Much More Famous

Thanks for all your kind comments on the book cover. I absolutely love it! And Seamus of course thinks it's the best book cover ever. But just when we thought he couldn't get any more famous, this happened:

These are cake pops made to look like Seamus on the book cover. (Pup pops? Seamus suckers?) 75 of these adorable pops are being over-nighted to my editor at Sourcebooks Publishing to hand out at their sales conference on Thursday. And I didn't forget the Seamus's in their lives either. There will also be "doggy bags" handed out with homemade (um, not by me...I custom ordered them) peanut butter/ banana dog bones. They look like this:

The bone is green in "real life" the photo coloring is just off

So yeah, we're sending bribes treats in hopes that the sales people notice the book, remember the book. love the book and....go out and sell the book!  I also had two book trailer videos made that will be shown at the conference. And after that happens, you know I'll be sharing them here!

Phew! This publishing biz is hard work!
(And speaking of that...if you haven't clicked "like" yet for our Facebook page, please do...it's right over there in the sidebar just begging to be clicked.)

Next up, I've still got to finish the acknowledgements section for the book. Who do you suggest I acknowledge and thank? (I think we all know who the book will be dedicated to...and no, I don't mean Seamus!)

A Real Book

So what do you think?

That's it--the "real" cover of my now seeming really, really real book! There are so many thing I love about this cover, not the least of which is that it's actually Seamus on the cover (no stunt dogs for Seamus--he's like the Tom Cruise of beagles).

We also have a really real Facebook page for the book and we really really hope you will both like it (small "l") and Like it (big "L") that actually requires you to click on the Like button which should be over to the right in the sidebar.

Oh and all those "really, reallys"? That's how you know me's a professionalist writer person....who just happens to be really really excited right now.

My Anniversary Gift

 If you've met me or been reading this blog in holidays past this will not come as a surprise to you: I hate Christmas.

Actually, it's much deeper than that. I loathe the entire month of December, right up to Christmas (oddly, I'm okay with the 26th through the 31st). I'd give you the whole long, sad saga of why but there's no need to bring you down too. (Let's just say it includes deaths, a coma and cancers--please note the plurals. And please return to your happy holiday celebrations as though you never read that.)

December 23rd is a particularly bad day historically, so I hesitate to write this before the day is completely over. But, I feel I must acknowledge...it was 3 years ago today I got the "highly suspicious of malignancy" phone call from my doctor. That statement was followed by "you need to see a surgeon and have the mass removed; not even a biopsy, just have the surgery." Oh, and that call came at 3:45pm. Merry, merry...uh, quite the contrary.

That was, however, 3 years ago. I'm fine now. Scar is faded, mammograms are clear, hair is grown back and chemo weight gain is finally gone (yeah, it took 3 years; whatever. ).  And dare I say it--I've had a very nice quiet day at home. I've been rewriting, and rewriting and rewriting the memoir (due to my editor in a mere 12 days!) while sitting by the fire with Seamus for most of the day. (Chris is busy at his new wine shop.) It's been, actually, unbelievably, a pretty nice day...but it makes me nervous to say that (lightening will strike soon). And while I'm still not up for celebrating Christmas or any other winter holiday, I have gifts for you. Let's just call them anniversary gifts, shall we?

As my gift to you, I'd like to share some blogs that make me happy. Blogs that cheer me. Blogs that are just so freakin' cute. (Although I follow many cancer blogs, none are listed here...I have a certain mood to maintain!). And as you know, the things that make me happy involve my alphabet life (alcohol, books, coffee and dogs). So please enjoy:

From Sophie's View (please don't tell Seamus I said this, but this is one gorgeous dog who has one fantabulous life)

Mutterings (watch this video in particular; it's so good it almost made me like Christmas!)

Going Gently (in my next life, I want to come back as one of his animals/ pets/ housemates. And only now that I had to grab that URL for you did I see that his URL is disasterfilm.blogspot.com, which gives you an idea of the humor)

Luna, A Dog's Life  (she's a beagle puppy...and if that's not cute enough, she lives in Australia with her two doting daddies who teach her all sorts of tricks.)

