Every Night

Every night the girls have at least one fight/play session, almost always instigated by Rosy.  Sometimes Sunny is tired and she just yawns as Rosy gnaws on her drumstick.  But last night Rosy was being particularly annoying and after a certain point Sunny had enough.  Quick as lightning the tussle migrated to behind me and as I turned around I saw that Sunny had Rosy pinned on her back against my cushion!  (I would've drawn it the way it actually happened, behind me, but then you wouldn't be able to see their full battle!)  They quickly made up afterwards and soon were snoozing and tooting next to me on the couch.

When I first got Rosy I was always fretting about the girls' interactions.  But now I've had them long enough to know that there's nothing for me to worry about.  They have these play/fights, and if they ever get to be too much Sunny will execute her famous walrus attack and heave her massive body against Rosy.  Every now and then Sunny has to exert her alpha position.  It's been a loooong time since I've actually had to break up a fight.  So now most nights the girls are going at it on the couch on or next to me and I just ignore them as I watch TV and am on the computer, getting bumped into and scratched by their nails. 

I Love You Dyson

If you had told a younger me that 10 years later a vacuum would bring me so much joy, I would never have believed you.  But I just got a new vacuum and it is life-changingly awesome!  I can't believe that I get so excited now about household appliances.  But having two nonstop shedding pugs will do that to you!

I previously had a Roomba which I really liked at first.  It's easier in lots of ways and it can go under furniture because it's so small and low to the ground.  But it kept getting stuck on my chairs and I ended up having to clear a room of all small furniture before turning on the Roomba which got to be a pain.  It also has a very small bin which would quickly fill up with pug fur so I had to empty it repeatedly.  And I didn't feel like the suction was that great for carpet.

A few weeks ago the battery just started dying and wouldn't hold a charge.  So I decided to use this as an opportunity to upgrade and I got a Dyson animal (compact version). It was pricy but omg is it amazing!  The suction power on this is so strong that you can feel it when you try to push it along carpet.  And afterwards my carpet had never felt so clean before!  I think the Roomba did a good job of getting surface fur, but it didn't have the power to get the furs deep within the carpet fibers.  The Dyson is also super light weight and relatively easy to maneuver.  And you can turn the handle upside down and use it as a suction hose or with various attachments. 

I always resisted Dyson because of the high price and their stupid commercials (I know it's a stupid reason to dislike a product but I've always hated their commercials ever since that first one where the man is just talking about the mechanics of something and you can't even tell he's talking about a vacuum!), but this is by far the best vacuum I've ever used.  I can quickly vacuum a room moving things as I go and end up with a spotless floor!  It's about as loud as a hairdryer (nothing like the vacuum cleaners from when I was younger that would make me and my dogs go upstairs to my bedroom as my mom vacuumed).  I think if you have a bigger house with carpet the full size Dyson animal may be a better fit since the bin is bigger and the cord is longer.

Anyways, behold my new Dyson and the pug fur it trapped (this was from my living room (carpeted) and kitchen).

Rosy does not like the new vacuum but she can't bear to be separated from me so she alternated between scurrying after me and running away from the vacuum with her tail down.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Tired

My posts have been sporadic lately because my work has gotten crazy busy and I've been burning the midnight oil quite a bit. A couple days were almost like law firm hours and I was dying! I can't believe I used to work those hours all the time.

There was one stretch near the end when I kept getting the same driver each night as I left the office anywhere from 10pm-4am. One night in the middle of a big closing,  I was going home at 4am to shower, take out my contacts, and then come back to the office for a 5:30am conference call (which everyone else ended up forgetting about except for another poor associate at a law firm), and the driver asked if I worked a night shift. I told him no and that my working hours start in the morning. He was shocked and asked me, "Why do you work such crazy hours?" and all I could say was, "I honestly don't know."

The last straw was when I worked every day of December, including Christmas! I was on vacation with my family and I was miserably working in my sister's bug-filled basement as I could hear the happy Charlie Brownish muted murmurs and footsteps of everyone having fun upstairs. Not too long after that I started looking for a new job and planning to leave NY.

So even though I complain now and am so tired I'm doing the sleepy head bob like the pugs in my drawing, it's still better than what my life was like 4 years ago. Not to mention that I was also pugless those years!

Sorry this post is so long and rambling. My brain says it's time for more caffeine!

Food Thief

Never leave your food alone with a pug.

Camera Phone

True story. I always have to pretend to look for one when really my entire photo gallery is filled with Sunny and Rosy.

And this is one of the reasons why I am a crazy pug lady.

Pure Bliss

For Rosy (and to a certain extent, Sunny), belly rubs = pure bliss.

Off / On

There's really no in between with Sunny and Rosy.

To Chase or Not To Be Chased

Yesterday the girls were full of energy and were chasing each other around my apartment. And by chasing I mean really Rosy chasing Sunny around. While I think this is one of the things that must go through their heads, don't feel too bad for Sunny because I think she secretly enjoys it sometimes. Most of these chasing zoomies are actually instigated by her! I guess she just likes being the chasee and not the chaser.

