Wet behind (in front and inside) the ear

So there we were last Friday, sleeping soundly at my parent's home in Kansas City, dreaming about our fun weekend ahead of celebrating Scott's fellowship graduation from KU Med, having a BBQ with family and friends, and enjoying a little R&R before a long week to come. Then it hit at 1:30 a.m. It started out as one head shake and an ear scratch. Then a jump onto the bed. Then another head shake. Another scratch. Then a jump off the bed. And a lap around the room. Repeat. Every 15 minutes.

Luka is usually a restless sleeper. It's normal for him to walk around the house at night. But this was different. After a night of no sleep and a trip to my parent's vet, Luka was left behind for exploration into territory we have a hard enough time keeping groomed -- Luka's ear. Several hours and a good dose of sedation later, we learned that Luka had a severe yeast infection in his left ear. The prescription to treat this is just as severe as his ear ache: We have to apply ear drops twice a day, flush out the ear with a cleaning solution at night, and give him a pill (covered in peanut butter) to top it off. Obviously, the pill is his favorite part. After we chase him around the room a few times, we're lucky to get half the ear drops and cleaning solution into his ear. And we're left with a wet floor and a very wet and crusty ear.

Isn't it ironic? Well, we're glad you asked.

I'm not sure how it got started, but over the past several months, Carrie and I have been trapped in an endless discussion over what is—and more importantly—what is not ironic. (Seriously, this is the type of shit we talk about when we're out to eat together, screw politics, art or the modern-day impact of ancient Mayan civilizations, we want to find out if that Alanis Morissette is full of crap or not—which as it turns out she is.)

Here are a couple of examples of so-called irony we've debated.

1) A couple of weeks ago there was an artist talk on campus by Larry Schwarm, a world-renowned photographer who happens to be from Greensburg and was there to photograph the aftermath of last year's tornado. In and of itself, no big deal, but the presentation was canceled due to a tornado warning. (The jury is still somewhat out on this one, but my vote is "not ironic.")

2) Back to Alanis, is it ironic that Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic" is actually just a list of coincidences? (Despite my earlier attempt to say it was, I am now leaning toward "not ironic.")

3) When we purchased our new car we had them Scotchgard the interior, however before it could fully dry there were water spots all over the dash and console which made us ask: "Would it be ironic if what we sprayed to protect our car from unsightly stains actually stained our car?" (100% grade-A irony).

That's just what comes to mind right now, there have been dozens more.

What's your vote? Got your own example?

Maybe this will help.

Let us take you down with us.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

We're observing a trend in our family: when the temperature goes up, the hair goes shorter. Craig was the victim of the trimmer last weekend, and Luka was recently introduced to our new best friend: the FURminator. After some quality time with this new tool, Luka ended up with a cooler, thinner 'do.


Our plan is to actually make money off this thing: we're going to save up all the fur we shed with it and create the biggest fur ball ever. Then we'll charge admission to see it. Get your tickets while you can!

Undo

After lunch on Friday, I decided to give myself a little haircut. Here it is with a couple of days growth.



Oh the dangers of coming home for lunch and having a little bit of time on your hands. This will teach Carrie to come home a little more often. This week I just might pierce something.

YATTA!

This could quite possibly be the greatest thing I have ever seen.

Craig

Taking the high road.

It wasn't an easy decision, but after months of research, test drives, comparisons and more test drives, we traded in the Xterra this weekend for a new SUV. And the winner is (drum roll, here) the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.


While we like the looks of the car from the outside and find the interior comfortable and roomy enough for the dogs (who will now enjoy the view from the rear window only), the feature we like most about our new wheels is the gas mileage. This SUV is supposed to average 27 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway. And because we'll spend a little less time filling up at the pump, we'll have more time to watch the little monitor in the dash showing whether we're using the gas or electric engine. It's mesmerizing, and I'm pretty sure it'll be the cause for the first accident.
We're thrilled with our decision and the fact that the whole process is finally over, but it was bittersweet, too. We had to say goodbye to the car that we really enjoyed for eight years, the car that brought Zoe home from Houston and Luka home from the Humane Society. Luckily, the dogs were willing to pose for one last photo.

Carrie

Barack Obono

In my world, music and politics are permanently intertwined. Chances are, you can probably say the same. After all, It just makes sense that the message you relate to in song, or the person you connect with on stage, is a reflection of your own personal beliefs. While I'm sure there's probably some McCain supporter out there who knows every word of "Fight the Power" just as there's an Obama fan who owns a Toby Keith T-shirt, I'd be willing to bet that those cases are few and far between.

For me, the point was driven home as I watched Barack Obama's speech from Tuesday night.

Now, as you can probably guess, I dig Obama. I like what he represents. He's captivated and inspired me—something I've greatly needed after the last eight years. But as he came to the stage the other night accompanied by U2's "Beautiful Day," I got goose bumps. Go ahead, make fun of me, I know it's cheezy, but I got the same feeling I get from some of the concerts I go to, a feeling that I'm a part of something bigger than myself.

It wasn't until that moment that I realized the similarities between the message and delivery of Barack to that of Bono. While both have been vilified and marginalized, there is an inherent optimism about them and an ability to "dream out loud" and see the world as it could be. It's the opposite of fear mongering, it's hope mongering. It's about looking for solutions rather than supplying answers.

So, while there's still a place in my heart that would like Al Gore to reclaim what's rightfully his, my gut tells me Barack is the person we need.

The times they are a-changin.

Update: So today I come in and find this on the Web Bob Dylan Backs Obama.

Spooky.

Pupcakes

Craig and I had a real treat last night -- we got to hang out with Gus (6) and Bea (1) while their parents (our friends Sandra and Eric) had a date night. Over the course of three hours or so, we were introduced to Barney, Build-A-Bearville, some cartoon called "Ben Ten," transformer nerf guns and Thomas the Train. But the biggest eye-opener of the evening was seeing Gus operate the DVR and the computer like a pro. I have a feeling "iTunes" was his first word. Impressive. And speaking of impressive, check out what Sandra sent us home with.


Sandra is so darn creative she could fill a blog of all the cool things she bakes, creates and designs. Sandra, consider this a challenge.

Oh, and in case you're curious, the cupcakes were carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. The eyes were chocolate chips, the nose was an M&M, the ears were marshmallows and I think the tongue was made out of marzipan. We're also pretty sure her inspiration was Luka (pre-ear hair trim).