Sunday, January 23, 2011

May You Live In Interesting Times

Every now and then life becomes a little too interesting. Fascinating, really, and perhaps not in the ways one would hope. "May you live in interesting times" is alleged to be, depending on the source, both a blessing and a curse. It's supposed to be of Chinese origin but then again, anyone other than me remember that, "In China it is considered a compliment to the cook if you burp after eating!" legend?

Ah well, at least it was an interesting claim, even if I can't help but envision tourists, pleased as punch and belching for the gold, smiling broadly at their completely horrified Chinese hosts. I guess I should be thankful that the same prankster didn't try to pull something like, "And in Albania the only courteous thing is to chew with your mouth open while eating solely with your feet!" "In Russia it is the custom to fling Bortsch at passing strangers!" "In India unless you hang your host out the window by his or her heels you have committed a grievous sin against etiquette!"

I'll bet he or she tried, but the burping was the only thing that caught on. Anyway, yes, while interesting as a claim, it wasn't exactly a good thing.

However, while you still have a pulse you stand a chance at regaining some comforting boredom. Less intrigue, more sameness. Bring on the rut, I say!

I'm going into that because as all parents know all too well, occasionally your kids will become so interesting that contemplating joining the circus, the French Foreign Legion, or one of those strange cults that focuses insane amounts of energy on constructing temples from dryer lint seems the only reasonable option. My son has been posing some interesting problems of late and that's where I've been. Being riveted, so to speak.

I apologize for my long absence from the blogosphere and for being as vague as I can be without actually disappearing from view altogether. Sometimes you want to talk about problems, sometimes you want to get busy solving them. At still others you want to kick the stuffing out of a problem, take its lunch money and insult its mother to boot. I leave it to you to figure out what stage I'm in with my son.

I did want to thank blogger and all the people who dropped by after being named a blog of note. I'm truly honored, particularly since I've neglected the bejeebers out of this blog while being otherwise entranced by ye olde life problems. I've chosen not to tell anyone other than a few close friends the specifics and I'm doing that not to be mysterious but rather to spare you, and them, the necessity of having to join me in the "Oh what the hell, really?" chorus.

We all sing it sometimes though, don't we? Here's hoping all of your lives are free from that particular rendition at the moment.

Hey, to up the interest of the situation? Smack dab in the middle of the WTH Chorus my son had a mole removed and it came back as Malignant Melanoma. Yes, he's still twenty. He didn't invent a time machine and come back to visit me well into his seventies. Don't skip your skin checks, folks. No kidding, sunblock is your friend. For even more interest, it was caught as a surface grouping of cells that hadn't spread yet. For a moment or two there the Hallelujah Chorus easily drowned out the What the Hell singers.

There have been some funny things in life, of course. It wouldn't be the holidays without some absurdity. In fact, it wouldn't be life.

So for everyone who has followed the journey of Puddles, the wonder mutt I have something for you: we now know what Puddles is. You see, one of my online friends informed me that there is such a thing as a DNA test for dogs. Although Rob has fun answering, "North American Good Dog" in response to "What breed is she?" I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy a test as soon as I knew they existed. A mystery solved for sixty bucks? Less than your average interactive Murder Mystery Theater evening, right? Besides, I shudder to think how badly I'd have to hurt Rob to get him to go to one of those things. I'd likely need to be drunker than a medieval laird too, so there's that.

We awaited the results anxiously. Friends also asked, "Any word?" after being told that, indeed, there would be an answer. A drum-roll would be in order, but so would some warming up of the singing pipes because that chorus I mentioned? Here it comes:

My dog is a Labrador Retriever, English Setter, and American Eskimo Dog. No, I'm not currently drunk, by the way. For real, that's what the results said. My thirty pound, Fraggle-impersonating, terrier-masquerading dog is a mix of things I never would have guessed. I was sorely tempted to mail a picture to the lab so that the technicians could join in the chorus.

For those of you not in the know, this is my dog:


I even know what percentages: Labrador is the most at a level 2, constituting 37-76% of her DNA. English Setter is somewhere in the realm of 26%- 36% and American Eskimo Dog is less than ten percent.

Two bird dogs and a yapping cotton ball. What is even more astounding? We read the breed attributes and Puddles has the personality (and tail) of an English Setter.

You never can guess the outcome sometimes, can you? I thought she was part Terrier of some description and part Sneaky Neighbor Dog. But it all lines up and makes sense.

