Country Veterinary Clinic, This Is Pam...*

I was searching through some older posts to link in one I'm currently writing and a few titles of unpublished drafts caught my eye. I'm not even sure what most of these were going to be.

• 7-I *think* this was possibly going to be a post about Duran Duran, back in '06.

• re'iojoijlk;m-Um, I have no idea. Either I was briefly fluent in another language or I fell asleep while typing. The second is far more feasible.

• I like my mangatar thankyouverymuch-The bizarre thing about this one is that I wrote a couple of paragraphs, but of completely unrelated things. Guess that's why it's still a draft.

• Twilight Poll-WHAT. I'm not sure why or what. There is no poll there and really, I don't want to know anyone's anything about sparkly vampires.

...and my favorite:

• Guinea Pigs, Hobbits, and Jason Ho-Again, I have no idea. I like guinea pigs, hobbits, and Jason Ho, but I'm not sure how they are connected!

*Yep, this was one too. Assuming some The Office reference, but again, not really sure.

Lifelong Learning('You Don't Have To Be A Man-Ho')

I am a student of life. I love to learn new things. With that in mind and in an attempt to catch up on this very neglected blog, I will share some new knowledge I have obtained over the past few weeks months.

(I originally intended to finish & post this over a month ago).

I learned:

• Waiting until the last minute to prepare things for Comic-Con not only costs me more money, but causes my stress to multiply to almost inexplicable levels. I really hope this is a lesson that sticks so I don't get myself into a frenzied mess again.
• Darlene, Paul, and Bully The Little Stuffed Bull are all just as nice in person as I thought they would be. It's so much fun to meet internet friends in person! A fun side note is that both Darlene and Bully went home with hamster friends I'd made.
  
• If the new Flight of the Conchords songs I've heard them perform in the recent live shows I've attended are any indication, we are in for some funny episodes of the new season of their tv show. I'll just say one thing-Jemaine=prostitute.
• Baby showers these days are fancy. Like wedding reception fancy. I survived going to two in one weekend recently and was really impressed by the posh table settings, fancy stemware, catered food, 5,000 homemade deserts, really cool favors (though I still love pink and white Jordan almonds). A-MAZING.
• Apparently, you can get real live Pikachus in Japan. Um yeah. I don't think these really exist, but I would still love to have one!
  
• I care far more about politics than the Olympic games. It doesn't mean I'm anti-American. But you can call me old and boring. I can handle it. I can also come up with a way to make fun of you too.
• Some people are as crazy in love with their pet pythons as I am with my hamster. So crazy in fact that I'd mistake them for buying an extra cute, extra expensive hammy as a pet. But no, when I naively pointed out how cute the rodent was, the guy purchasing it coldly informed me that he'd be feeding it to his massive reptile.
• In attempt to stay cool while hanging out in the yard this summer, Little Guy took to lying around in a hole under an outdoor table. I had no idea he was doing this until recently. For my "slow" dog, he's being pretty smart.
  

Little Guy, lying in a hole.

A Few Years Ago, Not Very Far Away

The SnarkyDork blog is three years old today! In it's origins, it didn't really have a focus and it still doesn't. I often ask myself, as I think many bloggers do, why do I even do this? It's certainly not to become "an internet celebrity*." So, what do I get out of my online home here on the web?

• I sometimes share and get feedback on my photography.
  

• I've met a lot of cool people and made some real friends who I hang out with in the real world. The internet truly brings people with common interests together and I think that is an amazing thing.
  

• Since I've never been consistent at keeping a paper diary, the blog serves as a device to remember things like concerts and film festivals, etc. I obviously don't publish everything that goes on in my life, but a few long-distance family members have commented that they like to be able to read "what I'm up to."

• I do get to practice writing, which I enjoy. I'm not a great writer, but putting words out in public certainly makes me more conscientious about checking and editing. And reediting. And editing some more.
  

• While I don't do it as much as I'd like to, I have an opportunity to give some perspective on life in Los Angeles, my home for the past almost-fourteen years, the place I call home, the city I love.

