The Park Cat

Woof, woof - who is this sitting on the tailgate of my truck. A dog can't even go for a walk in the park these days without some upstart of a cat trying to annex his truck.
Apart from the cheeky cat it was a very pleasant walk this morning; cool temperature and a short sprinkling of rain just to keep us refreshed. Miss Molly and I had a good time with our friend, Little Buddy, making the resident geese honk!
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French reindeer

Little Ted and I took turns wearing the antlers, it was fun woof woof.

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Some enchanted evening ...

Woof, woof, just so you know this was meant to get posted on tartanted:

You may see a stranger,
you may see a stranger
Across a crowded room
And somehow you know,
You know even then
That somewhere you'll see her
Again and again.

Some enchanted evening
Someone may be laughin',
You may hear her laughin'
Across a crowded room
And night after night,
As strange as it seems
The sound of her laughter
Will sing in your dreams.

Who can explain it?
Who can tell you why?
Fools give you reasons,
Wise men never try.

Some enchanted evening
When you find your true love,
When you feel her call you
Across a crowded room,
Then fly to her side,
And make her your own
Or all through your life you
May dream all alone.

Once you have found her,
Never let her go.
Once you have found her,
Never let her go!

Yorkie

Woof, woof, Miss Molly and I had a great time in San Antonio and adopted a new friend - temporarily!
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Gimme, gimme

Woof, woof bring some home for me Ted!
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More Christmas party

"The Boss"
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Employee Christmas Party

Ho, ho, ho, and a woof to y'all.
They left me at home again and went off to enjoy themselves at the Portland Country Club.
Here is a picture of Ted's friend and her husband.
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Sunday morning

Woof, woof, well here we all are in the park where the temperature is a refreshing 48F
That's my new friend Buddy the Jack Russell.
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Enduring flag

Woof, woof, I haven't been keeping track of the flag lately but this one must be pretty new cos it ain't frayed.
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Buddies

Me and my buddy, Little Ted, helped to keep Miss Molly company while the Christmas lights were being hung.
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The prognosis is unclear

So, after my visit to the vet this morning, we are no further forward.
It seems that the course of anti biotics I took have shrunk my prostate but not enough.
The vet is going to consult a specialist and I may need to pay her a visit in San Antonio.
I was fixin to vacation up there in mid December anyway but it's looking like I may need to incorporate a professional consultation into my schedule too!
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X-Ray

Well here it is
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My Saturday morning

Um, gulp, the vet wants to X-Ray me today.
More later.
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Where did he go?

Dr Johnson here; just checking to see if I can post from Ted's Blackberry.

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You sound like you're having fun already.

• Mama Mia (2008)

It's Mrs Ted's birthday today and Grandmommy has taken the children overnight so Ted and Mrs Ted can make like the title of this blog entry.
Ted came home early and took me and Miss Molly for a walk, woof woof. I thought that was too good to be true 'cos then the two of them went out for the evening leaving us behind, yip yip. Ted gave me some story about restaurants not serving dogs and Miss Molly would be frightened in a darkened cinema but I think they just wanted a night out on their own - wink, wink.
The picture was taken with a cell phone in the restaurant and is not Ted's best photographic accomplishment. However it does prove that he took Mrs Ted out to eat and I can tell you the restaurant was Latitude 2802 in Rockport. After depositing an arm and a leg in payment for the meal they went to see the film "Mama Mia" starring Meryl Streep, an actress of whom Ted has never been fond, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ted now likes Meryl Streep.

Hey Curly, what all happens in a hurricane?

• Key Largo (1948)

Hurricane Dolly threatened to drop by our neighborhood today but luckily decided to stay down Mexico way!
However we did get a whole lot of rain out of the deal and Ted got to come home early because the EE decided to close due to the threat of Tornadoes in the local area.
Miss Molly and I don't understand hurricanes and tornadoes so we happily got on with our lives, grateful for Ted's early presence, but oblivious to the conditions which made the Ted children whiny brats all evening. For some reason the kids were scared and wanted to sleep with their parents; personally I think that's fine and I should get to join them with Miss Molly too!
{Comment from Ted: "Dream on Dr Johnson"}

A man don't go his own way, he's nothing

• From Here to Eternity (1953)

This is supposed to be boy's night out. Are you sure you're at the right table?
As you can see from this picture nothing is sacred. It's not that the guys didn't like having Eddy join them it's just that, well, it didn't really qualify as "boy's night out" this week 'cos they had a girl with them!