Thank again to Blogger, to the people who stopped by here and to Hilary, who was actually the person who emailed me in order to say I needed to stop my comforting, escapist routines, get my butt back over to my blog and take note. Only because it was Hilary, she was far kinder and diplomatic than that.

I've always felt like if you are supposed to be doing something, the universe will let you know, somehow, some way. I have no idea why Blogger chose a blog that had been inactive for nearly two months but I was and am, really touched.

I have some absurd stories saved up. Time to get back to remembering that sometimes the outcome of an interesting situation can both a surprise and delight you, after all. For now, I leave you with the cutest image I currently have in my possession:

99 comments:

Robbie Grey said...

I've heard both the story of interesting times and belching after eating. Although, the belching one I heard was Japanese

Land of shimp said...

Well we'd hate for other formal, Asian cultures to be left out of the burping picture, Robbie so maybe that's how Japan also became the recipient of the "What the heck is wrong with those Americans??? Take a TUMS, already!" legend.

By the way, hello :-)

Tabor said...

Congrats on the selection! I did not notice but on occasion check the ones they select and they are very young, very prolific on swearing and a real bore to me. Glad they are getting their criteria back in alignment! I have only followed you fairly recently, and do not check on my bloggers like others do. Welcome back and having survived the raising of a son I can ONLY imagine!

ellen abbott said...

Life does sometimes demand our full attention. glad to see you back and congrats on the blog of note thing.

Moannie said...

Good to see you back, fellow Blog of Noter; what a strange and sudden surprise.

Strange fact about the Japanese-either that or these particular ones were terribly terribly hungry-always ask for another helping, even if you are in a rather expensive restaurant.The three I am remembering were all very tiny, but they cleared their Sunday roast with all the trimmings and asked for same again, and ate the lot.

LPC said...

With all of this, I note mostly that your son is OK. I'm glad.

Teri said...

Starting with the most important... thank goodness it was caught quickly for your son!

I can definitely see Eskimo in Puddles... the last picture proves it! -wink-

OK, I am going to email Jing in China and ask her about the belching/burping bit. Might take a bit for her to answer as she doesn't go back to school until early Feb... but I will let you know her answer. (This ought to be good! LOL)

The Bug said...

I was thinking about you just yesterday - hoping all was well. So, I guess "interesting" isn't exactly well, but you're here so that's ok. Glad to see you back!

intelliwench said...

So happy to know you're surviving these interesting times with your sense of humor intact. Here's to less interesting times ahead!

J.J. said...

I swear my dog has some cat mixed in there, but that totally violates the laws of nature.

Cloudia said...

glad to catch up with you!




Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral

Boredom Blogger said...

Burping is simply a way of showing your appreciation to the chef as far as I'm concerned. I say MORE BURPING!

Hilary said...

Ack Alane, that must have been very scary to get those results on your son's mole.

I'm glad to see you back and am smitten with those photos of Puddles. And you know how I feel about you being recognized as a Blog of Note. :)

Welcome back to the Blogiverse.

ethelmaepotter! said...

First, thank goodness your son had that mole removed! Cancer in ANY FORM is a horrible, life-threatening disease, and we should all thank our lucky stars that there are people out there working on cures and treatment - and so many lives are being saved.

Second, congrats on your Blog of Note mention! I had no idea!

And finally, Puddles is an interesting mix, to say the least. Did you know that you can have the same service done for humans? My sister had her DNA test (and therefore, mine) done a couple of years ago, with very surprising results. We knew we had Irish and English, but were totally shocked at German and Scandinavian. It was an extremely detailed report, and most of it went right over my head. (Or maybe that was my sister's essay on the report that went over my head.)

Happy to have you back, and don't worry, as a "Blog of Note," you're worth waiting for, whenever you can post!

A Beer for the Shower said...

Terry Pratchett had an excellent novel called "Interesting Times."

Vera said...

Nice to read you again. Sometimes writing a blog can take too much effort and time when there is no effort and not much time to be had. But most of all, I hope your son does OK.

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

Congrats on becoming a blog of note - how I'd love the same accolade!

Check out my blog at:

www.duncaninkuantan.blogspot.com

Pauline said...

Glad to see you back. Kid troubles - they never end, they just change. Even when the kids are grown and flown, your heart, your pocketbook and your sleep patterns are tugged out of shape :) It's worth it, though.

Congrats on being a blog of note!

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Fantastico doggy :)

Suldog said...

Congratulations on being named a Blog Of Note. I recently had the same honor bestowed on me, so that proves how worthless it actually is. Still, glad to see you back!

induchhibber said...

