This is not my usual blog post, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up about an exciting event.
This Sunday, November 1, 2020 a video Mom made of me will air on the TV show America’s Funniest Videos. ME! ON TV! Yay! It’s about time!
The show is on ABC at 7:00pm. I hope I don’t get edited out. I think I will be fabulous. Move over Lassie. Step aside, Clifford the Big Red Dog. Outta my way, Benji. This is happening. #callmehollywood #nopawtographsplease #wherestheredcarpet
Our five words today come from Mom’s September draft which she finished this weekend.
16. Bunnies – There are lots of bunnies around my apartment complex. I don’t try to chase them, and they are not even afraid of me. Someday, I would like to taste one. #goals
47. Practice – Mom practices writing a lot. She studies about it and works on new and old stories all the time. Whenever Mom teaches me tricks, we also practice a lot.
Plus, I get Cheerios and chicken to help me learn. When Mom writes stories, she doesn’t even get Cheerios and chicken. Only coffee.
Sometimes she shares…
9. Sleep – Once in a while, when Mom and I are in bed, ideas come into her mind. Sometimes, she writes them down in her phone, but when she is absolutely, positively sure she will never, ever forget the perfectly amazing idea, she confidently goes to sleep. She does not remember anything in the morning.
51. School – When I wasn’t born, Mom worked at school for a long time.
Teacher-mom
Now, she only goes to school once in a while. On the happiest of happy days, she takes me with her.
School has tons of kids. Plus lunchboxes. Plus delicious pencils and crayons, and did I mention lunchboxes…?
I smell peanut butter….
99. Dark – I don’t like the dark. Mom tells Alexa to turn on the light and turn on the television. Nightlights are everywhere in our house. But Mom still makes me go outside in the dark.
I am skittish, hesitant, and edgy. Mom says, “You have to go out.” and “Toughen up.” and “Sorry, Charlie.” But Charlie isn’t even my name.
Some of you may have watched the show TMZ on TV and already know that I didn’t win the final Best in Show video competition. I am happy to have the consolation prize for finalists which is $500. Woot!
Today, Mom and I went shopping at Petco to spend some of my winnings. I got a new hoodie, a teddy bear, a cookie shaped like an ice cream cone, and some chicken flavored toothpaste. Yup. That’s worth $500. I’m sure Mom wouldn’t embezzle any of my money….. But just in case, I’m keeping an eye open for a new iPad, shiny new boots, or anything cashmere.
Hi Blogville friends!
Hollywood has finally recognized me for the talented doggie that I am. I’m a finalist in the TMZ Best in Show Challenge. If you have a minute (It actually takes less than a minute), click the link, pop onto the website, and vote for me! Thanks!
Click here to vote for Cupcake! Ballerina Doggie.
Mom’s mom would’ve been my Grammy if I had every met her. I never did.
I know her through Mom, though. My Grammy worked hard at a sewing factory, but was a teacher at heart. AND she was a storyteller. Like Mom, she would never say 5 words if she could say 50. Every story was a loooong story. She always had something to say and always said it with joy and excitement and gusto and loved the whole process of weaving a tale and watching her audience react to it. They really are a lot alike.
Sometimes, people say, “To make a long story short….” Mom never says that. And she never does that. She is more likely to make a long story longer!
Mom is a writer because she writes her stories down while she’s weaving them. Grammy never had that luxury, although she did tell stories in the letters she wrote. So Mom has heard and read many, many stories since she was a little girl. Storytelling is in her blood and her skin and her bones. And in her fingers, because that’s where the stories come from as far as I can see.
I don’t have fingers, but once I made a “story” when I fell asleep on Mom’s iPad and typed QQQQQ with my ear.
Storytelling also came from Mom’s mom and her mom’s story and the tapestry of how they came together and grew and flourished and continued and will continue forever. Meanwhile, long after my Grammy and Mom jig-sawed their stories together, my own doggy mama taught me to survive as a stray
Me at the shelter with my puppies.
on the mean streets till I could be rescued, fostered, and then FINALLY adopted by Mom. My doggy mama’s lessons are where my story began.
First day at my forever home.