We could be anywhere now

• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

Ted says the EE believes you to be only as good as your last sale and consequently he is feeling very small today. Friday was frantic and busy, full of sales potential; Monday on the other hand was pretty dire. The Overlords will be mad when they review the day.
Well, sod it, Ted doesn't care. He had a day of customer service, next to no sales, but lots of happy cheerful customers that he persuaded were the only thing the EE cared about today.

[to Ted] Good one, dude.

• Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

The flag is in tatters; two and a half months in the sea breezes of Rockport and we need a new flag - again!
Oh well, onwards and upwards with the sales effort.
Ted tells me that he had a woofing good day today but he did miss his friend Wee Jeannie who left early to go to Sea World with her family. Gosh, maybe that's why Ted had such a good day 'cos Jeannie wasn't there to share in the sales. Guess you can either have sales or a family life but not both - how sad. Yip, yip.
Buddy had a good few sales too so the EE Overlords will be happy tonight.
Ted's "good" day was more to do with the people he encountered rather than the sales he made 'cos, let's face it, Ted doesn't give a toss for the sales ethos. Anyhoo, woof,woof Ted tells me he met a lady from his home town who attended the same school as he did and knows one of his old classmates. Another customer was a computer type chappie who happily chatted with Ted about the merits of various PDA and computer hardware and software items - ooh Ted was in his element. Then later in the day another lady came in to see him and it turns out that her children will be going to the same school as Ted's kids so they had a jolly time talking about their kids and the school and related stuff.
[p.s. I'm still faffing around with MT4 and so still don't have a firm date for the site update - but I'm working hard to get there - woof, woof.]

The Times They Are A-Changing (1964)

• Bob Dylan

Dr Johnson's Toast of the Coast is moving from blogger to it's own server and will be using Movable Type 4 blog software to do so.
Dr Johnson will therefore be on vacation for a while until he figures out how to move without losing the entire history of his blog. Also he will need time to figure out how to use MT4 to create new entries.
This whole moving thing is due to Ted and Mrs Ted deciding to standardize their web presence on one server using one software package.
Watch this space for the new, improved, super-duper Cousinsclub.com and associated blogs.

People say that if you don't love America, then get the hell out. Well, I love America

• Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Woof, woof, yip, yip happy Fourth of July holiday!
Ted and Mrs Ted are not at work today because it's a national holiday and guess what? It's pouring down with rain!
Yes, even way down here in South Texas it rains on holidays; the difference here is that we appreciate the rain for what it does for our yards and it's still warm anyway so it's no big deal. Now, Ted says, if this was the UK it would be freezing cold and miserable and they wouldn't want "more" rain anyway.
God Bless America.
I do think the neighbors are over reacting a tad tho'.
It may be raining but it's not at flood levels just yet and I think a truck will make it down the road for a while yet. Still, I suppose it's nice to have your kayak ready to go, just in case.

Are you sure there are two l's in dollar, Gideon?

• Local Hero (1983)

Well there were plenty of dollars flying around tonight at the 2008 Rockport Art Auction Dinner - another occasion that Dr Johnson was not invited to attend!
Ted and Mrs Ted got to go out to dinner, without kids and dogs, courtesy of the EE which had taken a table at this local event. An open bar and a free dinner in good company combined with a little socializing with relatives and customers who were also attending this gala event made for a very pleasant evening.
Woof,woof, wish I were there. (no doggy bags tonight)

Dammit, Ben. We can kill them before we eat breakfast.