Where did you get that information about INDIA ?I am sorry i missed the humor--if there was any in it .Please give only authentic information about my country.

SuccesSanteBonheur.com said...

Interesting post.. thanks :)

Jennifer D said...

You always crack me up!I have missed your sarcasm,I always wondered about that burping thing. So glad you are back. I am raising a son also (18) and boy... I am feeling your pain and joy. I am so glad to hear the mole incident ended well.
Puddles is adorable and I would have guessed he was a Scottish terrier mix. I wonder what my little Rugby is? She is an Aussie Shep./Corgi according to the shelter but I am not so sure.

Land of shimp said...

Hi Tabor, good to see you too! Yes, I've also been reading your blog for quite some time, although I only recently discovered that you're a gifted photographer too! Unlike me, but I greatly admire that talent in others.

I remember a couple of stories about your son and actually have thought of them in the past few weeks.

Ellen, the leader of the Giant Flamingo Clan :-) I always get a lift from your avatar picture. You know, for me it is just a case of "when stressed, I don't like to talk about it, I need escapism!". Hopefully that's a healthy form of denial. Good to see you and your large, pink friend :-)

Moannie, I'm keeping some really good company, far better than I am at this blogging business. I hope you're well and it's good to see you!

LPC, I am so very grateful that I was already forcing him to go in for skin checks. We're both very fair-skinned and I know people thought I was paranoid for making a twenty-year-old get skin checks. I have never, ever been so grateful for some helpful paranoia before.

Thank you very much, by the way. I really do appreciate that people care about his well-being. It's very touching.

Teri, you got the joke with the last picture!! Yay, I'm not entirely weird and obscure. Well, I am weird and obscure, but I'm not inscrutable!

Do let me know if your friend knows where the heck that old joke started, please.

Hellllllo, Bug :-) I saw a statue of a pig while out and about a week ago and immediately you came to mind. Which will sound awful, but I think you know is actually a good thing.

Land of shimp said...

Jacqueson, perhaps you have the Duck Billed Platypus of the dog world? Defying all known criteria but existing nonetheless :-)

Hello, by the way.

Cloudia, the lady who dwells in paradise and is good enough to share it with the rest of us. I shall be over to see you soon, this week.

Hehe, Boredom Blog, I am sure, absolutely sure, although I hesitate to do the Google search myself, that there is a contest that involves Epic Burping. Your wish would certainly be granted there!

Angela Wu, well, I think you might have me confused with someone else. This isn't a photography blog, but hello and thank you for the comment.

Hilary, I should be talking to you almost momentarily, but hello in advance!

Ethel Mae, that is an incredibly kind thing to say but I do apologize for being absent so long. I've just always had a rather terrible habit of withdrawing a bit in times of trouble. It works for me, but has a tendency to be unfair to others.

I'm so glad to see you and your wonderful brand of zaniness :-)

Yes, Beer in the Shower! There have been several works with that title and it has a fair number of pop culture references but Pachett (I thought it was Prachett but I'm sooooo bad with names) did great work with it.

Vera, I swear I thought of you on Sunday while watching a program detailing a house hunt in the South of France. They were also buying a place to rehab. Isn't it nice to know you are easily associated with "Wow, they're brave!"

Thank you, Duncan. I will return the visit later this week :-)

Pauline, I will take your word for it, you wise person, you. It's good to see your fun avatar. I don't think I've ever told you, it always makes me think you're inviting us into a cave, leading to Narnia...or some other magical place. Isn't that a great association?

It's the mad Potter, Gary :-) Good to see you, sir and yes, Puddles is a wonderful dog. The gods of doggie good fortune smiled upon us, that's for sure. You too, of course.

Hey Jim, yes, we were named on the same day. You big wiseass, you ;-) Good to see you too. At least they picked someone with actual talent in you. Me? Eh, maybe there is something to your theory after all.

induchhibbler, yes, you missed the joke. I am sorry you were offended, but it was joke about cultural misinformation.

As to where I got the information, I made it up. Much like the person with the "it's a compliment to the chef to burp after eating in China".

It's absurd humor...clearly not very good, it would seem but that was the spirit of it. Again, sorry if you were in anyway offended.

Thank you, Success.

Hello, Jennifer and thank you :-) You know, if anyone told me twenty would be the hardest age, I simply would not have believed them! We shall get through it, and look back at it with...well...we will look back it, having survived, right?

