The Curious Pug

A Valentine's day treasury for dogs and dog lovers!

2012-01-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

It's been ages since I made a treasury on Etsy! And even longer since I've had one featured on the front page (more like never, but that can change right?). Would you please visit and click around? I'm super inspired right now, I want to make some more! Let's get this one featured :)

~Click to visit this treasury~

Bookmark Dump

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Of course I submitted Mabel's picture to F*ck Yea, Boston Terriers.

I can't remember how I came across this but it's a huge list of journaling prompts.

This is such a pretty nail design tutorial.

Maryam made a cute tutorial on how to take cute head shots.

I think I want to start buying loose leaf tea. Probably because of this cute tea pot.

Scrollsy: Like Pinterest but with Etsy listings.

Stop salivating and make this crock pot chili. Extra cheese on mine please!

I LOVE this! If I knew strangers would be like this when approaching Monty, I would have SO much less anxiety while walking him.

This is amazing! If I could have any talent in the world, I would wish for the ability to draw. Like this. Wow.

David Tevenal: Tattoo Flash from Seanie G Productions on Vimeo.

Blogs and Shops of Note: Dog Milk

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to yet another new blog feature on The Curious Pug! Once a month I plan on sharing a blog or shop that has caught my attention as of late. This month's blog of note is Dog Milk. It is a blog for modern dog lovers to discover new products beyond your typical pet store. You will find a mix of cool things for dogs as well as for humans who love dogs.

I really love shopping for dog supplies because there are so many cute and useful things out there. It's almost like a hobby of mine. Some people like to collect stamps, others may collect vinyl records. I like to collect dog stuff! Though most of those things get destroyed in a matter of minutes but that's OK because it was worth it to watch how excited it makes my fur kids. I can't go into a pet store and NOT buy a toy or two, even if it's just a food run.

Even if you don't have a dog, there's still some pretty fun things over there for you to discover. I hope you like this month's first Blog of Note!

Would You Rather #6

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'd choose to know everything that has happened. Why? Because I'm always thinking of the past and how things came to be. I would LOVE to know the truth about lots of things; knowing once and for all how the earth was created. How life on earth started. How dinosaurs became extinct. Who was Jesus? How languages began. How all dog species today have evolved from wolves. Who my ancestors are. I wish so bad I could know all these things. And so what about the future? Who knows how much longer I'll be here for anyway to even get to experience the things I'd find out. But knowing the past? That would put lots of things into perspective!

Which would you choose?

Like samples? Like getting packages? Sites similar to Birchbox!

2012-01-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing a lot of people talk about Birchbox lately and I have been thinking about signing up. It sounds like such a fun idea! Who doesn't like the idea of getting monthly packages? So just to see what else is out there (and also, because Birchbox is currently sold out), I searched for other companies that are similar to Birchbox where you receive a box of deluxe samples in the mail each month. I included a list of companies that ship to the US, Canada and the UK. Two companies below offer sample boxes catered to men, and one for pets! So stick around, there's something for everyone!

**Please be sure to read their terms and conditions before purchasing in the event I have any information incorrect.

Gogogirlfriend.com for health and beauty samples.
-2 types of membership: Basic - $6.99 to receive one box every two months and Premium - $12.99 to receive a box every month.
-Unsure of how many samples come in each box.
-Free shipping on sample boxes and for orders placed in the store.
-Has a rewards program
-Looks like there is a currently a hold on new members signups.Not sure why.

Ecoemi.com for chic eco friendly products (Also available for international customers)
-$15 a month for 5 - 10 samples of natural, organic, green, eco-friendly or Fair Trade products.
-Free shipping on sample boxes

Myglam.com for a glam bag of beauty products.
-$10 a month for 4-5 top beauty finds. Both deluxe samples and full-sized products.
-There are stylist videos showing you how to use what's in your bag.

Testtube.newbeauty.com for a "tube" of beauty samples.
-$29.95 + &8.95 shipping for deluxe and full sized beauty samples.
-Included with each tube is an issue of the latest NEWBEAUTY magazine.

Beautyarmy.com for a kit of 6 beauty samples
-$12 a month for 6 samples that YOU choose.
-$132 for the entire year (you get a free month this way).
-Free shipping on all kits.
-$5 flat rate shipping on full size shop items.
-Has a rewards program starting later this month.