Coffee With a Canine (Coffee. With a Canine. Are you kidding me? How does it get better? --well, I'm holding out for Wine with a Canine....but in the meantime, I'm good with this.)

Sara in Le Petit Village (Sara is married to a French guy, has a great dog named Fifty, lives in a postcard French Village and has a terrific sense of humor; I'd hate her if I didn't enjoy her blog so much. And the fact that I won a book called "Dog Trots Globe" on her blog this week? That's just icing on the cake...or the croissant. Whatever.)

Greetings From Texas (Megan is, as her blog says, a "professional blogger, amateur Texan," she also just happens to be a young ovarian cancer survivor with a great sense of humor...and fashion!; This does not mean I lied about no cancer blogs being listed here...this is not a cancer blog. If it was, I might never have found out about UV Cake Vodka.)

And finally...

I Shoulda Been a Stripper  (I guess with that title I don't need to tell you she's funny. But it's worth noting she has two beagles. Which also means she's hip and smart. No, it does. It totally means that.)

And just as a side note, because it's worth sharing should this ever apply to you: American Dog magazine recently posted an article on where to get help paying vet bills if you need it. Now that's something that could really be a gift.

I'm dangerously close to being all perky and holiday happyish here and we do not want to tempt fate. So, let me hasten to add...

Bah, Humbug!!
And to all a goodnight.

Blog Obssession

Hmmm...perhaps we should just agree that I'm going to post a Wineapalooza blog post, then something else, then Wineapalooza, then something else...because Wineapalooza and all the fascinating and delicious wineries we visited deserves continued blog posting. But also, there's so much else going on now and I can't seem to catch up! Wineapalooza only has 3 more days, but as you've probably learned by now...many of the wineries we visited deserve and require their own posts. What's a wine lover to do?

And did I mention...I have a book deal now? And a deadline for turning in a manuscript? Right! So I'm busy with that writing. I'm really enjoying it. Polishing some chapters, throwing out others, re-writing, writing entirely new scenes...it's all good. But time consuming. Because, right, I have a "real" job. And Seamus. I have Seamus and therefore must meet Seamus's demands for attention, cuddles, food and walks (and not at all in that order). And ever since the book deal, Seamus's demands have increased. It's like he knows.

For this post though, I'd like to share a blog and website that I've recently discovered. I'd like to share the Dog Cancer Blog with you. Not to depress you, but because it's filled with valuable and promising information. Dr. Dressler has a book out now too, called The Dog Cancer Survival Guide. Man, oh man, do I wish this book existed when Seamus was diagnosed and going through treatment. When Seamus was first diagnosed with cancer, I really couldn't find a lot of information and that only added to the stress. And Seamus's original oncologist was not a particularly communicative (or, um, nice) person. Eventually, Seamus's doctor was switched (at my request) and we were assigned to a wonderful young woman by the name of Dr. Autumn Dutelle. She was fabulous and answered all my questions patiently and genuinely and in a way I could understand. Dr. Dressler (the author) seems that way too. And I bought his book even though Seamus's cancer is far behind him. I find the book fascinating and the blog is too. So I'm sharing. Because, sadly, 1 in 3 dogs gets cancer. That means one day, one of you might need this book and this Doctor's advice for your beloved pet--so your doggie can kick cancer's ass just like Seamus did.

My Alphabet Life

 I haven't been blogging as much lately. I'm sure you've noticed. (Um, why no, no you haven't?) And there's a reason for that. I think.

