ferrets."

I can't really describe in words what's happening right now in front of me. I'm just going to have to let you see these previews from PBS.









I'm just so embarrassed right now.

I love tea. I also love coffee, hot chocolate and apple cider. But there's something special about tea. It's classy, sophisticated and tasty. Some of my favorite tea makers include Republic of Tea, Tazo, Lupicia, and Brodies.

Two of my recent favorites include:



&



Presentation is a big selling point for me. Not that I buy everything that looks good, but I'm more likely to buy something that is presented well than something that may taste as good but doesn't look it.

Check out this presentation...





AND it tastes great too!
(no, Tea Forte did not pay me to do this post, but if any of the higher-ups from Tea Forte happens to see this post, you can email me for my address)

So after the left side wisdom tooth fiasco, I scheduled an appointment to have the right side done....both the upper and lower....in the same appointment...both teeth out at once....both. If you didn't pick up on it, I DID NOT have both teeth out in the same appointment. While sitting in the chair, waiting for the novacaine to kick in, it became clear that the receptionist did not schedule enough time to take care of both teeth and I was going to have to come back yet again for #32.




Are you following my story? I had all four wisdom teeth out...in four different appointments....with four different rounds of novacaine...and four separate recovery times with four different sets of gauze. Sigh. After I was finally finished becoming less wise, it was time to go for a cleaning and get on a regular schedule. Sounds easy, right? I was very relieved to be at this stage, not that I enjoy have a hygienist floss my teeth so hard can feel it on my brain, but I was glad to be done with "extractions."



After a normal cleaning procedure that I'm pretty sure included sand paper, I had a set of x-rays taken. Are you familiar with the new x-ray doohickies they're using these days at the dentist? They use 10 inch steel rectangles with sharpened edges that they ask you to bite down on "all the way." The hygienist trots out of the room pushes the "x-ray go" button and talks to another hygienist about the latest Brangelina gossip while the steel punctures the roof of your mouth and your eyes tear up.



After this lovely experience, the dentist came in to tell me my teeth were in perfect condition and needed no further work besides regular cleaning were the healthy equivalent to a 90 year old who hadn't brushed since her 20s. Ok, so maybe it wasn't quite that bad, but I did need about $1000 worth of work. That's a $1000 co-pay. That work included several fillings, a crown replacement, a new crown for a tooth that had a
crack in it, and a partial crown.

Back when I was in college, I had a root canal and crown procedure done that was possibly the worst dental experience of my life. I went in because my tooth was hurting. Four hours later I was down a tooth and up a notch on my pleasant feelings toward the dentist. Eight years later this crown was causing me pain and my current dentist determined that it had a "spur" and would need to be replaced. This procedure wasn't nearly as bad, but certainly would not make it into the pleasant category. This new crown did not feel right. I kept telling them it didn't feel right. They kept checking it and saying it was fine. Over the next several months the crown would bother me off and on. By the Fourth of July, it was constantly bothering me. Of course, the dentist isn't open on the Fourth of July, which was a Friday. They're also not open on Saturdays or Sundays. By Saturday evening, I couldn't take it anymore. The pain was almost as bad as the infection in #16. I called the emergency number and spoke with my dentist who called in a prescription for mouthwash because he suspected there was an infection. I was told to use the mouthwash and come in on Monday. I guess the mouthwash worked because by Monday the pain was much less severe and the infection had disappeared. The conclusion was that the crown was never placed right my teeth had migrated and my bite was off. When your bite is off, it can put pressure on your gums and cause bruising. Essentially, I nearly died of tooth-ache again because my gums were bruised. Did you know you could bruise your gums? Now you do.

I'm gonna have dentures by the time I'm 30. No really. Every time I go to the dentist, I get bad news, not to mention expensive news. I'm convinced that I'm called to a life of the ridiculous when it comes to my teeth. I went to the dentist faithfully every 6 months growing up all the way through college (right, Mom?). I've always had a sweet tooth, so I had some cavities here and there, but nothing major. Granted, once I got married, it took me a while to figure out how to find my own dentist and then remember to make appointments, but I faithfully brushed
and not quite as faithfully flossed.


(Yes that person is flossing that cat's teeth. Why? I have NO idea)

Once we finally found our own dentist and arrived for our first appointment (yes, we had our first appointments together, ahhhh) the saga of "Lisa's Rotting Mouth" began. I knew that my wisdom teeth were going to need to be removed, what I didn't know was that my chin stuck out funny and every tooth in my mouth needed work that was going to cost me a million dollars and my right arm. What I also didn't know was that my husband, who had not been to the dentist since the late 90s had teeth in such nice condition that the same doctor that insulted my protruding chin threw a little party for him and his pearly whites.... I'm pretty sure the hygienist brought out Martinelli's and confetti.



