my team cries @ the aspca commercial

Today was the dissolution of my department and it was exceedingly emotional. We were all very good friends, and coming to work was always fun and something I looked forward to. Sincerely. I've been teasing my coworker Aletheia about bringing in cupcake cones like my mom used to make them (chocolate cake and butter cream frosting with chocolate chips mixed in, baked in ice cream cones), never expecting her to actually do it. Just playful pestering. Well, today she did it. What a brilliant way to close this chapter of our careers and a sweet good-bye to the two years we spent together as a family. I'll always treasure these people and these times.

slipper sleeper

Nothing sweeter than a guy who loves you enough to sleep on your slippers when your lap's unavailable. Aww.

nicky the good boy dachshund

It's been a peaceful Christmas, and now we're curled up in bed, watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This year, I've been singing Nicky the Good Boy Dachshund--about the hero who lead Santa's sleigh with his hound dog nose--to the tune of Rudolph, and felt Nick should see the original Christmas masterpiece. I have a feeling he'll like it, if he doesn't sleep through the whole thing.

dachshund-sized patches of light

If you've been paying any sort of attention to this blog, you know there are few activities Nick likes as much as sun bathing. Even with the days getting shorter, Nick manages to find the patches of sunlight that find their way to the floor. He makes sure they don't go by unappreciated.

sugar on the floor

Sometime's I just wanna curl up into a ball, too.

my little hound dog

We were watching the Rochester Christmas parade on public access when Nick felt compelled to answer the fire engine's howl.

love is like a dachshund

That rare and gentle thing.

The Animal Kingdom

That's all.

doggone

I just discovered some particularly amazing refridgerator art in my folks' gallery.

go(ing more) green!

Everybody knows I have the most boring cube in the office, though it won a white glove contest for being the tidiest. Zing! Anyway, I was given a plant to make my work home a bit more exciting. I love her and have become a bit preoccupied.

a new era

Yesterday, I got a fancy new phone. Here's my test post, featuring my favorite model.

on a sunbeam

Nicky's always either being cute and sweet or dreaming of a career as a pre-psych album model.

a good day for sniffing

I had breakfast with a wise man who said it was a good day to sniff the wind. Well, Nick agreed.

a day of rest

Sunday afternoons were meant for sunbathing while listening to Dolly Parton. And being cute.

past two weeks pt. 3

Last Saturday, Megan and I ran around Metro Detroit on a mission. We had lunch at Pronto in Royal Oak, then passed this beautiful tree on the way back to her car. Autumn!

past two weeks pt. 2

Last Friday, I went to an Emmylou Harris concert. Anybody who knows Nick, knows that's his favorite singer. When I got home, I found my shoes were all dragged out to the middle of the living room.

past two weeks pt. 1

Two weeks ago today, my friend Gretchen was in town spending the weekend, and Nick went to the beauty parlor. Here's Nick showing off his beautification while Gretchen's patiently waiting inside.

waiting for the sunrise

It's been a tough couple of months for a dear friend of mine as she dealt with a very rare illness. Her struggle ended Saturday and she passed away while seeking treatment in California. I've been going through all kinds of emotions and questioning just about everything about myself, wondering if I could have been a better friend and person. There are so many lessons that I'm learning as past conversations and experiences with her are finally coming into focus. I only wish she were around to see I get it now. Yesterday morning, when I was feeling particularly lonely and self-critical, I walked out to my car and found a heart drawn on the window. It reminded me that even though I'm going through a lot of pain I have to make sure I learn from the grief and do what I can to be the best friend I can be to those that are still here and try to forgive my past errors. I think Nevada knew where
we stood better than I did. Either way, I'm here and it's now and I learned a lot. Miss you Nevada.

dachshund patch

I wanted to get a majestic photo of Nicky sitting in a patch of sunlight, but he started walking toward me the second I took the photo. Typical Nick! He's got the cutest idiosyncracies.

laborious day

So, it's Labor Day. And how did I spend my day? The same way I spent yesterday: laboring over a cover letter for a position at work. I invested two days in this one letter; insane. Saturday was spent filming a music video with Megan, so my entire three-day weekend was about hustling. Wish I could have enjoyed more time with Nick. Here we are first thing this morning, watching the world wake up.

