The Year 2007

This has been a fairly successful year in the show rings for me. My brother Jiro beat me to the goal of becoming a champion, but I am happy for him.

These are my results:

Six CC's,
four CACIB, one reserve-CACIB,
one Best of Breed, and
two Best of Opposite Sex.

My new year's resolution is to keep up the good work.

New Light Devices

How many scientists does it take to screw in a light bulb? Well, soon you will not need any. Some Glasgow University scientists have developed new technology for light sources that will be brghter and use less power than the most energy efficient light bulbs on the market now. This is good news for humans. It does not make much difference to dogs, though. We have much better night vision than humans as it is, so we have little use for light bulbs one way or the other.

Does Father Christmas Exist?

A Russian TV advertisement said that Father Christmas, Santa Claus, does not exist. This made the authorities mad, so they banned the advertisement. The Russian authorities thought that the advertisement would break the rule not to discredit parents and teachers. Declaring that Father Christmas did not exist implied that parents were not telling the truth, thus undermining childrens' trust in them.

Personally, I am not sure whether Santa Claus exist to bring Christmas gifts in this day and age. I have never met him, though I have received Christmas presents. It is clear to me that he did exist at one time, as Saint Nicholaus, but does this mean that he brings presents at Christmas in our time?

I have not seen the Russian TV advertisement. Nevertheless, it seems to me that it was wrong to ban it. Are not children supposed to believe more in their parents than in TV advertisements, anyway? I know I did as a pup.

Free Trade

The US Congress has ratified a free trade agreement between the USA and Peru. Next in line is a free trade agreement with Colombia. This seems to be good ideas. Trade gets you what you want, free trade even more so.

Other happy news is that Kesshi comes home today! Do I need to say more? I will be back with more news on Kesshi later.

Visitor

We have a visitor here tonight. Paula's sister Mia will stay the night on our living room sofa. Her dog, our friend Kesshi, will probably come home from the hospital in a few days. He has healed quicker than anyone thought possible. Then again, Shiba Inus are fighters and will never give in. I am looking forward to seeing Kesshi again.

The Things That Can Happen if You Don't Have a Dog

There are many burglaries in Sweden during the Christmas holidays. One news paper wrote about couple whose home had been burglared, where the thiefs opened up all the Cristmas gifts and stole those that they liked.

I believe the burglaries depends on the fact that there are many people who are not at home at Christmas. If you are not at home, you cannot protect your house from a burglary. We have always had someone at home in our house. Any burglar that comes to us has to face many dogs. If you do not have dogs, your house is much easier to break in to. This is but one of the many advantages of having dogs.

Kesshi

We are getting daily updates on Kesshi. He is making progress.

Meanwhile, we have a fairly good Christmas without Kesshi. There is, however, no snow on the ground and we had some rain today. It is not like your typical post card Christmas. However, some people say that rain is tears of the angels, maybe the angels shed tears over our friend Kesshi's injuries. He may be making progress, but we are all sad about his fate.

A Christmas prayer to my Kesshi...

Kesshi was attacked by a terrier two days ago. Unfortunatly, he was badly injured and became paralyzed in his back legs.

He was under emergency surgery last night at a big animal hospital. Luckily he survived the surgery. Now we pray for Kesshi to recover. All my thoughts goes to Mia, Paulas sister and her Emil. They are devestated, as you normally would be if your beloved dog would be severily injured.

Therefor. My Christmas vacation from the "Daily Hailey" ends in sorrow and grieving. I so hope for a Christmas miracle. I want Kesshi to be well again. I want to kiss him and play with him soon. Im so sad. I will only update this blog due to the state of Kesshi.

The last thing I'll do now is to send a Christmas prayer to my Kesshi. Get well, you are loved by me.

Crackers

It is customary to fire off crackers at twelve o'clock on New Year's Night in Sweden. Nowadays, however, some people start to fire crackers weeks before New Year's Eve and keep doing it for many days afterwards. Some dogs are deadly afraid of crackers. None of us in our family are, fortunately, but this does not mean we like crackers. Some crackpot just fired off a load of crackers in our neighbourhood, and we competed with each other to bark the loudest back at that person. Daniel got mad, he did not want us to bark, but the cracker noise did stop. Daniel does not believe our barking made it stop. He cannot prove that, though. What we do know is that the noise stopped when we barked. I take comfort in believing that our loud barking did make a difference, no matter what Daniel says.

What is more important is that we have received Christmas cards from my brothers Jiro and Kiko. Everything is well with them, for which I am very thankful.

Travelling in Europe

Nine new countries join the border free area in Europe under the Schengen agreement today, an area where humans may travel freely without stopping at border checkpoints or showing passports. Sweden has been a member for several years. Among the new members are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland on the other side of the Baltic Sea.

The open borders for humans does not mean the borders are open for dogs. Sweden and Norway are rabies free, which Finland and continental Europe is not. This means that dogs who will go to Sweden or Norway from other countries has to be vaccinated agains rabies and have proof that the vaccine works. This affects Swedish dogs as well; if we want to go abroad to another country than Norway, we have to have the same vaccination and paperwork in order to be able to come back to Sweden.

It is a happy coincidence then, that our veterinarian had the time to give me my first rabies shot today. I am thus on my way to get vaccinated and get the paperwork that allows me to travel Europe as freely as a human. This feels great.

Egg Nog

Since Christmas is coming, Daniel had an egg nog late tonight. It is a drink often had for Christmas. I am usually interested in anything edible, but it was too late for me to feel any urge to try the egg nog. It felt a little strange, but if you are tired, you are. Consequently, I cannot say whether it was good or not. Daniel said it was, though.

Christmas Is Getting Closer

It is Christmas in less than a week. We all look forward to it this year. It is not like last year, when April was less than a year old and I had to teach her about Christmas so she would not be afraid of it.

At the same time as I think it has been a long time since last Christmas, time has flown away. It all depends upon what I am thinking about. The dog show season was long and I have a lot of memories from it to think about, but at the same time, dog shows are so much fun that it feels like it was over too soon. The every day life does not leave many memories to dwell upon, so it seems like it has gone by quickly, but at the same time I know how long an ordinary day can seem when there is less to do than on other days. Not that I have many days that are slow, I usually have a lot of things on my mind and a lot of things to do, but there is such a slow day once in a while.

We may go to Paula's parents the day after tomorrow to prepare for Christmas celebrations. I am looking forward to that.

I'm Happy Again!

If somebody would have asked me yesterday afternoon if I thought mum, April and Primus would come home soon I'd probably said no. I was so bored and felt upset beeing left at home. Honestly, I was a bit jealous too.

Late at night I was happy again. Mum burst into the house and straight to the cookie jar. We all barked of happiness. The family was together. At last. Daniel gave us all cookies and we were happy.

In two weeks I will go to a big show with mum. Haha. I wonder what April will say then. Supposivly she will not be so stucked up as she was yesterday. My sweet baby sister could be such a brat sometimes. Even though she is so sweet and nice. She is forgiven. I love her anyway. We are family and should stick together. If somebody would be mean to her I would cover her back. I know she would do the same thing for me.

Waiting for the Others to Come Home

Paula went to Stockholm for a dog show yesterday. She brought Mum and April, but I had to stay home. We know that they will be back tonight, but it is half past seven and we have not heard from them for a couple of hours. I want them to come home, it is more fun when I have April to play with and feels better when Paula and Mum is around.

The show was neither a great success, nor a total failure. Dad's breeder Christen Lang won very much with his dogs, so Dad is pleased with the results. He says it only goes to prove you have to come from Norway to be really successful. I guess Mum would not agree, considering that Mum is from America and is Swedish and Norwegian champion, while Dad is neither. Well, I let Dad brag about his home country. After all, I am half Norwegian myself through him.

I will go to dog shows again next year. I am looking forward to it already.

Will Bolivia Split Up?

Tension grows in Bolivia in South America. The four provinces Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz, and Tarija want greater autonomy, especially since President Evo Morales has stated that he want more central control over the provinces and more political distribuion of wealth. The army and police is on allert. Will the country split up? Personally, I believe it would be interesting to see new countries formed. I think a province should be able to become independent, if the people really want it to. The most important thing is, though, that the people treat their dogs well.

About Formula 1

Fernando Alonso went from McLaren to Renault a few days ago. This made us wonder where Renault driver Heikki Kovalainen would go, and who would take Alonso's seat in McLaren. Today it turns out that Kovalainen goes to McLaren. This means that there are two drivers from Finland in the two strongest teams, Kovalainen in McLaren and of course Kimi Räikkönen in Ferrari. I guess we must not wait very long for another Finnish world championship.

Where are all the Swedish drivers? How can it be that Finland, with little more than half the population of Sweden, have so many more great formula car drivers? Sweden has not had any since the 80's and has not had any good one since Ronnie Peterson in the 70's. Why can't there be at least one, when Finland have two? While I wait for a Swedish driver, I guess I have to hope for success for the Finnish and Japanese drivers.

Barking at Lucia

We celebrate St. Lucia in Sweden today. On the morning walk, we saw some young people walking in a St. Lucia procession, singing Lucia songs. Daniel got really mad when I barked at them and told me to stop. I did, of course, but I could not stop glaring at them. I was the only one who barked, so I was the only one Daniel got mad at. Was I the only one who heard that they sang out of tune?