I got our test at a pet mall on the internet. I just plugged in "Dog DNA test" and it brought up the retailers, if you're ever dying to know :-)

It's really nice to see everyone and I will get over to your blogs starting tomorrow. I have my mornings free this week, which is nice :-) Thank you again.

light208 said...

Puddles is lovely. What a great picture.

Congrats again on the Blog of Note. Clearly well deserved. I started reading this and then had to read everything else. I may have been here some time. :)

DUTA said...

Congratulations on your well-deserved Blog of Note!
Hope your son is OK, and that you're back to blogging.

Anonymous said...

Your dog is gorgeous :)

Pauline said...

LOS - that photo of me in the center of a huge, hollowed out Redwood stump was taken by my son when we traveled together a couple of summers ago. It was large enough to be a Hobbit hole. In fact the whole forest was magical!

PhilipH said...

Lovely to see you again Lady Alane Shimp. And your multi-helix-strand pooch is a real charmer, and no mistake (as the good people of certain parts of London would say).

I've always understood the Chinese comment "I hope you live in interesting times" to be a polite curse. A nice phrase which could, I guess, be taken as a compliment by an unsuspecting recipient of those words.

I'd like to pass on that phrase to all the investment bankers of the world.

ds said...

Yippee, you're back!! As a Blog of Note, no less. Well done, and very well-deserved!!

I am so so happy that your son's nasty mole is gone. I hope that whatever else is happening will resolve itself as completely and as quickly...

But really "eating solely with their feet"?! Tsk, tsk. There's the shimp/Alane we all know and love. And your little dog, too! ;)

Land of shimp said...

Thank you, light208. I told a friend of mine about this blog a while back and she sat and read it straight through...and then was highly alarmed because she swore she talked like me for the rest of the day. So no fears! ;-)

Seriously, thank you!

Duta! I am not kidding...I had a dream about you. I was in Israel, in my dream, and we met for a cup of tea. But the restaurant wasn't really a restaurant and we ended up painting instead.

Yup, my rich inner world. Evidently I trapped you in it, at least briefly. It's good to see you and thank you.

Thank you, Caitlin. She is so sweet and so good, I feel very fortunate that I get to hang out with her.

Aha, Pauline! That makes sense. I think anything involving a Redwood is touched by magic. I'm surprised you emerged from the experience without converting to druidism.

It's a fun photo! I'm glad it is from a good, memorable experience.

Sir Philip! You have emerged from the well! Excellent. I'm so pleased to see your screenname. Hopefully you've been guarding the Scottish Border from any Wall Street types. Walk behind, softly whispering, "Your assets are devaluing...your net worth is getting smaller...What's that? The sound of your stocks falling? Make haste, man and away with you!"

ds, you wonderful person, you. I cannot believe you were the only person so far to call me out on what was such a truly dreadful pun!! Hehe. I had such fun writing it ;-)

It's good to see you, too.

Kerry said...

Blog of Note! Wow. I am so glad they chose you, because I have sort of given up on finding good blogs that way. Jeesh. That kind of attention could be quite disorienting.
I think it's hilarious that Puddles is mostly lab...really? (Although labs are the most common breed out there so maybe their DNA is all over the place)The English Setter part I can kind of see in her, although those short legs, I dunno. She may have some breeds in her that aren't part of the DNA test yet, I suppose. Did you have to swab her spit, or take a blood test?
Well I can talk about dogs all day. I am glad that you are back in blog-land, glad that your son's melanoma was completely controlled, and glad that you got Blog of Note.

Shrinky said...

Oh Alane, I sure have missed you girl! (Doing a wee happy dance to see you back again..) And woooo-hoooo on that Blog of Note shout-out, if ever a blog deserved one, it's yours! Thank goodness that mole was spotted before turning nasty - my jaw hit the floor reading of it - you DO NOT expect something like that to surface in one so young, I can only imagine the shock and worry it must have caused.

Mehhhh, kids! If they had told me a tenth of the things they can put you through BEFORE I got pregnant, I may have had my tubes tied on the spot! Sigh. I hope whatever it is, it'll all ride through and come out right at the end (huggles). As for puddles, oooooh those pics are utterly adorable, what a gorgeous little mutt he is, whatever his parentage (giggle). I truly understand the occassional need to take a step back from blogging, now and then - sometimes real life takes over, and has to take priority - but you have been muchly missed, dear lady.

Lisa said...

I love your dog! That is a very random mix of breeds and you're right she doesnt really look like any of them bless her!

Robin said...