After that experience I was hesitant both emotionally and financially to begin any of the work I needed done. Besides, I'm a world-class procrastinator. If I were a super hero, that would be my power. I can see it now.... I'd be sporting a bed sheet around my neck because I would have put off buying a cape. Anyway, some time elapsed.....and by some I mean a lot....before I got up the courage (a.k.a. got new insurance and found myself in dental pain) to find a new dentist. The first order of business was removing the wisdom tooth that was causing me pain. The plan was simple and over several appointments -

1. Remove painful #17 (lower left wisdom tooth)
2. Remove #1 and #32 (right side wisdom teeth)
3. Remove #16 (upper left wisdom tooth)
4. Fix a filling/add a filling
5. Get onto regular cleaning track.

Sounds ok, rIght? Not exactly a trip to Disneyland, but do-able. Believe it or not, it was de-railed shortly after step 1. The removal of the infected and painful #17 gave me only temporary relief (basically just until the novacaine wore off) because the infection had spread to and was having a party in #16. Of course, this being my first wisdom tooth experience, I assumed this was normal "post-procedure" pain. By 2 days later the pain was so intense I actually thought I would be the only person in history to die of a tooth-ache. (I could feel and hear cracking as if my jaw was falling apart. Shudder.) After a phone call with my brother-in-law, who happens to be a dentist in Texas, it became apparent that this was not normal pain and that I needed to call my dentist right away. Dr. Jennie was so gracious to be woken up at 6:30 am on a Sunday and agree to meet me at the
office soon after. I have never been so relieved to have a tooth yanked out of my mouth and I sent Dr. Jennie flowers for saving
me from death by tooth-ache.

...to be continued...

I can't believe I've been writing this blog for over a year and I haven't yet mentioned Wing. Have you heard of Wing? No, not a bird's wing or an airplane's wing, but Wing as in www.wingtunes.com



Wing is the best karaoke singer I have ever heard. (GTY cruise buddies - she totally would have won!!) She has 14 albums "so far...", such a tease, including:


Wing Sings the Songs You Love


Wing Sings AC/DC


Wing Sings More AC/DC

According to her website, --- "the singer popularly known as Wing, has in a few short years achieved world-wide fame and a cult following that transcends borders and languages. When Wing sings, you cannot miss her sincerity and the pure joy she has for singing. With her unique voice and determined spirit, she has achieved what many singers can only dream of doing...." --- I agree. She has certainly achieved more than I have. When I listen to Wing's CDs I think, "Wow, she really wanted to make that CD."

Wing has been compared to artists such as William Hung and Florence Foster Jenkins and those comparisons are accurate. She belongs in the company of such infamous singers. Some of my favorite Wing selections (which you absolutely MUST listen to) include:

"9-5"
from CD 14: Wing - One Voice

"Dancing Queen"
from CD 9: Dancing Queen by Wing

"Phantom Of the Opera"
from CD 1: MUSICAL MEMORIES OF Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera.

Wing's website regularly features a different set of CD samples so if the song you'd like to hear isn't currently featured, good news - you can hear it on iTunes!! Trust me, it will be worth your time (while you're there, take a quick listen to Florence Foster Jenkins, you won't regret it....well maybe you will, but you'll get a good laugh anyway).

I was delighted to find on my most recent visit to Wing's website that I could hire Wing to "sing just for me, or for a friend on a birthday." Oh. Boy. So to any of my friends out there with birthdays coming up - if you get a call from a New Zealand number, pick up. If after you pick up, you hear a strange sounding, must-be-joking singer, don't hang up - it's Wing wishing you a happy birthday from me.

I'm officially out of space at our house. I've gotten rid of all I can, I've re-arranged, re-organized and re-thunk. I'm in the midst of figuring out a a new way to store/display my teapots and the vases I have no room for. I thought about putting in some sort of book shelf or buffet, but the room is too small. I thought I would just put up some wall shelves like so...



...and I do like that look, but the walls in this house don't like to hang on to heavy objects and I'm afraid this would happen:



After a good amount of time on Google looking for innovative and unique ideas for storage, I stumbled on this beauty:



So, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I decided to take it on as a new project. I'm anticipating that it will be pretty simple to put together, but I thought the same thing about the curtains. I don't expect that my project will turn out exactly like the picture. In fact, I already have ideas for a couple changes. I'll keep you updated on my progress...

We made it home safe and sound, a day late, but safe and sound. We had all kinds of fun with cancelled and delayed flights and an extra night in Vancouver. Those of you who followed johnandlis.com know that we had a fabulous time on the cruise! You'll also be happy to know that our 5th anniversary was wonderful - I didn't fall overboard or break out into hives (...yes, I broke out into hives on our 3rd anniversary thanks to some unknown food allergy.) Apparently, we did a little too much relaxing because we're having trouble getting back into the swing of things....

Here's a little goodie for you in the meantime