We go together

You can't tell, but this picture is the three of us in our van. We're about to spend a lot of time in it because... OH, YEAH--say it with us--WE'RE GOING TO MONTANA!!! Finally. Only Narra has been before, so the boys are looking forward to the Last Best Place. And the human, too. (Dumbass finally finished his grading at 3am, so we can get the flock outta here.)

Also, we'd like to thank Wally and Ethel for letting their humans come out to play a few Saturdays ago. In fact, Mr. J took these great pictures of us. And Wally's mawma walked Jacks down to the lake so we all could play. And special thanks to Wally, too, who will take care of our chicken backs while we're frolickin' in the Rockies. (Yeah, Wally, we know they'll be "taken care of" alright. :) )

Red Rocket

Okay, we haven't posted in a while, and this thought might not be a worthwhile one, but what the hell are these humans doing??? What's up with that "package"-ing? And they want us male dogs to keep it under control? Not to mention that schlappschwanz here is playing "Hungry Like the Wolf"... Give us a break. At least we don't try to couch our natural, physical responses in similes and juvenile innuendo (except for titles of our posts!). Gentlemen, it is what it is--and, ladies, we hope you don't mind.

Tattoo Me!

Oh, yeah, start me up... The human's Narra tattoo is four weeks old today--and presumably fully healed. It looks and feels healed, anyway. The first drawing (which we posted) didn't quite meet our expectations, so the human called upon his own skills to create what we wanted. Afterall, we are talking about FOREVER (this is the closest our human may ever come to anything like a real commitment... haha).

So we are all very pleased with the new body adornment, courtesy tattoo artist Steve T at Olde City Tattoo in Philadelphia. Thank you, Steve! And we'll be back for more--the entire pack has still to be inscribed for posterity! Not to mention brothers Tsamba and Buddy who can't believe they're missing out on all the fun. :)

BTW, here's the drawing our human did. It conveys more of the comic book hero idea, but the cross-hatching just doesn't really translate into the tattoo vernacular. We're glad to have a tat that looks like a tat! Besides, Narra's pretty heroic regardless.

Edge of the World

If we had the actual opportunity to experience art, maybe we'd write about it more. Generally, we find food and outdoor adventures more fun, but, every once in a while, the human sees art that he tells us about. So, last night, he attended this performance event at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philly. (We approve, btw; we're so bored with static objects--unless we can eviscerate them--give us something that does something!)

Artist/poet/spoken word "icon" Regie Cabico opened the event, sharing experiences as a queer Filipino from southern Maryland (yikes!). His "Filipino mother" sure sounded familiar (literally), kinda like home, except for the Streisand karaoke part... And are we glad we don't know anyone named Don because we'd never be able to look at him the same way again (that's a reference to something called a "one night stand"--apparently an experience not within our purview). The human vaguely recalls a story with a dog, too--how can he not remember that?

The main event was The Edge of the World, a series of "speed plays" conceived and directed by NYC Neo-Futurist Omar Telan (another Pinoy bro). Omar and the troupe (including buddy Gary) were trotting out the performance for the first time, in preparation for the first ever National Asian American Theater Festival to be held at La Mama in NYC in June. (We'll miss it because we'll be in Montana!) We like the idea of non-illusory theater; why do humans burden themselves with so much affectation and delusion? The direct representation of life makes more sense to us, that's how we live it anyway. Besides, with our sense of smell, we can pretty much "see" through most human illusions. We could probably be good artists, if we wanted to. :)

Our human, on the other hand, is not so good at sniffing out illusion/delusion/masquerade. Sometimes, he does need art to show him the way. While the performances may not have lit a path, they were a fun reminder to look more carefully. Amid streamers, blowing bubbles, and the "perfect match" game, split ends and doodled hands revealed stories for all of us. At least for humans. We did learn a lot about them, we suppose. Curtain.

We are loved

Is it wrong to equate food with love? How about money and love? Either way, we are definitely loved. Tonight was supposed to be ground beef for dinner, but the human was distressed at the empty meat freezer at the grocery store. Rather than resort to something out of our freezer at home, he opted to spend $5/lb (sale price!) for fresh ground buffalo. (BTW, at 1lb for each of us, that's 3lbs total!) We love him, too. :) What a nice precursor to our upcoming summer sojourn--Montana, here we come! We leave exactly seven weeks from today...