Grooming

We have a huge show on Sunday in Stockholm called "HUND2007" or Dog 2007 in English. This year the show is also the Nordic Winner Dog Show which means that every BOB and BOS gets the official title "NORDV-07". Well. Here in our house we have several dogs entered. This means that some lucky Shibas will have to go into the bathtub tomorrow. We will all be bathed and groomed to perfection. It takes a long time for each of us, standing still on the grooming table, waiting for Paula to get us dried and groomed. I do not mind the grooming part. I love to feel pretty and be in the centre of attention. Paula is also so nice that she gives us a lot of treats every now and then so we can feel even more pretty and not so bored.

Me and my gals at home thought that even our "mama" Paula needed a grooming session. We want to have a sparkling handler so we can be a perfect match. Today we sent Paula to town and her favourite hair dresser. It took 3 hours, some boring time waiting for her to come home (which I by the way used to bark at the neighbour horses) and some chewing bones until she found her way home. The result is splendid, if I may say so. Paula was satisfied and this was the main purpose. She also told us that she too got some snack while beeing groomed (haircut and colouring). I'm not jelous because I know that tomorrow, I will get some nice treatment too.

I guess that on Sunday it will be one sparkling handler and some sparkling Shibas from our household. It seems appropriate to say that: "In our case, It is polite to stare".

Daniel's Name's Day

It says Daniel in the Swedish almanack on the 11th of December. Thus, we celebrate our Daniel. He got some Swedish "ostkaka" (litterally cheese cake in English, but that is something very different), which he really likes. I wish I had a Name's Day, but as is normal with dogs, I do not have a name that is common among humans or come from an important human saint or member of the royal family. Maybe there could be a dog almanack in the future with common dog names in it?

Nobel Day

The Nobel Prizes are handed out in Stockholm today. I was not invited to the festivities this year either, but then no dogs ever are. The King is handingout the prizes, but not even his dogs are allowed to come. I can watch it on TV instead, it is calmer.

From the world of sports we can note that Fernando Alonso returns to Renault, the Formula 1 team with which he became world champion in 2005 and 2006. He got a two year contract with Renault. I guess it is good for him, but he may have given up on his old goal to become champion in at least two different cars in his career. The future will tell.

The Day of Rest

Sunday is normally the day to rest on. But this was not to be today. I woke up early on with a lot of things on my mind. I let Daniel and dad out so they could rake the lawn and clean it from all the leaves laying around. Me myself was very busy, helping Paula clean the house inside. I had to watch the young "kids" April and Primus from making too much of a mess. They can be hopeless sometimes. In the afternoon I thought it was time for dinner so I made it with a little help from Paula and mum. Needless to say, I'm proud over myself today. Not resting but helping around here at home.

Saturday!

It is Saturday, which means that Daniel does not get up early to go to work, and that he does not drag us dogs up almost as early to take a morning walk. I cannot understand how Dad, for example, is always so eager to go right away. I would rather sleep for several hours more. I try to tell Daniel every morning, I am always the one he has the hardest time to wake up, but I always come along anyway. Today I could sleep much longer, since it is Saturday. This is one of the reasons I love weekends.

Idol 2007 finale!

Tonight is the season finale of Idol 2007. A music competition that is aired on channel 4 on Swedish television. Daniel and all of us dogs don't care so much, but Paula is. We love Paula so much so the entire family will support Paulas wish of watching the Idol. I can always bark if somebody sings off tune or too bad.....


My biggest idol is my mum. Mum always covers my back. We are a team. One day I hope to be such a successful show champion as she is. Im on my way though. Winning 6 cc's, 3 cacib's, 1 BOB, 2 BOS. Im currently no # 3 shiba in Sweden according to both the Swedish Shiba Club and the private site shibainfo.com. I am the only Swedish born non-champion of top 10*. That's hot! Mum is in place # 6 and April is placed as #7. Mum and April are the only imports listed of the top 10. That is cool!

My beloved mum Sunni.

* April is the other non-champion.

Finland's Liberty Day

On the 6th of November 1917, exactly 90 years ago today, the Finnish parliament voted in favour of a bill on national sovereignty from Russia. It has since been celebrated as Finland's national holiday.

Finland had been a part of Russia since 1809 with very limited rights to decide its own destiny. The latter decades, Russification had taken place. The people of Finland deserved its freedom, but they had to fight for it in three wars: a civil war against communists in 1918 and two wars where they defended the country against Soviet aggression in 1939-40 and 1941-44. Our thoughts go to the brave people of Finland today. Hurrah to the home country of the Moomin trolls!

Christmas Party

Daniel spent the evening at work. They had a Christmas party there. I think it is too early to celebrate Christmas on the 5th of December, but Daniel said it can be like that on workplaces. Nevertheless, I am certain we had a better - non-Christmas - evening at home.

Not Always Easy Being Rich

A white Maltese called Trouble inherited $ 12 million from her human last August, and is thus probably the richest dog in the world. I am not jealous, however. There are only so many treats you can have in a day. Trouble is in trouble for other reasons too, she has received several death threats and is now in hiding. I wonder whether she would have received so many threats, had she not been rich. It is not always easy being rich, even though some money helps in life.

Hearts

I read in the news that on this day forty years ago, i.e. in 1967, South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human heart transplant. This must be a great thing to commemorate for humans. It did not say when the first successful heart transplant was made on a dog, though. I looked into the matter and found out that the first succcessful heart transplant on a dog was made as early as in 1960. This is half a dog's lifetime before the same feat was performed on a human. Some would say that the humans only used dogs for practice. I, however, prefer to see it as proof that humans are concerned with developing dog surgery too, because they care so much about us. This is a better interpretation of history, I believe.

Beowulf

Last night Paula and Dan was away and watched Beowulf on the big screen. Both told me that this was an extraordinary movie. One of the best they have seen in a long time. The music was fabulous. Well we had a blast at home. Playing and resting waiting for them to come home.

This is the lyrics of the closing song of the movie. To listen to the song, click here.

Out of the mist of history
He'll come again
Sailing on ships across the sea
To a wounded Nation
Signs of a savoir
Like fire on the water
It's what we prayed for
One of our own
Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always
A hero comes home
Deep in the heart of darkness sparks
A dream of lies
Surrounded by hopelessness
He finds the will to fight
Theres no surrender
Always remember
It doesn't end here
We're not alone
Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always
A hero comes home
And he will come back on the crimson tide
Dead or alive
And even though we know the bridge has burned
He will return
He will return
Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He knows of places unknown
Always
A hero comes home
Someday they'll carve in stone
"The hero comes home"
He goes and comes back alone
But always
A hero comes home
Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home

Dad Is Upset

Dad heard on the radio today that Russian authorities did not want to accept fish imported from norway. The Russians claim there are health issues due to lack of hygiene in Norway. Dad does not believe this for a second and cursed at the Russians. He asked me to write about this in my blog, so I did.

A Quite Quiet Sunday

We had a fairly calm and quiet Sunday today. This is good, since Sundays are supposed to be days of rest. Paula and Daniel were away for a while in the middle of the day, but that is all right. We dogs are all grown ups and know how to handle being without them at home. Paula and Daniel thinks it is a bit annoying that I usually barks when they leave, but this is not anything that I keep up for long. I just want to tell them that I do not want them to leave, especially not without me. There is a difference between finding it all right to be alone at home and liking it.

I got to go with Paula to her parents later in the afternoon. That was fun.

Paula Came Home

We cleaned the whole house today, to have it in great shape when Paula got home. It was really nice to see Paula again, as always. We had pizza for dinner. All in all, it was a day that I am rather pleased with. April did not do so well on the dog show in Norway, but this only goes to prove that Paula should have taken me instead.

Dog Show Without Me

Paula went to Norway for a dog show, but did not bring me. It is supposed to be April's turn in the show rings now. If I was sad yesterday, I am even more sad now. I want to go to dog shows. Dad did not get to go either, despite being born in Norway. We guess Paula thinks she can make it in Norway without Dad's expertise; after all, she has been in Norway many times before. However, Dad is not glad that he did not get to follow to see the land where he was born. We have to try to make it through the weekend anyway.

Things to Be Sad About

Sweden made it to the Euro 2008 in football in the final qualifying match yesterday. Dad is sad, though, because Norway did not make it.

April got to go with Paula to Mia and Kesshi. I am sad I did not get to go too. Auntie Linni is a bit sad that Paula did not stay at home.

Paula gave us food in the middle of the day. Mum is sad Daniel knows about this and will not give us more food. Mum loves food.

However, Mum could not care less about the qualifications to the Euro 2008. She does not care about sports where Americans do not participate.

On the other hand, we all have a lot of things to be happy about, too. So many things, in fact, that I will not enumerate them here.

At Paula's Grannie's

Paula, Daniel, April, and I went to Paula's grandmother Gullie today. She feels a little lonely, since she recently became a widow. She likes us dogs, but she said she is too old to be able to take care of a dog herself. Paula said that we could come to visit her often.

April, I, and the other dogs had bought a pair of socks for Gullie with toy animals' heads on them. They looked nice and were warm and comfortable. April thought they looked so much fun that she wanted to play with them, but it was not our socks anymore, so she could not. She did not quite get what it means to give something away, but maybe she learned it today. Gullie gave us some liver pate to eat, it was such a good treat that I took some of April's. That was only fair, to show her what it is like to be the victim when someone takes what is rightfully yours, just as would have been the case if April had taken Gullie's socks.