• The Unforgiven (1960)

It's Wednesday so it must be boy's night out woof,woof. You would think they might take me with them too but for some reason restaurants discriminate against young dogs such as myself so I can't go with them!
Anyway it was Little Ted's choice of venue tonight and so Buddy and Ted took him to Pizza Hut where they sampled the new pasta offering as well as the more traditional pizza fare. Little Ted had a not so hidden agenda behind the requested venue as he wanted to put 4 quarters in the vending machine to buy a "body part". He got a couple of severed fingers to which he said "aw, I was hoping to get the heart!"

If I have any more fun today I don't think I can take it!

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

No pictures are available to illustrate this post as Ted did not think quickly enough to take any before cleaning up the mess!

First day of the new quarter and Ted missed an early morning staff "huddle" to discuss how to sell, sell, sell with a vengeance. He was somewhere else enjoying his breakfast and keeping his hours down to the required amount for the week. The EE can't have it both ways - woof, woof.

This evening I'm afraid I did rather ruin Ted's attempt to relax with a glass of red wine. I thought he might like to throw my new gorilla squeaky toy for me so I stuck my nose up between his legs and tossed the toy into his lap. Unfortunately that tossed his glass of red wine everywhere and it looked like a scene from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with red splotches everywhere from the carpet to the couch and from Ted's socks to his shirt. I must say he took it very well, simply saying in a calm voice to Mrs Ted "could you get me a cloth please Pet"

I kept a low profile the rest of the evening.

There's something in the oysters!

• Marie Antoinette (2006)

Woof, woof thems not oysters!

Of course Little Ted knows that, but he doesn't look particularly enthused by this plate of shrimp. Ted tells me that he made up for Little Ted's reticence and consumed a good number of the shrimp himself.

Nothing seems to have been brought home from the party for me and Miss Molly. I guess everything was so yummy that it was all consumed on the premises with nothing left for a doggy bag. Oh well, c'est la vie.

50th Wedding Anniversary Party

Nothing to do with film titles - just a happy gathering of family to celebrate Ted's in-laws wedding anniversary.
Congratulations on 50 great years together!

Are we going swimming?

• Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

Why yes, woof, woof, every night if Ted will help us in and out of the pool. I can climb the ladder but I much prefer to be lifted in and out so that I can use all my energy for swimming.

You have talent. That's very rare in the theater

• Deep in My Heart (1954)

"I love to go swimmin with women"
so sang Gene and Fred Kelly way back in 1954 well woof, woof, I agree in 2008!
Miss Molly and I took the plunge this evening and spent a good 15 minutes swimming in circles, pawsing now and then to let our hind legs drop to the floor and rest our heads on the top ring for a moment or two to catch our breath, before continuing to chase Ted around the pool and try to get his camera wet!

I don't care what I see outside. My vision is within! Here is where the birds sing! Here is where the sky is blue!

• A Room with a View (1985)

This is Rockport Harbor viewed from the Maritime Museum.

Yip, yip, a better day was had by Ted today and so he does not feel as affected by outer concerns, i.e. the lunacy at work, but rather experiences a calming inner peace.

But tomorrow is another day nearer the end of the sales quarter and therefore holds the potential for more and greater lunacy behind the sinister doors of the Evil Empire.

Somebody's got to pay.

• Point Blank (1967)

Woof, woof.
Ted, having had a horrible Monday at the Evil Empire, decided against blogging here yesterday. Sadly, today, he has had to let out another scream:
arghhhh!
This is because he had and even worse Tuesday culminating in mandatory attendance on a conference call for Evil Empire employees of his ilk.
As it happened, while he was listening to the opening salvo of the EE politicos, a customer wandered into his office and commanded his attention - whoo hoo! After attending to the customer and letting her out of the office he wandered back past Wee Jeannies' office at which point she hailed him with the words "are you not on this freaking call?" This elicited laughter from the conference call as she had forgotten to mute her phone. Oh well, such is life. Luckily Ted had resisted the temptation to repond loudly, with an accent, and so we survive to fight another day.
Anyway the moral of the story is that Wee Jeannie's shoes have more point to them than the conference call which drew a blank for point!

You sure we should be doing this?

