my mom is sick..again

it seems like my mom gets sick ALL THE TIME!! she is sneezing just as much as this panda..feel better mom!

merry christmas from your fuzzy friend!

Hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas. I sure am! Santa Paws was very generous on my first Christmas. He brought me everything on my list!! Here are some pictures of our festivities.

Here I am in the sweater my mom got me when she was in NYC.

It is a Christmas sweater!

There is a blanket for me on the bathroom floor because it's always cold!

My grandpa's Christmas village.

A surprised nutcracker..

Great-Grandma's house on Christmas Eve.

mm..i love bows! they are shiny and crispy.

Me & my mom's house on Christmas eve..

We hung  our stockings by the chimney with care..

Here i am looking especially frightened..

Here's a nice picture with the flash on. (ps. that's not the REAL tree..)

Christmas morning..look at all the gifts!

looking sooo excited because SANTA PAWS CAME!!!!!

playing with my antlers..

opening a gift from (*gasp*) SANTA PAWS!!!!

Here in my furry coat from KIKI!!
A ball from my mom..
Here I am in my very own MONOGRAMMED CASHMERE SWEATER from my grandma!! 

Have a lovely Christmas...

my new fave spot..

this is very relevant to my last post. my mom just bought this poster. this is her favorite spot.

i love my red fuzzy man, just like the one on the petsmart commericals!

this is why it is called "the world from down here"

here i am in my new favorite spot..

..under the bed!

big news!!

hi everyone, its been a while. well as you know, my mom is (and i say this with the utmost certainty) the BIGGEST fan of stephenie meyer's twilight series. she read each book in an average of 2 days, read the first too many times for me to count on my paws and purchased tickets to the movie (that opened 11-24-2008) in early october. she dragged me along to the midnight premier (because she could not find a babysitter ;) ) and i fell asleep; what else is new?

we were browsing the web together last night and found that the actor playing jacob black in the first movie may not be reoffered a contract in the next movie, new moon. normally, i would be upset about this "recasting" - maybe it will make the series look disjointed. (and its rival, harry potter would laugh in twilight's face about never facing this issue). 

BUT, as all you avid twilight readers know, jacob is a baby-faced adolescent in twilight and plays a very minimal role in the novel. however, in the second book, new moon, one might even suggest that jacob has a bigger role than edward (GASP, don't worry my mom is a HUGE team edward fan. auntie elly is team jacob, UGH!! we try to look past that..)  in new moon, jacob matures significantly, and frankly, i dont think taylor lautner fits the bill. perhaps if they waited a few years to begin filming he could become the tall, strong jacob we are most familiar with, but time is money!!!

michael copon is likely to become jacob black in the next movie. yes, i'd say he would be a more appropriate jacob. but of course, i wish the producers had considered this dilemma before casting for twilight, because i think most will not take kindly to this news.

so, how do we all feel about this adjustment!? im very partial to it, because jacob and i (bandit, of course) have a lot in common ;) (you twilight readers will know what i mean..)

-bandit 0:  (ps. i have lost most of my puppy teeth!!)

a christmas video for my fellow readers..

I saw this on Dar's blog Peeking Between the Pages, and I thought my readers would enjoy it because I know they are big Stephanie Plum fans just like my mom (and me, too). Thanks, Dar!

want to make $25?

my mom is studying for her statics exam. today she was particularly frazzled. at one point she looked at me and said, "bandy, if you can figure out this problem, i'll give you fifty dollars!" i laughed to myself - if this was a statistics problem, we all know i'd ace it (being a statistics professor and all). engineering statics? prob not. i gave it a look and i don't know how to do it. 

if YOU can tell me how to do it, ill go halves with you..(assuming she really gives me the $25) here it is:

The machine element shown is fabricated from steel. Determine the mass moment of inertia of the assembly with respect to (a) the x axis (b) the y axis & (c) the z axis. (The specific weight of steel is 0.284lb/in^3)

...have at it and we'll both be RICH. (hey, $25 is like a life savings for a dog!!)

why yes, i have a LOT of time on my hands..

i saw this on a lovely shore breeze, but i am just a BABY so i probably will not have a very long list (see mine in italics). so i got my mom to play along (shes in bold - she also loved the excuse to stop studying for her statics final for a while).