Wabbit du jour

Even though the human has declared a moratorium on our catching our own dinner, he does provide. Apparently, you can purchase wabbits weddy to eat! Our buddy Wally warned us about the canned kind, but someone named Aunt Jeni has prepared a raw variety--organic, too. Just our style!

If you're wondering why the food looks green, it's the veggies mixed in. Here's the full ingredient list:

muscle and heart meat; liver; finely ground, real, raw bones; pureed squash, leafy greens (collard and kale), celery, apples; whole eggs (including shells); ground organic flax seeds; raw, unpasteurized organic honey; unfiltered, unpasteurized organic apple cider vinegar; powdered organic alfalfa; powdered organic kelp; fresh garlic; fresh parsley; and Grapefruit Seed Extract.

Sounds delicious, doesn't it? It was!

Our Padma

A little bird has told us that all is not well in the Rushdie household. Padma Lakshmi, aka Mrs. Salman Rushdie, may have lost patience with her husband, postcolonial guru and self-orbiting intellectual. Even though Mr. Rushdie authored our human's favorite novel, Midnight's Children, our human is not beyond coveting the man's wife. We'll give him that: the Top Chef host, cookbook author, and super model is HOT HOT HOT. We apologize for the juvenile behavior--at times, it just cannot be contained. Silly humans.

And stay tuned... the human got inked! Yup, Narra is now art, body art to be exact. Picture forthcoming.

Where is our art?

Under the cover of pelting sleet, someone absconded with our monument, aka, "rabbit on a fence." Narra had been poking around the area where rabbit hung, but the human--standing in the doorway (he has been very sick this week)--didn't know why (yet again). She must have been the first to notice that something was amiss. Can our existential question be resolved so simply, so brutally? Is that the answer?

Super Hero Narra

We could call this "midlife crisis, stage 1:" the human has decided to get a tattoo (tattooS even). We might consider this a questionable decision if not for the fact that we are--of course--the subject of the aforementioned tattoos. :) In fact, a right bicep (the lightning bolt will be an arm band) will soon be adorned with "Super Hero Narra," a` la comic book art.

The design is still in progress but will soon be unleashed. We think the world needs a new super hero (still working on those super powers, though).

Elmer Fudd's Revenge

It was a wild night: shrouded moon, deer stampeding through the woods, and a piercing scream from the underbrush. Have you ever heard a rabbit scream? Depending on your proclivities, it can be quite exhilarating. Buko, especially, loves the chase. But all of us on this night connected with our lupine selves. Escape foiled, mortality inevitable. Poor wabbit.

The human didn't really know what had happened (as is so often the case). Since we emerged from the underbrush with empty, blood-free jowls, he assumed the critter got away. The light of morning revealed the tragedy. Not only that, rigor mortis had cemented the carcass in place. Add below-freezing temperatures, the rabbit still hangs, a small monument to what we once were.

Another NC attraction!

We'd like to congratulate our friends Amy and Jason on the birth of their new baby Sharon Rae! Welcome, Baby Rae!!! We know the baby will have the best of everything, including our new friend Savannah the GSD to watch over her.

We can't wait to visit! Asheville--and beer--here we come!!!

Ever Advancing

What a great weekend for us! Not only was the weather in Winston-Salem, North Carolina relatively warm--not to mention sunny--Buko and Narra did great at the Obedience/Rally trial! In fact, we've been focused on agility for so long that we forgot what it was like to do well! :) Buko qualified both days in Rally, as did Narra. In addition, Narra qualified in Open B for the first time with a pretty awesome performance. To commemorate their success, Buko and Narra now have new titles: Rally Advanced (RA)!

Of course, no trip would be complete without some exploring. Between turns in the ring, we headed north to check out Pilot Mountain State Park and also Hanging Rock State Park. Again, weather was incredibly good, so we could hardly go wrong. Pilot Mountain involved a little climbing, so the boys guarded the van while Narra and her human checked out the summit. Hanging Rock, on the other hand, was just right for everyone--we all enjoyed the lake and trails. Also, our trial site bordered historic Bethabara, so we walked the Wagon Road Trail (is that redundant?). Correction, our bad: it's Wagon Trail road (no less redundant).

