Westminster Dog Show

This time of year always makes me wish I had a dog. The 2012 Westminster Dog Show is in the history books. The Grand Champion was the Pekingese, Malachy. I do like him--he made me laugh. It is impossible to watch that hairy little thing slowly waddle around the ring without laughing. I almost felt sorry for him making the cut to Best in Show because he'd have to make a few extra laps around the ring for the judge. It's a lot of walking for those little legs--and he lagged way behind the German Shepherd, Doberman and Dalmation. My all-time favorites, the Chinese Crested and Irish Wolfhound, never win, but my record was a lot better this year. Eight of the dogs I liked made it to the finals of their groups, and one, the Doberman, won her group! I picked a winner! And she was my overall favorite this year--beautiful dog. But the best part is that her name was Fifi! I mean, who names a vicious Doberman Fifi? I love it! It is so classic! This year I also paid attention to breeds that I thought would be good for me. I really like the Whippet, Manchester Toy Terrier, Canaan Dog, German Pinscher, and Standard Manchester. They are all small-to-medium size with short hair, dogs I could take for a long walk or a short run, who don't shed too much. But I'd need to win the lottery so I could buy a house with a yard before I could think about getting a dog. I guess I can always dream--and wait for Westminster next year.

The Jukebox at the Bar

I miss old fashioned jukeboxes. You know the kind--you hit a button and flip the 'pages' with pictures of album covers. You could play track 4 on side B of the album you bought because you liked the number one hit you heard on the radio, but track 4, side B became your favorite song. Years pass and you forget about that song, but on a jukebox, you could always find it again. The new high-tech jukebox at my favorite Irish bar is digital. Sure, it's pretty, it's fancy, it's new,and it has thousands of songs, but you basically have to know the song or artist you want to play. You can't flip through, see something you'd forgotten about, and think 'Wow, I used to love that song! I'll play it now'. It's just not as much fun, and it's a dollar a song!! So much for nostalgia!