365 Photo Project - Day 198

Taken: July 17, 2010

Location: Healdsburg, Ca

365 Photo Project - Day 153

Taken June 2, 2010, 1 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.

Having pets I've discovered is hard work. They take over your house, your world, your life. You begin to change simple things about your every day habits because the little creatures silently (or not so silently) demand it of you. Little stuff like changing from white comfort covers to hide all the hair and dirt and whatever else they leave on your bed. And Speaking of beds, it's not your bed anymore. Not even close. Once you let a pet sleep with you, it's over. You've lost. There's no instant reply or do-overs, no let's go to the video tape. You're done.

They regulate feeding time and going-out time and they tether you to your house. And what do you get in return? You might get loyalty but you'll definitely get some laughs, most of which will be at your expense. You might also get a pair of shoes chewed up or your favorite pair of glasses crunched into a pile of plastic, at least one chair or rug you love will get pissed on and certain times of the day you will be forced to walk through your house with a set of teeth clamped onto the ankle of your pants. That, my friends, is fun to them.

Oh you'll get love and here's the rub: you, will without, fail fall in love too. Hard. Because they don't just take over your life, they infect your heart. This is their whole plan. Resistance is futile because they are smarter then us. Earning your love and affection is all part of a larger agenda. Because sooner or later, they know you'll love them so much that that nipping at your pants thing? You will enjoy it as much as they do. Fair warning people.

365 Photo Project - Day 146

Taken: May 26, 2010, 2 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca

I've had several straight days where I've slept very well. I can't explain it. I've actually had a lot on my mind lately, more than usual which is saying a lot. I'm facing another TV staffing season and so far, not much is happening that makes me think a job is in my near future.  It's not over yet, though and I've got some meetings in LA coming up, but so far, it's been truly a bummer.

I'm also involved in a personal legal situation that's taxing my patience and my wallet. I'd rather have not pursued this course of action, but I felt I was left with no choice. It feels good to take action, though, and while I hope this will turn out in our favor (and believe objectively that it should) I didn't take this action without a lot of forethought. Sometimes you have stand up for yourself even if it's painful to do that.

My work has been generally going well and I'm beginning to see a true end to this novel I'm writing. I don't think I can go another fall and winter with it on my conscience so I'm feeling the pressure.  It's no wonder I was having trouble sleeping for so long but the last few days, I've gotten a lot of good Z's.

It's amazing what a little rest does to a person's general disposition and how easily I forget how important it is until I have a good stretch of sleepfull nights. Sometimes I think I should be more like my pugs. They sleep, they eat, they play, rinse and repeat. Work is good for the soul I know. I'm not kidding. It's good for you but if you take it too seriously, if you mistake the goal for the journey, you end up missing really important stuff -- like, um, life.

The best kind of "can't sleep" is the one that comes from anticipation. The good kind of anticipation, the "I can't wait for tomorrow because something big is going to happen" kind. The word "big" here has no particular meaning -- it should mean something different to each of us. I love nights like that because even if you don't get as much sleep as you want, when you finally do fall into dreamland, it's with a smile on your face and a beat and a half in your heart.

When I was a kid, I used to get into bed and concentrate really hard on the next day. The idea was to pick out something cool about tomorrow, something worth getting up for, something to anticipate. It was an exercise that helped me deal with some awkward and painful growing pains. And I used it many years into adulthood until somewhere along the way, I just stopped. I don't even remember when or why. I've been trying to start up again. In many ways it's like riding a bicycle, even to the point where it feels like you're exercising whole new muscles you haven't used in awhile.

But the feeling of anticipation and the wonderful lightness it brings with it hasn't changed. I remember it like it was yesterday and it still makes me smile.

365 Photo Project - Day 143

Taken: May 23, 2010, 10 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.