Next Wednesday I head into UCLA for a check-up. July 19th marked my two year anniversary of completing breast cancer treatment. (Yes, yes, I should have gone for an appointment then...did I not mention the epic wine tour we were on?? Also, I wanted to get my left and right breast on the same mammogram schedule, which required the right one to wait until insurance deemed the left one worthy. Crazy, but true.) I'm not stressing about this check-up. In fact in the last few months, more than ever, I feel like I've moved on. I'm back to "normal" and I don't even feel like it's a "new normal."  It's just me. Yes, I know, the cancer could recur (why people feel the need to remind me of this is beyond me--who could forget that???) but I choose not to focus on that. I'm still involved in The Pink Ribbon Place and getting more involved with the American Cancer Society and I'll talk to and support just about anybody else on that cancer odyssey. But....I kinda don't wanna blog about it anymore. My world is bigger than my right breast and I'd like to focus on the "bigger than" part.

So here's the deal. I'll probably give my personal BC updates from time to time. I'll mention the goings on at the pink ribbon place and maybe even interesting articles or books or some such dealing with breast cancer. But it won't be the focus. Instead, I'm going to focus on what I thought I'd be focusing on after my divorce. See, back then (almost eight years ago) I'd decided I wasn't any good at relationships and I was really tired of other people's crap relationships so my world was going to consist of B,C and D. Books, Coffee and Dogs. Then a friend reminded me that I wasn't likely to make it without  Alcohol "Adult Beverages."  My Alphabet Life was born. A(dult Beverages), B(ooks), C(offee) and D(ogs)! Perfect!

Well, Chris had other ideas on the whole relationship thing (he's so smart), but I had a pretty good basis for my new life. I think it will work for my new blogging life now too. If you continue to check in, you'll find musings on wine, books (and writing), coffee (and Chris) and dogs. Occasionally the "B" might be for Breast and the "C" might be for cancer, but...maybe not. I find my own self reading less of the breast cancer blogs and more of the dog, food, wine, writing, book blogs...and that's a pretty good sign of the direction I'm going. Away from cancer. I love to travel and I'm traveling on.

I'm keeping the blog name though. After all, Seamus is the great inspiration for living life.  I'm going to refrain, however, from re-designing messing with the look and layout of the blog though...at least until I've made some progress with this alphabet life blogging (I mentioned my past issues with relationships, no?).
My blogging goal this week is to be well launched into the "A" portion of the alphabet with a day-by-day review of our epic mother of all wineapallooza trips. One post a day for 12 days. Can I do it? Probably not! But we'll give it a shot. Also, as wineries and dogs seem to go together like hot summer days and rose' wines, you'll meet a few of the dogs we met along the way too.  And just to throw in a little "B"--I'm completely obsessed with author Lionel Shriver right now. I've read three of her books right in a row and I can't get over how brilliant she is (I finished "The Female of the Species" in the middle of the night last night). So you can expect more of that too.

Do you know your ABC's??  (That's rhetorical...although apparently the cool thing to do when blogging is ask a question at the end...presumably to elicit comments. So, sure, go ahead and give me your ABC list.)

Canine Cancer

 (More on the wineapalooza trip soon; as well as a fun interview with a writer you should know about a book you should know....but in the meantime, I found this post which I'd written back in June and then forgot to hit "Post." Chemo brain anyone??)

I've followed the work of the Morris Animal Foundation since a writing friend of mine, Heather Grimshaw, went to work there a few years ago. I love what they are doing and there focus on finding a cure for Canine Cancer is of course near and dear to my heart (and Seamus's...although he's forgotten all about his battle and is firmly focused always and obsessively on food and food only). So I want to share with you their new canine cancer resource website dedicated to the Canine Cancer Campaign. I'm loving the K-9 Cancer walks (humans and dogs walking together to raise funds...how fun!) and have to find a way to get involved in one. So far there isn't one near me...but there is one in Denver and I do have friends in Denver....hmm......

P.S. that cute little Pug in the photo is their "model" for the Mast Cell Tumor information. Pugs are particularly prone to that type of cancer, and that's also the type Seamus had (of course, he totally destroyed it).

The Things We've Seen

The current count is  10 days, 32 wineries, 279 wines. All I have the energy for is a couple of highlights (and you know I consider animals to be highlights) and just some funny stuff we saw along the way:

I'm thinking she didn't want to be photographed

He gets to spend his whole life like this....I'm kinda jealous

We were so focused on wineries that Mt. Shasta surprised us!