Nick-dog-orian Theorem: cute squared + sweet squared = Nick square!

There have been a lot of changes in Nick's life these past couple of months. One big change was the rearranging of the living room--Nick's palace. Gone are the pieces of furniture he could jump onto, in favor of things he can walk onto. Here's Nick sitting on his new thrown: a green Ikea mat with paw prints on it. This is his new perch for main floor triangulating.

nick don't melt

Nicky's not a fan of going out in the rain. This evening I took him to the canopy of the tree out back. He did his business then waited patiently for me to bring him back in. He's a cutie.

where there's smoke

A chemical plant in Hamtramck caught fire and sent big black smoke all over midtown Detroit. This is what it looked like from my office when it first started. Later, it spread out and became much more ominous looking.

the closest I'll come to a wax figure of my likeness

Randy's portrait of me. Swoopy bangs and everything

emmylou has a way with dogs

Here's Nicky listening to an Emmylou Harris record he got at a garage sale over the Fourth of July weekend. He loves his Emmylou.

proton pup

In addition to the acupuncture, Nicky's been getting magnet therapy and other homeopathic/holistic treatments. Yesterday we started laser treatment to help the nerves in his spine communicate. I left the room while Nicky was getting the laser, and he was so happy to see me when I came back, that he tried jumping out of the doctor's arms and started licking my face WITH THE MUZZLE ON. That's determination! I just cleaned the lick marks off my glasses; a gentle reminder. I don't have any pictures of the laser and welding masks, but here he is in his big electromagnetic bed.

my guy can make medicine look desirable

I took Nick to his weekly accupuncture appointment today, and I swear the office is his fan club. From the second I called to notify them I would be a couple minutes late, to the staff staying late even though the doctor said they could go home, everyone knew and loved Nick. It made me feel VIP. Everyone wanted a piece of him, but he only wanted to pay attention to me.

a reel buddy

Back when I took a year off from work, Nick and I had a subscription to Netflix and we spent our days catching up on films I never saw. The past couple of years have been spent neglecting Netflix, until about a month ago when we started it back up. Nick's vets want him to rest a bit, so he and I rediscovered bonding over DVDs. Tonight we watched a snoozer, but I enjoyed it, anyhow.

nicky tea and me

Ah, a lovely night. The sun's setting, making the dining and living rooms beautiful, I just made a cup of tea, and I'm about to enjoy it all with Nick and a DVD. Bliss. Happy summer!

blue skies

I took this picture yesterday afternoon when I got home from work. It sums up the way I'm feeling so far this weekend. From here on out, I'm going to try my hardest to appreciate moments of peace. I'm feeling mighty grateful and, yeah, blessed.

the boy with the dog by his side

Three of my absolute favorite things ever are Nick, summer, and sitting on the porch with Nick on a sunny, summer day. Thankfully, Nicky is a big fan of summer porch sitting. We just spent about a half hour doing just that until I dragged us in. It was a nice time and very much needed. God bless Nick.

we do it all for the love

And by love, I mean Nick. The toughest boy alive and the dachshund of my eye.

busted

Sometimes when I'm not home and Nick misses me, he plays with my shoes. <3

nick officially loves provincetown

As much as I miss being on vacation, Nick misses it even more. He's been homesick for Cape Cod ever since we got back to Michigan. It's his third time going out to Provincetown, but his first time being this torn up about coming home. I can't wait to take him on vacation in August. Hopefully he'll have another great time. Here he is looking out over Cape Cod Bay.

midwestern summer skies don't know who is and who isn't on vacation

So, the vacation's nearly over and we're creeping up on Toledo, listening to oldies on Sirius. Here's what Ohio looks like rolling past our window, somewhere south of Sandusky. Reminds me of the drive between East Kansing and Kalkaska, back in the 1980s.