And here's a video of their craziness from yesterday.

Two Left Feet

My second oldest sister also has a pug and one of our favorite discussion topics is our dogs (obviously). One day she asked me if either Sunny or Rosy ever walked with legs on the same side moving in the same direction because her pug walks funny like that. Actually she said it in a way less clear manner and I just thought she was talking crazy talk. It was only a few weeks later as I was walking my dogs and watching Sunny sashay down the sidewalk that I realized what my sister meant. Sunny walks normally sometimes but most of the times she does this rolling sashay that is caused by her walking with her left and right legs moving in the same direction on each side. My mom calls it Sunny's "sexy walk."

All dogs have two left feet of course, but some just move in different ways! Sashay, Shantay!

Pugs v. Roomba: Pugs Win!

My roomba recently died. It put up a good fight but it couldn't stand up against Sunny's and Rosy's double pug fur attack.

Well, At Least They're Not Begging.

Well, at least they're not begging anymore!

I stumbled across some moleskines on sale a week ago and saw a storyboard one that I hadn't seen before. I thought it would be fun to do some two panel drawings.  In the past if I had multiple panels I'd draw it by hand but I'm terrible at drawing straight lines (even with a ruler) so having these pre-drawn helps a lot.

Dancing Pugs

Work has been rough and I got some disappointing news on another front.  So I did some quick sketches of dancing pugs to cheer me up because what could be jollier than silly dancing pugs?

Pug Summer Days

Now that the summer days have rolled in and July is just around the corner, Sunny is showing Rosy the typical summer routine here.  Pugs especially are very sensitive to heat, so I make sure that we all stay as cool as possible.  I think summer isn't really the girls' favorite season, but there is the prospect of getting some delicious table scraps from summer bbqs so that might outweigh all the heat and humidity!  Hope everyone is staying cool this summer!

Unlazy Days of Summer

Unfortunately I have a project at work that got a crazy unrealistic rush deadline and so I may not be posting that much in the next few weeks.  No lazy fun summer days for me.  I'll try to post drawings when I can.  I'm quite cranky about it and the dogs are concerned this will cut into our snuggling time.  Bah!

The Art of Pug War

Rosy instigates about 98% of the squabbles between her and Sunny. While Sunny's moves are generally focused on defense, Rosy has her favorite attack moves. Based on the comments I get on my Facebook and Instagram photos it appears these are common tactics with lots of pugs. It's like they're all given a manual or taught in class how to do these moves...

Here are a few examples of the tactics described in my drawing in real life with my pugs, Sunny and Rosy. Enjoy.

A Good Friend

Rosy is a big fan of sitting on those she loves, including me and Sunny. We're happy to provide the support her lil butt needs! Well I am, but I don't know if Sunny feels the same way...

Weekday v. Weekend Mornings

Unfortunately my pugs are the worst alarm clocks ever. On weekday mornings they oversleep and laze about in the bed well past the alarm going off. In fact this morning when I woke up Rosy was still snoring and didn't even stir when I moved the blanket and left the room.

On weekends though they are determined to wake me up early. Rosy's favorite tactic is trying to sit on my face as I push away her butt (does she do this when I'm sleeping?? Has her butt been scooting all over my face as I sleep each night??). Sunny likes to luck my face with her big slobbery tongue and stand on my chest (little paws of pain!).

So the above drawing is a typical weekday morning. So hard to get up when the pugs are acting cute and sleepy!

And the bottom drawing is my tropical weekend morning. Augh butt kisses and slobber!

And here's my pugs in real life in bed. Sleepy bunny armsing blobs...

And spot stealing, wiggly, and heavy fur balls.

And for those who may be thinking that waking up to pug kisses is delightful, picture this slurping across your face, including making contact with your mouth, nose and eyes. 

Go Away Rain!

It's been raining cats and dogs since yesterday evening and none of us are pleased with it. Not to mention that while taking the girls on our last walk of the night yesterday and getting drenched the power went out. Being outside really late on a stormy night alone when it suddenly goes completely dark is not fun and we scurried back inside. My whole apartment smells like wet dog and this morning Sunny reinstated the hated poo strike. So rain, please go away. If not for me, then at least for the sake of Sunny's bowels.

Pugs Really Don't Believe in Personal Space

A while ago I did a drawing of me and Sunny and how pugs don't understand personal space (post here). Well now that we have Rosy, Sunny now understands what it's like to have no personal space too! Muahahaha! 

I love it.

Don't Tell Me To Smile

This drawing was inspired by three things:
(1) I don't generally walk around all smiley and cheerful so growing up I was often told (sometimes by total strangers) to smile more.  I HATED that.
(2) People always comment on how pugs look so sad but just because their faces often look sad, doesn't mean they actually are.
(3) I'm feeling particularly grumpy/cranky/low lately so this seemed fitting.

I'll be adding products with this in my Zazzle store.  Part of the reason why I drew this was because I wanted to make a t-shirt for myself.  So if you ever see a grumpy looking girl wearing a shirt with this with two adorable sad-faced stubborn pugs, then there's a good chance that's me!