The Calvinator

This is the face of innocence. Uh huh...sure.

The other day I let Calvin out before we went for a stroll. While I was getting things together he was running around outside.

When I went to get him I couldn't find him but I could hear him. I walked around the house and didn't see him. I could still hear his tags jingling.

All of a sudden I see AttyHou and Everyday Italian's azaleas moving (and the wind wasn't blowing). When, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a miniature sleigh...oh wait, guess I have Christmas on my mind.

So all of a sudden he appears and is staring at me from the other side of the fence and he is making no effort to squeeze back through. I tried pulling him back through and he was digging in his paws and being stubborn. I tried again; nothing happened.

So I had to call Everyday Italian and tell him I was coming into the yard. When The Calvinator heard the gate open he made his way through the azaleas and had twigs and leaves all over him.

No more unsupervised play outside for The Calvinator.

So the next day I decide to take him on a short ride to the post office. On our way back I decided to use the drive-thru at the Starbucks on Shepherd and W. Gray. A grande Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream sounded good. After all, it is the holiday season and we're having warm weather.

I receive my beverage and place it in the cup holder. I'm trying to exit the parking lot and enter the traffic on Shepherd. Just as I'm doing this, out of the corner of my eye I see him sticking his tongue into the oversized opening on my beverage and he is helping himself to the whipped cream. I told him to stop. He looked at me with a snout covered in whipped cream.

I must say that with The Calvinator around there is never a dull moment.

In other news...

Tonight at Mass there was a guest priest. He was a bit on the enthusiastic-dramatic side of things. It took me awhile to remember who he was. At first I thought it was Mario Cantone.

Then I realized he had been here a couple of years ago. There's not a polite way to say this but it was all about him at the end of the sermon. I won't go into detail but I thought he was going to start singing There's No Business Like Show Business in his best Ethel Merman voice. So after that comment...I'm driving the bus to Hell and I'm selling tickets to anyone who wants to join me.

Once again, karma reared its head on The Amazing Race. The blondes (who U-turned a couple last week and the couple ended up getting eliminated) got eliminated tonight. HA!

Best line from Desperate Housewives tonight: If you're taking me somewhere that I can't wear a boa, then I don't want to go. -Gabrielle Solis to Carlos Solis when they are talking about leaving Wisteria Lane.

It is quite balmy here in the Bayou City. Temps are in the 70s and it rained earlier. Here it is Dec. 2 and I have the air conditioner running.

Saturday's run didn't go as planned. I woke up not feeling like I could run. So I waited until about 915a before I went over to the park. I figured a 3 mile run was better than nothing so I did 6 miles.

I watched a special on NBC yesterday afternoon. They did profiles on some people who competed in the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.

I've always been amazed at people who can complete that triathlon. One of the male competitors was blind (he was tethered to another competitor). Another male competitor was a double amputee. One guy almost died after a auto accident. All three of these guys completed the triathlon which consisted of a 2.4 mile, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. There were other people who were profiled but these three really stuck in my mind. I was a bit teary-eyed at the end of the show. The human spirit is amazing.