Wednesday, July 25, 2007

If your dog is fat. . .

I saw a sign in the supermarket yesterday that said: "If your dog is fat. . . you need more exercise." I love that! It's so true! Poor fat doggies, never getting walks! The kind of dog owner a person is says a lot about them. It's not just walks, of course. Some people treat dogs like they're kind of an accessory to their home or their life, something to complete a particular picture they have in their mind: married, two children, beautiful home, nice lawn, two cats, one dog. Assemble all the pieces. Or maybe they gave in to their kids' begging, but don't really have time in their life for a dog, and they don't feel a particular affection for it so it gets to spend a large portion of its life by itself, hungry for love. And dogs are so hungry for love! They're pack animals and I think to have a dog that has to live in the yard by itself is a kind of torture -- for a dog not to get to be with its "pack" -- it's cruelty. Don't get dogs if you can't make them part of your family! Get something inanimate, like an alarm system, or get your kid a really big stuffed animal. Or a cat. Cats don't have the same needs dogs have -- some are really affectionate, it's true, but cats aren't pack animals, and they fare better on paltry amounts of love than dogs do.

The other night when Jim and I got back to his mom's house from spending the evening at his sister's we poured a couple of glasses of wine and sat on the floor with Leroy and read our books for an hour or two, to try to make up for having to leave Leroy home alone all day. He's such a good dog and all he wants out of life is to be around us. He loves long car trips, and I think it's because he gets to have us both in one small space for hours at a time, with the added excitement of strange smells blowing in the window. At home, he's only truly happy when we're both in the same room. If not, he wanders restlessly between us, constantly checking that we're both still there. Shiloh, my husky, wasn't like that. We called her our "downstairs neighbor" because she liked her own space. Ah, dogs. Such wonderful creatures. I hate to think of the sad, love-starved dogs all over the place that get in spastic quivers of excitement on the rare occasions their owners deign to touch them!

Why am I writing about that? I don't know! I'm still in the Flat City; driving tonight down through the Huge Smoggy City and on to San Diego. Looking forward to a glimpse of some California ocean! Really looking forward to the madness of Storm Troopers and nerds and movie stars that is Comic-Con. Been thinking about villains and what I want to say on the panel. Should be fun.

Also fun: my hair!!! I've never had so much fun with my hair. I went with my niece to one of those cheapy mall stores that sells colorful plastic glittery jewelry and barettes that little girls can afford to buy, and I bought some barettes in bright colors. And oh -- my hair, it is no longer pink. I don't think I had a chance to mention that. I went back to the salon. My hair is now. . .


MAGENTA!!!

I WISH I could post a photo on this alien computer! See, the pink was a little soft, especially in the back and around my temples, so I went back to the salon the morning of Harry Potter Madness and had it touched up. Or rather, punched up. It came out bright bright magenta and I love it so much more. I weep to see the color sweeping down the drain when I wash it. I wish it would just grow this color with no maintainance. It's so awesome! And the conservative folks in Flat City don't seem bothered by it, though some teenagers hanging out in a gas station in Northern California did murmur that it was "disgusting" -- ha ha! I don't get offended by the opinions of teenagers who spend their Saturday nights hanging out at the gas station. I went into a Borders here to sign the copies of my book they had on hand and the manager told me, musingly, that I didn't look "punk" -- I look like a "children's book character" which is pretty much what I'm going for! (I was wearing a kelly green headband at the time with pink and blue polka dots.) So, it's FUN. Photos to follow!

Cheers!

21 comments:

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

I've always wanted a dog but always said that as long as I have to work for a living outside the home, I wouldn't get one. It isn't fair to leave a dog along all day for 9 to 10 hours. They need companionship!

But I told my DH that if anything happens to him that I'm getting a dog & will NEVER get married again. ;-) [I couldn't find someone better than him, that is.] Say I have a really cute email to send to you ... about "buying a dog"

rilla jaggia said...

Hey Laini of the colorful locks,
I hear ya loud and clear on the dog front. We have neighbors behind who despite being perfectly obnoxious people to have around have dogs who are crazily in love with their fat owners who never take them for a walk and leave them behind when gone for vacation...They are always outside in the yard and I can't see a dog house... and it gets into the hundreds here baby! Yeah, if your dog is fat...you need to walk WITH them! Makes me mad. I really can't figure out why they need those two overweight living breathing garden ornaments.

OK, on a more cheerful note, here's another line I love --
"It was a formless thing, unfixed, the edges of it bleeding into the night like watercolors on wet paper."
So glad you are enjoying our friendly sunshine state ;0 Drop by if you get a chance...we're not too far out of LA.

Annie Jeffries said...

Just checked out the new website. Looking good Laini. Hope the discomfort eases soon.

Annie

Anonymous said...