We should mention, btw, that there were dogs EVERYWHERE! The state parks were teeming with them. Mostly little ones, though: a jack russell, a fluffy one (like a shih-tzu?), a cute terrier mix (who was being carried); some bigger ones also: border collie, cattle dog mix, boxers, american bulldogs, and plenty of labs, of course ... We were, however, the only shepherds we saw. :) We could go on and on (like Narra did, showing off her heeling and other moves when she had an audience). So, yeah, North Carolina's got it going on. No wonder our human likes it there. Good times.

Here's Buko posing like a (Moravian?) pilgrim...

Hey Porter!

Each roadtrip brings its own epiphanies... this one brought a few, actually. Taking off felt a little self-indulgent, but our return trip to Savannah--this time for an agility trial--proved truly satisfying, if not particularly warm. For one, we realize the human's job is a pretty sweet deal. What other job lets you just take off for five days to play? The human agrees. (His mood hasn't changed, but at least he knows his complaints are baseless.) Not to mention that we needed those couple extra days to come home through Asheville to pick up some new growlers of Pisgah Brewing Co. organic beer! The human and his friends sure dig their porter and pale ale. Now that's indulgent--and we love it!

But "play" is what we're talkin' about. Our fun is easy, but the human had a special treat this trip: a reunion with his best buddies (minus one, unfortunately) from college. Although we had to wait in the hotel, we hear they painted the town red and more! They trolled River Street, bar hopping, listening to live music, basically connecting with their inner frat boys (embarrassing, isn't it?). As the evening wore on, we fear the sounds of the "Cousins" singing along with Johnny Cash out of an Acura SUV.

For us, we just love being on the go. On the road--and on this trip, in particular--we were warmed by the outpouring of love shown to special boy Jacks. Especially in the South, his name honors many a street, plaza, and park. Among our favorites are "Jackson Mountain" and the ever-popular "Jackson Love Highway." We ride that road every day!

Speaking of the road, this picture of ours was taken at a "hike" stop in Woods Bay State Natural Area in South Carolina.

Our joy

Hard to say if our greater joy is the trail or the hotel... The trail is definitely the mood enhancer, however. It sure makes the human happier. Who knows how grumpy he would've been if we didn't get out to hike a bit on the way home.

Much of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Shenandoah's Skyline Drive were closed due to winter weather, but enough of both roadways was open for us to check them out. From Asheville, we headed north to Grandfather Mtn (which was closed) and on to Boone, NC (home of the Appalachian State Mountaineers!). We picked up the Parkway there, had to hop the interstate for a bit, but then got on Skyline Drive outside Harrisonburg, VA. Yeah, it was cold, but skies were clear and the views were revitalizing. Our pictures are posted on Jackson's website.

Ring of fire

Okay, it's been five days since we got home, so the fallout from the agility trial has subsided for the most part. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

On the last day, a nice lady said to Narra, "Are you going to be on fire again today, girl?" The human smiled and answered, "That's the only way she knows how to do it!" Yeah, he thought he was being smart, but the statement was prophetic--and not in a good way. Our first run was jumpers, and, again, we knocked more bars than we left up. But we sure were fast! :) The human was determined to do well in standard which would be our very last run of the trial. He walked the course very deliberately, planned his strategy decisively, and even battled nerves with some success. Narra, on the other hand, had other ideas. At the start line, she bolted early and took the first jump without her handler. He was surprised and unprepared, so called her back--big no-no, not allowed. The judge blew her whistle and excused the team from the ring. WHAA...?

You can imagine, there were no rewards, praise, or play after that. The human marched Narra to the van and drove us out of there like a bat out of hell. He was pissed! Spitting fire for almost two hours as we drove out of Asheville, he spewed bad language for miles! There was talk yet again of "quitting" agility...

Ironically, his anger brought us home in time to make Narra's agility class. Guess we're not quitting after all. :)

Sister spirit... and organic beer!

