New Toys

Buxton got a new toy. This is his new toy position. He can stay in this position for hours, I think. In his little doggie mind, he has figured out that he looks pretty cute like this, and most likely one of us will play with him. The poor guy has been especially ignored lately because his owners are lazy and cold and would rather bribe him with large bacon flavored cookies and new toys than weather the ice and cold to take him for a walk after work.

Last week he positively did not understand why we were not taking him out to go romp in the snow. We let him outside and his legs immediately betrayed him and landed him belly first on our walkway. But, dogs have the memories of fleas, and ten seconds later he cried to go out and frolic, to the same end. He steadied himself long enough to attempt to snuffle the snow, which is what he would normally do, and banged his nose onto what was actually five inches of concrete slab disguised as snow. It's like when the neighbor's demon cat mews sweetly every single time Buxton passes her. She flips over, paws the air, and flicks her tail at him. Buxton can't resist her invitation to play, and as soon as he gets close enough, she tranforms into demon cat and smacks him in the face.

The Loud Silence of Francine Green

This book is set in the 1950s during the time when families were building bomb shelters in their backyards and accusing friends and neighbors of being Russian spies. Francine is the narrator, a 13 year old girl attending Catholic school, and scared of getting in trouble more than almost anything. She doesn't know what to think of everything: communists, the bomb, suspicions raised against seemingly innocent people, her father's mantra to not get involved. Even though this book is set more than fifty years ago, it's eery how if Karen Cushman exchanged just a few key words, this could have been a post 9/11 book. Kids today will be able to relate to so many things in this book. You can't travel around the beltway without being reminded to report suspicious activity. People aren't building bomb shelters in their back yards, but I'm sure most families have a plan in case of a terrorist attack, or maybe even a stash of duct tape and plastic bags to protect against bioterrorism. I think kids will find comfort in this book because they'll see this isn't the first time in history that people have lived with a little bit of fear. Overall the book is hopeful, funny, and honest.

I have learned a few phrases that I may or may not introduce into my everyday language.

1. Blue blazes - The same as the present day 'For goodness sake!'
2. Drooly - My husband is sooo drooly.
3. Drip - I've heard this before but I just think it is so hilarious when you take a moment to consider it. Calling someone a drip. Ha!
4. Dishrag - Can be used like: "Ye Gods Cailin stop being such a dishrag."
5. Ye Gods - Which I might add, Laurie Halse Anderson recently used this very phrase on her blog.

"Publishing Time"

Ok, so I'm sitting in the office I share with four other people at my new job, at which I am still a closet writer, and I was just absolutely giggling to myself about this.

Writers group - you have to read it. It's just so true.