Queen of the world. My story continues…
Today’s five words come from one of the stories Mom is working on these days. Sadly, the story has no doggies in it. Just humans. And of course a cyclops. So, yeah… There’s that.
6. Sky – I watch the sky a lot. You never know when a blimp might fly over and try to kill you. I saw one once, and I barked at it a lot. Then when I was sure it was about to pounce, I hid behind Mom’s chair.
I also watch the ceiling when I’m in the elevator at my building. It’s dangerous like the sky.
Every single day, there’s a dog up there that looks EXACTLY like me! #it’sterrifying
48. Alone – Besides me and all of my valuable help (staring like a creeper), Mom writes alone.
You’re welcome.
She loves all of her stories, but she’s prejudiced. That’s why she has a critique group. Her online writing friends read her work and she reads theirs. Then they say ideas about what they like and tell each other how to make the stories better.
4. School – I studied at obedience school when I was first adopted.
Mom studied at webinar school last week. She studied Picture Books in Focus. Now she has some new and fresh ideas. I am not allowed to be fresh, but apparently, her ideas are.
I wonder if they’re allowed to be stubborn. I’m not!
96. Halloween – Halloween month is a tough gig. Mom yanks out all the old costumes and we have to decide which one I should wear to each of my therapy jobs. Why?
Why?
Why can’t I just be a dog…?
5. Panting – I am not a dog who does panting very often. Mostly, my mouth is shut. That’s why I look worried most of the time.
Can you blame me? Who’s not worried at the vet?! GAH!
Somehow, I still manage to drool a lot, and Mom is confused about how that even happens. Whenever I do pant, it looks like I’m smiling. Really, I’m just hot!
I wish (for Mom’s sake) that this was a post about a Book Birthday. It’s been flat-out ages since we’ve had one.
But it’s not. She’s still a writer, though. She gets ideas, writes brand new stories, fixes up ratty old stories, works with her critique group, submits stories to publishers, agents, and Rate Your Story, and does author visits at schools. That’s pretty much what writers do, so there’s that.
The birthday today, is MINE. Actually, I’m counting this whole week as my birthday week. On September 25th, I turned 11 years old. I got to wear my birthday balloon/cupcake dress,
and got a new stuffed bunny with FIVE squeakers.
Mom enjoys it a lot and says the word, “Look at the cute bunny!” and “Do you like your new toy?” and “Stop it! SHUT THAT THING UP!” That’s good… Right…? She likes it so much that sometimes she threatens to throw it in the garbage. Wait. What?
Also, there was cake – whipped cream, strawberries, custard, the whole 9 yards.
For my birthday road trip, we went for a ride to the reservoir where I had a staring contest with a baby turtle, and met lots of people who petted me and said I was cute.
Get serious, turtle. I have never lost a staredown.
For Mom’s birthday writing time, she revised an old story about a birthday party gone wrong. She said that maybe my birthday will bring it some good luck.
I could use some luck, here, right about now…
My birthday has been so amazing that I’m planning to turn 11 again next year! Plus, when I blew out my candle (I think Mom did the actual blowing because the flame scared me), I wished for a Book Birthday real soon.
Nom, nom, nom…
Today, Mom and I are counting down about favorites.
My Favorites
3. Eating is my favorite activity. Sometimes, Mom adds chicken pieces to my kibbles. Sometimes, she puts in some carrots or green beans. If she gives me plain kibbles, I look at her like…
Seriously??
Plain kibbles are not OK.
That’s more like it!
2. My favorite place to sleep is in Mom’s bed. I am very cuddly in that thing. Plus, I like to stay under the covers. Waaaay under the covers.
1. My favorite toy is….
Um…. GAH! I love them all!
Mom’s Favorites
3. Morning is Mom’s favorite time to work on writing stories. She dreamed that she would do all her writing in her pajamas,
but she can’t manage it. She flies out of bed and dives into the shower at the crack of dark, and then gets dressed so we can go for a walk.
2. Mom loves both her published stories – her print book –
and her eBook –
but her favorite pre-published books are named Ballet Secret and Cupcake Learns. She always wants one of them to become the elusive Book#2. So far… Nope.
1. Mom’s favorite part of being an author is school visits. She loves reading stories to kids and talking to them about writing and being an author. Sometime soon, I plan to go to school with her…
Backpack, books, apple for the teacher… I’m ready!