A definite highlight of our southern jaunt was visiting an old friend--and making some new ones. The classy lady sitting front and center is Savannah, a 7-year old German Shepherd girl who lives with our friends in Asheville. We didn't actually get to meet Savannah, not in that sniffing way, because of Jackson's "inappropriateness," but we did bark greetings through the window. Savannah has a pretty good life: she goes to work at the Pisgah Brewing Co. (one of only two organic breweries on the east coast) with her human every day (he owns it!). And she will soon assume expanded protection duties as her other human is expecting a baby later this month. You will recognize her new charge as the baby strolling around town in Clemson paraphernalia. :) We look forward to meeting you, baby Rae! Incidentally, the other human in the photo, Savannah's "uncle," is a former vegan chef now working with "exceptional" (in the euphemistic sense) high school students. And all the humans get to hang out in that party-ready gold room. Of course, Savannah hangs out there, too (and Simone the cat, too!).

Almost forgot to mention, our own human was pretty happy: not only did he get to catch up with friends, he brought home two growlers of beer: a pale ale and a porter. If you don't know what a "growler" is, it's a refillable glass jug, not unlike old-fashioned moonshine jugs. (We just learned that.) YEE HAW!

Chill, dog

Perhaps it was the size of the venue or the colosseum-style setting, but the human had quite the meltdown this morning. After a flawed jumpers run (yes, we can admit that), he packed up our stuff from the trial in a sulking snit and said we were heading home. His thoughts went something like "we suck, we quit, we're going home." Speak for yourself. At least he knew better than to take it out on us.

So we're not having a spectacular agility trial, let's just say Team Narra has been the entertainment... And it is all about having fun, isn't it? The only thing radical about our performance is leaving less bars up than we take down. That is, we're redefining the norm! Luckily, the human calmed down, and we're back in the game--win or lose, Narra always has a great time.

BTW, there's an awesome t-shirt that says "Great Dog! Too bad about the handler." We're not saying, we're just saying...

Down from the Mountain

We have descended from the high country--unfortunately, without any epiphanies or new vision. Art didn't really happen up there for the human, but we sure enjoyed the walks!

We will compensate for a lack of productivity in the studio with radical success in the agility ring! Narra is ready to go!!!

Okay, they're not the Rockies, but it's still a nice view, huh?
"Hardly a Road"--that's what it's called, but we don't care!
Narra imagines vanquishing her competition in agility!

Better Late than Never

(Somehow we just know this title is going to get used again--we didn't use it already, did we?)

We made it! The ride was actually pretty nice: weather wasn't too bad, and the scenery was great. Not bad for January! A little blustery today, but we managed. Yes, these Blue Ridge Mountains are beautiful--and actually blue! At least at dusk. Which tends to be the most beautiful time of day here, at least the human thinks so. He's been making sure to get out of the studio for us to walk just as the sun's going down. Spectacular (the views, not the human)! Even though there is no sign of the snow the website claimed was here.

Speaking of the studio, it looks pretty nice, too. At least in pictures. Dogs are not allowed in any of the studios, so we only get to see it in pictures. He put these together for us: the left side is the studio interior, and on the right is the view from the studio. How does he get any work done looking out onto that? Well, not like we got anything special going on, just hangin', listening to our ipod, waiting to go on walks...
While we do like it here, we're feeling a bit travel weary, even though it's been a while since we've been on the road. We suspect our human's reasons for taking to the road are not what they appear. At the risk of intruding on his emotional life once again, we think he needs to deal with where he is--wherever that might be. Yes, we are very precocious, not to mention prescient (perhaps). What would he do without us? If only he'd listen... ;)

Are we there yet?

So, we're told we're going on a roadtrip. And we've watched our human go through all the pre-drive rituals... so how come we haven't left yet??? As far as we can tell, the food's on board and bags are packed--what're we waiting for? The human seems to be practicing something called "procrastination." Apparently, he's quite good at it. We don't find it a talent worth cultivating, however.

Whenever we get going, we're supposed to end up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Human is looking forward to some concentrated, solitary studio time, and we're looking forward to new trails--and SNOW! Yes, it just snowed where we're heading. We've never been to Penland before, but the "photo of the 'week'" (which we would've missed had we left on time!) is very appealing. Tsamba visited there, and he loved it. The human thinks it's pretty great, too. We say, let's get the flock outta here!

After Penland, we're off to Asheville for an agility trial! Go, Narra!