Requiescat in pace

V

Gunnar Nelvin

22nd of March 1918 - 26th of October 2007

Paula's grandfather

Always loved - never forgotten

Laid to rest today

A Population in Decline

The Japanese population is in decline and there are an increasing portion of elderly people. This is of great concern. If there are fewer Japanese humans, will there also be fewer Japanese dogs? It says in the article that I have linked to that, "in some suburbs, one young mother said, it was easier to buy clothes for the latest must-have accessory - a little dog - than for a small child." While it is not bad that dogs are a must-have, there is also something fundamentally wrong to a society where you buy clothes to your dogs and treat them as accessories. Also, if the population dwindles in size, there are less people who will become dog owners, if the percentage of dog owners will no rise very much, which I doubt it will. Since the largest population of Shiba Inus in the world is Japanese, this decline in the number of Japanese humans concerns me. I hope the Japanese will find solutions to this problem. They are smart people (as showed partly by their love of Shiba Inus) and I hope and believe some solutions will come.

New Stove

We bought a new stove today, but not from the store I comlained about yesterday. The stove looked fine when we got it from the store, but when Paula started to unwrap it, she saw that it was badly damaged under the wrapping. There were several large holes in the white paint. We could not know whether this reflected faults on the inside as well, chances are it did, and nevertheless, we did not want a stove that looked like that. Daniel called the store and got to go back and change the stove for another. We did not get any extra compensation, though. Well, we have a new stove now, and it works very well. Paula and Daniel cooked a nice dinner on it tonight.

Stove

I went with Daniel to buy a new stove today, but it was easier said than done. Stoves must be shipped and it can take up to a week. In the store where the stoves seemed to be cheapest, they did not have any list of the prices of the stoves not displayed on site. An employee in the store asked Daniel to go home and look up the prices on the Internet instead. Daniel did so, only to find that you have to order the stove in the store! What kind of service is that? The stove that seems to be the best buy comes from that store, but you would think they would have a little better service.

Bored

I have felt a little bored all evening. Paula went away to yet another dog show without me, but that is not the only reason. I have had troubles figuring out what to write in my blog tonight. I take pride in trying to keep this blog daily, in accordance to its name. Normally, it is rather easy. I find some news to comment or just comment on something that has happened to me during the day. Today, though, nothing special has happened to me and I did not feel like reading any news. It is just one of those days when I feel bored without really knowing why. I finally decided that this would be the subject of my blog post for today. It may be boring to read, but in that case, it is just a splendid way for you to get a feeling on what I have felt today. I have hopes for a better tomorrow, though.

Summit

The Japanese Prime Minister is visiting the US President in Washington. They are the most powerful leaders of two of the most important foreign countries in my life, my dog brees home country and my Mom's native country. It is widely known that US President George W Bush's father was President before, but perhaps less known that Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda's father was PM before, in the 70's. It is not only monarchs' high positions in human society that are inherited. I believe it is only natural for the older generation to lay the best possible foundation for its children, thus enabling them to get to high positions as well. My parents have helped me a lot in life.

Lost Pants, Lost Lawsuit, Lost Job

This summer, I wrote in my blog about the American judge who lost a lawsuit about a pair of lost trousers. He did not have a life long appointment as a judge and it has now been confirmed that he did not get reappointed. His lawsuit on the trousers was dismissed by the judge hearing the case. Whether the lawsuit had anything to do with him not being reappointed is not clear from my news sources. It may have played a part, since it seemed like a rather frivolous lawsuit, thus putting his judgment into question.

The Heat Is On

The heat is on in our house again. It has been off since last week. The reason proved to be an electrical fault, probably due to the stove breaking down. I have not cared much, my coat is thick enough that I do not need much heat indoors. It is still better that the heat is on, because our humans feel better then, which makes them happier and that benefits all of the dogs in the family as well. I wish the heat will continue to work properly for very long now.

Away in the Evening

Paula went away from home during the day, and I was not allowed to come along. However, she came back and took me as her only company to go to her mother's house. It is boring not to get to follow, but nice to be selected the next time. I believe I am such a good company that I could come along every time, but Paula and Daniel want to make it even between us dogs. I guess that is OK.

Dog Camera

In Lancashire in England, some police dogs have cameras. These cameras are strapped to the dogs' heads and may help the police for instance during gun sieges. Follow the link to see a picture of this.

At first, I thought it would be nice to have a camera of my own. I could, for instance, film a dog show from my own perspective, granted that the judge would allow me to wear the camera. Perhaps cameras of this type will be on the market in a while. The downside is that it would probably be uncomfortable to wear such a camera on your head. On second thought, I believe I would not want one. I will leave it up to Daniel and Paula to keep taking my pictures at dog shows.

Snow and Extended Parliament Session

We got some snow this evening. It is not more than a centimetre, so it is not enough to play around in. Since it is so little, I think it is of no use what so ever. It might as well have come as rain, like that which fell earlier today.

In Japan, the Parliament has extended its current session by 35 days. It was supposed to end this Saturday, but will go on so that there can be a vote on a proposal to extend a Japanese refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean that helps the US troops there who wage a war against terrorists. The opposition, which has the majority in the upper house of parliament, is opposed to this mission and claims it violates the pacifistic constitution of Japan. There are two opposing interests here for me: to uphold the constitution - if it is to be interpreted in the way the opposition believes - or to help the USA to fight terrorists. I am glad the decision is not up to me.

Dogs Honoured in Nepal

For the moment, I would like to be in Nepal in central Asia. They have a national festivity there where dogs are specially honoured on the second day of the feast. Do I need to say more?

Another Japanese Formula 1 Driver

The Japanese racer Kazuki Nakajima has signed for Williams for the 2008 season, after a great debute in the last race of this year. We wish him good luck! As Shiba Inus, we always hope for the Japanese drivers. We hope for Takuma Sato and Sakon Yamamoto too, but they drive in cars that are not as good as Williams. In a team like Williams, Kazuki Nakajima has the opportunity to make good results.

Just Another Day

It is Tuesday, and I don't know what to say. Nothing in particular has happened in my life today.

We could, of course, celebrate the Swedish victory in the battle of Lützen of the 6th of November 1632, but the Gustavus Adolphus cakes must have been sold out when Paula went to the grocery store rather late in the afternoon. Daniel says this tend to happen, stores often do not stock enough such cakes to match the demand. Well, we had a nice evening anyway.

A Visit

Paula, Daniel, April, Mum, and I visited Mia and Kesshi tonight. Daniel cooked dinner. The stove in our house is very old and broke this weekend.

Sweden is mentioned in international news today, because the legendary footballer and football coach Nils Liedholm has passed away at an age of 85. He was four years younger than Paula's grandfather.

In Kopparberg

We went to Kopparberg today, Paula, Daniel, April and I, together with Paula's mother. Kopparberg is about 80 km north of Örebro. We went there to visit Mia's boyfriend Emil. Mia and Kesshi were there when we arrived, so April and I had him to play with. Emil's parents were there too, and his mother gave us some dog candy. There is a woman who knows how to win a dog's heart. Over all, it was a nice stay, even though I did not get to taste the nice looking smörgåstårta that the humans had to eat. I would consider going there again.

Leaves and Wood

Daniel came home early today. He only worked for half a day, since it is All Saints' Day this weekend. It is fitting to remember the deceased loved ones when the nature around us is dying in the late autumn. For the first time, there is one deceased loved one that I can remember: Paula's grandfather. He held me in his hands when I was just a day old, though that is something that has been explained to me later. We will commemorate him and others this weekend.

Daniel spent the afternoon in the garden, raking leaves that had fallen from the trees. After a while, the handle of our old rake broke. He continued for a while, then he went on to chopping wood. It is nice to have a lot of chopped wood, if the winter will be cold. The wood, which comes from dead trees, will warm our bodies like the memories of our beloved ones will warm our souls.

Cold Outside, Warm Inside

It is November, late autumn, and the days are getting colder. Paula and Daniel has started to make fires in our stove. It is cosy and makes the inside of our house warmer. I hope there will be snow soon. Snow is the best thing about winter, it is so fun to play in. Daniel wish to finish raking the leaves from the garden before the snow falls, but that is not such a big concern for me. We will have to see if it will be a cold winter or not. Regardless, it will be warm in our home.

At Paula's Grannie's

Paula, Daniel, and I visited Paula's grandmother today. Paula's mother was also there. It was a nice visit, not only because I got some liver pate. It is always nice to visit places where you seldom are. I have been to Paula's grandmother's house before, but it was a while ago. We will have to see when I can come again. Liver pate is always tasty.

Corroding Lamp Posts

Some people say that there is a problem with male dogs urinating on lamp posts. The reason would be that the urine makes the steel that the lamp posts are made of corrode. There are some ideas on how to save the lamp posts, but none that are hailed with great gratitude by the lamp post owners.

I never urinate on lamp posts, I am no male dog. Dad does once in a while, though. I think an easy solution could be to just wrap the lower parts of the lamp posts in some plastic coating. It should not be more complicated than that.

Paula at Work

It feels like Paula just came home from America, but she left us again tonight. This time, it is only for the night. She went to work at the hospital. Nevertheless, I miss her more than I usually do, since she was gone for so long just recently. We will have to greet her in a nice way tomorrow morning when she gets home.

Early Morning

We got up early this morning, despite getting back one hour by the clock taken from us this spring. Paula and Daniel worked at an unofficial dog show and had to be there early. Some of us dogs came along. We were not shown, however. It would be of no use to show me at such a show, since you cannot get any certificate there, which is what I need to become a champion. Daniel and Paula thought it was fairly interesting anyway.

