Thursday, July 31, 2008

Whatever Happened to Crazy Lady?

Crazy lady is sad. Another writer friend posted this, instead of her usual Thursday night ramblings about food and life. In June, one of her artists had a breakdown and he's in the hospital. She understands the highs & lows of crazy brains, and is worried about her new artist friend and writer friend.

She's also worried about the "mental state of normals." Another artist, after learning about the hospitalization, volunteered to take over the work for the upcoming Hannah & Delores books. Then, he asked for more money this week. Crazy lady understands that it is hard to be a "working artist"-- she is, after all, a "working writer" and adheres to a strict budget-- but re-negotiation, and holding artwork hostage, is not cool. She doesn't understand why this new artist couldn't asked for more money two months ago, when he offered to help. She expects honesty & integrity from others. Unethical and sleezy behavior always reminds crazy lady of the time she spent working for the Bank.

So, crazy lady has to find (yet another) artist to finish the work on her dragon & slayer books. Plus, she has to finish writing another book, prepare for the Rhode Island Film Festival, and complete re-writes on her second screenplay by the end of August. Deadlines, deadlines...it means that crazy lady spends less time playing chase, and more time at the computer. Do you see the top of her head in the photo?
What about the dried spittle, from the time she fell asleep and drooled on her laptop? She's trying hard to stay awake. At least her hair is clean and she hasn't run out of human food, yet! Until crazy lady meets her deadline, it's going to be hectic around here. I force her to take breaks every couple of hours, and she never runs out of dog food. That's good. She also checks her email and loves it when her friends send letters. Just this evening, crazy lady received the following video link from a wonderful friend in Denver (click on picture to see video):
You can see other films by Cindy here. Crazy lady
gave me a BIG hug, after watching this video and viewing Cindy's site.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

As You Like It

Summertime in Boston means free adventures-- free music, free food, and free theater. After our early evening walk, crazy lady brought me to Cali's house to hang with her five dogs. Yes, she has five dogs, and all of them are pit bulls and boxers! Cali teaches literature at Haar-vaard, but she's not as uptight as most Cambridge folks. She feeds me lots of cheese and let's me play in her garden. She's not a bad egg. I still prefer P-Man, although he needs to stop playing matchmaker.

After collecting food for a picnic, crazy lady left with Cali, P-Man and another nameless MIT geek set-up (will they ever learn?) to walk to Boston Commons for a free Shakespeare production of AS YOU LIKE IT. They left us alone to frolic in the garden. Crazy lady returned with some pictures of the crowd:
She wasn't allowed to take pictures of the actual show. (You can see pictures and read the actors' blog here). She said "nameless MIT geek" kept telling her that she was doing everything wrong-- wrong light, wrong focus, wrong frame. I think she took bad pictures to irritate "nameless MIT geek." Crazy lady is not known for her maturity. Sometimes, I think I'm the alpha in our relationship.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Bandit!

Judy my foster mamma has a huge heart. She took care of me before crazy lady, and she takes care of many other special dogs. She has a soft spot for dogs with special needs. When she found Bandit at the shelter, abandoned with a severely broken leg, she decided to help him. No second thoughts, no "pass the buck," no turning away. That's the kind of heart my foster mamma has-- a big one.

You can read Bandit's story here. His vet bills are over $4,000 and the animal rescue group is accepting donations. Crazy lady knows that many people are out of work and struggling right now, but she says that every little bit helps. The donation is tax deductible, and you can use Paypal. "How to donate" is on the right side of Bandit's blog.

Thank you for all of your help! Even if you can't give money, please "pass the word" about Bandit and the wonderful rescue group that saved my life.

