Blaze the Wonder Pup GRADUATES Puppy School

Blaze graduated from Puppy school this past Saturday. The graduation cap was not my twisted idea of cuteness, but the instructors. Blaze had to perform several tasks without fault, which she did rather well, except for one. One task is loose leash walking, where there may be something distracting (such as goodies) on the floor, and Blaze had to walk past it without touching it. Well as we walked past, she stopped and snapped one up, much to mine and Sam (the trainer’s) dismay. SO being the ‘hard-ass’ that I am, I said to Blaze:

“You drop that right now. DROP IT….pleh….pleh.” She didn’t spit it out, but she relaxed her jaws for me to remove it from her mouth. Sam was amazed that Blaze allowed me to remove the treat from her mouth, stating that her own dogs would never have given it up like that. Then I informed her that Blaze and I would walk past these treats several times, which we did, both WITH Blaze ignoring the treats on the floor, and SAM CHUCKING treats at her.

And Blaze passed puppy school. She is a real dog. :-) We are all so proud of her.

But now what do I do with my Saturday mornings???

Movie Maddness

Top 5 movies that make me laugh:

1. So I Married An Axe Murderer- I still crack up whenever I think of the ‘Harriett’ song or of the Scottish father (another character played by Mike Myers) singing Rod Stewart songs.

2. White Chicks- Anything done by the Wayne’s brothers pretty much guarantees belly-laughs. But my two favorite parts of the movie is (a) the lactose-intolerance bathroom scene (because I can truly relate), and (b) when the football dude is tripping out on the dance floor with his glow sticks.

3. Oscar- This flick got panned by critics and you can never find it on TV. But if you’re Italian or a fan of Tim Curry’s, or like period films this is one that can bring out some laughs. Oh yeah, it is one of the few movies where you can UNDERSTAND why Sly Stallone is saying. ‘Yo!’

4. The Man With Two Brains- CLASSIC. This is Steve Martin at his best in an ensemble cast. And Bob Barker as ‘the elevator murderer’? I had forgotten all about this movie until I heard them talking about it recently on the radio. Then I found it on TV, and fell in love with it all over again.

5. Young Frankenstein- Another classic, with a great ensemble cast. There is no one favorite line or part that I can pick out easily.

Top 5 movies that make me cry:

1. Armageddon- This is the first movie that I SOBBED over in the theater. And even though I know what’s going to happen at the end, when I watch it on DVD I still cry. In my opinion it is not only an action movie, but a father/daughter movie.

2. Second Hand Lions- This movie has it all, comedy, action, bonding. It is one of the few movies where I like Michael Caine. I also think it’s the last movie Hailey Joel Osmet made. It’s cute. See it.

3. The Notebook- Ok, this is TOTALLY a chick flick. I admit that freely. But the end is so gut-wrenching that when I was telling the story to my mom and Ida, I had gotten choked up. I love this movie.

4. 8 Below- Thank God Ida and I watched this in the safety of our family room. After the first fifteen minutes of it, I was bawling like a baby. What the dogs had to endure, and how they survived was heartbreaking, and amazing.

5. Lord Of The Rings: Return of the King- Another movie which could be classified under so many different movie genre’s. But there were so many moving moments, it brings me to tears each time I watch it.

Top 5 movies that I can watch over and over:

1. Arachnophobia- I hate spiders. I freeze up when I see spiders. But if this movie is on, I have to watch it.

2. The ‘Burbs- Another movie that I am compelled to watch each and EVERY time it’s on TV. I think everyone can relate to the nosey neighbors, crack up over the whole conspiracy theory about what was really going on. It’s just a GREAT film.

3. Anger Management- Just seeing Jack Nicholson sing ‘I Feel Pretty’ is worth it. Another movie that just cracks me up.

4. Practical Magic- Yet another movie that has it all, female bonding, bad-boy love, a hint of supernatural. You laugh, you cry, you jump.

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Although I like the original, I LOVE the new one. It is dark and twisty, and Willy Wonka isn’t as mean as Gene Wilder’s version.

Top 5 Trilogies I can watch over and over:

1. Jaws- Who can’t say that they’re equally enthralled and terrified by this trilogy?

2. Indiana Jones- I think that these movies helped my love for history and exotic places blossom. Plus I always wanted to be an ‘Indie Girl’.

3. Star Wars- I’m talking about episodes IV, V, and XI….THE ORIGINALS. The special effects for back then were amazing, the acting was not campy, and who could hate Chewbocca?

4. Lord Of The Rings- Pure genius. Peter Jackson did such an awesome job of directing, and having the best of the best work on this project, that it made me read the books. I am a LOTR geek. I admit it.

5. The Mummy- Ok, this may not actually classify as a trilogy. But I love The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and The Scorpion King.

5a. Pirates of the Caribbean. Granted the last one has yet to come out. But I so loved the first two, and Jack Sparrow. How can the third be anything less than amazing?