Harnessing a Wild Pup

Taking my Chloe dog for a walk is never a simple task- every walk is a total smelling expedition.  She has a strong-willed nose that leads her to finding garbage in the grass that she likes to eat (I can't tell you how many chicken bones this girl has had pulled out of her mouth), the puke pile by the hospital that has been there for weeks, and once a tamale! She is fast and loves to run and is a major leash puller.  So far, she has worn out one leather collar the leash that came home with her from the Anti-Cruelty Society is sadly just too short for this gal.  A pink nylon collar stood the test, but after a particularly tug-heavy walk, my sweet little pup's eyes turn red and she looks like a stoner.  I was happy to find the Martha Stewart Fabric Dog Harness and Leash set at PetSmart.  The fabric seemed sturdy and I just love the Houndstooth Check leash for my little hound.  Having a longer leash was like a dream come true and the harness really gives so much more control to the walker.  However, I am really disappointed that the harness and the leash are both losing some of their sturdy shine.  Chloe seems to be a bit too spunky for the materials and construction of both the harness and the leash.  When I checked back on PetSmart.com to see product reviews, others either really loved the products or had exactly the same trouble as I have had.  The fabric is beginning to fray after only 3 months of use, the metal is losing its finish, and the fabric loops on the are really hard to use to secure the harness around the pup.  I think this particular harness and leash set might be better for dogs with a little less get-up-and-go because some of the reviews were really positive.  So, one thumb down.  One remains up due to the stylish nature of the set, the length of the leash, and the ease of using the clasp on the leash. The search continues...

Silk N Disgrace

As I was getting to know my new surroundings during my freshman year at the University of Indianapolis, I happened upon Silk N Lace Gentleman's Show Club. What really caught my eye was the sign outside advertised that Silk N Lace trains amateur dancers.  I was fascinated and interested in this possibility much in the way I was fascinated and interested in traveling and living with carnies for a summer just to see what happens.  Skip ahead a few years later and I'm driving down Madison Avenue with some friends - we were probably coming from somewhere classy like Olive Garden or Old Navy.  I pointed out the sign  ( yes, still training amateurs!) and said something to the effect of, hey doesn't that sound like a funny thing to try?  Without hesitation or any hint of curiosity in their voices, Friend 1 and Friend 2 said, "No."  Um, ok.  I didn't want to be a stripper, guys are gross enough to be around when you have your clothes on; I just wanted to know what the life of someone who works there was like and how can I get some of those moves! 


Not one to let my dreams go unrealized, this past Friday night I took a  Cardio Striptease class at All About Dance in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.  (This was my second attempt at taking this class - the first time I showed up too late for one session and too early for the other and was assured that the Cardio Hip Hop class would be awesome instead.  It was not awesome.)  I thought a lot about what to wear to the class, but settled on my favorite bamboo capri leggings and an old pink and white "Girls on Fast Wheels" t-shirt.  The instructor came in the room and she seemed too clean to be a Cardio Strip teacher.  I was hoping for some old reformed stripper who turned over a new leaf and decided to mesh her passion for stripping with the common decency of physical fitness and leave the stage for the dance studio.  Whatever.  I did appreciate that the enthusiastic instructor turned the lights down, it seemed to help turn down my humiliation that throughout the entire class I was not able to master the first move in the routine. Overall, the class was fun.  It was a really great workout and it helped to confirm that I am a horrible dancer ( I think I'm too tall or something).  The 'on the floor moves' left me with bruises up and down my legs and a cut near my knee from the cute zippers in my favorite bamboo capri leggings.  Final assessment- I did not miss any sort of calling as a dancer of any kind.  I had a great experience at All About Dance and would love to go back and maybe take a class with a friend.  *Disclaimer- I will only take a class with a friend who is a worse dancer than I am.

Liberté Méditerranée

I adore this yogurt.  I don't think it would be going too far to say it is the best ever, but I suggest you try it and determine that for yourself.  The Coconut and the Plum & Walnut are my favorite and are so unique!  There is no High Fructose Corn Syrup in this ingredient list and it is made with milk produced without the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBGH free).  Yumba.