Cravebox.com for a mix of beauty, food, and home products.
-$10 a month for 4-5 full, deluxe, or sample sized products.
-Free shipping.
-Instead of a shop offering full sized products, they have links to where you can purchase them online.

Hisblackbox.com is for men! (Also ships to Canada)
-$12 a month for 4-5 travel sized skin, shaving, fragrance, body, and hair products.
-Free shipping.
-Has a rewards program.
-Has a shop to buy full sized products.

Newly added to the list from your comment suggestions:

Fair Ivy for packages catered to women, young girls, men, and pets! (Ships internationally)
--I just bought a subscription for the dogs! --
-You choose who the package is for and how many samples per package.
-Prices range from $22-$32 plus shipping.

Good and Lovely for a LovelyBox of samples to provide a little sunshine during your time of the month.
-$13.99 a month for samples of tea, chocolates, aromatherapy.
-Add extras like vitamins, feminine products, PMS easing products.
-You choose when your package will ship to coincide with getting your monthly friend.

Umba Box for handmade items.
-$26 a month.
-Free shipping.
-Offers 3, 6, 12 month subscriptions.
-Will be non-size specific women's products.
-May include jewelry, stationery, bath products, accessories, or home goods.

Loosebutton.com for beauty samples.
-$12 a month for 4-5 deluxe sized samples.
-Also has quarterly ($36) and yearly ($120) subscriptions available.
-Free shipping.
-Has a referral program.

Glymm.com for beauty products
-$10 a month for 3-5 luxury samples.
-Free shipping.
-Has a rewards program.
-Has a shop to buy full sized products where orders over $50 ship for free.

Glossybox.co.uk for beauty products.
- £10.00 a month for 5 luxury product miniatures.
-Shipping is £2.95.
-They recently added Glossybox for men for £15.00.

Amarya.co.uk for natural and organic beauty products.
-£10.00 a month for full size and trial sized products.
-Also have a yearly plan for £120.00
-Free shipping on all orders
-Has a shop to buy full sized products.
-Has a referral program.

Boudoirprive.co.uk for beauty products.
-£10.00 a month for 4-5 deluxe size samples.
-Shipping is £2.95
-Has a shop to buy full sized products.

Feelunique.com for beauty products (Also available for international customers)
-£9.95 a month for 5 deluxe beauty products.
-Free shipping.
-Has a HUGE shop for buying full size products.

So there you have it! I'm sure there are many more. These are just the ones I found. Have you tried any of these? Do you know of any others? Which one have you signed up for and do you like it?

Books I've Been Reading: No Easy Hope

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Details:
Type: Kindle e-book purchased here from Amazon.
Price: $2.99
Date finished: January 14, 2011
Rating (out of 5 stars): 3 stars (I liked it)
Synopsis from Goodreads:

My name is Eric Riordan. Once, I was a wealthy man leading a comfortable, easy life. Then my old friend Gabriel told me how the world would end. Gabriel tried to help me. He taught me everything he learned as a Scout Sniper in the Marine Corps. All the hard lessons from years spent in the sand choked battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. I did everything I could to prepare. I thought I was ready.

I was wrong.

When the Outbreak came, it destroyed everything. The dead rose to consume the living, and all that mankind spent so many millennia working to build was laid to waste in a matter of months. The undead spared no one, leaving only ashes and death in their wake.

For those of us still alive, every single day is a struggle. In spite of the danger, and the darkness, I still believe there is a chance that the human race can rebuild. If I can make my way North and enlist Gabriel’s help, maybe we can find enough people to start over again. It won’t be easy, though. I have to make my way across the ruins of the old world, and along the way my will to live, my humanity, and my very soul will be tested.

I have food, I have a pickup truck, and I have my trusty rifle. Most importantly, I have hope. Hope is a powerful thing, but I will need much more than that if I am to survive the dead.

This is the beginning. This is my story.

My review:

I'm a lover of zombie movies so I thought I'd give it a go and read my first zombie book. I have to say, I wasn't very impressed with this book. I found myself thinking about abandoning ship a few times in the beginning, but I hate doing that so I was determined to at least make it to the middle and then decide whether to call it quits. Well, it wasn't until I was half way through the book that it finally got interesting. The whole first half was extremely predictable with the main character making preparations for a zombie outbreak then making his journey to his friend's house after the outbreak.