Loss

Paula and April got home today. Mum, Dad, and I came with Daniel to the airport to pick them up.

However, an important person left us today, too. Paula's dear grandfather left this life. We mourn with Paula.

Red Hair

Most Shiba Inus have red coat, but some, like Dad and myself, are predominantly black. Humans are different. The most common human hair colour is black, though there are people who hav brown, blonde or red hair. Red hair is the most uncommon colour. I am told Daniel's dad used to have red hair, before it went white with age. Recent DNA studies have now shown that even the now extinct Neanterthals - a different branch of humans - could have red hair.

This is interesting, it seems to show red har can originate in different branches of a species. Black and tan in Shiba Inus is a recessive gene, so I have no genes carrying the red coat colour. If I would get pups by a black and tan male Shiba Inu, we could not get red coated pups, unless there would be a mutation. Mutations are rare and far in between, but it has occured to me that there may be red coated pups anyway by a combination of two black and tans, in the unlikely event that there would be a mutation in the genes about coat colour. I would never expect this to happen to me, but it is interesting to think about it anyway.

Hunting Season

Sometimes, I wish I was a hunting dog, helping out in the hunt for big game in the forests at this time of the year. I believe I have some talent for it, but I do not know how much. However, neither Daniel nor Paula hunts, so it seems like I will never try. Perhaps it is not as fun as it seems to be when you hear about it? I guess I hope so.

Relatives in America

On the daily updates we receive from Paula and April, we got to know that they went back from California to Washington today. They stopped in Oregon on the way, to visit seven weeks old grandchilden of Mum. This means these pups are my nieces and nephews. Mum sent a special greeting back to the pups, to be delivered by Paula.

It seems like a long time ago that I was so young, yet it is not more than about two years ago. I am still young, but not that young, today I am an experienced young lady. Mum says I am not yet in the prime time of my life, but somehow, I believe I always am. I cannot help feeling happy about life.

I wonder if I will ever meet all of my relatives. Both Mum and Dad have many children besides me. I hope I can get to America sometime, like April. Maybe I can meet some relatives if I do.

It Is Not Over Yet

The result of the Formula 1 World Championships is not final yet. There were questions on the fuel temperature of the Williams and BMW Sauber cars. The stewards of the race decided that there were not enough evidence to justify sanctions, but this decision may ye be appealed. If it is overturned and the questinoed cars are disqualified, Lewis Hamilton will get enough points from the race to beat Kimi Räikkönen to the title. I cannot understand why this have to be debated. Of course there is the honour of winning and it involves some prize money and perhaps better sponsor deals, but a subsequent questioning of the result like this would be unheard of for example at dog shows. Especially if you have to appeal a decision by the sewards in order to become a champion, you are not a worthy winner. I hope there will be no appeal. Lewis Hamilton seems to be talented enough to become a champion later, anyway.

Winners

Well, South Africa won the Rugby World Cup. This is nice for us in a way, since the name of our kennel, Aangenaam, is in Afrikans, one of the official languages of South Africa. On the other hand, this is about as South African as we are. Paula and Daniel thought it was a nice word with a nice meaning. The fact that the name comes first in most alphabtical lists is nothing that they thought of in advance, but still nice.

Kimi Räikkönen from Sweden's neighbour country Finland won the Formula 1 world championship in his Ferrari. It was an exciting race to watch, even though the pancake that Daniel ate while watching drew a lot of attention from us dogs as well. We got to taste some, but just small bits. Daniel said we had already had food, which was true, but a pancake is always a pancake. Well, we were happy with Räikkönen anyway.

Finals

It is the final of the Rugby World Cup today, England versus South Africa. Argentina beat France in the bronze game yesterday. Tomorrow is the final race in the Formula 1 World Championship, and there are three drivers who have a theoretical chance at the title: Hamilton (GBR), Alonso (ESP), and Räikkönen (FIN). An exciting weekend, but since there are not much interest in these sports in Sweden - especially not in rugby though that World Cup is the third largest sports event in the world - there is not much hype in mass media here. This is all right with me. My favourite form of competition is dog shows, but they never say anything about dog the results at dog shows in mass media.

Friday, At Last

When Paula is off on her holiday, we dogs have to be alone at home more than usual. Daniel has worked from home a lot, but he has still had to go to work many times. This was the last time this week, though, since it is Friday. Now I find a greater joy that the weekend is here than I usually do. Paula and April will be back in a week from now, we are all looking forward to that.

Canine Walk of Fame

Famous dogs of the entertainment world will get their own Walk of Fame at Battersea Park in London, England. It is about time. Dogs are so important in society and entertainment that it is surprising this has not happened before. I assume a lot of people and dogs will go to this Walk of Fame to honur the dog heroes and heroines whose names will be displayed there. I know I would like to. We will have to see if I ever get to England. Paula has a dream about showing a dog at Cruft's sometime, maybe I will be fortunate enough to fulfill that dream. Then we may be able to see this Walk of Fame at the same time.

Not Done Yet

Sweden only got a tie against Northern Ireland, 1-1, in the Euro qualification game today. If Sweden would have won, the team would have been qualified to the tournament next summer. I still guess it will be so. Norway won its game against Bosina-Herzegovina and may also be on its way to the tournament.

We Miss Paula and April

This is my 600th blog post. I do not feel like celebrating, though. There is a general blue mood in our house today. We miss Paula and April. I believe Dad misses Paula the most, whereas I am the one who miss my playmate April the most. We have heard from them, there were no problems on their journey to America and they feel fine. Still, we would rather like to have them at home. Right now, it feels like ages until they will return.

Daniel is glad for one thing, though, that he does not own any Ericsson shares. He did, some years ago. The price of Ericsson shares plumeted on the Stockholm Stock Exchange today, when it was disclosed that the profits of the company was much lower than expected. Maybe, just maybe, it is time to buy Ericsson shares now.

Paula and April Left for a While

Paula and April left us to go to America for a while. April is going to some dog shows over there. I would like to see America, too. Mum says she has had enough of travelling, she does not want to go back there. It is different for me, I have never seen Mum's and April's country of birth. I have been to Dad's home country, Norway, but that is much closer, a neighbour of Sweden. It is not the same thing as going to another continent. When I was really young, there was talk about me moving to the USA in a couple of years. There has not been as much talk about that lately. We will have to see what happens in the future.

Pet Killings

I am appalled at news from Puerto Rico. Cats and dogs have been collected from a housing scheme and thrown off a bridge to their deaths. While witnesses say some animals were already dead when thrown, they also say some were alive. A contractor hired to collect the animals would have taken them to a shelter, but did not. It turns out there was a no-animal policy in the housing scheme, but I can understand and support the outrage over the behaviour of the contractor. Even though it was wrong to live in a place with your cat or dog where you cannot have pets, there is simply no excuse for the cruelty shown by this contractor. I hope it never gets any other contract involving the transportation of animals.

Euro Qualifications

The national football teams of Europe played qualification games for the Euro 2008 championships tonight. The qualifications is almost finished. Sweden won its game against Liechtenstein by 3-0, leads its qualifying group, and most people believe Sweden will be qualified. Dad's home country Norway seems to have a bit harder to be qualified, third in its group now while only the two best teams will qualify, but it still has a chance. I hope both Sweden and Norway will make it. We will have to see what happens next. The qualifying rounds are over on the 21st of November.

Ups and Downs

Yesterday, we could read about the factual faults in Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth (I mentioned it in this blog). Today, it was announced that he will get the Nobel Peace Prize. How ironic. I just wonder what his movie has got to do with peace?

Paula and Daniel bought some pork tails today. While Paula was away for a while and Daniel watched TV, Dad pulled the bag with the tails down to the floor from the shelf where it lay. Unfortunately for him, Daniel heard him and took the tails away. Later this evening, we got a tail each to eat. Dad's disappointment was turned into joy. I wonder if he would have eaten more than one tail, had Daniel not heard him. I guess so, I would have. On the other hand, the rest of us may have wanted to share, which could have turned into a fight. Daniel's swift action took away the incentive to fight. That is a peace keeping action, Al Gore's movie is not.

Climate Changes?

There is a famous film by former US vice president Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, about the Earth's climate and that humans destroys the world by living in a way that makes the climate warmer. A High Court Justice in England has now ruled that this film may not be shown in schools without guidance giving the other side of the argument on nine disputed points. I think this is a good thing. I do not want to think humans, among those my own humans, are responsible for changes in the climate that among other things, would make polar bears drown. Furthermore, I like car rides. You often have to go far by car to get to dog show, and I like to go to dog shows. I would not want us to be forced to go less than we want to by car because of the changing climate.

I will not hold myself out to be an expert on natural science and the climate. Maybe Mr. Gore is right in most of the things he says in the film. However, as Daniel said, Mr. Gore is not a natural scientist himself, but a politician and as such interested in promoting one view rather than pointing at scientific doubts. Thus, I think it is fair that the film must not be shown in schools without giving the other side of the story.

Regardless of what may be the truth in the debate on climate change, nobody blames anything on us dogs. This is good.

Advertising

I have decided to send an e-mail to one of the largest Swedish news papers. This news paper offer to promote any blog, whose owner sends it an e-mail on a certain e-mail address. It does not say that there are any costs involved, so I thought: why not? I will send the e-mail right after publishing this blog post, then we will have to wait and see what will happen. I will let you know if I get any more news on the issue.

