TV Stand Dilemma part 2

Did I get a new TV stand last week like I said I wanted to do? Nope! Still no new TV stand. We did go out and look once again this past Sunday but still no decision. I'm not sure what is keeping me from making the decision. It's not rocket science...it's just a TV stand!

The types of TV stands that are on the market now are quite different than the one that's being replaced. Entertainment centers used to be more the thing. Now it's TV stands with less storage and/or open shelves. Yes, there are some options for buying a 4 to 6 piece unit that is essentially an entertainment center but I'm unwilling to make room for that type of a unit. Truth be told once I choose one and get it home my stuff will likely fit just fine.

Stormy Days and Nights!

This has been a stormy week thus far. It's raining as I type this post! We've had some cooler temps which has been great. Temps that have made it possible for me to take the boys on a nice late afternoon walk for the last three days.

On Monday I decided to take a movie back to Blockbuster but boy did I pick a poor time to go. I saw clouds rolling in, noticed it getting darker, and rather quickly it started pouring. The rain was fierce too. Rain is great, thunder is alright, but lightening freaks me out. The stores in the area lost power and people were darting out of stores and running to their cars. It was a crazy scene. People didn't take time to look for cars as they ran across the parking lot they just ran. There was a significant wind accompanying the rain so those that were trying to use their umbrellas weren't having much luck.

The way storms roll in with little to no warning is one thing that has surprised me the most about TX. I love it though! It's just different than anything I've experienced before. It can make for an exciting time!

I'll end with a story from my childhood. I was likely around 8 yrs old at the time. I was out to dinner with my grandparents and my cousin Nick. Phx was being hit by a monsoon storm which can produce some significant rain at least once during the course of the monsoon season. The restaurant the 4 of us were dining at lost power. Which Nick and I thought was hilarious! Our grandmother carried nearly everything in her purse so we all finished our meal using her trusty purse-size flashlight. When we arrived back at our grandparents home the power was out there too. Which meant my grandmother had to walk around to the front of the house to a different entrance then walk through the house to then manually open the garage door. Grandma was the type that worried a lot about her hair(yep that's where I get my hair obsession from). Anyway she took time to get an umbrella over her head and off she went walking up their long driveway. Just seconds after stepping out of the car the umbrella was caught by a rain soaking gust of wind causing it to flip inside out and become useless. Nick, grandpa, and myself sat in the car watching the entire scene. Nick and I started tearing up from laughing so hard. I can still recall that night's events in my mind. And I still laugh every time! Grandma was a great sport about it, she thought it was hilarious too!

My Week!

This has been a weird week for me. I've been in a bit of a funk...I guess you could say! I'm dieting for the second week in a row which causes me to be on edge. I'm not even completely sure why I'm dieting! Another thing that's bothering me is that when I look into the mirror I'm reminded how much I dislike my new hair color that still hasn't been fixed. My hair has been so dry and brittle that I can't go get anything else done to the color. Not to mention I'm stressing out over stupid stuff. Like which TV stand to buy and the fact that the homemade mac and cheese I made tonight was a total bust. It's the second time in recent months I've tried to make mac and cheese from scratch. This time I think I may have ruined a saucepan my grandmother gave me. I definitely consider myself a decent cook....why can't I make mac and cheese, darn it?

Safe to say it's time to refocus and get back on track. It rained late this afternoon which made me happy. I love rain! The boys and I went out on the balcony to enjoy the rain for awhile. Cody is quite brave! He even stuck his head between the railing to look down at the raindrops falling.

I will wrap this up in a cute way. The other day I went to Petsmart just for dog food but wound up buying toys and treats for the boys. I gave the boys the new toys as soon as I got home. Cody was excited as always by the 2 new toys. He's really had trouble deciding which one he likes more! Anyway, my boyfriend came over last night and as soon as he arrived little Cody came to greet him with one of the new toys in his mouth. He seemed to be doing all he could to show off his new toy. LOL!! It was very cute to watch! Totally Cody!