Which leads me to the thought, how can one make a zombie book unpredictable anyway? I mean, the outbreak happens, people try to survive and form a new society. There's not much else to work with, right? Maybe this is a good read for real die-hard zombie fans because isn't it the whole preparing for a zombie attack and surviving what makes people love the idea so much? But anyway, the main character was just kind of eh for me and I didn't even feel a connection to him.

Now since this is book 1, I feel like I have to read the 2nd book just to know what the heck happens and if it gets any better, but from my research, it hasn't been released yet. I don't see myself adding the 2nd book to my to-read list anytime soon. I have lots of other books I want to read first. Sorry!

Add me on Goodreads!

My New Tattoo Experience.

2012-01-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

It started one year ago to this day, when I contacted Kim Anh-Nguyen to draw me up a custom tattoo of my wedding flowers with our anniversary date in the bow. I LOVE her style and knew I'd love whatever it was that she came up with. She sent me her design and it took me a loooong time to build up the courage to get the actual tattoo. I already have two small ones from when I was a teenager (they're kind of dumb) so I knew what the pain was going to be like but because they were small, the pain was over before I could really start cringing.

So last week I miraculously built up the nerve to drop by the tattoo shop to see if the artist I wanted happened to be there available for a walk-in. I knew I'd at least leave with an appointment and that's what ended up happening. Being a walk-in was wishful thinking. I didn't want to have to set an appointment because I would have to stew in my anxiety over the next week leading up to it. Know what I mean?

But anyway, I went in for my appointment last Thursday at 3pm. My heart just about exploded out of my chest - I thought I'd pass out before we even started! Having general anxiety to begin with made me want to run the heck out of there (in a fight or flight situation, I choose flight! I'm good at hiding it I guess), but knowing how bad I wanted this tattoo, and also that it happens to be on my list of 30 before 30, I just sucked it up and went for it. I am so glad I did! Because I love it.

It's still pretty sore and you can see little speckles of blood still in the green colors. Sorry if that's gross!

It took 2 and a half hours to finish and let me just say that I am SO thankful to have been lying on my stomach so I could hide my cringing face in the table! I would have been so embarrassed if people saw my face because there were 2 other guys in there getting work done sitting up all calmly and facing in my direction. How can anyone NOT cringe?! lol! The outline wasn't as bad as the coloring. At parts, the outline didn't even really hurt but felt more like a burning. But towards the end of the coloring, I was literally clutching onto my hoodie and squeezing my fists to keep from crying out.

Now, quite possibly the best part of this whole experience was the expression on my husband's face when I showed him the tattoo. I never told him I was going to get it! I showed him the design months before so he knew what it looked like, but I never mentioned that I was going at all that week and he had no idea. So when he came home from work, he had read the note I left that said, "I'll be back soon. I went to get something. It's a surprise." When I came home he goes, "so what did you get?" And I pulled up my jean leg and he's like "OOOH MY GOD!!" and was laughing and in total shock. I was like "SURPRISE!" I totally got the reaction I was looking for :)

Bookmark Dump

2012-01-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

Seeing this cute canvas robot has sparked an interest in playing around with my own supply of canvas.

1000 Pugs! This is such a fun idea. A woman plans on taking 1000 photos of pugs across the US, make a book out of those pics, and donate to pug rescue! (I found out about this on Say it ain't so).

Angie made a really interesting and informative post about transgenderism.

60 Tiny Love Stories to Make You Smile. Or in my case, get chills and cry a little.

Brooke's story: Her mom is on a mission to spread awareness about securing your furniture to the wall. Her poor sweet daughter had a really bad accident.

Some more sweet stories to make you think.

Need a gift idea for the gardener in your life? I know I would love to get a little gift like that.

Definitely not something you want to see before going for your own tattoo! Is this for real?

Shit brides say. DIY it!

Sponsor The Curious Pug in February!

2012-01-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

Good morning, friends! I'm going to format the large sponsor welcome post a little differently starting in February. Instead of having sponsors write about themselves or their blogs which has been done hundreds of times before, I'm going to ask large sponsors to answer the question of the month which will be different each month. I hope this will keep things interesting for readers who probably have read your blurbs many times before. Everything else for large sponsor ads will stay the same: a photo and your networking links will still be included. Small sponsor ads will be included in this post as well.