• A Sound of Thunder (2005)

Full steam astern that's what we need.
No, no, no, full steam ahead is what we should call for so we go forward!

Listen to the experts argue, woof, woof. Just as well I was safely at home resting after my daily swim in the pool. Did I tell you that Miss Molly came swimming with me yesterday? She seemed to like it just fine; I guess it's good excersise for the old gal without being too strenuous - and it's cool in the water when it's hot and humid in the air.

This is the day "Dr Johnson" swims across the county

• The Swimmer (1968)

Woof, woof I don't usually take liberties with the film quotes but I couldn't resist inserting my name into this one 'cos I'm so proud of my ability to climb up the ladder and dive into the swimming pool!
I got tired after a while and Ted held me under my belly so that I could still lie in the water and enjoy the relative coolness without having to dog paddle all the time. It was great fun and then I discovered that I could put my hind legs down on the pool bottom and my head on the top ring so I could rest between swimming sessions - what great fun and the kids enjoyed my company too.
Poor old Miss Molly couldn't make it into the pool and I heard Ted say she was too old and stiff to attempt it!

It's Buddys' birthday today

The kids thought it would be nice to create a banner with "Happy Birthday Buddy" written on it since "boys' night out" was off tonight due to other commitments.
This is a work of art crafted lovingly by Eddy and filled in carefully by Little Ted (who isn't quite up to spelling the message out on his own yet) especially for Ted's friend Buddy.
Happy Birthday, woof, woof!

Are you sure we're in Canada?

• Canadian Bacon (1995)

Ted thought he had just moved to Texas the other day but then his friend "Caledonia Girl", who moved to Canada in January, sent him an update with pictures of her kids.
Who are these big kids Ted wondered, they were just itty bitty children when he last saw them and now theys all growed up! Woof, woof.

Can you hear music if you're in Heaven?

• Reservation Road (2007)

I sincerely hope so because it would be a tragedy if God could not hear Little Ted singing hymns happily to himself on a Sunday morning.
Like his father before him, although he did kind of lose the knack very early on, Little Ted has a powerful voice and could easily win more than the one Robert Burns singing competition award that his father received at age five.

Why are you doing this?

• Fathers' Day (1997)

Because it's Fathers's day and the kids are running around excitedly demanding that daddy open his presents and us dogs were getting a bit over excited so we got told to cool it a while in our crates. Miss Molly is not too keen on this concept but I know it's an OK thing. I quite like to retire to my crate occasionally 'cos I get peace and quiet there and I know I'll be let out again soon.

Anyway, Ted finally managed to open all the presents the kids had wrapped up for him but he did not succeed in getting the paper off any one of them before Little Ted had told him what was inside! One of the presents was a jar of jelly beans and you can see the kids looking expectantly at the jar in this picture.

Give my regards to oblivion

• Lost in Space (1998)

The blue screen of death. Not what Ted needs on a Saturday morning in the middle of dealing with customers - note the line stating: "beginning dump of physical memory" - always a bad sign.
The Evil Empire provides Ted with many "tools" to do his job, some of which are worse than useless, but usually the only problem with the computer system is its' lack of speed. I suppose we are all spoiled at home with our multi gigabit broadband connections but it is a tad incongruous that the Evil Empire, with its' vast resources, has steam driven computers.
Nevertheless they do normally work!
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Sure don't look none too prosperous

• The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Ted says I may have used this photograph before but I thought it looked right for tonights' film quote so I used it anyway.

The plate reflects Ted's day at work; it has sod all on it.

I'm so pleased with my MP3 player

Little Ted agreed to keep his room clean so that I could walk over his carpet without hurting my paws on miscellaneous sharp toys and so he was rewarded with the "prize" of his choice - an MP3 player.
He asked his mommy to load up all his Scottish music onto his new MP3 player and now he listens to it all the time without competing against his sister's cd player for volume.

Because Wednesday night is boys' night out ...

... and off to Portland we went to visit Bad Brad's Bar-B-Q which Buddy had discovered did a Wednesday night special. Buddy and Ted had ribeye steak, which I got the leftovers from thank you Ted, and Little Ted had brisket and fries with tomato ketchup. He let me have some of his leftovers too and I did share with Miss Molly in case you were wondering.