TV Stand Dilemma

This is kind of a pointless info type of post but oh well! LOL!!! For the most part, myself and the boys are settled into our new place. There are a few boxes still unpacked and the spare room is a bit out of sorts. The one section of the apartment that has the biggest issue is the entertainment area. I got a new TV after Christmas...problem is, the new TV doesn't fit inside the current entertainment center. I've been dealing with it for the past few months by putting the new TV on the very top of the entertainment center. Needless to say this situation looks a bit strange. I've been looking for a new TV stand since moving to the new place. I've seen a couple I like but I'm kind of being picky about height and length.

After being here for the last 3 weeks though I'm getting tired of this strange sight greeting me as I walk into the door each day. I'm not sure it will happen but I hope by the end of the week I have made up my mind and purchased a new TV stand. If my boyfriend happens to be reading this...sweetness, we may be busy putting together a new TV stand this weekend. Fun!!! LOL!!!

No Texas in Pac!

Oh darn, no Texas in the Pac 10. I didn't think they would jump conferences but up until today reports seemed to have them primed to make the switch. I was excited about the thought of ASU visiting Texas from time to time. I would likely try hard to make a trip down to Austin for a game. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. On the flip side of things I kind of like Texas being in the Big 12 and not apart of the Pac 10. That way I don't have to choose sides on a regular basis!

I must note the Sun Devils are coming to Texas and right here in Dallas. They will play one of their games this football season at Cowboys Stadium. I've been thinking about trying to get tickets. The fact that it's at Cowboys Stadium scares me a little. It's going to be a money-making venue not your average college football venue! Ticket prices and concessions will reflect that I'm sure.

Random Pug Stuff!

This post is about random recent things involving the pugs. Simon went to the vet this past Friday. We haven't changed vets since moving so we are now 20-some miles away. Which means a long car ride for us when going to the vet. Both of my boys are rather easygoing when it comes to vet visits. Neither one of them has ever shown signs of nervousness. However, there's a first time for everything....Simon had a nervous twitch going on with his back leg during this appointment. I'm not sure why this trip to the vet caused him to have some nervous issue. Possibly the long ride played apart. This is only the second time in his life that he's endured a long ride to the vet. Other than the nervous leg twitch he made it through the appointment alright. The vet did tell me that he needs his teeth cleaned in the next 3-6 months. So if we don't change vets then that means 2 round trips(likely during rush hour) across town! Lovely!

Changing topics...The pugs visited my boyfriend's cat, Storm, this weekend. Overall, she seems to be growing more tolerate of the pugs. There are funny moments when the "animal kingdom" is together. At one point I was upstairs and all 3 animals were upstairs too. I was soon ready to go downstairs, Storm was not. The pugs were hanging out next to each other near the top of the stairs. I began ushering Storm to the stairs as well. However, both pugs were standing where she preferred to be. If she has to leave the upstairs she wants to be either way out in front of the pugs or she wants to be far behind the pugs. Being right next to the pugs and ready to go downstairs all at the same time is not her preference! So in her effort to jockey for position she began whacking the nearest pug to her. Cody was the lucky recipient of her whacks with her paw. He received one whack. He looked puzzled. He received a second whack. He was still puzzled but moved a few slight inches. He received a third whack that's when Cody clued in that she wanted to go down the stairs first and that he needed to get out of her way. It was rather humorous to watch!

*Sidenote: As I'm typing this post Cody is laying in his bed in the hall. Unsocial position but yet he will be the first to know when I get up from the computer! He likes knowing where I am at all times as it seems! I placed that bed in the hall directly across from the door of the spare room with him in mind! Lol!

Me vs. a Lizard!

I don't know what it is about lizards but they creep me out. I'm fine with seeing them outside. Where they belong! However, I don't want them in my home. Yuk!