If it makes you feel better I have recently neglected reading my blogs of note.....so I just saw yours. Better? Well, anyways, a big ol whew that your son is all right and what else could make you smile bigger than that sweet dog. We are currently waiting on a fruit loop necklace string to rear it's ugly head from our dog.....gross. Back to life! I'll try to stop again soon.

MunirGhiasuddin said...

People from Pakistan get offended if the host eats before the guest arrives. Being from a diabetic family my daughter had to eat breakfast before the guest arrived(it was eleven AM and she should be eating at eight AM but waited untill ten any way) the guest was offended deeply. What do we do, pretend that we did not eat or drop down when the blood sugar drops?

CiCi said...

Hopefully your son is totally out of danger and is using sunscreen to the max. When my son was surfing in the Pacific ocean it was nagging at the back of my mind but he golfs too so I am grateful he does wear sunscreen.

Land of shimp said...

Hello Kerry! Thank you, I thought it was sort of funny considering even before I disappeared into the "it's fun to be a parent" void for a bit, I'm not exactly a prolific poster. However, it was a nice thing and I appreciate it.

It was a cheek swab test, Kerry. I know those are not as accurate as blood tests and frankly, if it wasn't for the fact that it is easy to spot the English Setter in her, I'd assume they'd made it all up. It's not just the very long tail, it's Puddles' entire nature.

Then I went on youtube and searched "English Setter Barking" because Puddles bark is kind of distinctive. The very first video? "Awwooooo, woooo, wooo, woo!"

And I was willing to admit that maybe there was some validity to the test after that ;-)

It also kind of potentially explains something. We're Puddles third home, if you are willing to call her first landing a home. She was found in a field, in a box with her littermates. Now, she really is just the sweetest, most loving dog but she's also a fierce level of adorable. We kept speculating, "Oh my God, what kind of monster could leave an entire box full of those dogs in a field??" because it doesn't quite track. Someone kept them alive long enough for them to weaned so that suggests not being completely devoid of heart.

However, large breed, mixed puppies are more likely to be abandoned. So that helped provide a bit of an answer, "Aha, they thought they had a litter of potentially big dogs." Doesn't make it okay, but it does make it less entirely baffling.

Then in her second home the woman essentially thought she was getting a purse puppy. Puddles was very anxious because they never walked her (they'd never had a dog before)...but they tried to do the right thing, they contacted a rescue society to find her a home rather than just dumping her in a pound and the rest is "How I got my dog" history.

I could also talk dogs all day :-) Lovely to see you, my dog loving blog friend.

Shrinky!!! Hello, wacky, wonderful woman. I jumped over to your blog yesterday and you immediately had me laughing. Thank you for missing me, but I missed you too!

Yeah, the malignant melanoma was positively surreal. We got lucky in more ways than one, though. The thing is, Flint always treated my Achilles Heel approach to sunblock as being just another "Mom is worrying for no reason" thing. So there were plenty of times he didn't put it on when he was elsewhere. That's why I was already scheduling skin checks for him from eighteen on.

So, quite a few strokes of fortune there.

Land of shimp said...

Thank you, Lisa :-) When the results arrived we really did speculate for a moment, "Wow, whose results do you think we got instead of ours?" but whereas she doesn't look a thing like any of them (other than a vague dog-shape thing going on), her personality is very much like an English Setter.

We were told she was a Scottish Terrier/Basset mix by the rescue society but knew it was just a guess. More of guess than we realized, it turned out!

Oooooh Robin, nooooooooo! I'm sorry, and yes, gross. The dog I had growing up ate Easter Basket grass one year. Yup. Fun times. I hope the necklace part...uh...reemerges, shall we say? without any further ugly incidents. Thank you for the visit :-) May the gods of dog poo...yeah, there's good way to finish that sentence.

Munir, that is difficult and hopefully a guest would understand. Customs can be very nice things, but they become more of a burden than a boon when they pose difficulties like that. By the way, my son is also a type 1 diabetic. You just made me feel glad that I had one less thing to cope with when it came to those challenges. I hope the visit went well :-)

Technobabe, he is. They did have to remove more skin surrounding the area but luckily he's a guy and thinks the scar is "kind of cool". He always did think I was exaggerating the risks of skin cancer. He doesn't any longer.

However, it isn't just how fair we both are, it's also that we idiotically live at high altitude.

I practically meet guests flying in to visit us with sunscreen at the airport. I'm pretty much not exaggerating. They ask, "What kind of clothes should I bring?" and I always answer, "Removable layers and sunblock with at least 30 spf." Then I keep the house stocked to the ceilings with the stuff too.