Also, I have it set up for large sponsor ads to randomly shuffle with each new page load! This will provide maximum exposure to all ads equally throughout the month. Small ads will be manually shuffled twice a month (the coding that shuffles caused my blog to crash if I added it to small sponsors. I don't know why!).

I wish I could tell you what I have in store for February, but to be honest, I usually fly by the seat of my pants with posts. It's how I've always done things here. But I can promise you that I post here about 5-6 times a week and am active on twitter so there will always be content to bring readers in which will in turn bring more traffic for you!

For more info on sponsorship,blog statistics, or to sign up please click here! I'd love to have you!

Would You Rather #5

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm only 5'3'' and I'm used to being "fun size." I enjoy being able to ride my bike on the sidewalk and not have to duck when a branch comes along. I used to be good at doing the limbo and it made being a ballerina (a looong time ago) easy. So if I had to choose, I would choose to be 4 feet tall. I'd go and buy a foot stool and one of those little grabber/reach-y things that you see elderly people using to pick things up off the floor. I'd probably need a pillow to sit on in the car, but I don't think I would be happy at 8 feet tall. The main reason being all the unwanted attention my height would bring. You kinda stick out at that height. Sure it would be cool to never need to stand on your toes for anything and no one would want to mess with you, but I'm more of a fly-under-the-radar kind of girl and don't like to draw attention to myself.

Which would you rather be?

Feeling Beachy on a Winter Day

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

The other day it was surprisingly warm and sunny and I love the way the sun pours into our bedroom around the same time each day. It apparently changed my mood completely because I suddenly found myself putting on some music, feeling very happy (borderline hyper), and wanting to dress as if it were summertime with bright happy colors and fun hair. So the pups sat and watched me make faces at the camera. I love how the sun has such mood changing powers. I need to take some vitamin D pills maybe lol! I wish this high-on-life feeling would stick around.

Books I've Been Reading: The Collectibles

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Details:
Type: Kindle e-book purchased here from Amazon
Price: .99 cents
Date finished: Jan 3rd, 2012
Rating (out of 5 stars): 3 stars (I liked it)
Synopsis from Goodreads:

In his debut novel, James J. Kaufman delivers a gripping and unforgettable story of two strong men from separate worlds - one touched by tragedy, the other by greed - brought together with unexpected results. In chronicling how their lives and those thy touch are dramatically changed by their encounter, Kaufman reveals the power of relationships, the nature of love, and ultimately the meaning of life.

My review:
I bought this book because it was listed under the .99 ebooks on Amazon and it got a fairly good rating on Goodreads. If a book gets under 3.5 stars on Goodreads, I usually won't read it (that makes me sound like a book snob oh well!). The book starts off pretty good right away getting you connected to one of the main characters. Towards the middle, there came a pretty long part once things got rolling, that involved lots of legal words (probably because the writer was a judge at one point in his life) and court room related things and I admit, I skipped a bunch of it. It bored me and helped me to fall asleep for two nights in a row. But skipping it didn't seem to cause me to miss anything of importance.

Without spoiling the ending, I got chills at one part because of something that the writer mentioned earlier about what was going to happen to one of the main characters (makes no sense being that vague but I don't want to spoil anything). I nearly cried and it left me feeling sad but also happy inside. I'm not usually one to want to read mushy books like that but it had me thinking about it for a few days after I finished and that's what makes me like a book; it's aftertaste I call it. And for only .99 what have you got to lose?

Add me on Goodreads!

Puppy Parka

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

I got this super cute jacket from Target in the $1 section! I forgot I bought it because it was too big for Mabel to wear for a while. It's still too big but I couldn't resist putting her in it. I'm sure she could resist. Anytime I put clothes on her she just stands there frozen like, what the heck, lady! She's finally getting used to the feel of her harness and I go and do this to her! I had no idea they had such cute dog clothes in that one buck section. I think it came out to being $2.50 or something but I figured why not since it's so cheap I don't care that she'll grow out of it quickly.

Are you having a good weekend?