Exciting Season Finale

The Formula 1 World Championship season draws to an end. For the first time in many years, one of as many as three drivers may become champion when one race remains. Exciting, isn't it? The final race is the Brazilian Grand Prix on the 21st of October.

Another Champion in the Family

My broher Jiro became Swedish Show Champion yesterday! It is fantastic, this close to our second birthday. It was the first show for him after this birthday, thus he got the title on the very first attempt where he was eligible to fight for it. We have all congratulated him.

Linni's Birthday

The 4th of October is Auntie Linni's birthday. She turns six today. Hooray for Linni!

We thought we would celebrate on cinnamon buns. Linni claims this is the Cinnamon Bun Day because of her, but the rest of us are not sure she is right. However, we got better food to celebrate on, Paula and Daniel gave us minced meat. Meat is always a great treat.

Sputnik

Exactly fifty years from tomorrow, the first man made satellite was launched from what was then the Soviet Union. It was called Sputnik, Russian for co-traveller. Sputnik marks the start of what is sometimes called the space age, even though the space flights have become less spectacular since the last Moon landing in 1972.

You can celebrate Sputnik with a cinnamon bun, since the 4th of October is also the Cinnamon Bun Day in Sweden. In the 80's, this day was known in Sweden for resistance against a kind of socialization scheme that the Government imposed on the corporations, but that is such a long story that I do not want to outline it here. It is sufficient to say that I rather think of cinnamon buns than socialization schemes.

Was the Sabre Tooth Tiger Weak?

New research goes to prove that the extinct feline that goes by the name sabre tooth tiger had a weak bite. It was probably a very specialised hunter, vulnerable to changes in the eco system. When such changes occured, it was doomed. Since wolves and many dog breeds, such as the Shiba Inu, are generalists rather than specialists, I presume we will survive much longer. It feels good to be a canine rather than a feline.

Sewing

Paula is sewing tonight. She bought a nice red dress the other day that she felt would be even nicer with a black lining at the lower end. Paula is really good at sewing, unlike Daniel, who hardly knows how to put a thread on a needle. I do not know anything about sewing either. When you have such a great natural coat as Shiba Inus have, you do not need clothes, consequently, you do not need to sew.

At Kesshi's

Paula and I went to Mia and Kesshi tonight. We will do that a lot now that I am in heat. Kesshi is a nice guy. Somehow, I see him in a different light now. I wonder if that has got anything to do wit me being in heat?

A note about comments: I got another anonymous comment to one of my blog posts the other day. I like to receive comments, but not if they are anonymous. This is why I never accept that anonymous comments get published, no matter how nice they are.

The Squirrel

A squirrel has moved in with us. We call him Eilert. He is nice and I greeted him with all the eagerness I had. When I got tired of shewing on him, April continued. Now he lies deserted on the kitchen floor.

Eilert is a toy squirrel, of course. We got him with a ble of toilet paper that Paula and Daniel bought when they were grocery shopping this evening. If he would have been a real squirrel, neither Paula nor Daniel would have allowed us to socialize with him indoors, and probably not outdoors either. In that way, toy animals are a much better catch than real animals are.

Me and My Glowing Coat

This is what I look like right now. I feel more beautiful than I usually am. Thanks to a new diet with an exclusive salmon oil, my coat glows like never before. It is easy to pose before the camera when you feel beautiful. I feel even more beautiful now than I did when I won my first Best of Breed earlier this year for the Norwegian breed specialist Mrs Marit Sunde.

Dog shows are far in between at this time of the year. Most dog shows are in the summer, when you can be outside in the warm weather. I would like to go to a dog show when I feel so beautiful as I do now, it would seem proper to do that. We are going to a dog show next weekend. It will be in Sundsvall over 500 km from our home, but I believe it will be worth it.

Puppy Blog

We have started a new blog at Aangenaam Shiba Inus, a puppy blog for the pups we hope that I will get, when bred now as I am in heat. This will not be my private blog, like this one. Paula, Daniel, and the other dogs may also write in it. We may even invite the proposed father of the pups to write, if he wishes.

Do not forget the Daily Hailey blog for the puppy blog, though! I will still keep my blog daily.

New Japanese Prime Minister

Yasuo Fukuda is new prime minister in Japan, he replaces Shinzo Abe. He is 71 years old, much older than Abe. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) hopes this will end the political turbulence. So do I; regardless of what you think of the LDP, it is not good to have too much political turbulence in a country.

Shiba Inu Meeting

We were planning to go to a Shiba Inu meeting in Södertälje today, but it never came to be. However, Paula was sick and could not go. I am a little sad about this. My brother Jiro was there, it is always nice to meet him. My younger half-brother Fender would also be there and I would have loved to make his acquaintance. Well, I am in the beginning of my heat and feel a little less than well, so I can understand Paula. It will have to be some other time.

Long Time Ahead

It is not easy to understand why some things have to be decided so far in advance. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decided yesterday that the 2013 World Championship will be hosted by Sweden. This is cool, but I already knew Sweden can be trusted to host major international competitions. After all, Sweden will be the host of the FCI World Dog Show next year. I just wonder why the IIHF needs to decide upon the host in 2013 this early. Are so many preparations necessary?

Feeling Blue

I feel a little blue today. From what I understand, this is pretty normal when you start being in heat. I do not feel like writing much.

In Heat

I am in heat. It has just started. Paula, Daniel, and I have decided that I will get puppies this time. I am excited about this idea, even though Mum sometimes still treat me as if I was still a pup myself. My puppyhood was a long time ago. I wonder what it will be like to see pups discovering the world like I did two years ago.

Another reason for me to look forward to having pups is that Mum says you get as much food and candy as you would like, when you are expecting and nursing pups. That seems like a great trade off.

A Little Envious

Sometimes I am envious of the long life of humas. I have just turned two, and Shiba Inus rarely get older than 16 years old. The oldest man in the world is a Japanese who is now celebrating his 112th birthday. That is a huge difference.

Of course, there are many other things that are much better with being a dog than being a human. For example, we do not have to worry about money, bills, politics, or anything like that, and we have great coats that ensures that we do not need clothes. All things considered, I am rather a dog.

What Are They Doing?!

I am glad I do not live in Iran. The government steal individual humans' dogs and put them in detention centres, claiming that owning dogs are immoral and anti-islamic behaviour. They claim dogs are dirty animals.

I am at a loss of words. Follow the link and read, it is horrible.

Swedish Teams in World Cups

I was late home yesterday evening, because Paula and I visited Kesshi and Mia. When I got home, I was too tired to write anything in my blog. It was a fun night.

The Swedish team played its last game in The FIFA Ladies' Football World Cup. Sweden did not make it from the first round. Well, it is not quite as bad as the Swedish participation in the current Rugby World Cup, the third largest sports event in the world. (The first is the FIFA Football World Cup for Gents and the second is the Summer Olympic Games.) Sweden have no team at all in the Rugby World Cup and has never had one in the previous world cups either. This is a shame on such an internationally big sport. I hope Sweden will do better in four years when these world cups come back.

Much Rain

Last Friday, there was 3 mm of rain. Today there was much more rain, 8 mm. We did not want to be outside in such bad weather.

I got a polar fox for birthday yesterday. It was perfect to play with this boring, rainy day.

It's my Birthday today!

This was me exactly 2 years ago. This is me now:

*Housebroken.

*BEST PUPPY IN SHOW winner at an International KC show.

*Multipel CC-winner.

*BOB-winner.

*Very wise and alert.

*Mature

*The best b/t girl my family knows of.

I will celebrate my birthday together with my family. Dad Daniel says that it will be cake for everybody. I hope he is right. So does my real dad Kuro.

As the icing on the cake. It looks like I'm starting my heat today. This means that I (hopefully) will be a mum in the beginning of December. Very exciting!

Heroes

Paula and Daniel has started to watch a new TV series, Heroes. The first season is currently aired on Swedish TV. It is about people with super powers. I am not very interested myself, I would rather see a TV series about dogs with super powers.

Someone who does not seem to be heroic enough is the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has decided to resign his post. His party now has to elect a new PM, here are a few candidates to cose from.

Disgust

The FIFA World Cup in Ladies' football is on in China right now. The game between China and Denmark was broadcasted live on Swedish TV. Denmark is a neighbour of Sweden and a democracy, China is a dictatorship notorious for the people's relatively low opinon of dogs. It was self evident to me that I would hope for a Danish victory. However, the Swedes who commented on the game for the bradcasting company hoped for China. This was obviously due to the fact that there are two Swedes who are coaches of the Chinese team. I do not think that is reason enough. Rather, I think those Swedes should be ashamed of themselves. Sport successes are good for the purpose of promoting a country, the dictatorship China does that with the help of two Swedes. This makes me disgusted.

Unfortunately, the Chinese team won by 3-2.

Millimetres of Rain

Daniel bought a rain measuring device this Saturday. It is a plastic cup that sits in the garden which rain falls into. On the side is a scale which measures the rain in millimetres. The scale is not in millimetres, there are biger spaces than that between each stripe of the scale, but the opening of the cup is also bigger than the part of the up where the scale is. You actually measure the rainfall in millimetres per square metre of land, this is because rain comes in drops that do not fall completely evenly. I do not like to be out in the rain, but it is interesting to see afterwards how much rain fell. We had 7 mm on Saturday afternoon, when there was also thunder and lightning. There was no rain on Sunday and none today, but we had 5 mm yesterday. I may keep you up to date on the rainfall at our place in my blog posts to come.