He will be okay but will need skin checks four times a year from here on out. Poor guy. Between that and having diabetes he must feel like he lives in the doctor's office.

Poetry of the Day said...

awwww your dog is so cute!

Carolynn Anctil said...

Are you sure Puddles isn't also part mole? Definitely 100% sweet.

Saz said...

well done you..many of my bloggie friends have been made a blog of note in recent weeks well done!!
saz x

Grandpa said...

For a moment I thought you are from land of the shrimp (!), esp with the picture of the sea, LOL...

Belching loudly is supposed to be your way of saying 'thank you' to god for the food you've eaten.

SciReg said...

What a lovely dog!)))

Anonymous said...

LOL great blog and dog! You put smile on my face today. Thanks to Blogger for pointing you out and can't wait for more cutest dog pictures. Namaste!

Unknown said...

Thank you! I am new to blogging and so enjoyed your post. I hope all is well with your son. I look foward to reading more of you.

Miss I. Lover said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Miss I. Lover said...

haha your dogs awesome. I thought for a minute he was part dauschaund. Good luck with whatevers going on with your son and welcome back =D

Danger Boy said...

I sometimes think they pick Blog of Note with a random number generator. But sometimes, they find gold.

Public Confessions said...

i deff live in interesting times

JeannetteLS said...

Having an interesting life certainly CAN be over-rated. The blahs can be quite comforting. THank God your son's mole was taken care of. And Puddles? Puddles is just Puddles--clearly one of a kind, regardless of genetics.

Good to see you here. I was gone myself, but I surely do love your writing--no wonder you are a blog of note. Raising kids... People are right. We are mothers for life.

R.T. said...

Thanks a lot for such a nice Blog :)

wheatgerm said...

good luck with the mole

Maggie said...

Your blog is really inspiring. I just joined recently and saw your blog was a "blog of note." Congrats! Hopefully you can follow me, Maggie G.

Carolina said...

Djeezus, you have a lot of comments. Make Blog of Note did you? Congratulations :-)

I've only read the first part of your post yet, but had to tell you this:
we used to regularly eat at a Chinese restaurant near our house (don't live there anymore). It was run by a lovely Chinese family. Once we ate there quite early in the evening and the whole family was having dinner at the table next to us. And they all burped! Honestly. After they'd finished their meal they burped like mad. I almost choked in my No. 16 and 47 from trying not to laugh.

So...

Anyway, off to read the rest of your post :-)

Carolina said...

Just thought I'd add another comment to boost your numbers ;-)

Glad you're back and that your son is okay mole-wise. Your dog is cute. It must be all that labrador blood ;-)

Anonymous said...

Oh, I'm not on Blogger so missed your auspicious award as Blogger of Note. And that you are - so congrats!

Well done Hilary for getting you back here to entertain us.

Sorry about your WTH chorus but phew and yippee about the mole not having spread.

Gabriel said...

we are really living in some interesting times.

Land of shimp said...

Thank you, poetry of the day :-) We really feel so fortunate to have her because beyond being cute, she's a very sweet girl.

Carolynn, hehe, she might be. You never know! She does tunnel well in the snow. One of the more surprising things about her is that she doesn't mind the cold much (we are very careful about exposing her to cold for too long but she doesn't dislike the cold).

Land of shimp said...

Hey Saz! I hope you're well and I saw that your mom had been mentioned also! Since your mom (or I should say "mum" shouldn't I? Sorry!) is a wonderful storyteller I wasn't in the least surprised...and in her case it was entirely merited.

I think everyone sees "shrimp", Grandpa :-) It's supposed to be about how our brain processes words: We see what we think we are meant to see of a word begins and ends with associated letters.

I didn't know that until after I'd titled the blog, though. Shimp is nickname from a long time ago at this stage.

Thank you, scireg :-) We sure love her.

Thank you, Mandy. Peace!

Thank you, Kathy. I'll stop by in a bit here.

Miss I. Lover, my husband found her on Petfinder, which is a site used to help rescue/adoptable pets find homes. She was listed as "Scottish Terrier/Basset mix."

Not a bad guess really but it turned out to be wholly inaccurate.

Thank you, Danger Boy. Here's hoping I skew more towards the latter rather than the former. Tin perhaps :-)

Public Confessions, well, interesting can be good. Here's hoping you have the good variety.

Land of shimp said...

Helllloooo, Jeanette. Welcome back yourself! Good to see you.

Yes, indeed, mothers for life. Sometimes you just have to hold tight and see how the story unfolds.