Well, I'm going to be quiet again. I have A LOT of work to do to prepare for the upcoming Comic-Con. I'm sure I'll get some material out of that experience, which is always lots of fun. So, tell me, why do you blog?

*The latest issue of Wired magazine tells you how to do this, if interested.

I Want To Be Lazy Like The Dogs In The Yard

I don't have too much to say right now, but didn't want to leave this space blank for too long. I'll give you some links, in the meantime. I didn't plan this beforehand, but all of the links are dog-related.

Cosette continues to bemoan the collar she has to wear. We're still amused at her expense. Hopefully it won't be for much longer.

Nina aka The Slackmistress shared a wonderful story on what became of the dogs who lived on Michael Vick's property. It's an encouraging story and one we can all learn life lessons from.

A woman in China has set up a private shelter for dogs who survived the recent devastating earthquake. (from the L.A. Times via L.A. Unleashed)

Last night we gathered with some friends to watch the premiere episodes of Click & Clack: As The Wrench Turns. It's a new animated series on PBS, based on the beloved hosts of NPR's Car Talk. I definitely prefer the radio show, but E did some part time work on the tv series, so we wanted to check it out with some of the other crew. I think my favorite thing about it is the dog character, Zuzu, and am looking forward to an upcoming episode in which she is featured prominently.

My next update just might contain BIG NEWS. Stay tuned.

The Week (So Far)

• Cosette had one vet appointment and ended up getting scheduled for surgery the very next day! It's always stressful, but especially for a geriatric dog. She will go for a bandage change this weekend and endure the hilarious cone for about ten more days.

• We saw Death Cab For Cutie in concert for the first time at the newish Nokia Theatre. The venue is pretty cool, even if the sound was a bit wonky. The band was fantastic, but I was somewhat put off by their open expression of distaste for L.A. Especially when the crowd was giving them an amazing reception. Seattle folks must be jealous of our sunshine, as many seem to hate this city.
  

• I've been under the weather myself and slept Wednesday away.
  

• The Los Angeles Film Festival continues. One of the highlights this week was a screening of three episodes of Spaced followed by a Q&A with director Edgar Wright, moderated by Matt Stone, of South Park fame. It was a tremendously good time.
  

Edgar and Me

• I've been working on the Craft Hamster 2.0 and may be at a point where I can post a photo or two soon.

Signs That It's Summer In L.A.

• The L.A. Film Festival has opened. Wanted opened the fest and I *wanted* to really like it, but meh, not so much. Oh well.
  

• Thomas Wilkins debuted as the Principle Guest Condutor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. We enjoyed opening night, where Sir James Galway, B.B. King, and Liza Minelli all performed as they were inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame.

• It's hot. Africa hot. And everyone, including myself, is complaining about it. I'm glad I have air conditioning, but shudder to think of the upcoming electric bills. I do know the extreme temperatures are temporary and we'll be back to lovely weather soon.
  

Happy Summer!

I Heard You Making Patterns Rhyme

• I finally saw a show at The Orpheum Theatre on Broadway in downtown L.A. What a gorgeous venue with excellent acoustics. Joe Jackson put on a great show, as usual.
  

• As part of our weekend getaway, we knew we'd be treated to a free concert. Unfortunately, it was a hip-hop show featuring Redman and Flo Rider. It made sense within the context of the event we attended, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I guess if I was all about the blunts and booty it'd be a different story.
  

• E braved the line at the Hollywood Bowl box office recently and picked up a bunch of tickets for the summer. We like to get the least expensive seats so we can go to more shows. The cheap ones weren't available online this year, but going in person saved us $200 in Ticketmaster fees.
  

• I got a text message from my mother yesterday that read, "I'm going to see Duran Duran tonight!" I was telling my sister about it later and she said the first thing that I had thought, "Mom knows how to send a text message?" We decided that our youngest brother had probably helped her.
  

• I'm looking forward to the 3 kickass shows I'm going to next week. Two at the Hollywood Bowl (Elvis Costello/The Police and Modest Mouse/R.E.M.) and one at The Orpheum (Flight of the Conchords).