1. Started your own blog.

2. Slept under the stars.

3. Played in a band. (Rockband for Wii??)

4. Visited Hawaii.

5. Watched a meteor shower.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity.

7. Been to Disneyland/Disney World.

8. Climbed a mountain.

9. Held a praying mantis. (More like freaked out while holding a praying mantis.)

10. Sang a solo. 

11.Bungee Jumped.

12. Visited Paris. (Summer 2010)

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (Does statics count? I never go to class..)

15. Adopted a child. (A DOG!! - he pretty much is my child)

16. Had food poisoning.

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

18. Grown your own vegetables. (Basil & peppers)

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. (Summer 2010)

20. Slept in an overnight train.

21. Had a pillow fight.

22. Hitchhiked.

23. Taken a sick day when you are not ill. (All the time, see #14)

24. Built a snow fort.

25. Held a lamb (FLUFFY!!!)

26. Gone skinny dipping. (I always go skinny dipping, I don't have any clothes)

27. Ran a marathon. (No, but I walked 10 miles for the March of Dimes)

28. Ridden a gondola in Venice (Summer 2010).

29. Seen a total eclipse.

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.

31. Hit a home run (Does my 88 on Differential Equations count?)

32. Been on a cruise. (Yes, it caught on fire. Happy memories)

33. Seen Niagra Falls in person.

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (Wish we were ITALIAN)(my ancestors were South Carolinans)

35. Seen Amish country.

36. Taught yourself a new language. (And I ordered a bottle of wine in Italy..)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (Sunglass Hut's paychecks don' really cut it..)

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (and climbed it, too)

39. Gone rock climbing. (yay for Mainland's PE)

40. Seen Michaelangelo's David (and took a picture, ILLEGAL, GASP!!)

41. Sung karaoke.

42. Seen Old Faithful erupt.

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.

44. Visited Africa.

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.

46. Been transported in an ambulance.

47. Had your portrait painted.

48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen Sistine Chapel in person.

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (what's with all the France questions!?!)

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.

52. Kissed in the rain. (I always kiss my mom - even if its raining.)

53. Played in the mud.

54. Been to a drive-in theatre.

55. Been in a movie.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China.

57. Started a business. 

58. Taken martial arts class. (Self defense? ..don't mess with me)

59. Visited Russia.

60. Served at a soup kitchen.

61. Sold girl scout cookies.

62. Gone whale watching 

63. Got flowers for no reason. (Hmm..there's always a reason. But i LOVE flowers!)

64. Donated blood. (I think we know how that would turn out...EEK!)

65. Gone sky diving.

66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.

67. Bounced a check. (I'm pretty sure I have written 4 checks in my life.)

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a childhood toy (and sleep with it every night) (i'm still a child.)

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (and the bridge, lol)

71. Eaten caviar. (Yes, I'm quite fancy.)

72. Pieced a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square.

74. Toured the Everglades.

75. Been fired from a job. (Yes, but she was CRAZY, then it shut down..karma)

76. Seen the changing of the guards in London. (Summer 2010?)

77. Broken a bone.

78. Been on a motorcyle. (Scooter?)

79. Seen Grand Canyon in person.

80. Published a book. (I'm a professor remember? Publish or perish..)

81. Visited the Vatican 

82. Bought a brand new car. (Well I didn't BUY it, but i drive it..)

83. Walked in Jerusalem.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (Does The Current count?!? LOL, what a joke)

85. Read the entire Bible.

86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Yummy frog!!)

88. Had the chickenpox.

89. Saved someone's life (academically, YES!)

90. Sat on a jury. (that reminds me of this one Curb Your Enthusiasm..)

91. Met someone famous.

92. Joined a bookclub.

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby.

