An Open Letter to The Writers of "The Office"

Dear Writers of "The Office":

Thank you for making Angela's favorite song "Little Drummer Boy." That has always been my most hated Christmas carol, but now that it's become a joke your show, when I hear it, I simply think of Dunder-Mifflin and all its hilarity instead of how much I hate the song.

Thank you for making my most hated Christmas song bearable.

Sincerely,
Erika

P.S. Nice job on the rest of the show too. It's top notch. One thing though: I'm kind of tired of the Jim and Pam drama, and actually all the drama, period. The show was, in my opinion, much stronger when it was just funny and not all soap opera-y. Bring back free pretzel day!

Pet Sounds

Once again, this week, we had to take Stella to the vet.

Like many small dogs, she has been afflicted with a luxating patella, which basically means that her kneecap slips out every once in awhile. Sometimes it slips back in on its own, and sometimes we have to move it back for her. She's been limping around, picking up her right hind leg, for the last several weeks* and though we put her on crate rest for the majority of that time, it didn't seem to help.

The doctor prescribed an anti-inflammatory, and we've started giving her supplements that should help strengthen her joints, so we're hoping we'll be able to avoid surgery. Stel is not overweight, so that should work in her favor as, obviously, excess weight creates stress on the joints.

Nonetheless, the last several weeks have been stressful on all of us. Poor Stella hasn't been allowed to run and play, and my husband and I have been wondering about the what ifs. Throughout her life with us, we have spent more time worrying about Stella than I care to say. When we first got her, she had a long, rough bout of kennel cough. Then when we tried to switch her from puppy food to adult food, it took a good six months before we found one that agreed with her sensitive Boston Terrier tummy, and about a week after we did, she caught a parasite. As soon as that cleared up, this happened.

I love her to pieces, but lately, I've been feeling sad that I can't simply enjoy having her around instead of spending every day wondering what's next.

Then this morning, one of my coworkers came in late, telling the story of how his daughter threw up in his car. I couldn't help but think of the time Stella threw up in my car. It was an unpleasant ride for sure, but, being a dog, she was in her Terrier Carrier. Thus, all vomit was easily contained and washed away in the laundry room sink. I'm pretty sure my coworker can't say the same for his daughter's incident today.

Lesson learned: Be grateful for the dog. It may be stressful to take care of her sometimes, but a kid has to be way worse.

*She's still too fast for me to catch her. But in my defense, she's still running on three legs to my two, and she's only 16 pounds, where I am considerably heavier.

The Soundtrack of My Life

Stolen from a Facebook friend who probably stole it from someone else....

I did take away some of the categories I thought were dumb or weird. But that was before I did the exercise, so it still counts.

1. Put your iPod on shuffle. (Or you can write whatever comes on the radio.)
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Home I do tend to hole up in the winter.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
I Never Loved A Man (The Way That I Love You) I don't know if that answers the question, but at least it has to do with love. And let me just clarify that I am not a lesbian.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
The Scotsman If you know this song, you'll know that my life's purpose is apparently looking under kilts. Sweet.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
I'm Walkin' Could be worse I guess.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
She's Always A Woman To Me Thank God, because I'd be pretty upset if they thought I was a man.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Wide Open Spaces This was more true 5-10 years ago, but I guess it's sort of true now.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Hiphopapotamus vs. Rhymenoceros Hell yeah!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Born in the U.S.A. This is funnier than you can imagine, because I am always telling my husband that he is American, not Italian.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The Seer's Tower A bit poetic, and also reminiscent of my list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
She Came in Through The Bathroom Window I guess it could be worse. I get to be a Beatles song, and at least it's not "Piggies."

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
O Little Town of Bethlehem So not what I think.

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon Dear God.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Bitch I left this question on even though I already got married. I did not dance at my wedding, but this would have been a great one if I had.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
O Tannenbaum It's the instrumental Charlie Brown version. I guess I'm alright with that.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
You Were Mine Um, yeah, not so much.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Like A Virgin The secret is out! I have Madonna in my iTunes.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Atomic Some of them, yeah, probably.

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Lonely Teenager Been there, done that.

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
In the Flesh Hey, there are worse ways to go.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Yesterday I guess that's all I can regret, right?

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Should I Stay or Should I Go Only when I try to play it on Rock Band.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Chicago Poetic, no?

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Karma Chameleon I did marry a man whose colors are like my dreams. He is not, however, a man without conviction and a man who doesn't know.

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Adia I guess this makes sense when you consider that the last time I went to the dentist it was playing. The dentist is scary.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Upon Those Stones This song is from Les Miserables. I guess I would change the French Revolution if I could, but something tells me other things might be on my list.

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
One Week Ah, yes, but which one?

An Open Letter To Barack Obama

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

I'm sure you're hearing from many people today who want to tell you congrats on the whole White House thing, so I'll make this note brief. But I wanted to talk to you about that puppy you promised your daughters last night.

I don't know if you and the missus have looked into it at all, but if you haven't decided on a breed yet, I want to cast my vote for the Boston Terrier. If you research the breed on the American Kennel Club's Web site, you'll find that BTs are described as "conveying an impression of determination, strength and activity." Which is exactly what you want to do as president, so I think getting a Boston would make a nice statement.

Plus they're really cute, and I think people would really like seeing a little BT chasing a ball on the White House lawn.

I know you're busy preparing to run the country and stuff, but if you have a second, please peruse my posts about my own Boston Terrier, Stella, and make sure you look at her pictures. You can't have her, of course, but if you get a BT and want to have Stella come over for play dates, I'm sure we could work something out.

Sincerely,
Erika

Stage Mother

It's true. My dog is adorable.

It is also true that since we don't have children, my husband and I have turned into Those People With The Dog. You know. The people who love their dogs just a little too much. The ones who announce that our dog earned her AKC Canine Good Citizen certification the way parents would announce that their kid made the honor roll. And yes, the ones who tell people that she has already chosen what she wants to be when she grows up (a model).

In our defense, look how cute she is! Way cuter than a lot of kids. And way better behaved (sometimes). And as of the other day, it turns out that she is well on her way to becoming a model, just like she wanted.

Awhile back, my husband, who happens to be a professional photographer, took a Christmas-themed photo of our girl and uploaded it to a stock photo Web site. The other day, he checked the site and found out that it had been purchased by someone for use!

Unfortunately, there's no way to find out who purchased the image. Still, it sure is exciting to know that my little girl's face will be out there for the world to see. I'm sure it won't be long till she has her own TV show.