I have me under control.

• The Guardian (2006)

That's what he thinks but instead of playing with me or Miss Molly Little Ted has taken to a computer much like his mommy and sister.
Is there no one left to just cuddle with me on the floor?
The trouble with Ted is he wants me to do stuff, stuff he tells me and that gets a bit wearing after a while. At least Little Ted, when he is not on the computer, just wants my company for its' own sake, no strings attached.

Don't be such an old poop!

• On Golden Pond (1981)

Hi, I'm Miss Molly and I'm kinda in my golden years - could ya tell?
Dr Johnson is looking after me and we are developing an understanding. I tell him what to do and he does it PDQ or else!
Mrs Ted thinks she can order me about and I've been trying to disillusion her about that but it's not working. In fact Ted gets quite upset with me and keeps putting me in my place. I guess I'll just need to adapt to my new position in my adopted pack huh?

Father... father, the sleeper has awakened!

• Dune (1984)

Yes, I know this picture is out of focus and Ted told me not to use it but really, you had to be there to appreciate the moment and this is all I have to show for that split second.
Little Ted had dissappeared into his room with a CD of Scottish Country Dance music and when I went to investigate I saw that he had changed into his tartan outfit and was dancing around the room to the music. He stopped long enough to inform me that this is his "meercat pose" - he watches Animal Planet you know!
I really must get Ted to show me how to hold the camera steady in my paws so that I can improve the quality of my photographic material.

I mean, how do they expect you to get uncrazy if you're asleep all the time?

• Dog Day Afternoon
  

Heh! I'm not asleep, that sun is just so bright I needs to keep my eyes shut when I'm outside.
I'm an old lady and I need to look after myself; that young whippersnapper Dr Johnson is as likely to knock me over in his enthusiasm for life as he is to eat dinner every day and my stiff joints don't take kindly to that sort of treatment.
Still an' all, he is kinda cute and he has let me move in with him so he can't be all bad.

Brush your teeth twice a day. Keep away all tooth decay. And like all my other friendly chums. You also must massage your gums.

• A Boy and His Dog (1936)

I must say that when I agreed to let Miss Molly move in with me I thought it was going to provide me with some companionship. Turns out that Little Ted seems to be getting more out of this arrangement than I am! He just dotes on Miss Molly; he cuddles with her and strokes her fur and talks to her all the time. She just patiently accepts all his attention, whilst sitting on the sofa, which - I MUST SAY is something that I am not allowed to do!
I guess it is a privilege of age.
I do get to play with all Molly's toys while Little Ted keeps her otherwise occupied so the relationship is somewhat symbiotic.

Dogs obey so much better than children. Don't they?

• Beethoven (1992)

Well, sometimes we do but not always, as demonstrated by todays classic behavior exhibited in Memorial Park.
I took Ted and the kids for a walk with my new friend "Miss Molly" and it was all going really well with Eddy holding Molly's leash until we encountered a strange neurotic woman around a blind bend. As soon as she saw us she started screaming "take your dogs away" as her canine companion began to bare his teeth and growl menacingly.
Spot the lunatic is what I say. Her poor dog must be so unsocialized due to his owners fear of other dogs that he cannot enjoy the company of his peers. Poor boy. Sad strange human!

I'm sure Solzhenitsyn has the same trouble

• Two's Company

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a Gulag (Soviet Work Camp) the way Bella makes me work so hard as she stands around "observing". Also, that fence is always there to stop me escaping. Every time I'm in this cage I check out the perimeter for weak links in the fence but so far I haven't found one. That's a pity really 'cos I've seen lots and lots of deer grazing in the middle distance and I quite fancy running after them - just to say hello you understand. There are also lots of interesting wild animal smells around the perimeter fence and I think I saw a racoon there the other day. If only Ted would stop playing with that blasted tennis ball and let me chase live things. I really am getting fed up watching Ted and Buddy fetch the tennis ball!