Last night after getting ready for bed I began taking the numerous decorative pillows off the bed before getting in. As I removed one of the pillows this not so cute baby lizard was staring up at me. Perhaps I should classify him as a teenage lizard since he wasn't extremely small but he was obviously not an adult either. So this teenage lizard is staring up at me. I freaked! I let a girlish scream out and he went running towards another pillow to get under. We then played this lovely game of me removing a pillow and him running to the next available pillow for shelter from me and my girlish screams. Soon I decided to try to edge him into a bag. That didn't work! My next thought thanks to many memories of my grandmother removing lizards from her home was to get kitchen tongs. So now with tongs in hand I picked it up by the tail. The tail stayed intact. But I dropped him in the doorway. Once more a girlish scream came out of me as the thing scurried across the carpet. Then for the second time I picked it up by it's tail. This time the tail did not stay intact. A large portion of the tail came off. Tail and lizard body fell to the floor again. The tail continued to flap about. Seeing lizard body and an unattached tail flapping sent me running and screaming across the living room to the hallway where the pugs were. The pugs were stuck behind their gate for the night but after hearing/witnessing the commotion they both stood ready to get at whatever I was screaming about. Simon appeared a little more ready than Cody! I finally mustered up enough courage to go back across the room to deal with the lizard issue. I used the tongs to direct the lizard all the way across the living room to the front door. Which was no easy task! Once the lizard was outside where he belonged I went back to get the tail. Yuk!

The whole episode freaked me out for awhile. I know lizards are harmless but that thing being on my bed and then me dealing with it's detached tail was freakish! I don't mind them when I see them outside where they belong! The bright green ones are even unique looking I will admit. It's just they need to stay where they belong....outdoors! Before getting into bed for the night I checked it over thoroughly just to make sure he didn't leave behind any friends!

Simon! (aka Boo-Boo)

On this day 8 years ago I became the proud pug mommie of not just 1 puggie but 2 puggies! I mulled over the decision to get the first pug for a few weeks. However, I thought very little about the decision to get a second pug. I believe it was a Wednesday night when it occurred to me that Cody would do well with a partner in crime! Three days later I was calling around for another male pug.

My first impression of Simon...I remember how curious he was! When I took Cody to go pick up Simon for the first time I took a box for Simon to sit in for the long ride home. Cody had sat in that same box as good as gold just months earlier for many rides in the car. However, Simon was much too curious to be contained by that darn box. He lasted in the box for perhaps a minute at the most. He quickly climbed out of the box and began making his way over all the seats in the car. He explored every inch he could easily get to. Later on while at home I put him in the middle of the litter box. He began throwing the sand-like litter all around, while Cody gave him confusing glances.

Simon marches to the beat of his own drum. Though he's a very good boy he's more likely to challenge me from time to time. Yet he is more likely to want to snuggle up and cuddle! I've never had a second of regret about owning 2 dogs versus only 1. They are completely lost without one another!

Below are Simon's baby pics! It was hard to get baby pics of Simon without also getting Cody! The first pic is my fave, such a cute look on his face! The last pic is my other fave...It's a great puppy pic of both boys! That pic is also displayed in 2 different rooms of our place.

*There's Scooby in the pic too! Scooby was Simon's fave toy as a pup. Scooby some how got behind the car in the garage of our townhouse and was tragically ran over by me! Poor Scooby!

The Weekend!

Today I felt the need to do some baking. It's been awhile since I've baked somewhat of an experiment. I've baked recently but I've stuck to my previously tried recipes. Today though I felt adventurous in the kitchen. Those that know me well know that I love to cook and bake and that I'm not afraid to experiment with recipes. I've even had some recipe ideas come to me in my sleep. For this afternoon's baking experiment it was cookies that I threw together. I made a very basic cookie recipe then chopped up old Easter candies and threw them in along with some peanut butter. Everything is better with peanut butter...just ask Simon!

What's up with the pugs? Cody received a tennis ball courtesy of my boyfriend. He loves it! I wouldn't have thought he would take to a tennis ball so easily since it doesn't squeak and is rather big for his mouth. But he makes it work. Him and my boyfriend were busy earlier this afternoon playing fetch. Simon got a tennis ball too. He's just not as into toys though as Cody. He played fetch for awhile, he's not fond of giving the ball up after he goes to get it. So playing fetch with Simon is very different then playing fetch with Cody. The funniest part is when Cody has the ball in his mouth and he's trying to breath while being a little out of breath from chasing the ball. He makes a very unique sound as he sucks in air!

A lot has been going on recently, we moved last weekend, went to a fun in the sun pool party get-together, spent all of this past week unpacking, plus last night and this morning my boyfriend played in a tennis tournament. I'm so proud of him for doing so well too! Now though the focus can shift to enjoying a somewhat low key weekend. I enjoyed the French Open women's final this morning. I love it when new people break through and win a grand slam! Looking forward to the men's final tomorrow! The French Open went by way too fast this year. I missed out on a lot of it because of my move. That's why I'm soaking it all in this weekend!