Bookmark Dump

2012-01-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

How to wash your hair only once a week. I hate having to do my hair because its so long and it takes forever to blow dry and straighten so this looks like something I'd like to try and see how it works for me.

Have something you need to get off your chest? Post it anonymously and feel better.

This is a gorgeous winter terrarium you have to see!

This creeps me out: Poland's Mysterious Crooked Forest.

Next time you take a shower with your iPod in the bathroom, try out this cool trick.

For you lovers of e-books, this is a pretty neat website to find out about the latest e-book sales and deals online: Pixel of Ink. I'm a huge fan of the .99 cent e-book.

I recently followed this tutorial to make my large sponsor ads randomly shuffle with each page load. It's super easy!

I'm going to try this homemade stain remover. Looks promising from her pics.

My sister found this video and it's quite hilarious. Gangster grandma can hold her own!

I've been watching this show on HBO, Angry Boys. It's pretty funny. The same guy does all the characters. I first found out about him doing the funniest character, Mr. G. where he runs through the school yelling things to get kids to evacuate to practice safety lol (click here to see it)

DIY: Microwave Homemade Potoato Chips

2012-01-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

I bought this Top Chips kit from Amazon for Brian as a Christmas gift. I was a bit skeptical that the chips wouldn't be crispy, but boy was I wrong! They are totally yummy and crispy. The trick is to get them as dry as possible before you microwave them. You can also make chips with apples, mangoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and pears. I can't wait to make apple ones and put cinnamon and sugar on top! And if you buy more than one kit, you can stack the trays on top of each other to microwave them all at once (no more than 3 is recommended).

Disclaimer: I was in in no way compensated for this review. I purchased this Top Chips kit from Amazon and wanted to share my experience with you!

Would You Rather #4

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry to have missed last week's Would You Rather! This weeks question is pretty easy for me to answer because I admit, I am a sensitive soul and don't really have a thick skin so if I were able to hear people's thoughts and those thoughts were not so nice, it would make me feel horrible. To me, ignorance is bliss and I'd rather be the most blissful person than read even Ryan Gossling's mind.

But to be invisible, now that would be rad. Think of all the movies you could sneak into. All the hot naked dudes/gals you could peep on without having to register as a sex offender (I kid...sorta). You'd never have to pay a cover to go to a concert and you could probably get right up on stage. You could people watch without getting caught. You could get out of any scary situation and be the best hider from a crazed killer. If you are lucky, you can sneak right through airport security and board the plane and score an empty seat, though you'd have to travel without any of your bags. You could mess with your pet and you could scare your roommate into thinking the house is haunted. Think how scary you could make Halloween! And you could go outside totally naked and not have a care in the world. Dude!

So what would you pick and why? Let's link up!

Meet New Friends: Curious January Sponsors

2012-01-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

I'd like to welcome the first sponsors of 2012! I hope you will take a moment to stop by and say hi! I have also finally figured out how to get the large ads to shuffle with each new page load. I tried doing it with the small ads but the extra code would cause my blog to crash. I'm not sure why. So I will still manually shuffle them 2 times a month.

Blog :: Shop :: Facebook :: Twitter

Blog :: Bloglovin :: Facebook

Blog :: Shop :: Pinterest :: Twitter

Blog :: Twitter

Blog :: Shop :: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook

Blog :: Twitter :: Facebook :: Bloglovin :: Youtube

Blog :: Shop :: Twitter

Blog :: Twitter :: Facebook :: Tumblr

Blog :: Shop :: Twitter :: Facebook :: Pinterest

Would you like to be a February sponsor on The Curious Pug? Click here for rates and more information!

Books I've Been Reading: The Old Man and the Wasteland

2012-01-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first post of another new blog feature, Books I've Been Reading! Being the bookworm that I am, I thought it would be a fun way to share with you...well...the books I read.

Details:
Type: A short story e-book purchased here from Amazon.
Price: .99 cents
Date finished: November 22, 2011
Rating (out of 5 stars): 4 stars (I really liked it)
Synopsis from Goodreads:

Forty years after the destruction of civilization... Man is reduced to salvaging the ruins of a broken world. One man’s most prized possession is Hemingway’s Classic ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’ With the words of the novel echoing across the wasteland, a survivor of the Nuclear Holocaust journeys into the unknown to break a curse. What follows is an incredible tale of survival and endurance. One man must survive the desert wilderness and mankind gone savage to discover the truth of Hemingway’s classic tale of man versus nature. Part Hemingway, part Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a suspenseful odyssey into the dark heart of the Post-Apocalyptic American southwest. A book lover’s action flick.

