Things I Like: Part 2 of 5

I love white dogs.

Truth be told, it’s very rare that I meet a dog I don’t like. But white dogs occupy an extra-special space in my heart. Right next to the extra-special places reserved for bloodhounds, sporty-looking sighthounds, roly-poly puppies of any variety, most any member of the mastiff family, poodles, and English pointers. My parents’ dog, Guildenstern, has an extra-special spot of his own too. How could he not?

What a babe. Ten bucks says he’s asleep right now! He spends his waking hours devising new ways to be cute. Unsurprisingly, he’s got my parents wrapped around his little dew claw. Speaking of Gil, here’s a droll e-mail my mother sent me about an encounter on a recent walk:

… a little girl shouted, “Daddy, Daddy, look at that gorgeous dog!” According to your father, Gil blushed, but I wouldn’t put too much faith in that part of the story.

Baby (Dog) Names

In the fall I’m buying a puppy! Last summer I went to a dog show in Welland to meet the breeder and her (beautiful) dogs. My application to purchase was approved a few weeks ago and I couldn’t be more excited. Or more impatient! The end of the wait is hoving into view at long last though. Hallelujah, y’all!

The breeder can’t guarantee the gender for obvious reasons, but I’m hoping for a boy. Got any great ideas for names? Here are some I’ve been thinking of:

1. Llewellyn: From one of my favourite novels, No Country for Old Men (by Cormac McCarthy).
2. Come to think of it, Cormac would be a pretty good name too.
3. Luke: The patron saint of artists.
4. Wickham: The patron saint of womanizing cads. I think my boy will be popular with the bitches!
5. Viscount: Too bad there’s a cigarette company by the same name. Lil’ V would be such a cute nickname!
6. Emory: Means brave. This is an important quality!
7. Princey: Would it be weird to name my dog after myself?
8. Guildenstern: This is my parents’ dog’s name. I named him, and now I wish I’d kept the name for myself! Rosencrantz doesn’t abbreviate so nicely.

Speaking of Guildenstern, here’s a diptych from a few weeks back. I babysat him while my parents were on vacation. He moped something awful, and my parents missed him too — they e-mailed every night to ask after him. They’re crazy about him, and he’s got them wrapped around his little dew claw!

Fanmail!

My mother is obliged to send me fanmail because she’s my mother. I love how that works! Check out this gem:

“Blimey! These muscles are really popping out! Don’t hurt yourself, wee one!”

“Wee one” isn’t a very badass nickname but I still appreciate the sentiment. It’s the thought that counts and all that. (I just Googled “badass” because I wasn’t sure if a hyphen belongs in the middle and one of the top results was this list of badass Bible verses. I love the Internet.) My friends are pretty good about humoring me by telling me I look jacked too. Thanks guys!

But yesterday was a big day! I got fanmail from a musclegirl enthusiast — a complete stranger with no obligation to be nice and encouraging. Amazing! Did I mention that I love the Internet?

Today was a big day too. I’ve been growing my hair out from a buzz cut for six months and this afternoon I got my first real hairstyle in a long time! Compliments are welcome from friends and strangers alike! (Why yes, I did just file a post with a picture of myself under the “beauty” tag. Zing!)

A Long, Lanky Bedfellow

Guildenstern is very much alive, and he’s hogging the sheets.

My parents have a four-year-old Ibizan Hound called Guildenstern, and their world revolves around him. My mother cooks for him every day. My father has showed pictures of him to his dentist. Gil sleeps in what was once my bed, so when I visit home we have to share. He likes to stretch out his infinitely long legs and take up all the room! And he gives me these big, reproachful eyes when I nudge him back over to his side! Good thing he’s cute.