This also surprised us. You'd think it'd be more crowded.

The "world famous" sundial bridge.

Winery dogs are usually bigger. (This one's for you, Lori)

One of our favorite wineries and winemakers--Bill Frick of Frick Vineyards

Just so pretty

Foxy has a tough, tough job. I can relate.

Beautiful tasting room, beautiful wines and...I got a super cute hat!

  

 

Oregon grapes on Day 2 of our trip

California Grapes on Day 10 of our trip

We expect to hit 300 wines tasted sometime tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. And yes, there may even be some wine recommendations.

You're not going to like me.

But, I'm on vacation. Again. Yes, I know, it seems I'm just back from Fiji. But really, that was two months ago. So obviously it was time for me to be here:

Outside the tasting room of Winderlea Vineyard in the Willamette Valley

Chris is with me, of course

And I got to see a longtime (we're not "old"!!) friend (we were 14 when we met... a few years back)

But this is a working vacation. It's work! See--Chris has a notepad!

Sure, we were in places that look like this and there is wine (a lot), but it's work I tell ya!

Look, there was even math!

And look how serious these boys are with their barrel tastings. Serious, serious stuff

And don't think Bella, throws that ball herself. Nope, that was my job.

Yep. 5 days, 12 wineries, 90 wines (and one cheese shop). And today was mostly a driving day. Tomorrow-- look out Lake County, CA wineries! I'll blog more when I get a moment. I also have lots of exciting stuff coming up for the blog...author interviews, a movie you all need to know about, probably a few wine recommendations, all good, good stuff.

Cheers to you!

More Famous-osity

Seamus has always had a thing for big, handsome, hunky dogs. His first true love was Will:

Will admiring Seamus (on Chris's lap)

(Note to self: get better photo of handsome Will).

But now, I think he may have an online crush. Allow me to introduce you to Blogging Bob...the handsome and erudite pitbull. Seems they may have a mutual admiration thing going on. This is Bob:

Is that not a handsome dog? Seamus has good taste.
Oh, and if you hope on over to Bob's blog...you'll see how Kevin Bacon introduced them. (You'll also see Bob's adorable frenemy Smudge...but please don't tell Bob we mentioned Smudge.)

Coffee With a Canine

I'm interviewed (mostly about Seamus, duh. Winning!) over at Coffee with a Canine. I love this blog. Here's a part from the interview:

How were you and Seamus united?

I love the term "united." It's quite accurate. Seven years ago I went through a divorce and moved with my two old beagles to a townhome. Within five months of moving, both dogs had passed away. I was, needless to say, devastated. I went on a trip to Ireland with my brother and a cousin and when I came home the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center, where I'd been a board member and volunteer for over 15 years, called to let me know they had a beagle in need of a home. I thought that I probably shouldn't get a beagle again since I was single, working a lot and living in a townhome with not a big yard. But I went to see the dog. And we all know what happens next. Caution....meet wind. The beagle was adorable and unusually colored--really red. He also made me laugh a lot. I named him after a cousin in Ireland that was...yeah, you got it, red-haired and really funny (not so unusual in Ireland).

Go check out the whole thing and many other great dog & coffee stories at Coffee With a Canine.   And have a good morning.

Second Base

See that? That's me and that's Seamus and that's a shirt you can have. Okay, wait, not that exact shirt...I'm keeping that one (also, you cannot have my wine...I get so few glasses of it these days). But the good folks at Save Second Base sent me some shirts to give away on the blog! Cool, huh? Yeah, Seamus and I thought so too (which is why he agreed to semi-pose for the picture--note the attitude he's copping though). It's especially cool since Save 2nd Base has donated over $30,000 to breast cancer organizations in the few years it's been in existence. You can read more about them and the work they are doing (and why) at the Save 2nd Base website.