Chocolate helps :-)

Thank you, R.T. :-)

Here's hoping for continued good luck with that, wheatgerm, and thank you. I do appreciate the good wishes for him, very much.

Thank you, Maggie. I will return the visit, I promise.

Carolina, the person I know best from China did assure me that it's considered rude to do as a guest. I'm not sure what to believe but I think I will err on the side of...well, I'm unlikely to visit China I suppose, so I guess I'm safe from having to debate, "To belch, or not to belch?"

I still think there is a muppet somewhere in that dog's heritage. The lap didn't want to let on that they found, "Escapee from Jim Henson's Creature Shop." in her genes. Thank you, by the way! I hope all is well where you are and with your various animals.

Hehe, ladyfi, so did I! But it's lovely to see you and Hilary is a gem, that's for sure. Yes, indeed, thank goodness it didn't spread. Paranoia paid off.

Yes, we do, on so many fronts, Gabriel. Thank you for the visit :-)

Land of shimp said...

Oh...here's hoping this person comes back to check.

Lisa Lisa from Yappy Times, this is for you!

"Hi Lisa, lest I alarm the heck out of you by just showing up here, I'm returning your visit. Hello! (I'm not above redundancy, clearly)

I used to love our breadmaker. It died a well-earned death and went on to eternal repose for the hardworking appliance, no doubt. Don't they make the house smell wonderful? Now that we own a bigger house, I think might get one again.

I love the little purse in your post below, too. Actually, you've got a lot of fun posts here. I shall follow you and see if you can teach me thrift and restraint. Little hope of that for me, but it looks like you've got a handle on it!
28 January 2011 09:46"

Lisa, you don't have an email addy listed, so I can't contact you...and I just tried for a half an hour to figure out a way to get this to post on your blog: I know why you aren't getting any comments!

The template you have chosen, the way it is laid out, blocks people from commenting. There's no window for the word verification word. I downloaded Adblock on three separate browsers (I am nothing if not determined)...even with the ads blocked, there's no window for the word.

Try leaving a comment yourself on your blog, please. I hope this helps.

Change your template or disable word verification. You've got a delightful blog, I was wondering why you had no comments, then I found out.

I hope this finds you. I really did try my best to figure out how to get word to you.

Robin said...

You are very funny and yes, the necklace did show itself. Thank you for the message. It was a little like reading myself so I truly appreciate the silliness.

lizardjim said...

Interesting article... good to see you back in the Blogosphere!

James
--------------------------
www.creditwindow.co.uk

NormalToEatPB said...

Puddles, tho she be a mut, is freakin adoreable! I want to squeeze her and give her a big smooch :)

As for the start of your blog, maybe you should create your own new tradition (and hopefully it won't include passing gas after a good meal to show appreciation).

Take a look at my blog - leave a comment - I am cateloguing normal people :)

http://normaltoeatpb.blogspot.com/2011/01/normal-to-eatpb.html

Jo said...

Alane...! Congratulations on your Blog of Note.

But more importantly, thank goodness your son's melanoma was caught in time.

I'm so glad to see you again. :-)

Cheers,
Jo

Unknown said...

http://darmoweebook.blogspot.com/

The Spiritual Hobo said...