95. Seen the Alamo in person. (Seriously? The rental car place!? ...i know , i know, TRUST ME, im joking)

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.

97. Been involved in a lawsuit.

98. Owned a cell phone.

99. Been stung by a bee.

100. Read an entire book in one day. (Piece of cake..)

..its the most wonderful time of the year

I kept running away, so Uncle Justin put me in the pot so I would stay put.

I look a bit unhappy in front of my Christmas tree.

Addressing my Christmas cards..

Who did this to me!?!? I look scared..

Playing with my mom..

Me and my Uncle Justin & Aunt Elly putting up Christmas Lights!

My mom and Uncle Justin trying to put on my Santa hat..

my mom has been hogging the computer - i know you are all wondering where i have been. she keeps complaining about something called finals week. i helped her study for her statistics test. its easy!

anyway hope you like the pictures of us getting ready for christmas!!! (i don't know why they uploaded out of order. oh well)

a letter to the big guy

dear santa paws,

i have been a very good boy (except that i keep having accidents inside). if you come to my house this year, i would love it if you could bring me:

Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse

(because when i write on my blog, my paws get tired using the trackpad AND i am afraid i am contracting carpal tunnel..)

Photoshop Elements

(because id really like to find a way to fix my infamous yellow eye..)

Wii Music

(..i need something better to do than chew on a water bottle when my mom is at class)

oh, and santa paws, dont forget about my mom. she really wanted to finish off her collection of seinfeld dvds, she has seasons 1-3. and she loooooves curb your enthusiasm. i hear they are making a seinfeld scene it game these days...

shes also complaining about carrying her books in a shoulder bag because it is so heavy! maybe she would like something like this backpack to even the weight out.

love, bandy 

ps. id REALLY love a nice t-bone.

you want world issues? you got world issues..

it has been requested that i address some world issues. while i am not too knowledgeable about politics and certainly quite undereducated in foreign affairs, (what im only 4 months old!?!) this is my attempt at tackling the many horrors happening around the globe:

a large, 600 foot,  650 passenger cruise ship was attacked on sunday in the dangerous gulf of aden; between yemen and somalia. the m/s nautica, of oceania cruises, was fired at several times by pirates on two 20-foot motor speed boats. passengers were aboard for a month-long voyage from rome to singapore and described the shooting as a "pop, pop, pop!" 

cruise staff ordered passengers to remain in their cabins with their heads down. passenger lynne pincini states, "we heard that announcement, but of course we went straight out on the balcony to have a look." in addition, the passengers were warned of the [very] possible threat of a pirate attack and informed of the ships' emergency procedure, ie. high pressured water hoses, and a device capable of producing 150 dB blasts to distract the pirates (120 dB is the normal pain threshold).

of course if a cruise line warned me of a very probable pirate attack, you could just count me out. also, if the captain announced we were under attack, my balcony would certainly be the LAST place you would find me! although on the other hand, i do find it quite ambitious (and somewhat comical) that two 20 ft wooden boats felt they stood a chance to a mighty 600 ft oceanliner.. 

pictures of yours truly..

hmm..seems i can only post three pictures because instead of getting "red eye" like people, i get yellow eye. and the red eye fixer on my iPhoto does not fix yellow eye!! grr...anyway here are some pics of my life:

this is me and my aunt elly being silly. i was sitting in her hood! (pre-spiffy haircut)

me and my mom doing some training. mmm, i love those bacon treats.

my mom gives me cheerios in a water bottle and its like a game for me to get it out. after i like to bite the bottle because it makes loud noises.

..perhaps this is why my mom wanted photoshop for christmas. maybe i should put in a word with santa paws.

toothfairy!

last night i got to see my aunt elly! i missed her so much! we were playing and she noticed that my tooth was loose. when i woke up this morning my mom noticed that it fell out during the night. 

i think i swallowed it, EEK!

my mom says the toothfairy will still come even if i cant leave my tooth under my favorite paw print blanket. i wonder what she'll bring me?