The Heroic Poodle

I must admit that I have never really liked poodles. I do not like the way they usually wear their fur, with a large load of fur around their head etc. Once in a while, though, there are news that make you review your prejudices. In the town Ronneby in the south of Sweden, the poodle bitch Vilma attacked a burglar in her family's bedroom and made him flee from the house. That is heroic!

Boring Game

Sweden played Denmark again in the Euro qualifications, but it was a boring game. Neither team scored a single goal. Sweden had the most chances to score, but never did. Luckily, Mum, April, and I got to go with Paula and Daniel to see the game at Mia's and Kesshi's place, so April and I could play with Kesshi when the game got to be too boring.

Meeting Kesshi

I went with Paula and April to Mia and Kesshi tonight. It is always fun to meet Kesshi, though he thinks April and I play too much sometimes. He has a hard time keeping up with the two of us. This is fun, in its own way. I can make fun of Kesshi because of this, but I really like him.

Toy Dogs Recalled

The human child toy manufacturer Mattel has announced that it will make a third major recall of toys in just a month. The reason is that the toys contain lead paint, which is poisonous. I believe the worst thing is that some toy dogs are being recalled. Real dogs are never poisonous, toy dogs should not be, either.

Norwegians Are Effective

According to a recent report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), an organization under the United Nations, Norwegians are the most efficient people in the world. Dad says this can be seen just by comparing Shiba Inu breeders. His breeder at Kennel Enerhaugen in Norway is the best Shiba Inu breeder in Scandinavia, Dad says. Evidence shows that Enerhaugen has produced more than 40 Shiba Inu dog shw Champions, so maybe Dad is right. I would like to think our own breeder is, at least, the best in Sweden. However, it is a relatively new one and has not had the time to be very successful yet. We will have to see in about a decade or two.

By the way, I would like to congratulate Grus' human Ylva, who celebrate her birthday today.

Right Hand Traffic

Forty years ago today, Sweden changed from left hand traffic to right hand traffic. By doing so, we left Britain and Ireland as the only European countries to drive on the left side of the road. It was a good thing, considering the long border with Norway, where they already drove on the right side. Mum think it is a good thing, she did not have to learn new traffic rules when she moved from America, where they also drive on the right side. The downside is that we do not drive on the same side as in the Shiba Inu home country Japan, where there is left hand traffic.

World Championships in Athletics

This was the last day of the Athletics world championships. The championships were held in Japan, which was nice. The USA got a lot of medals, but Sweden only got one medal. It was a gold medal, but it was still not such a good result that many had hoped. A lot of the Swedish athletes whom we hoped would get medals failed. Well, it would not be fun if they were always equally successful. It is just like the dog shows in which me and my family compete, it would not be as nice if we would always be very successful. The suspense must be there and when you fail, you can look forward to a better result the next time. You also have to put the Swedish result in its historical context. There have been more than one world championships were Sweden did not get a single medal. When compared to that, one gold is a good result.

Another Birthday Reception

Paula had another birthday reception today. Her parents, grandparents, aunt, and cousins on her mother's side were here. April and I had to sit in the living room the whole time, while they ate in the dining room. We only got to socialize with the guests a little, but that was a nice time. Well, Paula had fun, and that is what counts when it is time to celebrate her birthday.

Cleaning, Cleaning

Daniel got home early today, but not to do anything fun with me and the rest of the dogs. He and Paula spent most of the afternoon and evening rearranging one of the rooms in our house and cleaning the whole house. This is boring, but they think it needed to be done before Paula's relatives come to visit us tomorrow afternoon. I suppose they are right.

Freedom of the Press Day

Today is the Freedom of the press day in Sweden. Our country has the longest tradition of freedom of the press in the world, it was invented together with freedom of information by the Swedish parliamentarian Anders Chydenius. Freedom of the press is worth celebrating. The reason I am free to write virtually anything I like on this blog is a right that has evolved from the freedom of the press. Hurrah!

Another Graphic Novel Turned into Film

Daniel is looking forward to a movie that will be made from his favourite graphic novel, Watchmen. Even though he says every story tend to be worse when adapted to a new medium, the Watchmen story is so good he would like to see the movie anyway. I do not care much about graphic novels or comics, but movies can be nice. We will have to see if the film is good.

Claim for Damages

The Danish supporter who ran into the football field at the end of the Euro 2008 qualification game some time ago is now faced with claim for high damages. The arena company Parken Sport og Entertainment in Copenhagen wants damages because the two following Euro qualification games will not be held there, but at a different arena in Arhus. I can understand that they want damages, but I am not sure they will get any. The games were not moved just because the supporter ran in to the field, but mainly because the company could not ensure the safety of the players and referees during games. If the arena company would have had reasonable safety, this supporter would never have been able to enter the football field. Thus, I believe that the company may be so much to blame itself, that it would not be entitled to damages. The fact that a drunk supporter did come into the field is no cause for damages, when the safety was so low as it was, as evidenced by the two other supporters who ran into the field shortly after the first one. It is as if you park your car unlocked at a parking space where a lot of drunk people go - you are to blame yourself if your car or items inside of it are stolen.

Reshuffled Cabinet

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reshuffes the Cabinet. Some ministers go, some former ministers come back, some ministers get new posts. It remains to be seen if Shinzo Abe's new Cabinet can restore some popularity for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. I will keep an eye on the development.

Sixtythree Years Ago Today, Paris Was Liberated

The greatest war ever fought was the Second World War. In Europe, the Germans under the dictator Adolf Hitler tried to conquer the whole continent. (The only good thing about the Germans in World War II was that they were allied with Japan, home of the Shiba Inu breed.) Germany defeated and occupied France in 1940, but Americans, Brits, and Canadians landed on the French shores in June of 1944 and began liberating the country. Exactly 63 years ago today, they liberated Paris. Adolf Hitler had ordered the retreating German troops to destroy the city. However, mostly thanks to the efforts of the Swedish Honourary Consul General to Paris Raoul Nordling, a ceasefire was arranged and the German General Dietrich von Choltitz was persuaded not to ruin the city. The French must be thankful for the efforts of this Swede, Paris is said to be one of the most beautiful and romantic cities of the world. If I ever go there, I want to look for things commemorating Consul General Nordling's efforts.

Sports This Weekend

The Athletics World Championship starts this weekend in Osaka, Japan. It will be fun to watch it on TV, especially since it is in Japan, homeland of the Shiba Inu. Daniel says, however, that the most important sport event this weekend is the formula 1 grand prix in Turkey on Sunday. Very well, we all have different tastes.

Birthday

Today is Paula's birthday. She will have a great celebration on Saturday next week, but her sister Mia and her parents were here for dinner today. It is always nice to meet them. It was a nice little celebration.

Friendly Games

Sweden played a friendly game of football against the USA tonight. While Mum and April hoped that the USA would win, Auntie Linni, Daniel, and Paula hoped for a Swedish victory. I was torn in between, being half American though I have lived my whole life in Sweden. The game ended with a Swedish 1-0 victory, which seemed fair.

Dad was more interested in Norway's friendly game against Argentina, but we could not see it on any of our Swedish TV channels. We read on the Internet that Norway won by 2-1, which is a good result against such a strong football nation as Argentina. Paula use to hope for Latin American countries to win, but the rest of us congratulated Dad with all our hearts.

Early Bird

The space shuttle Endeavour landed a day earlier than scheduled today, in Florida. The mission was shortened because of fears that the hurricane Dean would affect the mission control in Houston, Texas. Well, there is nothing wrong with being an early bird. As the old proverb says: the early bird catches the worm.

Political Deadlock in Belgium

Dad's father is from Belgium, so I take a special interest in that country. They had a general election in Belgium last June, but no party got a majority of its own and the negotiations to form a new cabinet are still not over. The Belgian King, Albert II, has now stepped in and will talk to the various party leaders to try to reach an agreement. It is nice to have an impartial king who can do this when the parliamentary system does not run smoothly. I hope there will soon be a solution.

Another Show

At another dog show today, only April was shown. She got a CC. She is very well worth it, I congratulate her. She, Paula, Mum, and Dad got home in the late afternoon, that was fun.

Later today, Paula and Daniel took Auntie Tiffy and me to visit Paula's parents. That was even more fun, we got to run around on their lawn which is different from ours. It is always fun to experience somewhat different surroundings, and I know Paula's parents' lawn since I was a little pup.

Dad Did It!

Paula took April, Mum, and Dad to a dog show today. Long time readers of my blog know that Dad has not been shown for a long time. This is due to bad experiences with show judges in his youth. Paula has trained with him and she and Daniel has looked for dog shows with judges who could be nice enough to Dad so that he would not remember the discomfort of his early experiences. Today was the day when we would see if all of these efforts would pay off. It turned out it did! Dad was second best male among many male shibas at the show and he got a CC. He will be shown again next Sunday, and if he gets a CC on that show as well, he will be Swedish Champion. I am so glad for Dad's sake, even though he says he does not do it for himself but for the pedigrees' of his pups. My Dad is such a nice dad. I know he likes the cooperation with Paula, his handler, in the show ring too.

April was third best bitch and she also got a CC. Mum became reserve best bitch. I have to coongratulate them as well, though the result we all are most happy for is Dad's.