I have a hot pink shirt (like the one I'm wearing) in size L and another in P (which I can only assume means petite...I've never in my life been such at thing and this could in fact be the first time I've touched an article of clothing in size P). And I have a green one (with hot pink writing) in size M. So who wants one? I realize you can't read the shirt, but I'm hoping you are not surprised to learn that the green writing says "Save 2nd Base." I'm giving all 3 shirts away in a drawing.

Once again, we're going to let Seamus decide. Enter the Seamus-shirt-arama contest by leaving a comment below--tell me whose breast cancer battle you are honoring (hey, it can be really easy...you can just say me!).  Seamus is looking forward to selecting more toast winners.

Other acceptable comments include...how's my hair looking? March 13th was the 2 year anniversary of shaving my head post-chemo. It's easy to remember because it was a Friday the 13th. That picture was taken on March 15th (a few days ago). But that's not quite 2 years of hair growth, because of course the hair doesn't start growing 'til the chemo stops. So that's about 1 year and 10 months or so of growth. I have to say...the color is bugging me. I may have to go back to blond. I see my stylist on Saturday.

Unacceptable comments are "how's the book proposal coming?" "Is the memoir done yet?" "Has the book sold yet?" or ... "Anybody can write a book!"  See where I'm going with this? Right. Crazy. The book proposal is back to my agent. I'm really, really, really hoping it's now "good to go" or at least only in the "minor edits needed" stage. Really. So much hoping that. I know you are too.

Comments between now and 5pm PST on March 30th are entered for a shirt!

Adopt an Adorable

That's not Seamus. That's Cosby...and he needs a home.

I'm participating in Petfinder.com's adopt the internet day--March 15th. Seamus is an adopted dog--shocking, I know, since we look so much alike. I have volunteered with our local pet adoption agency for over twenty years now. Finding homes for these wonderful animals is definitely a passion of mine. So, in honor of Seamus, and for Cosby and the many like him, today I remind you---

More than 320,000 pets are waiting for homes on Petfinder.com. Help Petfinder Adopt the Internet today and find forever homes for as many as possible!

It's Not Just Kids He Terrifies

So, we took Seamus to see Santa. (I know what you're thinking. Here's my excuse: It's a fundraiser for the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center.) Seamus is nothing if not expressive. Here is how it went:

("Are you fookin' kiddin' me? Who is dis guy?")

("I will not put up with this. Dis is bullsh*t. Seriously.")

("Mom, you are completely fookin' humiliating me. A scarf? Where da hell is dad??")

("Are you seeing this?? Dude is tryin' ta kill me!! He's choking me!! I want my lawyer!!!")

("Fine. One pose. But just one.")

("And then I'm fookin' out of here. Seriously. Take me home. To steak. Steak and toast. Now.")

Here's wishing a Merry Christmas and a Happy Home for the Holidays for all the gorgeous animals at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center!! We did this for you.  (And Seamus is almost over it.)

PR PTII

Also known as "Paso Robles, Part II."

Yeah, I know...it's taken me awhile to get this posted. Well, all I can say at this point is that it's been a really, really busy week or so as both a lawyer and a writer. I will have very exciting writer news to share very soon (lawyers aren't really allowed to share their news..oh, and it's rarely exciting to non-lawyers)! In the meantime though, I wanted to share a bit more about my Paso Robles week of wine and writing. I mentioned our neighbors in PR. They were awesome. So cute. So well behaved. Perfect in every way. Allow me to introduce you to a few of them:

This is Clover (so named because he has a brown clover-shaped marking in the fur around his butt). He lives at Venteux Winery. (Let me also highly recommend their Hospice du Bone wine...mmmmmm).

This is El Cid from Ambyth Winery (he's a golden-doodle!). Simply adorable. Also, I'm going to recommend the Ambyth Rosada Rose...and just going to this absolutely spectacular vineyard. The views are incredible. The wine is delicious and if you are as lucky as we were, the caretaker Gustavo and his lovely wife just make a deliriously fabulous shrimp Veracruz and chips and guacamole (she put cucumber in the guac! never hear of that but it was fabulous!).