old cape cod

So, today was our last full day in Provincetown for our 2009 stay. We walked a little bit into the east end then headed downtown, just enjoying the weather and scenery. This morning, Nicky won the heart of a woman who was in the market for a dog, due to one of hers passing and the other being lonely, and decided she'd probably go dachshund. Nicky's a great ambassador. This evening we ran into Vanessa from City Video and caught up for the year, talking music/t-shirts/America. Given the good people vibes today and befriending Jennifer and Kim from NY, Ryan and Ariko from ON, John and Dennis from FL, Chaz also from FL, Tom from Boston, Vanessa, Angus, and Ken from Ptown, etc., I'm thinking this place might be the most friendly place I've ever witnessed. It truly is amazing just how nice and genuinely caring everyone is while here, and how conducive it is for harmonious living. Again, to
quote my friend Amy in Providence: Provincetown's ethereal. I'm gonna miss this place. Until next year.

still ethereal

Oh, how I love Cape Cod. Even when it's cold and rainy, it's a pretty magical place as long as you've got good company and love in yr heart. The sun came out for the first time yesterday, and today was a model June day in Provincetown, Mass. We trudged up to Race Point Beach this afternoon and walked in the cold Atlantic Ocean, where we saw a live horseshoe crab as it was washed up on the shore. A couple moments later, he found his way back to the ocean. It was a beautiful experience just watching. Tonight is dinner at Ciro & Sal's. Another beautiful corner of Cape Cod. I love it here.

jon's view at sal's place

After walking past it for years, I finally had the pleasure of experiencing Sal's Place on the west end of Provincetown. I've been a big fan of Ciro & Sal's over on the east end of town, and due to my loyalty there, I felt guilty about going to Sal's post-Ciro restaurant. Plus people told me it was bad. Au Contraire. It was delicious. And our waitress, Katia, was excellent with my vegetarianism and strawberry allergies. She hooked me up. I only wish I would have given it a try eight years ago so I could have been enjoying it all these years. Oh well.

travelling dachshund

We're on the road to Cape Cod and had to pull over to use Ohio's toilets. Being the trooper that he is, Nick did his business in the rain. He's cute when he's wet. God bless him.

l'art

Though it's nowhere as cute, guess who my muse was for this piece. Aww.

a good egg

This egg was found in the middle of my driveway, nowhere near a tree or nest. Yet, this little pre-born fellow found his way to a spacious, sunny area. Quite resourceful. I just hope he moves through the world without missing the yolks back home too much, and maybe visits them during the pauses of the high life. I admire the independent spirit as long as it understands the connectivity between us all. Chin up, lad. You'll do OK.

kiss me i'm dachshund

Nicky went to the groomer this morning, and boy is he looking fluffy and elegant. He's got that wonderful ginger/vanilla/pine smell, too. How regal.

happy birthday Nick!

Today is Nicky's sixth birthday and boy has he been loving it. He got a visit from my folks, a trip to Selby's, and a couple car rides. Now we're home, resting. Maybe we'll watch Lady and the Tramp. This guy is such a blessing.

it's beginning to look a lot like summer

Southeast Michigan has been awfully beautiful lately. It's warm and sunny, and there's that kind of cool, wet breeze going on. It's all quite ideal. Nicky's new favorite thing is to sit on the porch after our walk. He won't come in the house unless it's directly preceded by front porch sitting. I let him think it was his idea.

the USA never tasted sweeter

There's nothing more patriotic than Willie Nelson. Nothing. And thanks to Willie, I've found my new favorite ice cream. What a great Memorial Day find!

detroit gets real

I've been celebrating all month. Very thankfully.

and stay out

I took Nicky to the back yard this afternoon, where we narrowly escaped a calliope version of "Yankee Doodle" blaring from an oncoming ice cream truck. Phew! Here's Nicky, telling the ice cream man to never come back. I'm lucky to live with such a brave guard dog.

sunday with nick

Yesterday was the first day of National Pet Week and was spent celebrating with Nick. We went for a bunch of walks, watched TV together, hung out on the porch a couple different times, and went for a car ride. It was all quite summery, and now both Nick and I have the allergies to prove it. This guy is the best company ever.

this is what may in michigan looks like

Isn't it lovely?

leave the light on Charles

So, I think I've fallen in love with Disney's Boardwalk. We're due to check out any minute now and I'm feeling nostalgic. Here's a pic of Boardwalk from the other side of the lake, taken on our morning walk.