Killed By Samurai Sword

A man in Oslo, Norway, was assaulted by a samurai sword in a gang fight last weekend. He is now dead, after many critical days in hospital. I very much doubt that the assailant was a samurai. It is a disgrace that a samurai sword is used in this way. A true, Japanese samurai would have been merciful and killed the man right away.

Attack on Moomin

Someone has cut off the head of a Moomin statue in Koppom, a small village in Warmland, the Swedish province between us and Norway. The head was later found, but it was destroyed. Who would do such a vicious thing? Moomin is a nice character, we have a Moomin doll at home whom I play with once in a while. I would never behead it.

I Have Been Lazy

I have been lazy lately, not writing anything in my blog. It is my aim to keep it daily, as the name implies. Sometimes, I cannot write anything because I am away from home or other places where I can connect to my blog. On other occassions, I have just been too busy with other things to write anything. These last three days, I have no such excuse, I have just been lazy and have not cared enough to write anything. When you think about it, I do write this blog mainy for my own pleasure, I do not get paid or anything. Not that I would dream of demanding any payment, it is just that when nobody pays me, I can take any day off if it just pleases me. This is what I have done. However, I will now try to keep up the daily postings again.

Too Many Field Voles

Spain has been infected by a mass of field voles and the govrnment burns fields to get rid of them. Mum said they should call for dogs and other carnivores instead, who would be happy to help.

The dog show today was not a success.

Dog Show Tomorrow

We are going to another dog show tomorrow. Mum, April, and I will be shown. It is close to home this time, in the small town Askersund and arranged by our county kennel club. I have never had any problems with going for long car rides, but it is still nice to know we do not have to go so far this time.

Olympic Games

In a year from now, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games will have started in Beijing, China. There are protests against the Chinese government in connection with the preparations, since China is a dictatorship. As far as I know, these Olympic Games are only the third where a dictatorship has been chosen as a host, the first being the summer games in Moscow in the Soviet Union in 1980, the second the winter games in Sarajevo in Yugoslavia in 1984. (The Games in Germany in 1936 were held in a dictatorship, but Germany was selected to host them before 1933, when it was still a democracy.) I cannot understand why a dictatorship was chosen, even though it is a country of many great athletes. Should sports be so separated from politics that it does not matter whether the second largest sports event (the first is the FIFA World Cup of Football) in the world is held in a dictatorship or a democracy? I think not. Besides, in China they slaughter dogs for food and fur, I consider that to be horrible and barbaric.

Attack Beavers

Outside the small town Lindesberg just north of Örebro, beavers are attacking humans. Nobody knows why, beavers do not usually do that. It has now been decided to kill the beavers. I can understand why. I have nothing against beavers in general, but if some beavers would start attacking dogs, I would sure join a dog posse to kill those beavers.

The Mysterious Lego Man

A 2.5 metre tall Lego man has floated ashore in the Dutch resort Zandvoort at the North Sea. Lego men are toys from Denmark and are generally just a few centimetres tall. This giant Lego man has got red trousers/legs, blue shirt/upper body, and yellow head, arms, and hands. Nobody knows where he comes from yet, but I will look for the answer to this riddle in the news in the days to come.

The parts of Lego men that is supposed to be skin are always yellow. Have you ever thought of the fact that this makes them similar to the Simpsons cartoon characters? Personally, I do not care much what colour my toys are, as long as they are nice to chew on.

Hiroshima

Today marks the anniversary of a sad thing in human history, the first time (out of two) that an atomic bomb was used in war. The Japanese city of Hiroshima was hit.

Paternity

I normally do not comment on the lives and scandals of celebrities, it is not my cup of tea. There is, however, a story now where Dad had an interesting point to make. The American actor Eddie Murphy has now ackowledged he is the father of British singer Mel B's daughter, who was born in April this year. Eddie Murphy has not been happy about the child, while Mel B says it was planned by both of them. Now Eddie Murphy has accepted his responsibilities as a father and will pay to support the child.

Dad says dog fathers have it much easier than human fathers. Dad has fathered a lot of pups now, me being the eldest, but I am the only one he takes any care of. He says he knows he does not have to take care of the other dogs he has fathered, not because he is mean or negligent, but because they have humans taking care of them. According to Dad, this is one of many proofs that dogs are the true beneficiaries in the long relationship between humans and dogs. Pups are a good thing to get, because it lets your genes live on in future generations, and that is what our genes are programmed to do. We dogs can have many pups without having to support them ourselves, because humans do that for us. There are no others who support the children of humans for them, they have to do that themselves. Still, we dogs are not mean, like cuckoos, who lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, forcing them to support the cuckoo kids instead of their own. We are just so cute and so nice to humans that they want to take care of us and our pups. This is to the benefit of both us and them, though Dad believes it is mostly to the benefit of us.

I do not really agree with Dad, I think the benefits are equal to both humans and dogs, and I am sure there are not few humans consider the relationship to be most beneficial to them. Be that as it may, I really do not want to talk about who gains the most from the human-dog relationship. Humans and dogs are great friends, then you do not have to consider who benefits the most. That is not a thing that friends do.

Nevertheless, maybe Eddie Murphy would like to be a dog right now - or perhaps a donkey, like the one he gave his voice to in the Shrek movies - so he would not have to support his child himself?

A Bridge Fell Down

A highway bridge in Minneapolis fell down the other day. It was not because of a terrorist attack, nor because someone accidentally ran into it from below. It simply fell down because of lack of maintenance. The bridge had already been classified as "structurally deficient". Now authorities in the USA will check other bridges as well. It is surprising that it have to take an accident like this to make people do something. If a dog sees a problem that is worthy of being mentioned, he or she makes something about it at once. Humans have an advantage in that they are the best on planning ahead, but if "planning ahead" means "postponing necessary maintenance", I am much rather a dog.

They Made It!

One of the top news stories in Sweden today is the happy story of two dogs who survived a serious car crash. When the SOS crews came to the scene, the car was a total wreck, but the dogs where alive and well inside the car, having sustained not a single wound. Their human was taken to hospital with a concussion and hurting neck and back.

Was this a miracle? Far from it! These dogs were sitting in collision safe cages in the car. Be sure all the dogs in your family get cages like this, if they do not already have them!

A Good Driver Is Not Always a Safe Driver

Three time formula 1 champion Nelson Piquet will have to take driving lessons to get his revoked driving licence back. He has been speeding and breaking other traffic regulations. In a statement, he says he has to pay for his mistakes. When you are a former formula 1 champion, there is no doubt that you are a good driver. This does not mean, as is obvious from Mr Piquet's example, that you are a safe driver. There are differences between driving in the street and driving in a race. I guess it is the same with everyone who competes. I would not act the same in my ordinary life as I do in the dog show ring, for example. Well, I am sure Nelson Piquet gets his driving licence back soon.

Defeat and Death

The Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's party lost the upper house election yesterday, but he refuses to step down. The deputy party leader has decided to step down. Maybe Shinzo Abe should too? It will be interesting to see what will happen.

In mass media across the world, one of the biggest head lines right now concerns a Swede, though. The famous film director Ingmar Bergman is dead. I have never seen any of his films, but rumour has it they are good if you are in the right mood, that is if you feel a little philosophical or just a bit sad. Maybe I will see one of his films, they will certainly be aired on some TV channel within the close future to celebrate him. I wonder if he made any film where a dog has an important role.

Election in Japan

The Japanese people elect a new upper house of the parliament today. Although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is not directly affected by this election, some say that a heavy defeat for his party may result in his resignation. I do not keep a very close look at Japanese politics, but I am aware that Shinzo Abe is not very popular. This is partly due to the fact that Japan's economy is not very good. Be that as it may, I would feel a little sorry for Shinzo Abe if he would have to resign, given that he has not been in office for a full year yet. You cannot expect him to have much impact on the economy or policy in such a short time. We will have to see what happens.

The Party

Paula and Daniel went to Örebrofesten tonight, that party in the centre of the town that I wrote about the other night. It must not have been very fun, because they went to the cinema as well, so I am not that sorry I did not get to go. They saw the new Simpson movie, which they thought was fairly good.

The King and Sport

It has been a well spread "truth" in Sweden that King Charles XVI Gustavus is a fan of the sports team AIK, from the Stockholm suburb of Solna where he grew up on a castle called Haga. In a recent interview for the small town news paper Kalmarposten the King suddenly reveals that his team is actually the Stockholm team Djurgårdens IF.

Questions, so many questions appear! Daniel is puzzled. He is a Djurgården fan and a royalist, but he does not know what to think of these news. Can you trust a man who changes sports teams, even if he changes to the team you love? Normally, you can change a man's views on just about anything but what sports team he loves. On the other hand, it actually seems from the article that the King has always been a Djurgården fan.

The journalist did not pursue the question, but I guess most Swedish sports fans would like to know if the King has changed his views or if he has always been a Djurgården fan. In the latter case people would also want to know the reason why he has accepted an untrue rumour that he was an AIK fan. Oh, what a riddle this is! It is interesting, but now I am glad that I am not as interested in football and ice hockey (both sports where both Djurgården and AIK has prominent teams) as Daniel is.

Party

There is a party in the centre of our town, Örebrofesten. Parties are fun, so I told Paula and Daniel I wanted to go there. They are not going themselves, however, saying that it is for younger people than they are and that there are no good musicians playing anyway. They would not let me go there alone. Of course, it would not be as fun without either one of them, so I settle with that. We can have more fun at home and on upcoming dog shows, anyway.