I love children (and also wet cement, but that’s another story for another time.). Mostly children are just my size. I love to taste them and snuggle up next to them (and also hump them, but that’s another story for another time.).
I see children at the library when they come to tell me stories at Read to a Pet Night.
Sometimes they taste like gum. And mac and cheese. A lot of them choose doggie books which I appreciate.
But I’m a good girl and listen politely, even when the book is about a C-A-T or FlyGuy or ToyStory.
Sometimes, I see children at the VA when they are visiting an old soldier that they know and love. I mean what’s not to love about an old soldier? They’re adorable. And more importantly, they think I’m adorable. #thingsthatmatter
Being adorable.
Mom writes stories for children. Long ago, she took a class and tried to write an adult story. It FELT horrible when she was doing it, it SOUNDED horrible when she read it to herself, and everybody she read it to said it WAS horrible. So yeah. I guess spending 35 years surrounded by children makes your head work in a certain way that’s tough to fight and impossible to change.
She is always careful about what she writes and how she writes it because just like when she was a teacher, she wants children to remember her words in a good way that will stick with them (like cement) and make them grow up into better humans.
Mom has not forgotten about her dark-of-night challenge.
She has started her story and is wondering if it will ever make it to the night. So far, no. But her character named Martin might take it that way eventually… I’m hoping so, for Mom’s sake. And hoping not for mine. And Martin’s.
Aargh…
Rate Your Story Rating Scale:
10 – Consider this story as practice.
9 – This story is best saved for reading to your family.
8 – If at first you don’t succeed…rewrite, rewrite again.
7 – Your idea has merit, but the story needs a lot of revision.
6 – Not bad, but doesn’t stand out.
5 – Better than average, but still needs work.
4 – A decent story. Could be great with a few revisions.
3 – Good story! Get a critique or two and polish before submitting.
2 – A very good story with the potential to be outstanding! Nearly submission-ready!
1 – Great story! You should consider submitting this!
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Usually, things go just as you expect them to go. When Mom sends her work to Rate Your Story, lots of times it gets rated a 4 or a 5.
But unexpected things happen all the time. Recently, one of her stories was rated a 2.
Also, recently, one of her stories was rated a 7. Mom works equally as hard on each of them, and feels equally good when she sends them in, but there’s no way to know what clicks and what clunks.
Speaking of clunking, the front door at my house where I have lived for the past 7 years clunks shut on its own every time Mom and I go into or out of it. We expect the clunk and usually things go as we expect them to go.
But unexpected things happen all the time. Last week, I unexpectedly hesitated in the doorway, and the door clunked shut ON MY TAIL. I screamed and pulled it free, but the last little bit of my long, monkey tail didn’t make it out. It was left behind on the living room floor!
Yikes!
When Mom gets her scores, she looks carefully at what went wrong and fixes the story up. There are little changes like tweaking the opening to make the conflict clearer. And big changes like changing the entire point of view of the story. Whatever she does, the story is never the same again.
Doctors looked at what was left of my tail and decided how to fix it up. I slept peacefully through my surgery, and have been sporting a series of adorable bandages…
and the cone of courage.
This week, my stitches will be removed and I will be back to my old self. But my tail will never be the same again.
*sigh* Good times….
Soon, we will move to our new house. And yes, as I expected, that door also clunks shut on its own.
I’ll just wait right here. Thank you very much.
Mom is visiting two new places this week. She will speak at two schools that she’s never visited before. She has packed up her bag of supplies and box of goodies.
I smell gum…
At school, she will talk and listen and read and ask and answer questions.
Somehow, she already knows it will be fun.
At home, I’ll be sad and lonely and possibly a little scared to be by myself. I will check out the window, listen by the door, bark at shadows and phantom sounds, and take 562 naps.
Somehow, I already know it will NOT be fun.
Soon, Mom and I will be moving to a new place. She’ll be packing up bags and boxes and moving men will come and go a lot. I will try not to be afraid, but just in case, my safety crate is here.
This will be our little balcony.
And this will be our little dog park.
Somehow, we both already know this will be a TON of fun.
Cupcake Speaks 