FLASHBACK 1876

"how much is that doggie in the window?"
a group of men meet regularly, in a manhattan bar, and share hunting stories and brag about how amazing their dogs are. they form a club and name it after their favorite hotel bar. the westminster breeding club is born.
FLASH FORWARD may 8, 1877
the first westminster kennel club dog show is held. over 1200 dogs, mostly hunting dogs, are entered causing the event to last four days, instead of the scheduled three. all proceeds from the fourth day are donated to the aspca.
FLASH FORWARD 1948
the westminster dog show is aired on television for the first time. which leads me to:
FLASH FORWARD february 1993
upstate new york is FREEEEEEEZING and covered in snow. nobody...NOBODY...goes outside. i read books. i flip thru magazines. i clean house. i start channel surfing. awwwwwwww...look at the doggies. i want one of those! and i want one of those!! and OH. MY. GOD!!! i want one of THOSE!!!! the boys want one of those! and they want one of those!! an OH. MY. GOD!!! they want one of THOSE!!! i tell their daddy. "NO!! we do NOT need a dog!" yes we do. all little boys should have a dog, especially a gentle giant. a dog that is meant to be loyal and protective. "well. if we were to get a dog, it would be one of THOSE." i'm sure he's saying that because he thinks i'll never find one. i start reading dog fancy magazine. i find all sorts of breeders. i call the closest one...200 miles away. "$1200.00" wait? what?! that's crazy! i keep calling...and calling...and calling. "well...usually my dogs go for $1200, but i have one female left from this last litter. she's 13 weeks old...she's defective...her teeth are crooked. you'll never be ever to show her in this condition. you can have her for $500." number 1~i have no intention of showing her and b~defective? that's harsh, i have to save her. SOLD!!! but she's in ohio? how will i get her? "i can fly her to you...$600 for the dog and her flight." SOLD!!! we are so excited to get her...she's arriving at 7pm. then, a phone call from the airline "all flights out of syracuse have been cancelled due to weather". wait? what?!! goober, you are just going to have to drive down there and get her. "are you nuts?! i am not driving 2½ hours away in an ice storm to get a DOG!!". he drove 2½ hours away in an ice storm.

belle was one of the best dogs anyone could ever have. a great pyrenees. gentle giants, great pyrenees are confident, gentle, and loyal. all of these things i learned from the westminster dog show. what didn't i learn? they shed. i know, i know, all dogs shed. but great pyrenees...well they shed 365 days a year! and not little dog hairs all over your furniture. CLUMPS! clumps of fluffy white hair all over everything!! and they slobber. belle put "beethoven" to shame. seriously. i AM NOT making that up. and they're stubborn making them difficult  to train. belle would go potty outside, like a good girl should, and take her praise...then, she would finish pottying in the living room as soon as i turned my back. i adored belle...and i would not have traded her for anything in the world. but, for future reference..next time i see one of THOSE (!!) dogs on the westminster dog show, i am totally doing my research before i rush out and buy one (better yet, find one to rescue!).
so. you just saw one of THOSE (!!) dogs and you are thinking you simply must have one? here are some things you might need to consider:

• can't stand dog hair all over your new sofa? try a yorkshire terrier, a dachshund (in particular smooth or wire haired), shih tzu, miniature schnauzer, boston terrier, maltese, bichon frise, west highland terrier, or havanese. also, poodles and poodle mixes. this doesn't mean they don't need grooming, just that they shed very little or not at all. 
• can't stand slobber? avoid st bernards, great pyrenees, bull dogs, english setters, coonhounds. generally, if their jowls droop, they slobber. there are exceptions to every rule but....
• need a dog that's great with kids? bulldogs, golden retrievers, labrador retrievers, beagles, collies just to name a few. i researched breeds that are considered not great with kids. that list overwhelmingly included: chihuahuas, pitt bulls, rottweillers, chows, and dalamations. but i have known people that had (or have) these breeds and they have been great with kids. i personally believe ANY dog can be great with kids if raised, and treated, properly. 
• you have no patience for a stubborn dog? border collies, labs, golden retrievers, dobermans, and german sheperds all have reputations for being easy to train. 
• consider rescue, as opposed to purchasing from a breeder. there is a rescue group for nearly every breed known to man. why? because people DO NOT do their research and purchase a breed they can't handle, or buy a dog on impulse that they don't have time for.

good luck not getting puppy fever while enjoying the westminster kennel club dog show! and don't forget to do your research!!

