a day made of cute.

Listening To: Human by The Killers (the live version from Royal Albert Hall ... I'm obsessed with this version of the song)


We interrupt this busy holiday week to bring you a moment of severe cuteness.

I am completely taken by cute things. I don't even mean traditional cute things - like fuzzy dogs and bunnies and Yoda. Usually, I go bonkers over small versions of big things. Like mini-staplers? Adorbs. Or the aisle in Party City devoted to party favors? In the words of Rachel Zoe: I die. Even as a kid, I was obsessed with toys like Polly Pocket and Charmkins (anybody remember those?). The tiny factor gets to me.

This post contains some serious cute. Lucky for you, however, this post has nothing to do with staplers or pencil toppers. My brother sent me a text on Saturday containing a picture of the small fuzzy dog he happened to be dog-sitting. This is Lola the Dog chillaxing in her crate:

Right?!

Naturally, I ran to my car and zoomed out of the driveway and navigated psycho-mall-traffic because I had to see Lola the Dog before her owners came to take her home. When my brother opened the door, holding Lola the Dog, I squealed very loudly. I'm fairly certain my squeal shattered windows all across his apartment complex.

Have I mentioned how much I love the fact that my manly, outdoorsy, hipster-scruff-brother was totally smitten with this dog? Just when I thought his heart was two sizes too small ...

Lola the Dog weighs like two pounds. She is a fuzzy furball. She mostly wanted to cuddle and prance around and be cute. When she waddled around on the floor, she looked like a furry caterpillar:

This is me with Lola the Dog and Conan O'Brien:

I think I look approximately six years old in this picture. Cute little puffers bring out the little kid in me ... the kid who loved fuzzy animals and bedtime stories and Hello Kitty paraphernalia. And side pony tails. Maybe I should rock a side ponytail for Thanksgiving? Keep the nostalgia rolling? (Just kidding ... I won't be rocking a side pony-tail.) (But if I had this? I would use it daily.)

Of course, I'm of the firm opinion that no dog will ever be cuter than this dog:

I'm boarding Biscuit this weekend. I am quite nervous about this. The place is super swanky. The people there are all sweet dog lovers. Great reviews. Great references. They didn't mind when I went for a tour and asked questions off a mile-long checklist. (Example: "Will Biscuit be adequately cuddled? She likes to be cuddled.") I know dog owners board pets all the time but I'm feeling some serious guilt about this. I feel better about boarding her than taking her along though. Biscuit's personality doesn't mesh well with the other dog on the property of the place I'm headed. Still. She's getting lots of extra treats this week. Le sigh.

I thought you might need some cute to start your week.

I'm also in need of some advice.
Specifically: 1.) what are you reading these days? I'm trying to decide between three books to take with me for Turkeypalooza travel. I'll probably end up taking all three, but right now the contenders are: Little Bee by Chris Cleave, The Underneath by Kathy Appelt or Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews. (I know these three books have little in common ... I just never know what I'll be in the mood for until I get to a place. Know what I mean?) I would love some more suggestions though.

And 2.) What are you listening to?
Even more than music, I would love to hear your recommendations for a.) great books on CD or b.) fun podcasts or c.) some kind of downloadable conference you've attended that's worth a listen. Like the conference you attended on successful catapult building and operation? Send me the info for that.

I have a long ride coming up this week. I can't read in the car. I can barely mark my License Plate Bingo board without getting sick. You know how roadtrips, even the ones with your favorite people, always morph into that hours-long stretch of silence and boredom? I need backup entertainment for that.