Remember "Fuzzy Wuzzy"? Well as it goes, Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear but Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair so Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy. was he? Fuzzy had no hair but if you called him on the telephone you wouldn't necessarily know that. If, "Fuzzy Wuzzy" was a house slipper manufacturer or the name brand of a bathrobe company then you would not expect their products to be bald. Bear in mind that you have never seen a bald bear! So, don't beat around the bush like pretentious "Wuzzy", was doing. "Call everything by it's rightful name" and don't be dazzled by titles. What ever you do, do, don't become famous for being an imposter, like Fuzzy Wuzzy, was, now wasn't he?
Pete and Repeat are two parrots. One is a talking toy, sitting on a plastic perch and the other is an empty stein. Pete is fuzzy, but he can't talk unless you stick a couple of double-a (AA) batteries up his ass and the other bird brain, well he doesn't have a mind of his own either. You can look right through the top of Repeat's head and see that he is empty all the way down to his toes. Beware of senseless conversations and idle "Parrot Talk" with dumb birds like Pete and Repeat.
People will usually talk about the weather whenever they are stuck in a conversation with someone they have just met.
With regards to the "weight of someones word" don't put much stock in it.
When people talk, consider the "content vs. advertising ratio" of their words to be about the same as that of a weekly tabloid.
Music costs money because "talk is cheap".
Get ready to pay a piper whenever you ever hear a fat lady singing.
Be wise and realize, that when words are spoken, pretensions proceed intentions.
"Only, from the abundance of the heart, doth the mouth speak".
Understand that, in order to tell the truth, people must be coerced or worse.
Don't let a bible fool you, liars have sworn-upon stacks of them and no lightning strikes.
Don't become a liar just because you see others succeed by doing so.
In the end, everybody has to eat some words... especially their own.
"It doesn't matter what goes in your mouth. What matters more, is what comes out of it".
"By thine own words are ye condemned" so speak from the heart... but "don't cast your pearls before swine".
Always be your self unless; you, are standing in front of a cop or thinking about becoming an actor.
If you are in a group, then don't be the first to speak, or, you'll end-up, the last... to be heard.
Your words, will count, but only if you speak about the present and not about the weather.
Don't beat around the bush.
"The Bird", in your hand is worth much more than two dumb birds and a bear in a bush.
The "finger insult" came about when a stupid king had the forefingers of his enemies archers cut-off, so that they could no longer shoot arrows at his army. The "Forefingerless" would flash "The Bird" at their captors in order to show that they could still pull on a bow string. The offense of getting "The Bird" from someone became such an insult that it somehow wounds the heart as if it were hit by an invisible arrow.
If you are unaccustomed to flashing "The Noble Bird Symbol", then try it out on some of your friends just for fun. If you want to see just how deadly the weapon still is, then don't tell your friends what you're up to before you flash them.
People react strangely after being fingered so be ready to fly...
and you thought the one about "The Birds And The Bees was bad!
CONSULTING WITH THE SPIRITUAL HOBO

S said...

Nice blog, I love the photos you have in this post.
Congratulations in being in the blogs of note :)

Check out/ Follow my blog?

http://thewalkingphotography.blogspot.com/

Kerry said...

Holy shit. 71 comments? I can barely count that far. I came back to say that I am glad that Blog of Note didn't discriminate against you for not posting constantly. It is MUCH better to post when you actually have something to say. Thanks for that. It is far more than most of us do.

Frances Tyrrell said...

How very nice to read a new Shimp post again. I hope all goes well for you, family and your son, in every respect. Well done on making him get that skin check!

Well of course you are a Bog of Note, I knew you were Noteworthy the first time I stopped by here. Congratulations, and About time it was noticed.

Alan Anderson said...

That dog is really cute!

Chris said...

Very interesting blog and enjoyed your style of writing. Thanks for reminder for all to do the skin check. My sister was also diagnosed with skin cancer but it was caught early and removed hence the large indent in her upper arm. Small price to pay for your life...
Congrats on reaching blog of note status.

Frances Tyrrell said...

Oh no, "Bog of note", I sincerely apologize. Blog of Note, and quite right too.

Tiffany Barry said...

The last picture cracks me up! Congrats on being a Blog of Note!

-Tiffany
of
Will Write 4 Food
http://tiffanywillwrite4food.blogspot.com

tony said...

Knight of the Post

Travel-PB said...

Keep blogging. I believe there are many of readers like me out there waiting for more.

Abblyfish Wibble Bartonia said...

Hiya,

Just a quick comment to say that I've nominated you for the Versitile Blogger award. I think your stuff is a really interesting read. Heres a link to my blog :) feel free to check it out !

http://abblyfish.blogspot.com/2011/02/woooo-blog-award-d.html

from Abbly

NYFA Photography said...

snowmageddon!!!

Barb said...

You are a wonderful writer who tells a funny and intriguing story. Congratulations on Blog of Note - and I hope all your problems have since resolved.

susie said...

Awesome photo you have on your blog. The water looks so peaceful.Also, didn't know it was a compliment to the cook to burp- lol!! I have just started blogging.

Check it out: susielangblogspot.com

LearningByReading said...

As with all pithy quotes, it is difficult to credit a particlular ethnicity with its origin.
We had a Black Lab like the one in your humorous pic and had to put him down because of hip dysplasia :(

LearningByReading said...

Easterners think it is interesting that Westerners even raise the topic of Belching after eating :)

Jane said...

The cutest thing you have might be the cutest thing I've ever seen. But let's try to remember what kind of world we're leaving them. Please check out this video for tips on how to make the world a better place to live in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGxDAHkt4ok

Freight Audit said...

The title was very interesting. And the article was very nice to read.. I like it..

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prince said...

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Satta King Ye Wada Hai Hamara
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