                          

LIVE TELEVISION COVERAGE:
Monday, February 11, 8pm-11pm ET, Live on CNBC
Tuesday, February 12, 8pm-11pm ET, Live on USA Network

^because it's cute and hilarious^

FLASHBACK 5th century

"this song It's meant to keep you from doin' what you're supposed to..wakin' up too early...maybe we could sleep in...i'll make you banana pancakes...pretend like it's the weekend now"
the first known references of pancakes are attributed to greek poets cratinus and magnes. of course, they don't call them PANCAKES...they refer to them as tagenites. ummmm...that doesn't sound appetizing AT ALL.
FLASH FORWARD february 5, 2013
after a long day of travel...and seeing the bk off for even MORE traveling...i sit down to channel surf. of course, i'm not hungry at all...UNTIL...until i see an ihop commercial. now i'm craving pancakes!! worse than that...i'm craving pancakes on national pancake day. and i've missed it!! boo!! but i've said i'm committed to getting healthy and eating right, you say? ummmm...yeah...but pancakes don't have to be considered unhealthy. fact: a serving of pancakes (2~4" plain) is only 94 calories and 2.17 grams of fat. it's how you chose to top it that can make them, truly, fattening. 

do i have tips for making your pancakes more figure friendly? of course!

1. don't use butter or whipped topping.
2. go for sugar~free or low~cal syrups and...AND...only use the suggested serving size.
3. want bacon? try turkey bacon...it's really good. or. cut your bacon in half. if you have 4 pieces you are actually only having 2 full slices! fool your brain...it works. cross my heart.
4. want eggs, too? try an egg white omelet or use egg substitute.

NOW. you're wanting a cheat day? you don't want to count calories...or fat...and just want to taste the ultimate deliciousness of the pancake? try this amazing recipe i had at a savannah, georgia bed and breakfast. it was like dessert for breakfast!!

APPLE PANCAKE BAKE

ingredients:

2 apples...peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/4 c. brown sugar, packed

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. all~purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

3/4 c. milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbs butter, melted

vanilla bean ice cream

preheat oven to 425. heat 10" iron  in oven for 7~8 minutes.  toss apples in brown sugar and cinnamon to coat. mix flour and salt. whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and 1 tbs butter and add to flour, mixing until smooth. swirl 2 tbs butter to coat bottom of skillet. arrange apples in skillet and pour batter over apples. bake 25~30 minutes until golden brown. serve with nice sized scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. serves 4~6. *note: it's the ice cream that makes this fattening...try a slow~churned ice cream which will cut the fat in half...or try no topping. it's delicious alone...no ice cream, syrup, or powdered sugar needed.

*every february 5, since 2006, ihop offers customers a free short stack of pancakes. guests are asked to consider making a donation to children's miracle network, or other local charities. to date, ihop has raised more than $10 million!

FLASHBACK 1976

daddy is done with school and decides we need to live in lebanon...i guess they don't need chiropractors in california. the parents conclude that it would be better to send us on ahead. we can live with the grandparents and start school while they try to sell our house. boo. so, they put us on a plane. me and the lil bro. it should have been a grand adventure. instead, the little bro cried. he cried the entire time. bahahaha hahahahahahahaha!!!


FLASH FORWARD january 2013
bk and i are headed to the airport. we know a snow storm is coming, but we'll be in the sky before it it's...right? are we right? we know we're right. we were wrong. the snow starts about 15 minutes before we get to the airport. a dusting. about 10 minutes before we get there, we have a solid inch. when we get there, we see a good two inches. ugh! please?please let us leave on time!? we board on schedule! yay! we pull away from the gate on schedule!! yay! and then we sit. we sit for an hour. ugh. we pay careful attention to the time. we are sure we will miss our connecting flight. we aren't worried though. big deal. they'll put us on the next one. the woman next to us continually stops the flight attendant "my flight leaves at 11:45!". so what? she can't make the plane go any faster. finally we land and everybody jumps out of their seat. EVERYBODY. jumps out of their seat. they are all certain that their connection is more important than everybody else's. the bk and i wait patiently. we laugh at everybody who rushed off the plane to wait for their bags as we walk on past them. as soon as we get inside we sprint through the airport. we have a few short minutes. awwww man! the door is closed. the gate is pulled away. we missed the flight by 3 minutes. so...we book the next flight out and hit up a restaurant...where we enjoy delicious burgers, beer, and a spiked milkshake. missed flights are FABULOUS!!

tips for delayed flights:
#1~don't act entitled...everyone else on your plane is delayed, too.
#2~relax...they will, eventually, get you where you are going.
#3~explore the airport. you might find a cozy little restaurant with great food.
#4~look at it as an adventure...there is nothing you can do so just make the best of it...