Buddy

Is leaving a magazine lying around what's commonly referred to as "planting the seed"?

After years of ogling other people's dogs and hearing from the hubby what a PITA dogs are, I came home on Friday afternoon to this little bundle of joy! Shock and awe!

He's so cute! Aside from peeing and pooping in the house and gnawing on everything in sight, he's awesome. He's already learning how to fetch, sit on command, drive a car, do our taxes . . .

Son #2 finally has a puppy so he's happy. Son #1 is a cat person so he's not too thrilled especially since the cats are a little freaked out. However, it's only day three and the cats are acclimating. They've gone from puffed up, hissing, fur balls to quietly sniffing the puppy and checking him out while he's sleeping.

Look at this act of bravery above the cage.

Interesting from Buddy's vantage, too.

Next step, naming him. Instead of just calling him Buddy, should we officially name him Buddy? Duke? Sparky? (Or as the kids suggested, Captain Sparkles?) Dr. Love (Calling Dr. Love)?

Skinner?

The Milk Man

Check out the only goaltender in the world who is possibly cuter than Henrik Lundqvist (a.k.a. new dad).

I and Love and You

Drove with my sis to Brooklyn last weekend. FUN. My uber-generous mom is there staying at a friend's apartment and treating us to all sorts of goodies; my nephew, also in Brooklyn, hosted us, took us to restaurants and basically catered to our every whim. He's a keeper.

My favorite stop: The Brooklyn Flea Market. Check out the ornate ceiling!

I wanted everything there. Instead, I bought a few metal letters that I plan to affix to the bathroom wall and spell a nice little reminder to the fresh batch of boys that visit on a continual basis, "Wash your hands."

We had fun with these letters over lunch making all sorts of useless phrases.

We bought lottery tix (fingers crossed!) and picked out houses that we wanted in my girlfriend Abby's neighborhood where my mom is staying. My mom and sis are going to split the brick duplex. I'll take the white townhouse, thank you very much. 

Had fun shopping, eating and just spending time with family. So so so so awesome.

The only drawback was the complimentary Sopranos tour of NJ that our GPS unexpectedly provided on the way home. Hello industrial park . . . hey, what are those Hefty bags scattered across the road filled with? Body parts?

Oh, and looky here: it says "Child Molester" on the green fence. Lovely. Let's stop and take a picture!

All in all, a great weekend. Ah Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in.

Another Month | Another Year

Wow, can't seem to post lately. What's new lazy bones? Hmmm.

My birthday: Gone.

Christmas: Past. (Gosh, think it's a hockey stick?)

Wallet: Empty.

Kids: Happy. (Hello new laptop. Hello $700 summer camp for video game development.)

New Year's Eve: Fun.

Work: Busy. And in the midst of the madness, I moved to a small office in my little town. No indoor parking. No fire place. No coworkers.

Here's a snowy view from the side window of my new office. Bleak yet still charming somehow as the street wends along the canal. Now I can run next door for a cup of coffee or across the street for new Birkenstocks (as if). There's also a cute, cobblestone fire-placed, chandelier-laden crepes restaurant right here. Two awesome Greek restaurants. And one of my favorite places for fun cocktails just a few doors down.  Of course, I haven't ventured out yet. Too cold.

And here's a picture of the view out the front window above my desk. Until I snapped this, I had not noticed the prominent telephone lines! Instead, I watch everyone out jogging along the canal (even in the dead of winter) or walking their dogs and I get jealous. Wait 'til spring when they're in the sunshine enjoying ice cream cones and I'm sitting up here. Maybe I'll start throwing reams of paper at them.

Oh well. Happy 2012. The year of the Dragon. YEA! Good luck for me, Son #1 and my nephew Tim: all dragons.

Photo Per Day #20: Gingerbread House

By the time young boys masterfully glue the roof and walls of a gingerbread house together using a thick, sticky, viscous confectioners' sugar and water combination, thereby staving off structural collapse by a thread, they've lost total interest in decorating. Eat a disgusting green, mint, jellied candy. Spit it out. Throw the rest of the gummies on the roof (or at least the parts that you've bothered to frost). Open the other bag of candies and and throw it on the "ground." Call it a day.

Less Martha Stewart. More foreclosure.

Photo Per Day #19: Frozen Ropes

Yesterday was Son #2's last indoor baseball game for the season. With the exception of the other team's coach loudly and continually criticizing (er, I mean coaching) his team, Frozen Ropes is eerily quiet. The sound of the ball hitting the metal bat echoes off the walls. And since it's shrowded in nets to keep the bystanders safe, the rules are somewhat bizarre. Hit the nets on the ceiling directly above the pitcher? Assumed catch. You're out.

Son #2 up to bat and, later, on second base.

Photo Per Day #18: Oh Crap!

Last night, six sets of neighbors gathered for our annual gag gift swap. The kids did their secret santas. Son #1 got a GameStop giftcard; Son #2 got an iTunes card along with a bucket of faux snow balls that he loves and continues to chuck at us all day today.

My favorite pic, however, is of my girlfriend's chocolate dip with animal cracker poised atop. Yum? Thank heavens it wasn't steaming . . .

I asked if I could snap a photo. She responded, "If you must." (I must.)