Oh Geez!

Well my day this past Thursday started out with me finding a dime while walking the boys. Since it's the first time in a very long time that I've been paid in a monetary way for walking the pugs I was happy. Just hours later though I got my first citation in TX. So the dime brought me no luck! Most would probably automatically assume that I was ticketed for speeding! You would be wrong! My ticket was for an unsafe lane change.

The traffic stop was rather bizarre. The cops here like to angrily point/gesture at you while they are on the side of the road before getting on their motorcycle to come pull you over. I've seen it happen to other people before it happened to me this week. I wish there could be a hidden camera capturing the stupid/inconsiderate movements of the cops that feel the need to act out an angry Three Stooges type of scene on the side of the road. I can't help but think is that the way the police department really wants to represent themselves to onlookers that could include young/impressionable children? Bizarre!

This was also the first time I've ever been pulled over and had no clue what I was being pulled over for. I was in such disbelief which I told the officer about as well! I truly didn't have any idea what I did wrong. I simply changed lanes!

I believe I was originally going to be cited for failing to use my directional signal. However, I promptly argued with the cop when he accused me of not signalling. After he left my window and then returned the ticket had suddenly become an unsafe lane change instead. I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket for unsafe lane change that did no damage! If a near accident had been caused or an actual accident then yes most certainly a ticket is standard. The whole experience was a crazy one! The mean pointing/gesturing images will live in my head for awhile!

NBA Finals!

Now of course this former Zonie has to give her opinion on those darn Lakers! I can't stand the Lakers which everyone already knows. You can't grow-up in Phx and be a Lakers fan in my opinion! I thought the Suns had a chance of knocking off the cocky Lakers. In the end it wasn't meant to be I suppose. Not only is it the Lakers that are in the Finals but also the Celtics. The Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, and the Knicks are my least fave NBA teams. Just great....two of the four got into the Finals.

The gods of the NBA got their wish. I'm sure the Finals will get great ratings since it's such well known teams doing battle once again. But for me I would rank this seasons NBA play-offs as the most boring I've ever seen. Way too many short/no contest series all for the end result to be the Lakers vs. the Celtics something that the world has seen so many times before! Geesh! What a yawner!!!!!!

Sidenote: Why are those 4 my least faves? Three of them are well known storied franchises that get way too much attention in my opinion. Of course the Knicks have been doing poorly in recent years but still command a lot of attention because their NY. I just don't like big time attention hogging cities: L.A., Boston, and NY. And why the Cavs? Because of LeBron James!

The Move!

I'm finally able to take a few moments to do a post. I spent all last week packing boxes. Have you ever noticed at the start of the packing process things are quite orderly? Items that should be packed together are truly packed together. Books are taken off the shelf to be packed together in a box appropriately labeled. However, as the packing progresses things start getting thrown into the nearest available box. I refer to that as "go-time". Before you know it's "go-time": scissors, sharpie pens, a drinking glass, a few spoons, and a camera battery charger all are put in one tiny box with no label because the sharpie just got packed too. Go-time!

How did the boys do? Simon was nervous most of last week. He seemed to grow more and more nervous as the boxes took over. Cody was a happy-go-lucky little puggie all week long. He had no concerns related to the pending move! There was one funny moment where Cody was swinging his toy around and he hit a box. He then moved up a little and proceeded to swing his toy only to bump into another box. He wasn't ready to give up though he then moved back and to the side a few steps and started swinging again....he was successful that time!

On Saturday the situation with the movers coming was a little hairy! However, all was worked out rather quickly and our stuff got moved to the new place. I'm extremely proud of myself that my stress level never got out of whack! Moving is stressful but with this move I promised myself I would do my best to keep my stress level in check.

The new apartment is still quite a mess. Boxes all around! However, I pointed out to my boyfriend that even with the boxes all around there's still a lot more room to move about. Unlike the other apartment! Towards the end of last week the boys and I had very few paths to walk from room to room as the boxes were beginning to take over.