A Sunny Rainy Day

Crazy lady keeps asking: How can it be 84 degrees outside, and still zero visibility because of rain? She asked her mother the Mafia Queen, who replied, "That's why we moved to California." Cryptic response, huh? Oh well. She should respect her mother and know that the Mafia Queen is always right. When crazy lady snorted in response to the Mafia Queen's answer, I just gave her the "devil look" and continued to play with my toys in her office:
We had big plans for today. The Princess and her mother were going to pop in, so we could walk to the Farmer's Market and run through park sprinklers. The rain ruined our plans. Instead, we stayed inside and played with dinosaurs. We also ate chicken lunch, sang pretend song, danced to Brazilian music, and strummed crazy lady's banjo and guitars. The Princess was afraid I would eat the dinosaurs:
No worries. I watched her line them up on the couch and ate my cheese:
Yum. I love it when the Princess feeds me cheese. Next time, though, we are definately going to the Farmer's Market. Rain or shine. She also owes me a trip to the dog park so I can play with my friends. It's been too long!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Sunday Brunch

Crazy lady is crapped out. Exhausted. Bone weary. She left me home alone for long periods of time last week because she had "obligations." She had to attend a writer's conference and speak on a "women who write horror" panel. She is tired of hypocrites who demand that she has a "social obligation to consider the power of her words." To quote crazy lady:

It's fiction, people. Deal with it.

I've had to listen to crazy lady grumble about the evils of Amazon, bigotry, censorship and moral superiority all day today. At least we had fun yesterday-- crazy lady invited Princess Kaylie and her family for Sunday brunch! Here we are, taking a walk after munching on blueberry pancakes, fresh cherries, and fruit salad:
I love Princess Kaylie. She always wants to feed me cheese and go for walks. I was afraid of her father, King Marc, but crazy lady explained that I would fall in love with the King if he ignored me. Strange, but true. By the end of the day, I let him pet me! He was a kind and gentle man:
Well, crazy lady is starting to fall asleep at the computer. It must be nap time. Maybe I can convince her that it's time for a walk?

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Spa Day

Crazy lady had another date last night, and is in (yet another) grumpy mood. Too much fun, too little sleep, and delicious Taiwanese food was shared by everyone but me. Did she save her steamed whole fish? Her pumpkin noodles? Her veggie dumplings? No. Of course not. I am chopped liver with onions, an afterthought, a DOG.

So, today was my revenge. She said I was "in a mood," but I was really going to pay her back for leaving me home alone while she had fun last night. I also had to explain that today was about ME, not her. It was a Spa Day! We went to the 4th Annual Boston "Bark and Bath" Dog Wash. It was to benefit the Trust for Public Land's Parks for People- New England initiative:
We walked to Hotel Marlowe and I was calm. Sweet. Nice. Lovely. Until it was bath time. There are no pictures of me getting a bath because, well, crazy lady had to hold me down. She's even more grumpy, right now. She wore a white t-shirt, and it became drenched. Beyond wet. So wet that you can see the roses on her new bra. Yep, because of me, crazy lady gave the fine folks of Boston and Cambridge an erotic show, usually saved for late nights and drunken men.
They offered to take pictures of her helping with the bath, but she politely declined. Hee, hee.

I enjoyed crazy lady's discomfort. I wasn't shaking or panting, but I kept my tail tucked and tried to run away-- until it was time for the pedicure. I love to have my nails done! I was nice & pretty, and had calmed down after the bath. I let them hold & pet me while they clipped my nails. Did crazy lady use the opportunity to take a picture? Nope. She was too busy talking to the woman with the Polka Dog Bakery, a sponsor of the event:
They gave me a peanut butter cupcake and meat lover biscuits. Yum. Crazy lady promised to take me to the bakery next week. I forgive her for last night. After all, she gave me treats and had my nails done! Here's one last beauty shot for my fans:

Friday, July 11, 2008

A visit with Princess Kaylie and Queen Robyn

Crazy lady disappeared this morning to spend time with Princess Kaylie and Queen Robyn.
Queen Robyn had a doctor's appointment and crazy lady watched the Princess in the waiting room. They read books, and the Princess tried on many jewels.

Later, they came back and had pizza! Isn't Princess Kaylie silly?
She makes funny faces, but always shares her food with me.
I like Princess Kaylie and Queen Robyn. They make crazy lady chill out and relax; and they always take me for walks in the park.

