Summer 2008 is going to be an exciting time ladies and gents.
[EDIT] whilst making larry watch the above preview (many many times), he was reminded of one of his blog posts back in april, when we saw "mamma mia!" in vegas. oddly enough i don't remember this post at all. anyway, his post included a link to "korean mamma mia!" where everything is the same, except they are all korean. it is awesome and makes me want to visit korea just to see this:
so albie was getting a bit shaggy, as you can see in this picture below:
i didn't want to let his hair grow much longer because it gets tangled and i have to brush it
everyday and it's really just a hassle to keep up. besides, he's so cute with his shorter puppy
scruffy look, and really, i do not want my dog looking like this:
while others may find this look regal and elegant, i find it too foofy, especially for non-show dogs.
it also reminds me of that one commercial* where the guy uses his pomeranian as a dustbroom. hilarious.
so i started searching around the suburbs for a dog grooming place, and there are TONS.
what i really wanted for albie, was just a trim, so he would be able to see out of his eyes again,
but still look like his scruffy old self, like when he did when i first got him:
after checking out my local gurnee petsmart people (you can watch them through their window),
i decided i really didn't want a buzzcut for albie. unfortunately, most groomers use the buzzer just
because it's easier, and dogs don't exactly tend to be the best clients for sitting still for a
30-minute couture haircut. many groomers advertise "hand-scissored" haircuts, which sounded
more enticing to me, and would be more likely get the tousled-look for him that i was looking for, but then i pictured in my mind a very badly done, uneven, choppy haircut, reminiscent of the haircuts my mother used to give me during my wee days... and decided not to go that direction.
so i settled on shear paradise pet salon & spa in mundelein, just for pure convenience, and they
seemed like nice people, and i liked how they let the dogs run around, instead of keeping them
in a cage. when i got there to drop off albie, they asked me how i wanted his fur trimmed
(actually malteses have "hair", not "fur".... as with other breeds whose hair will grow ridiculously
long, i.e. yorkies, lhasa apsos, etc), and showed me a horrific maltese that they had just basically
shaved clean except for the ears that had been trimmed to a very unflattering helmet-look
(think edna, from pixar's "the incredibles"), and also a nice santa-beard. they asked me if i would like
albie styled like so, and i tried to say no as politely as possible, and just asked them to use a larger
guard than they did with the other maltese, and to trim his ears to their original shape. i was extremely
nervous leaving my dog there, but alas, it was too late, and i left to go run wedding related errands. the whole time i was running my errands this helmet/beard picture kept popping into my head,
and i was hoping this was NOT what albie would look like:
(this comes from this groomer's site from virginia, that shows sample "styles"
on different breeds of dog, which is such a good idea.)
several hours later and a visit downtown to meet with the lovely ladies at blumen florist (LOVE their designs),
i came back to the burbs to pick up albie. after a raving review from the groomist (albie was very
well-behaved, and he played with the other dogs nicely), she handed over to me a much skinnier, very
nervous dog that she claimed was albie, but looked NOTHING like him. my first reaction was to laugh
hysterically, and then beat her down and demand my real dog back. unfortunately, albie then gave me
his usual lick on my nose, and i knew it was him. i paid and told myself his hair will grow back. this is
what he looks like. he looks a bit like a terrier now, and also a bit rat-like. sad. but i still think he's cute.
later on my mom came home from work, and shrieked in terror.
larry also had the same reaction.
however, albie keeps frolicking around the house like he doesn't know
what to do with himself now that he is like 4 pounds lighter,
so i think he likes his new haircut. also, he looks more like a boy now.
with that said, does anyone know a good dog groomer they can recommend? perhaps i should say dog stylist.
do they have those? maybe in the city, where all the frou-frou people live.
(i cannot believe i wrote such a long entry on this)
(also harry potter 7 @ midnight! i am #219 in line according to my bracelet @ barnes & noble)
yes, i got a new puppy on saturday 5/19. i saw him and i fell in love, and i think larry is jealous. you would be too, look at this face:
his name is albert einstein (we call him albie for short). larry named him after the "back to the future" dog, but luckily he also has the wild white hair to match. he's a maltese and just turned 8 weeks old.
auntie charleen came to visit and she also loves him.
(the noise in the background is jeopardy -- larry was not as amused with the puppy as i was. how unfortunate)
