Wuing You with Words ...

We usually go to the animal shelter that's within walking distance of our home, but this past Friday we drove to a couple of other shelters: West LA Animal Shelter and NKLA . On Sunday we went back to the same two shelters to look at the same dogs. Again. Most of the dogs at the two shelters were pit bull mixes, at least 90%. That gave us mixed feelings. We love pit bulls, but it was sad to see so many languishing in the cages. The yellow dog above is Max. He is 1.5 years old and supposed to be energetic but was quite mellow when we saw him. He would lean against the cage, let Michelle stroke him, and close his eyes. He was either super sleepy or trying to better enjoy the massage. Max has been adopted. Some lucky human got a swell dog. There were many lovely dogs, but I'd like to plug a few especially nice ones. The cutest thing about Frances is her wrinkled face. It makes her look so worried. She's 38 pounds and two years old. And there's  Sprout ...

Every Halloween brings another annual fundraiser for the Amanda Foundation , our local dog & cat rescue. This was our third year working the main gig but our first time doing the group dog-walk, the pre-event to garner attention for the fundraiser. I even got my official Amanda shirt, which was akin to a superhero uniform. The moment I put it on, I felt empowered, like I had more authority to tell dogs what's what. Every volunteer was assigned a pup to walk. I got Turner, a friendly and excitable dog. His costume was technically "king." It even came with a crown, which had zero chance of staying on, given how active he was. At first, this was what happened when a kid saw Turner ... "Superman!" the kid squeals. "No no no," I say. "He's king." Repeat. Fifteen minutes later ... "Superman!"the kid squeals. "Yup," I sigh. "Superman." Michelle's dog, Chikis, was the opposite of Turner....

I lack athleticism. In particular, I used to fear balls. When I was tiny, I would cry when my Dad tried to throw a ball to me. Not a hard one, but one of those big red rubber balls that even toddlers could abuse. Unsurprisingly, I turned out to be the worst batter on my little league team. In my sole season, I only hit the baseball once. Inadvertently. Yet somehow, I grew up to love basketball. Because I worshiped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the 80s Lakers, I developed a hook shot. It is neither graceful nor accurate, but serviceable for the average pickup game. What I lack in athleticism I make up for in appearance. Looking like you know what you're doing is more reassuring to others than actually knowing what you're doing—also true for much of life. Just ask any politician. This is me running in a Utah national park. See that motion blur of my arms? Pump your arms really fast; it provides the illusion that you're speedy. Zoom in on my stupid face. Yeah, blow th...

For Halloween this year, we volunteered at the annual Amanda Foundation fundraiser. It's the animal rescue that we walk dogs for. We first did it back in 2014, when the theme was zombies. 2015 we missed because of our road trip. The 2016 theme was James Bond ... um, Bone. I tried to go for the James Bond look in the movie Spectre,  where Daniel Craig sports a black turtleneck. Minus his muscles, charm, and good looks, of course. Michelle greeting Ginger, a volunteer's dog who won the costume contest. Pit bulls are the best. This one likes to shakes hands.  As before, our job was to staff one of the silent auction tables, which offered items including VIP tickets to the TV show The Voice (plus a signed Miley Cyrus shirt!) and local favorites like the Magic Castle. The business was brisk, and all the items on our table got bids. Posing with the dapper James Bone To make the evening extra memorable, the sky even rained a bit. Yup. This is Southern ...

Looking for a dog or cat or rabbit to adopt? If you're in the Los Angeles area, check out the NKLA Super Adoption . Although NKLA is the main organizer, there are also many animals from other shelters and rescues. We were there today and had heaps of fun. By 4 pm, 303 animals had been adopted! The orange & white tabby on the left is one of the prettiest cats I've ever seen. The gray & white kitten on the right is named Hodor, paw dangling as if lounging on the Iron Throne. Arya is his (hidden) cagemate with her own electric fan - it was far too hot today for a maiden of the North. I'm totally humiliated . That's probably what this tolerant pup was thinking the entire time it patiently posed for a dozen cell phone pictures. Humans are always putting dogs in humiliating costumes. If you show up at the right times, you can watch a newborn kitten being bottle-fed. See that round thing on the right side of the table? That's a scale. They wei...

"Go for Broke." It was the motto of the 100th/442nd—an American Army unit that, by the end of World War II, became the most decorated military unit in U.S. history. It remains so to this day, given the unit's size and duration of service. ( Link ) "In less than two years of combat, the unit earned more than 18,000 awards, including 9,486 Purple Hearts, 4,000 Bronze Stars and 21 Medals of Honor." ( Link ) What many people don't know is that the 100th/442nd was a segregated Army unit composed entirely of Japanese Americans, mostly volunteers. One of their heroic achievements is the rescue of the “Lost Battalion,” the 36th Infantry Division from the Texas National Guard. The 36th, trapped by the Germans in the Vosges Mountains of France, was running out of time and supplies. The 442nd fought through the German lines, taking 800-plus casualties, and ended up saving 211 Texans. ( Link ) While the soldiers of the 100th/442nd bled and died fo...

Halloween is my favorite holiday. This past Sunday we volunteered for The Night of the Living Dog , a Halloween zombie party benefiting the Amanda Foundation (the rescue shelter we walk dogs for). Music played, cocktails flowed, and dogs preened for the costume contest. Fun, though I hurt my back again from lifting stuff. Me as a zombie soldier, gnawing the skull of one of my victims. I did my own makeup, which some thought was too blue. Wouldn't zombies be oxygen-deprived from all that death? The event's makeup artist redid my makeup to make it whiter with dark eye circles. The volunteers' jobs were to set up the party, staff the tables for the silent auctions, and clean up. Ours had several signed scripts from TV shows like Dexter and CSI. Here's my partner, a dodgeball zombie with her arm lopped off. She put in a bid for a restaurant but was outbid by several others. Bummer for us, but better for the Foundation. Me next to Oscar. The crowd was too o...