You've been tagged. :)

I'm calling it 3 of Me. Post about 3 other possible lives you'd like to have if you could have multiple you's. You can post as if you are your current age or any future age. See my post for an example.
http://www.ravendance.com/wordpress/?p=84

Deirdre said...

Magenta! How very, very fun.

My doggie-loving heart aches when I hear about dogs who spend their lives in the backyard. For Pete's sake - if you don't want the dog in the house then don't get a dog. Period. It's so simple. Most dogs want nothing more than to make us so happy we pet them. Besides, they're great foot warmers in winter when you're all curled up with a book.

Hope the rest of your trip is good. Have fun.

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean about dogs... Chico is always needing to be right next to us wherever we are and he is loving all the car rides. He gets so depressed when we go anywhere without him! Leroy is lucky to have you guys!

Magenta! Wow! I had magenta once and LOVED it! Love the teen comments by the way.. I love how surly teens can be.. what a funny time in one's life. just the outward disdain of all us old people! :) Poor misguided youth!

Cheers!
Have fun in smog land! :)

Unknown said...

so fun! magenta. and I'm sure you do look perfectly in character. and i agree about the dog thing, which is why I don't have any. three children is quite enough responsability in the love department...and in the cleaning department.

starting on the second Harry Potter today:) have fun on the villain pannel. I wish I could be a fly on the wall. If I could choose a super power, it would be to travel wherever I want instantaniously. Oh, the places I would go!

Amber said...

Haha, you kill me. You should have turned around and told those teensgaers that this is what happens to your hair if you smoke too much dope, or have unprotected sex or something! That would have shut them up. ;) hehehe They would have been running home to check their roots.

I bet you are going to wow them on the panel! Lucky people. :)

:)

Anonymous said...

I house-sat for an ex-boss once, and looked after her amazingly gorgeous Lassie-style sheepdog. I loved her and she loved me. I took her to the beach every weekend and for walks everyday - when I went to the cornerstore or to meet friends at a cafe she came with me. When my boss got home she was mad at me because her dog pined for me for a full week. That woman thought her dog was part of the furniture. Argh - I thought about kidnapping the dog. But didn't.

Not long after, she got pregnant (the woman, not the dog). One day I arrvied at work and she had found out she was having a boy. She told me "I can't believe I'm having a boy, I don't want a boy, I want a girl so I can give her a lovely Italian girl's name and dress her up".

ARGH! I quit my job that day and told her that I really hoped she got herself sorted out before that baby arrived. I should have quit as soon as I saw how she was with her dog. Like you say - it tells most of the story.

Amber Lough said...

Having just met Laini in San Diego, I can attest that the magenta hair is awesome! :-)

I agree about the dogs. I don't think we will ever have dogs again until we live on a farm somewhere and I'm at home all the time. Dogs shouldn't be cooped up inside a house all the time, either. At this stage in our lives, a cat is best for our family.

[a} said...

OOhhhh photos, photos!! Quick!

[I'm gonna dye my hair darkest purple soon inshallah!! Or deeepp red.....]

rilla jaggia said...

Hey Laini,
finished your book and loved it! Reviewed it on my blog.

Left-handed Trees... said...

I cannot wait to see the magenta...the pink was dazzling! I have to tell you that your book is the only one besides the Harry Potter MANIA Petunia has allowed on her nightstand for the past month. Hope your summer is going well!
Love,
D.

Tinker said...

Oh - how I wish I could have taken the girls down to comicon to see you and your lovely magenta hair.
Alas, I'm too late...
Hope you had a wonderful time.

Sarah Beth Durst said...

Magenta! So cool! Post photos soon, please!

Anonymous said...

That does sound cheery for a hairdo.

Our cat is happiest when we're both in the room too and when she can lie across us both. Otherwise she patters back and forth between us.

Anonymous said...

When you're back from the flat land of alien computers, I have a small but happy award waiting on my blog for you.

http://tinkerart.typepad.com/tinker_art/2007/08/ive-spent-the-l.html#more

Anonymous said...

Dogs: a life-style and fashion choice.

Anonymous said...

Laini,
I ADORE the sound of your magenta hair (as if that pink wasn't cute enough!),
I love love love your cherubic voice in this blog (I'm new to it!)
I couldn't agree more about dogs --we took ours to a cafe tonight in Palo Alto (it was so much fun for the kids; why haven't we dont this more often?)
I bookmarked you, and I'll be back soon.
SO delighted to find you!
*steph

madelyn said...

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

:)

i can't wait to se your
hair - post it with the
polkadot hairband!

hugs;)

Anonymous said...

You racy girl...my 23 year old is your evil pink headed twin, you might have seen Nicole around Portland, she's starting her career in the pearl at the new Bishops, hoping to turn unsuspecting portlanders, magenta too! yes she re-dyes it every 2 weeks,,,might try a funky wig,,,,
www.prettyvivid.com
cheers
steph b