That's Chamuco, my little pug all tuckered out after spending the day with me. I took him down to Sacramento today -- a 3-hour round trip -- to visit my friend in the hospital. She is still very ill and not out of the woods yet, but she has made progress. The nurses at the hospital, encourage family and friends to bring their pets -- believing that it helps patients in their recovery. My friend is the reason we have Chamuco and I thought it was fitting to bring him along for a visit.
I was worried that he would be a little bit too rambunctious for a visit to the hospital, but he did well. I know this sounds silly, but he is a very sensitive soul and I think he sensed the gravity of the illness around him. I know that scientists have shown that some dogs can sense when people are sick and without knowing anything about it, I believe it. 

When we put Chamuco on my friend's bed, he didn't get excited. He wagged his tail and sniffed around, licking her hands and feet, but he resonated a Zen-like calm. Very unlike a dog whose name means "Little Devil."

He had a positive effect on everyone who saw him that day -- even my friend's father who we met outside her room. Chamcuo went right up to him and sat at his feet, letting him rub his head. This is the same dog that would rather jump on a person to greet them. I was impressed with his demeanor. Perhaps he is smarter than I give him credit for.
I loved to see the smiles on people's faces as we walked through the hospital hallways. Pugs are indeed strange looking dogs, what with their scrunchy flat faces, bulging eyes and stocky builds, but I defy you to find a pug that can't put a smile on someone's face.
It was a long day for Chamuco but I was glad to have him along as my copilot for the day. I hope the visit helped my friend, even just a little. I don't need any reinforcement in my belief of the Power of the Pug, but seeing my friend get better would be a warm and welcome sight.

365 Photo Project - Day 130

Taken: May 10, 2010, 7 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, CA

Another pug photo. My almost three-year-old pug, Chamuco.  This is a slice of my life that's very easy to show you -- one of the faces I see every day.  I love this look of his, too. One thing I love about pugs is they all seem to have very distinctive personalities and they're very clear about letting you know about them.

Chamuco is much friendlier and cuddlier than my old man pug, Louie, who seeks out your attention only when he wants it. Chamuco always wants to be around you and he's constantly "asking" to get in your lap even during dinner, no matter how hard we've tried to get him not to beg at the table. At night, he crawls under the covers and always sleeps next to my husband but come morning,  he'll sit on top of me as soon as I wake up.

Mischievous doesn't begin to describe his personality.  Half the time when he does something "bad," he sneaks off to do it in another room. The boy knows his place -- he just won't mind it.

Lots of times he'll sit as he is in this photo, against a wall, a door or his dog bed and give us The Look. This gaze has different meanings depending on the time of day and the situation but no matter what he's done,  it's hard not to forgive him when he looks up at you with that face.

Shot this with my K100D and edited in Photoshop.

365 Photo Project - Day 111

Taken: April 21, 2010, 10:30 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, CA

This is likely to be one of the rare shots of my husband, Ignacio. He doesn't like his picture taken and he really doesn't want to be a subject  -- in photos or conversation -- of this blog.  I certainly don't blame him for wanting to maintain his relative anonymity here and I've tried to respect his wishes.

I asked him for permission to take and use this image -- it's of my husband with our youngest pug dog, the one whose name translates to "little devil."  The truth is he's a little sweetheart most of the time. He just loves to be the center of attention, loves to snuggle and cuddle and do all those things that my other pug (aka the Old Man) doesn't really have the patience for.

But even in this shot, you can see the devil in his eyes. Trust me, it's in there.

365 Photo Project - Day 88

Taken: March 29, 2010, noon
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.

I likely won't be writing much the next few days. I'm in the latter stages of finishing a writing project and when I get this close to "The End" of a script or novel, I find it's impossible for  me to focus on anything else in my life, my friends and loved ones included. They know me by now I guess but I always feel bad when I run into and/or hang out with my friends during those times I'm bearing down to finish a project. My thoughts are always elsewhere, usually in some far and distant land of my mind where all sorts of weird stuff happens. Not the kind of stuff you want anyone to know you're thinking about, not even your friends. Hell, especially your friends,

I'm a day late with today's photo because we spent our evening last night with good friends in St. Helena. They follow my blog and made a special request to ease up on the pug pictures. But when I went through my photos last night and this morning, this was the one that stood out. That's my young (actually he's nearly 3 years old now) pug, Chamuco aka "The Little Black Devil" giving me one of those looks he gives me when I'm leaving for work. Sometimes I take him with me and let him chew on a bully stick while I work. After awhile, he gets tired of chewing and falls asleep at my feet.