Friday, July 4, 2008

BOOM! A Boston 4th of July

Crazy lady has decided that the people of Boston are…well… crazy. We went to the park this afternoon, and she spent time talking to Bostonians who shared her bench overlooking the hoards of yachts on the Charles River. It was crowded and cold, but people still wore shorts and sat on the wet ground:
They love their Boston dogs (critters and munchies), pie, beer, baseball (go SOX!) and boats. They were especially pleased with the Freedom Trail and Boston Commons. Hmmm…okay, so maybe Bostonians did play a major role in our fight for independence. To quote wikipedia:

“During the early 1770s, British attempts to exert control on the thirteen colonies, primarily via taxation, prompted an uproar in New England. Boston played the primary role in sparking both the American Revolution and the ensuing American Revolutionary War. The Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and several of the early battles of the Revolution (such as the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston) occurred near or in the city. During this period, Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Dr. Samuel Prescott made their famous midnight rides.”

We returned home and she started to work on a new story. Yes, on the national day of hot dogs and beer—in the Cradle of Liberty which houses the Constitution— crazy lady works. She read Michael Ruhlman's blog on spatchcock, and was anxious to write a love story about grilling a cheating man. She insists there’s a connection between love, butchering and spatchcock, but tells me I have to wait until she’s done with the story.

Anyhow, she was having a perfectly lovely time, until P-Man showed up and insisted she join him for the fireworks. She knew that he had an ulterior motive-- he has been trying to set her up with an MIT geekazoid she met at the dog park-- but she decided, “why not?” and left. I stayed home, since crazy lady wanted me safe from the canons and fireworks. I don’t mind the noise, but she was worried about the crowds, cold and rain.

Crazy lady came back with hugs & pictures (special thanks to Timmy and P-Man at the party):
She still doesn’t like the MIT geekazoid “in that way,” and insists they stay friends. I suspect P-Man will continue to play matchmaker. Huh. I'm not looking for a daddy, and P-Man might want to proceed with caution. Crazy lady has "control issues" and likes to pick her own men. Maybe P-Man should read her horror stories, especially if he keeps trying to set her up with strange men. Emasculating, torturing, butchering, and (now) spatchcocking are common themes. Maybe I should warn P-Man? No, maybe not. Why spoil the fun?

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Doggy gosh darn day

Crazy lady knows that this picture is “piss poor and useless dribble.” All you see is my head and the elevator door. She was complaining about “too much junk.” She kept swearing to herself, while she balanced the camera. Someone should clean her mouth out with extra strength detergent. I just ignore her and run back & forth, sniffing at the elevator. We were leaving for the dog park early today, so crazy lady could go to Haar-vaard and stare at the “uptight freaks.” Those are her words, not mine. I like the people at Haar-vaard. They call me “delicate” and “precious.” They give me treats and sometimes speak Mandarin. They remind me of the few good times I had in Taiwan.

Crazy lady complains a lot about Haar-vaard, but I think she really enjoys hanging out at the bookstores and staring at the people. She just likes to pretend cynicism and scorn. She’s collecting material for a new horror story about a “bitter, depressed and perky graduate student who seeks revenge on her advisor.” How many different ways can crazy lady write about psychological manipulation and torture? Apparently, she’s really good at it. Her stories are always described as “creepy,” “horrific,” and “not meant for prime time.” She even got kicked-out of Kansas. I think she is using repressed memories from her own graduate school experience, in this particular story. I feel sorry for the poor man she is setting-up to emasculate. Almost.

Hey, wait a minute. That guy in the park is eating a cereal bar. Maybe if I act cute and innocent, he will give me a piece? What do you think? Ooops. I hear crazy lady apologize to the man. He’s laughing. “Shy dog? That aint no shy dog!” he tells her, while scratching my neck. Crazy lady just sighs and shakes her head. I think she feels a little frustrated that people no longer believe her, when she explains that I am shy. Maybe because I love people in elevators, sidewalks and subway stations? They have gentle hands and interesting smells.

Crazy lady promises to take pictures, next time we visit my friends at the Cambridge dog park. Hey, I hear her at the front door. She’s home early, probably because of the summer storm brewing outside. Yeah! Time for another walk!