At Kesshi's

We have been at Kesshi's tonight, Paula, Daniel, Mum, April, and I. It was fun, we did not come home until quite late, so now I am tired and will not write more than this.

A Small Hero

Even a small dog can be a big hero. The chihuahua Zoey in Colorado saved her owners' one year old grandson by defending it from a poisonous rattle snake. Chihuahua is the smallest dog breed there is, but you can count even on such a small dog to be man's best friend.

Canada Geese

A lot of Swedes are annoyed by all the feeces dropped by Canada Geese around Swedish waters, where people want to bathe in the summer. There is a simple answer to this, though. You hunt the geese and eat them, they are rumoured to taste well. I would like to try.

April did not do very well on the dog show today, but she got a first prize in quality and was third best bitch. She will do better on future shows, of that I am sure.

The Last and the Next Show

I had some success at a dog show in Tvååker in Halland on the Swedish west coast last weekend. On the first day, a national show, I became second best bitch and got a CC, beaten only by my own Mum - and Mum became Best of Breed. On the second day, an international show, I became Best of Breed, got a CC, and a CACIB. Later on, in the finals of the second day, I was picked out to the final ten, but was not one of the final five to get prizes. Nevertheless, this is quite a good result, I am really satisfied by it.

We are going to another dog show tomorrow, but only to cheer April on. She is the only one to be shown at this show. I have enough CC's to become a champion as soon as I get a single CC after my second birthday this September. Therefore, it is unnecessary that I compete with April for CC's and such until then. I will be back in the show rings later on.

Vacation

I have had a voluntary vaction from writing in my blog. A lot of humans take vacations in the summer. A pet dog is on duty the year round and a show dog works more than ever in the summer, and I am both. However, a blog writing dog can take a vacation anytime she wants to. This is exactly what I did. Now I am back, so stay tuned for new daily blog posts!

Do Not Vote for This Man!

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney strapped his Irish setter to the top of his car during a 12-hour family drive from Boston to Ontario. The dog, called Seamus, was placed in a kennel attached to the roof of Romney's Chevy station wagon. Seamus was terrified and suffered a diarrhoea attack. Mitt Romney stopped and washed down Seamus, the car, and the kennel - then drove off again with the dog still on the roof.

This happened in 1983, but it is still animal cruelty. You cannot trust a man who is cruel to dogs, especially not his own dog. If you are eligible to vote in the USA, please vote for any of the other candidates, of either party.

Protests in Colombia

There are protests going on in Colombia against the wide spread kidnappings and the long time civil conflict. We are happy that there are. There are hundred of thousands of Colombians participating in the protest, indeed a great display of opinion. It would be great if Colombia would become a peaceful country which you could travel to without the fear in the back of your mind of its reputation to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be in. We would all like to see Colombia, the country where Paula was born. I believe reports about protests like this, for peace and the freedom of people, should be at least equal to that of the Live Earth music show for the benefit of the climate debate.

Repairing The Car Is Always Expensive

The inner rear view mirror in our car has fallen down. It used to be glued to the inside of the windshield, but the glue must have been old and some of the glass was shattered when the mirror was accidentally hit.

Daniel and Paula first tried on their own to put the mirror back with glue, but this did not work. Then Daniel called a garage whose expertise is car windows, they said they could put the mirror back for 160 SEK. This seemed like a bargain, too good to be true, so Daniel accepted it. However, when he got to the garage, the manager there looked at the mirror and the windshield and said that there was too much of the glass that had been lost from the windshield. He said he could not glue the mirror back on and guarantee that it would stick or that the windshield would not break. The whole windshield have to be exchanged for a new one.

Even though the car insurance will pay for some of the cost, Daniel will still have to pay 1 562 SEK. This was no bargain. If you ever think something is too good to be true, it probably is.

Coincidence

Paula was born in Colombia in South America, by far the world's foremost provider of emeralds. Mum was born in Washington in North America, where the biggest city is Seattle and has the nickname Emerald City. This nickname is due to the evergreen trees surrounding the city. Is it a coincidence that the two most important females in my life have connections to the same jewel? I do think so, but it is still a sparkling coincidence.

Dangerous E-mail

It is the fourth of July, a day of celebration, especially for Mum and April. It is the national holiday of the USA. In Sweden, people go to work just like any other day.

Daniel told us about a thing at work that made Mum upset. People had used her national holiday for evil purposes. Daniel got an e-mail from the computer department at his work, warning everyone about e-mails with headlines connected to the fourth of July. These e-mails would have computer code inside, which would pose a potential hazard to the computer if the e-mail was opened. Mum does not understand how you can be so mean that you use a national holiday for the Land of the Free to do something so evil. I have a hard time understanding it myself.

If you get an e-mail with a headline about the fourth of July, be aware that it might be harmful to open it.

Most Annoying Song

In a recent poll, the Black Eyed Peas' song My Hump has been elected most annoying song in a poll by American music magazine Rolling Stone. I don't agree, I really think it and some other songs on the list are quite good. Well, taste is very personal and I don't judge others for having a different taste than I do - as long as their choices do not annoy me.

Back Home

There's no place like home. We had a successful weekend, April was BoB on Saturday and got a CC, Mum was best of breed on Sunday, and I got the CC and a CACIB on Sunday. Thus, we each got some. Mum was also best veteran of the breed both days. Still, it feels good to be home.

Gothland

We are going to Gothland for the weekend, I will report from there on Monday. See ya!

A Polar Bear Called Knut

There is a polar bear on a zoo in Berlin who is famous because he was orphaned at an early age. Aunt Linni does not think this is a big deal, her mother abandoned her when she was just a couple of weeks old. I think Knut was cute on the first pictures of him that I saw, and considered whether I could get a polar bear of my own. Now he is way too big, so I am glad I did not get any polar bear. Perhaps a cat would be a better deal?

Taking the Laundry Outdoors

Daniel took some laundry out of the washing machine and hung it up to dry outdoors. He said we will save electricity and thus money when we do no tumble the laundry dry and that the clothes often smell better when they have dried outdoors in the sun and wind. When all the laundry hung outside, he went in and checked the weather on the Internet, to make sure no rain would fall on the clothes. I thought this was a rather backward way of doing things, I would have checked the weather forecast before I took the laundry outside. Daniel said, however, he had heard earlier in the day that the forecast said there would be no rain until tomorrow. He only wanted to get the last update on the weather front. When explaining it that way, I understood. Although Daniel is no Shiba Inu, he can be rather smart occasionally.

Judge Pearson's Pants

There was a judge in Washington, DC, Roy Pearson, who left his trousers to a dry cleaner, but never got them back. His pair of trousers were gone and lost forever. Judge Pearson, a lawyer by trade and judge on a federal court, thus filed a suit against the dry cleaner for approximately $ 54 million. This is ridiculous, but nevertheless a true story. Luckily, the dry cleaner won. Judge Pearson is also supposed to pay the court costs. I wonder why a judge would want to make a mockery of his own trade by filing a suit like this? The whole story would never have happened at all, if Mr. Pearson would have done like dogs all over the world do and chosen not to wear pants at all. He is a human, but a human without pants would surely be regarded as a wiser man than a human filing a suit like the one he filed.

Foolish Fashion

Rumour has it, it is fashionable in some big cities in the world to have accessories with communistic slogans. Actress Cameron Diaz had one on her bag when visiting Peru. This was a misstake. The bag had a red communistic star and a slogan of Chinese dictator Mao, and Peru was terrorized by a Maoistic guerilla for many years in the 1980's and -90's. I cannot understand why you would want to wear such a bag in the first place, bringing it to Peru is even more foolish. Some people seem to be foolish.

Rain, Rain, Rain

We are celebrating summer solstice yesterday evening and today, one of the great holidays of Sweden. We would like it to be sunny and warm, but instead, it is rainy and grey. Rain has been falling, on and off, for many days now. The only thing thriving in this weather is the vegetation. The grass is growing longer and longer, since you cannot mow it when it is too damp. Well, we are dry, warm, and comfortable indoors, anyway.

Pride and Prejudice

We saw a movie today on DVD, Pride and Prejudice, based on a novel by the English 19th century authoress Jane Austen. It was an interesting movie. People in the English upper classes were very polite to one another, for good and evil. Sometimes, they were so polite, they could not rightly say what they meant. Nevertheless, politeness is a virtue. The politeness of these people were almost as that of the Japanese nobility and samurajs of the same age. As a dog of a breed famous for its Japanese manners, I rather liked this politeness. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, finally got the man of her dreams when she realized that he had the finest of manners. I hope I can get the Shiba Inu male of my dreams, too.

The Northwest

Mum sometimes say she is from the Northwest in the USA, but I have challenged her on that statement. She says she knows better than I do, because she is born and raised in America whereas I have never been there. She is correct, at least if you count the 48 States of the Union that lie lumped together in the centre of the North American continent. There are, however, many parts of North America that can be called the Northwest. There is Alaska, which is a State on the very northwestern edge of the continent. There is also a part of Canada called the Northwest Territories, and there was a part of the USA south of the Great Lakes that went by the name Northwest Territory from 1787 to 1803. There is also an American airline called Northwest Airlines, this corporation has its headquarters in Minnesota. Given these facts, I say it is not self evident what part of North America can be called the Northwest. Mum just growls a little about me being a spoiled brat and walks away without answering. Thus, she cannot give me a good enough answer, so I guess I am not completely incorrect.