My Review:

I LOVED this read! It's a .99 e-book from Amazon and a short story of only 125 pages. I honestly don't know why I didn't give it 5 stars. I'm just keeping the rating I gave it right after I finished but the more I think about it, the more I like it. If you like dystopian reads, I'm confident you will enjoy this story. I finished it back in November and I still think about it and recommend it anytime people ask for book suggestions. It really makes you think and it leaves you feeling hopeful. It's short, but has depth. It follows the Old Man as he scavenges through the wasteland for things to bring back to his community. It's considered bad luck to come back empty handed so he goes farther and farther into the wasteland in the hopes of finding something.

And you wanna know what makes it even cooler? After I gave my rating on Goodreads (which I set up to automatically post to twitter), the writer tweeted @ me...

Whaaaaa!? That made me feel special :)

Add me on Goodreads!

Bookmark Dump

2012-01-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

Are you a stereotypical blogger? This post gave me a chuckle.

I like Dana's post about the differences between a kiss face and the ever popular duck face.

Melissa's birthday wish is for others to donate to animal shelters in memory of her beloved dog Bubby. This touches my heart because I did the same when Cyrus died-donated in his name.

This is a cool DIY: Instagram to Photo Canvas Tutorial. I'm adding this to my to-do list, but with regular photos. I no have an iPhone. :)

Jess has started making portraits and you can see the one she did of Monty!

For all you bubble poppers out there, yea you! This is a great calendar to get your fix everyday of the year.

Manda wrote a blog post with tips on how to be an awesome friend. I have to admit, sometimes I need a reminder...

100 hidden tricks for a sparkly clean home in record time. Pretty cool.

Mabel at 13 weeks

2012-01-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, Mabel is tearing it up in here (not literally thank goodness)! She's finally able to jump up on the couch but not without a full on running start! If she misses she bounces her belly off the couch and lands on her back but she doesn't seem phased. But this means Monty has no where to escape her craziness. She has mastered walking up the stairs and is still a teeny bit scared to go down them but she is doing it on her own at least. She has also quickly realized that once she eats she gets to go outside so she now eats super fast, though not as fast as Monty. When she is outside she pees and poos right away (sorry TMI) on her own and if she has to go while we are inside, she actually waits in front of the door to use her pee pad! Such a smart baby, I'm so proud lol! She is getting so big that I had to move back the crate divider that keeps the area she sleeps in small so she won't pee on one side and sleep on the other. She loves sleeping in her crate and can now make it through the entire night without a potty break. I love my girl! And so does Monty. And her left ear is doing the same thing her right ear did a few weeks back; it's flipped backwards on the top! So weird, but it reminds me of a shrinky dink with how it gets all crooked before flattening out, KWIM?

Have a great weekend! My laptop is back which is such a great feeling and we are going to cave and get a new flat screen. New bookmark dump post tomorrow. I think it's a good one :)

Questions gone unanswered

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I stand on the deck and stare off into the night's sky and wait for the answers to come to me. Sometimes I don't even know what the questions are but I still hope the answers come. But sometimes I do know what the questions are and hope to receive answers.

Answers to questions like...
How is it possible for a woman to not know that she is pregnant?
And for this to happen to so many women that there is a TV series about it?
Why do I have a constant bitch face even when I'm not in a bad mood?
How many more years will I have to have my period for?
What is it about me that refuses to like cooking?
Am I a bad wife because I don't cook?
Is it OK to want to live in the middle of nowhere and not care if I see another neighbor for as long as I live?
Is it normal to want to have sex with a vampire?
Why do people go on Dr. Phil to talk about the most embarrassing and personal things instead of just going to a private therapist?
Is it wrong to not want kids because the thought of PTA meetings and bitchy know it all moms make me cringe?
Is what it really all comes down to is a hair cut and style of shoes to make someone sexy?
Whoever made dorky the new cool?
Why don't radio stations know that artists have more than 1 or 2 songs to play?
What is it about organizing my dresser drawers that makes me excited?
Why are things not made as well as they were 20 years ago?
Are we all secretly just a bunch of exhibitionists because we like to tweet and facebook and blog and instagram our lives?