I used to work out of my house and got used to pugs snoring nearby or sitting in my lap (pugs love to be in the same room with you at all times) and cats curled up on top of my monitor -- until flat screens came into vogue that is. I remember when I bought my first flat screen monitor and no sooner had I set it up, my cat, Sassy, jumped up on the desk and tried to take her spot on top of the warm monitor. Unfortunately, she was unpleasantly surprised to discover there was no spot for her to sit on anymore. Who knew you were supposed to consult your cat on these purchases? Let me tell you there was a lot of guilt involved.

Anyone who has a dog or a cat understands how quickly they take over your life and your house. Before you know it and without even thinking about it, you suddenly realize that you make 100 decisions a day with your pet in mind. Decisions, I'll add, you would have made (a lot) differently if you were pet-less. In other words, it's not your house anymore, it's theirs. You are merely a visitor, a trespasser in their domain. The sooner you make peace with this concept, the happier you will be. Trust me, I know. I am, after all, owned by two pugs and a very old and very vocal cat.

I shot Chamuco with my K100D and converted it to B&W with Photoshop.

365 Photo Project - Day 79

Taken: March 20, 2010, 12:30 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.

Another shot of my old man pug, Louie.

The origin of pugs is still in some dispute. We know they're originally from China and they were bred by royalty for royalty, that they were mixed with mastiffs along the way, that they were intended as companion dogs and they are brachycephalic or flat-nosed dogs.  I've heard it said that Tibetans believe they are reincarnated monks. I don't care if that last part is true -- the idea is so wonderful I prefer to believe it.  My favorite term about pugs is the Latin multum in parvo, which loosely translated means "big dog in a small package."  They are every bit of that. For members of the so-called Toy Group, they are tough as hell,  smart, funny, motivated by food, stubborn as the day is long and, at times, among the most peculiar of man's best friends. They have personality to burn. Really knowing a pug dog is loving a pug dog. No two ways about it.

I'm biased I admit. Louie is the first dog I've had as an adult and I got him when he was at least five years old and had already lived most of his life on the street. He's had one illness or another almost the entire time we've had him -- is now completely deaf,  blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other. His cost and care have been a challenge to our hearts -- and our wallets -- but he has also been a light in our lives, an integral and ever-present member of our family, the ruler of the house. The day he leaves us will open an enormous hole in our hearts.

Since Louie is a rescue, people often say how lucky he is to have found us. I always say without hesitation that it's we who are fortunate to have found Louie. He changed us in ways deep and lasting. He brought love into our lives when we were struggling to find our footing in difficult times. He gave us a purpose when we were floundering, he gave us strength and as crazy as this sounds, brought us luck.

We've come to rely on the certainty of his being and his idiosyncrasies, his tightly curled tail and the happy dance he does when it's time for supper or a walk. His particular manner of being under foot without being in the way, his gentle snoring at night,  the way motorcycles turn him into a junk yard dog and how he used to tilt his head when he could still hear us say "ride" or "cookie". He's such a huge part of our lives that he is at one with us -- there is no knowing us without knowing Louie the King of All Pugs.

Chamuco, our recent pug addition, is making his own name among our friends and in the hierarchy of the household, but Louie will always be the man, our first, our one and only, our heart. I sometimes find it hard to believe how deeply Louie has taken hold in our lives, how much a part of us he has become. Perhaps part of it is because we don't have children but I know in my heart that there's something else at work here.  There's just something about Louie, something special and wonderful and magic. I just don't think his finding us (and vice versa) isn't somehow the work of fate -- that there isn't some grand design in play here that is beyond my comprehension.

On those days when believing in the void is almost impossible, I only have to look at Louie to rekindle my faith in things unknown.  A reminder that some gifts come in little packages with big hearts and flat noses and curly tails.

I shot this with my K100D and edited it slightly in Photoshop.