On hiatus

My ever-expanding fan base (Hi Mom! Thanks for getting Dad to start reading this blog) asked me just the other day why I have gone so long without a single blog post. Let me assure you that it's not because anything bad has happened to me or the Beast. We are still doing fine, thankyouverymuchforasking. In fact, he continues to generate exceptional blog fodder. I have soooooo many stories to tell. Like:

• our adventures in agility class;
• how just last week, he sent a mother and her son screaming in sheer terror from the dog bark because they thought he was attacking them when he was really only trying to engage them in a rousing game of chase;
• the gong show that was the Beast's behaviour when I hosted a book club meeting chez moi;
• how his "smile" - which is him showing off all of his teeth, including the really big sharp ones - scares the shit out of people; or
• what it's like to be neutered when you are in a dog park full of bitches in heat.

No, I have a tonne more stories to get out of my brain, so be prepared to be regaled.

There is a very simple explanation for my prolonged absence.  I have been very busy.

First of all, I am under a ridiculous timeline to get a project done at work. Which means that the scales of work-life balance have tipped excessively toward work and decidedly away from life. Prime blogging time - a.k.a. evenings and weekends - is taken up by work. This shall pass (in about a year from now), but in the meantime, it is taking its toll on this creative outlet of mine.

Then tax season came along, and we had to file our taxes. Now I don't actually file our taxes. That would be ridiculous! I don't even know how to spell "T4". No no no... It was my husband who filed our taxes. But he did it on a Saturday. And it took him 6 freaking hours. (You'd think we had a series of off-shore accounts that we were trying to hide or something). And he needed to use the computer. Which means that I could not blog.

And of course, it's spring. And in the Nation's Capital, in mid-March, we had a GLORIOUS week where the temperature rose to +25. So when I was not preparing for my 32nd briefing with my boss, or trying to convince my husband that doing our taxes was far less important than telling stories about our dog, I was outside, basking in the glow of early cancerous UV rays. And now that the weather has returned to seasonal temperatures, I'm spending precious moments of my free time bitching about the fact that it's so cold. And unpacking my winter wardrobe which I had foolishly put away...

But the number one reason why I have not posted in a long time, dear readers, is because I...

...decided

...to read

...The Hunger Games.

It's hubby's fault. He and I took a day off together, and went to see a movie. Which is when I saw the trailer for The Hunger Games. Which made me want to see the movie. But you see, I have a rule. I can't watch a movie until I read the book. So I had to buy the book. Which I read voraciously. Which meant that I had to immediately read the second book. And chat about it with my 14 year old niece who assured me that I will never know what to read again because this is the best series of books in the whole wide world (which says a lot coming form the number 1 fan of the Twilight series). Which of course led to me having to read the third book right away. Which I finished this morning before I went to work. And...

...there is no fourth book to read. Alas, the adventures of Katniss Everdeen, Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Mellarck have come to an end.

And I am left feeling a little bit empty.

So I guess I will have to content myself with adventures in dog rescue, featuring the greatest hero of all time, the Beast.

(Although, fair warning, fans. I picked up the first book of the Game of Thrones series. And 10 pages in, I am already finding it pretty riveting. So I make no promises...)