Just for the record, this post isn't meant to be taken too seriously. Though, I'd still love to know the answer to the period one. Ha!

10 days of relaxing and being a glutton. That's us!

2012-01-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and got everything you wanted! Brian had 10 days off from work so we spent most of the time bumming around doing this...

and eating this...

We went on a bike ride on a pretty nice trail,

took Monty to the dog park that was near the trail,

watched lots of The Wonder Years on Netflix, watched some of The Twilight Zone marathon, saw some pretty amazing Christmas lanterns and light shows,

got some dim sum, saw Lisa Landry do standup on NYE with a champagne toast, went shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond for little odds and ends.

I got some new sneakers at DSW with Christmas money,

we stained our patio chairs and looked at new TVs since ours died. It was only 4 years old, but from what I hear that's actually pretty old for a plasma flat screen.

This is how our living room looks since the death of our TV.

It's so ugly with wires everywhere, I can't stand it! Wires hanging out is a huge pet peeve of mine but we can't do anything about it right now. But I can't believe how used to the large screen we became. When we hooked up the little one I couldn't see anyone's face or read anything. And the sound from the speakers is so pathetic and tinny it's hard to think that was our original TV for years before we got the plasma. HOW DID WE SURVIVE? It's so pathetic how much we rely on technology.

So yea, lots of TV and food. And now I feel guilty for being such a sloth. I hope you all had a wonderful New Years! I'm hoping to have my laptop back by tonight or tomorrow. I wasn't able to edit any of these photos so that's why they look so dark.

Bookmark Dump

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love this super easy DIY: Learn how to make a fabric wreath.

Heather created a new ballet video in her Desolation Dance Project. I love the part where she's dancing in a tree. Yes, a tree!

Rainbow jar cake? Um, yes please!

This spicy chicken drumsticks recipe looks yummy.

Yes, I am a glutton. Learn how to make dark chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. *drools

Jess made a video tutorial for a super easy top knot bun. And I'm definitely a fan of easy :)

I love Liz's confessions of a real life human being who also blogs.

Watch Mandi use her spinning wheel! I can't say I've ever seen one in action before.

I love Nova's Scary Santa series! It's quite horrifying. I'd be screaming if I were those kids!

I've had the idea of getting a chameleon in the back of my mind for a few years now, but when I was in Petsmart the other day getting mroe pee pads for Mabel, I saw a cute little chameleon chilling on a branch and it reignited my want for one. Searching on youtube I found this cool video of a chameleon changing color. (He was shown another male chameleon off camera, so he got riled up lol). I love their little mitten looking feet!

Happy New Years Eve everyone!

Project 52 complete! (and other updates)

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today's photo completes my Project 52! I am happy to have completed a year long challenge and it felt good to have the weekly consistency, but I'm glad to be changing it up in the new year. I have been thinking about new features and I have some ideas brewing. I hope you guys are enjoying my Would You Rather feature on Wednesdays!

Brian took this picture yesterday during a bike ride to a nearby park. The weather was perfect, a little chilly but felt good once you started sweating from the ride. I nearly chucked my bike in the water there in a fit of rage because I have the worst endurance and I think I have exercise induced asthma (excuses, excuses!) so I was totally wiped and dead once we made it to the top of this hill. But since it's winter, not many people were out on the trails to get in MY way so it was a nice little day adventure (hehe I kid about MY way. sorta).

In other news, my precious baby laptop has been taken in to the doctor to get fixed because the charging jack is loose or something so I have to fiddle with the cable in order for it to charge. I couldn't even imagine what would happen if I couldn't turn my computer on because it ran out of charge. Actually, yes I could. I'd probably have a shit fit and cry and miss you guys. I am using my husband's computer but none of my stuff is on this one so I feel lost and totally disconnected! I have lots of catching up to do next week with blog reading and scheduling posts. Hopefully my laptop will be done today but I'm not getting my hopes up.I'm expecting Monday.

