Something mysterious has been happening with Chili Dawg and we can’t figure out how he’s doing this.  He’s a very smart dog and now we fear, too smart.  THREE TIMES this week we have left home with Chili Dawg in his pen and have come home to this:

an empty pen–still locked–and Chili Dawg greeting us at the door.  This pen is 30″ high, but somehow he is able to jump out, scale the sides or teleport himself.   I think the first time was a fluke, the 2nd time was to see if he could do it again and now by the 3rd time he knows exactly how to get out.   Next time I walk in the door I expect to see him laying on the sofa watching a movie and eating popcorn.  Obviously we need to find other ways to confine Chili Dawg when we’re not a home

Chili is full of hijinks.   We have to push the chairs away from the table or otherwise this happens:

And it is not unusual to see a whole roll of toilet paper unraveled in the bathroom.

All attempts to keep him off the sofa lead to this:

My husband is not amused.

Chili Dawg is a handful, a rascal, a SCOUNDREL, but he’s my puppy and I love him so much.  Look, this is a photo that I tore out of a magazine years ago; I knew instantly that it was my dog.  I taped it in my “dream notebook” and forgot about it until I blogged last year about wanting a dog.

And now look at this photo of Chili Dawg.  See, Chili Dawg was in my heart, even before he was born.

*Not only do I blog about my puppy, Chili Dawg also has a Facebook fan page!  Click on the badge to the left to become a fan, keep up with his status updates and to see more photos.  I have officially become “one of those dog people” that my friend @StuMcDnld talks about makes fun of on Twitter.

© 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I just got back from Blogalicious 2009.  This was my first blogging conference so I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I was very impressed by the conference as a whole; the venue was beautiful, the food was fantastic, the sponsors were generous, the swag bags were overflowing, the parties were jamming and the lovely hosts from MamaLaw were gracious and efficient.  The information that I obtained was varied and rich and the women bloggers that I met were interesting and smart.  The keynote speeches from James Andrews (my husband) and Karen Walrond were inspirational, while sessions like Taking Your Blog to the Next Level and Secrets to a Successful Blog provided good answers, but I left the conference also asking myself more questions.  Questions like: Am I blogging with purpose?  Am I passionate?  Am I even doing this right?  And mostly…Why do I blog?

I asked and I answered:

I blog to give information in categories like Techknow Mama, Things I like and Ma-Gyver.

I blog to entertain in Kickin’ It Old School and through many of the silly travel family videos that I post in T as in Tango.

I blog to build a community through posts about myself and my family in What About Me, My Charmed Life or Word From the Mother.  I hope that the more you know about me, the more you will share about yourself; that creates community.

I blog Deep Stuff to foster discussion and conversation.  I’m a thinker and I know you are too.

I blog to save the world from mediocrity.  We’ve got to keep the bar high people.  We’re all fabulous; let’s live it!

Through it all, I blog to tell stories.  As Scott Rosenberg says in his book, Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It’s Becoming, And Why It Matters, “A [blog] post is a shared memory….And in the end, that’s what we want and need to remember about our lives, and the lives of others: not factual details but meaningful stories.”  Whether I am writing about Disney World, my marriage, Henry Louis Gates or the best cupcakes, I aim to do it with passion, transparency and authenticity in a way that hopefully makes you remember your own stories.

I blog because I have a voice and I have something to say.  And that is reason enough.

© 2009 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

This actually happened almost a year ago, but it still cracks me up whenever I think about it.

We were at the W Hotel in Buckhead having a fancy dinner with our kids to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary.  In the course of normal dinner conversation my husband picked up his wine glass, smelled it, and decided that it smelled too dusty for him and asked for another glass.   Now, I had been married to this man for 15 years at that point and had never seen him smell a glass before, but apparently he says that he does it all the time because dusty glasses are a pet peeve of his.  I started making fun of him because I really think my husband is going to be a crazy old man; I mean some of his current behaviors point in that direction.  I had the kids cracking up by painting a verbal picture of their dad sitting in a corner rocking chair smelling glasses, rocking madly and mumbling to himself.

My husband was not amused and just said, “Yo momma.”

Actually he frequently using this comeback to me when he can’t think of anything else to say and even says it to my son.  My son responds with, “You know, you’re talking about your wife and she’s standing right there.”

Well, that night I had a comeback of my own.   Out of the depths of my memory bank I pulled out a little ditty that I hadn’t said since I was about 9 years old living on the South Side of Chicago and recited it to my husband with requisite finger wagging and facial attitude.

Yo Momma,

Yo Daddy,

Yo greasy Granny,

Got a hole in her panties,

Got a big behind like Frankenstein,

Going beep-beep-beep down Sesame Street!

And then I started laughing uncontrollably.

My kids stared at me in shock and my husband tried to quiet me down, concerned about the other diners, but it took a long time for me to settle back into a Buckhead-like decorum.   It was fun to throw my playground swagger around….I still got it!

© 2009 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

There was a man in my neighborhood who walked his pug everyday down my street, past my window.  Twice a day, at the same times, without fail, rain or shine, warm weather or cold.  This man had to be at least 80 years old and the pug looked as old as the man.  Both gray-haired and stout, they walked at the same pace, shuffling slowly along, the old man using a cane.  The kids and I used to call each other to the window whenever they walked by, “Hey, come look; it’s the Old Man and The Pug!”   We were in awe of the old man’s obvious affection for his dog and determination to exercise him each day, despite the physical exertion.  We decided that they were best friends.

When we got Chili Dawg this past spring we felt a greater kinship with the old man and his pug and looked for them on the street.   After actively looking for a few days it dawned on us that in fact we hadn’t seen them for a long time.   In the chaos that comes with getting a new puppy, we hadn’t noticed their absence.   Perhaps they had learned a new walking route, but we didn’t think so; we feared that something had happened to one or both of them.    Upon talking to neighbors, we learned that yes, it was true; the pug had died and the old man is now in a nursing home, alive in body but mentally incapacitated.   I do not know for sure, but perhaps there is a connection between the passing of his best friend and the old man’s willingness to stay lucid and actively engaged in the world.   Perhaps those daily walks gave him a reason to keep going, to get up and to get out.

I did not know the old man or his pug; I never had 2 words with them.  But I miss them walking by my window, a daily reminder of the importance of fresh air and a good walk with a friend.

© 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I woke up this morning seemingly with all forces against me: it was raining, I didn’t feel well and my daughter was grumpy and moving slow.  Despite these odds I managed to push through what I was feeling and get my morning started on a good note due to my “gospel boogie” playlist on my iPod.   I tweeted about it and my Twitter pal and real life friend @pschwed wanted me to post my playlist; she said it sounds perfect for what her daughter calls a “bloopy” day (I like that word…it describes today perfectly).  As you can see, my playlist is heavy on Kirk Franklin and Canton Jones–2 of my favorite artists who make me wanna get up and boogie.   I know everyone who passed my car today thought I was listening to Hot 97 because I was grooving so much.

So this is for Paula and anyone else out there who needs a lift today:

Message in the Music–Debra Killings

Fix It–Canton Jones

Holla–Canton Jones

Keep On Praisin’–Fred Hammond

Looking For You–Kirk Franklin

Stay Saved–Canton Jones

Better–Kirk Franklin

1-2 Victory Check–Tye Tribbett

Good Time–Canton Jones

Old School–Lisa McClendon

Stomp–Kirk Franklin

Brighter Day–Kirk Franklin

Everybody Dancin’–Canton Jones

Get On The Floor–Canton Jones

ATL–Canton Jones

Heaven–Mary Mary

The Real Party–Mary Mary

© 2009 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.