This is El Cid's pal at Ambyth whose name is momentarily escaping me. But he ran way out ahead around the entire vineyard leading the way as Gustavo drove Chris and me around in the Polaris for a tour...wineglasses in hand.

This was our next door neighbor for the week. Never did catch her name; she mostly kept to herself.

This is Cabernet. He lives at Eberle Winery with his less-willing-to-be-photographed sister, Roussanne.

I did not catch these girls names either, but clearly they were having their own girls' weekend.  We'll just call them Lori, Jane and Teresa. (The photo is taken from the car, through the windshield while we waited for them to cross).

Bartender Zachery. Cute waiters are also part of the native wildlife of Paso Robles. (And Zachery was an English major in college. Mild swooning.)

T (heart) PR.

Checking In and Up

Time has a way of flying by. I've heard that somewhere.

So, it's been one year and 3 months since I finished up all breast cancer treatments. And we know what that means...it's the quarterly visit to UCLA Medical Center! I go tomorrow to see Dr. Glaspy, my oncologist, for a check-up. And then of course we'll be seeing the good and great Dr. Karam for dinner which is more like a check-in. If you are wondering what the difference is, the obvious one is that I have my top on for one of those events. And there is food at only one of those events.

Although for the most part I've moved on to not even thinking about the breast cancer, it's inevitable that when I get close to the check-up appointment time I start paying too much attention to too many things. If my back or ankle hurt, instead of old age I (momentarily) think bone cancer? And lately anytime I eat anything I have to spend twenty minutes coughing and clearing my throat. And instead of thinking "allergies," I think throat cancer??  So I will be happy to go see Dr. Glaspy, have him say "all looks good" (and typically when I tell him my weird "symptoms" he smiles patiently and gives me the logical answer-- you know, like "old age" and "allergies.") Then I can return to forgetting about BC. Except for the fact that it is breast cancer awareness month. Hard to miss all that pink.

I did check my own blog here to remind myself where I was this time last year (this time 2 years ago, I was oblivious to the whole cancer thing!). And ironically, since it was then my first post-treatment quarterly oncology check-up--I was in pretty much the same situation (just with less hair). I was trying to think of myself as "any other dog" (a la Seamus). Hmmm...maybe I'm not progressing as much as I thought.

Ah well. Stay tuned. I'll report back in on the check-up and dinner with the good and great doctor. Perhaps we'll even get an updated photo on my hair status and his (he had shaved off all those gorgeous curls, so he's got some hair growing-out to do as well!). Oh, and you she see the massive head of hair Chris is sporting once again. Right, hair growth. Now that's going to be exciting....

Super Beagle

Seamus had his check-up and...huge sigh of relief...he's all good. Whatever lump was felt by his regular doctor was gone by the time the oncologist examined him. He's coming up on 4 years from finishing up chemo with no recurrence of the cancer. He is indeed Super Beagle, as his original diagnosis was one year to live even with the surgery and chemo. We're so proud of him beating all the odds.

The picture is Seamus with his oncologist, the good and great Dr. Autumn Duetelle. She's been so fabulous with Seamus all through his treatment we cannot say enough good things about her. And our visit with her this time was bittersweet. We learned she is leaving the Veterinary Cancer Group in Tustin and moving to (of all places!) Minneapolis! We are so, so sad to see her go. Seamus was her third patient after she became a fully licensed, certified, all those many years and requirements completed, veterinarian oncologist, and they have a special bond. Much like I was the good and great Dr. Karam's fifth patient (and oh yeah, who looks younger, Seamus's doctor or mine? See picture below).

 (That photo by the way, was taken just about a year ago..at my surgery check-up).

After we left Dr. Duetelle, I felt great that Seamus was all-clear and as healthy as could be. But I was also sad that Dr. Duetelle was leaving. And then suddenly I had this feeling of....hmmm....closure maybe? That Seamus's cancer battle and treatments really were all over. After all,  4 years with no recurrence is like 28 years for we humans. And with Dr. Duetelle gone...I don't know. It sort of feels like we're all done with veterinarian oncology.