Also, yesterday we took Mabel to get her final set of vaccinations (all that's left is rabies in a few more weeks) but it's safe for her to start going outside now which is going to be another huge challenge because she gets so scared! She starts shaking really bad and I'm pretty sure its not because she's cold since it's been nice out. And when I put her harness on she freezes and doesn't want to move. It's the saddest thing ever but she will learn to love it in time. Christmas eve we took a little walk to see a house with fancy lights down the street and I put her in my jacket so she wouldn't have to walk but on the way back she made this high pitched squeak so I put her down and she followed diligently behind Monty. She didn't seem to notice the harness then. She seriously LOVES Monty, it's nuts. She has probably bonded more with him than us, for real. I admit, I am a little bit jealous of Monty ;)

Ok, so that's it for now. If you'd like to see all my Project 52 images, you can visit my set on Flickr by clicking on the image below.

Happy New Year, be safe, and stop by tomorrow for another Bookmark Dump post!

2011: A year in review

2011-12-29T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is a super long post, mostly for my own self indulgence, and I don't expect you to read it all. But it pretty much sums up everything of any significance that's happened over the year (if you're a new reader, this will catch you up!). I wish I could say this year was amazing and the greatest year yet, but it was more like a serious roller coaster and I am definitely NOT a fan of that ride.

January

January started off promising enough. I was working at the perfect little xray clinic with normal hours, I made my sister's save the dates, I got my tragus pierced and I asked Kim-Anh Nguyen to design a custom tattoo for me (which I STILL have yet to get).

February

Only 2 months into the year and it all went straight to hell. Our pug, Cyrus, got sick. We thought he had a bad cough, but it turned out to be a collapsed trachea. We had to put him to sleep and it happened to be on my sister's birthday. I never felt pain like this before in my life. More than when a grandparent died even. That makes me sound insensitive but it was the truth.

March

I turned 29 and for my birthday I donated all proceeds from sponsors that month (plus a little extra from us) to a local pug rescue in Cyrus' name. I threw a little blog party for my birthday, and participated in the first 30 Days of Lists. To ease the pain of Cyrus passing, we looked on petfinder.com and found Monty. It may seem like not enough time passed to mourn Cy, but each hour felt like a day and each day felt like a week. We needed Monty like how he needed us. I still mourn Cyrus and it's nearly 2012.

April

I made my sister's wedding invites and flew home to NY for her engagement party. When I got back from the trip, my supervisor told me I couldn't come back to work because they accidentally scheduled me over the cap of hours I was allowed to work by 300 or something ridiculous. And with them trying to save money, guess who didn't go to work for 3 months?

May

May was mostly spent relaxing and having fun since I was out of work. We went on a failed camping trip and I started getting into cross stitch. Brian and I celebrated 11 years together on the 15th so I made a little slideshow with pics over the years. I tried growing strawberries on the patio and failed at that too! What else is new haha.

June

I started loosing my shit when it came to applying for jobs but at least I had the time off to visit my sister in Virginia Beach. Brian and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary but I didn't blog about it because it was Cyrus' birthday on our wedding day so I was too sad to write anything.

July

I got my job back but I took on a full time position which meant crap hours and total insanity and bitchiness on my end. I had some time off so we went on another failed camping trip but had fun anyway. We took Monty to his first visit to the beach and we recognized the similarities between him and Stripe from The Gremlins!

August

I participated in The August Break photo challenge. And tried to remain sane with work.

September

I participated in the 2nd 30 Days of Lists challenge. And started to lose my sanity (and myself) with work. My sister got married on 9/10/11 and it was awesome!

October

I gave my two weeks notice at work and we went to Disneyland (I'm surprised I didn't post pics but I think it was because I lied at work to get the time off so I didn't want to risk getting caught on the interwebs and all).

November

My last day of work was on the 14th and I couldn't have been happier to have my sanity back. I bought a Kindle, and we visited some wineries -- life is sorta back to normal. Thanksgiving was spent in our apartment, just the 3 of us. And we decided to add another doggie to the family. We visited Mabel for the first time. Also, The Curious Pug turned 2 years old this month!

December

I was really in the Christmas spirit this year because I didn't have to work so I had the time to decorate, get crafty, and get ready to spend the holiday in our apartment. Mabel came home to live with us on the 2nd, so no trip home to NY for Christmas this year. I'm looking forward to what the new year will bring!

Here's to hoping 2012 will be better than ever!