My check-up with my oncologist is May 12th. Once again though, I think Seamus has led the way and my check-up will go just as well as his did. Because, yeah, life works like that.

Bark for Life

This was a monumental weekend. An event of huge proportions. Life-changing. Well, no, not quite. Maybe more evidence of life possibly changing. Are you sitting down?

I had two entire days at home.

I know!! Shut-up!!!

And here's the thing...there is really something to be said for two day weekends. I didn't have a single event to attend. I didn't feel compelled to go into the office. Nobody needed anything from me. And,  it bears mentioning again, there was no non-profit fundraiser/ fund-raising/ committee meeting/ M.C. gig anything. At all. Two days. I can hardly believe it. Chris and I had dinner and a movie (Date Night...how appropriate) and a stroll through a bookstore Friday night, went to the Farmer's market and lunch downtown on Saturday, then I did a few house projects, cleaned out part of my closet (yeah, I'm not going to see that size again, so why have the reminder?), read a book, watched another movie at home (Up in the Air-- very good!). So far Sunday has meant french toast and trash television in bed (a la Chef Chris), perusing a stack of magazines, a little laundry and now blogging. If I'm lucky, I'll also write a little on the memoir too. Then we're off to Brein and Roryann's for a BBQ. That's about a perfect weekend right there.

I still have some volunteer stuff coming up. But they are events I'm looking forward to and I'm doing a much better job of "boundary-setting" with my time and commitments. Well, sort of.

Friday afternoon I had a committee meeting for The Pink Ribbon Place--after all we do have our 2nd Professionals Panel coming up on the 26th. The good and great Dr. Karam will make another appearance and he's bringing reinforcements--breast reconstruction specialist and plastic surgeon Dr. Jaco Festekjian. All the way in from west L.A. We can't ever thank them enough. Also we have the Pink Carpet Premiere of Sex & the City 2 coming up on May 29th. Details Here. Chris has been majorly involved in this particular fundraiser and already they've sold 92 tickets--at $50 a piece! And the donations to the swag bags are rolling in. My sole contribution at this point has been the idea for a "Super swag bag" that one lucky attendee wins. Since donating 400 items for each swag bag can't be done by all sponsors, we decided that we'd also gather items for a super swag bag (gift certificates, jewelry, a purse, a t-shirt, perfume,use of a Jaguar vehicle for a weekend, a massage/spa package etc...) and each individual swag bag would have a raffle ticket in it for the Super Swag raffle. It's working out great. I did get two clients to donate items on Friday afternoon too. Hey, they own retail shops and I was standing right there with the flyers!

I also did--as you knew I would--agree to participate in the American Cancer Society's local "Bark for Life" walk event on June 12th. And I'm proud to say, Seamus and I will be the Grand Marshalls!! Dog & Human Survivor team is just too good to pass up, I suppose. Seamus thinks it's his diabolical cuteness that got the invitation, and he's probably right. So I'm forming a team called, wait for it....The Dog Lived.(I think you can click the title to get to the page about our team; and you can donate! Doesn't that make you happy?!)  Chris has joined the team, of course (there is no The Dog Lived team without Chris) and I'm ever so hopeful I'll be able to convince Brein and Roryann Clements and their dog Harold  to join the team and just possibly, Sheena Meder and Ronaldo Fierro and their boys Max and Bobby,  even though Ronaldo claims to "hate cancer people" (he's totally kidding; he's 25 years old--I'm the only "cancer person" he's ever met). We'll need sponsors of course and hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to put a badge/link on the blog soon so if you want to sponsor use you'll be able too (and we'll be eternally grateful...as will the American Cancer Society. The walk is June 12th--which is Chris and my 6 year anniversary. Awwww. Isn't that just perfect? What better way to celebrate?

More to come on that. And probably there will be a hair update soon--because it's at a really, really awkward stage. There may need to be a poll on what the heck to do next.

I hope you all had a good weekend too.