Snow in Athens!

What a crazy day yesterday! Food Guy and I got up in the morning and drove to Gwinett to help some friends pack a moving truck. It was raining like crazy- again, and they were calling for snow. Snow in Georgia? Really?! Food Guy said he didn't think it would happen, so we were planning to go for an afternoon hike on the AT. Well, the snow came like crazy, so we just went back to Athens. Glad we did, 'cause we never would have made it back if we didn't come home when we did.

It started snowing around 12 and it was still snowing went we went to bed last night. I've never seen that much snow before. In fact, I've never actually seen snow fall from the sky. It was so cool. I ran around catching it in my mouth. Good thing I have a fur coat and I don't get ice cream headaches! Food Guy says he hasn't seen that much snow since he left the mountains and moved to Athens. 

I think he was glad we didn't have to go anywhere. Instead we just went outside and played in the snow. It was so much fun. Lots of people from the neighborhood were out. Everyone was throwing snowballs, which was great for me 'cause I like to catch snowballs. I think I ate 50 snowballs yesterday. 

I got to play with lots of people and even another dog.

Most of our friends here in Athens lost power, but we didn't ever lose power for very long. One of our friends gave us some candles in case the power did go out, but we only needed them for a few minutes. We got lucky. We even had internet! Crazy huh?

 

Food Guy and I got up this morning and walked around to look at all the trees that fell down last night. It was kind of icy out, which I didn't like too much. I like the soft snow. I heard my buddy Zozo took a spill on the ice this morning while she was out walking with Jen and Sug. Poor Zozo. I'll have to be careful out there. Anyway, the fallen trees are pretty crazy. Our trails are totally blocked by fallen trees, and the road going back to the trails is blocked by a bunch of trees. We even had a huge tree break right outside our back door. Check it out:

Well, they called off school today, so there aren't any classes or anything. But, Food Guy still has to write. They didn't call off comprehensive exams, so I'd better let him have the computer back. I'm sure we'll go back and play some more before the snow melts. Y'all have a good one. 

Writing, hiking, running

What's up y'all?! I know it's been forever since I've managed to get my dog feet on the keyboard, so I've got lots to catch you all up on. The Food Guy has been writing his comprehensive exams for the last couple of weeks, so he's always on our computer. But, he's taking a nap after running a half-marathon at Ft. Yargo right now, so I'll try to catch y'all up while he's sleeping. I'll start with today and then try to remember what happened since I ate last. Well, first of all the Food Guy got up at some ungodly hour this morning to head out to the race. It's been raining in Athens for two days, so I can't figure out why he went to run a trail race today. I didn't even get to go 'cause it was raining again. I was a little bummed to have to stay home alone- I mean, it's not like I'm a regular dog who's used to that sort of thing. Food Guy usually takes me everywhere. But I wasn't complaining when I saw what he looked like when the race was over. Talk about muddy- check it out:

Crazy, huh? Y'all know I'm kind of a crazy showering dog and I don't like to be muddy, so I'm not too sad that I missed that run. So, what else have we been up to? Well, let's see. Like I said Food Guy is constantly on the computer writing his exams, but that does mean that he's home all day with me a lot. So, I like that. He hasn't really had time to ride his bike very much, which is good for me since I can't go with him on the bike. We've been running almost everyday, which is great. I love running. There's so much good stuff to smell out there on the trails. Plus, we stop by the dog park a lot on our runs. Did I mention that I like the dog park?

Food Guy did take a weekend off a couple of weeks ago. We went up to NC to meet Brian and Nate for a weekend hike on the AT. It was awesome. It was so cold though. We hiked from Stecoah Gap to Cheoah Bald on Saturday. It was amazing. Check out the sunset:

Pretty sweet, huh? The moon rising was also not a bad touch. 

It did seem like we picked the windiest place on earth to pitch the tents though. I guess I should not complain. Food Guy carried all of my food and water for me. Plus he carried the tent and the sleeping bag. It was so cold up there! Once we climbed in the tent for the night, I couldn't stop shivering. Food Guy wrapped me up in his jacket, but that just didn't cut it. I was FREEZING. Finally, the Food Guy let me crawl into the sleeping bag. Ahh, now that was the stuff! I slept all nice and toasty warm in the bottom of the mummy bag. Mountain Hardware makes a pretty bad ass sleeping bag. Room enough for a Yellow Dog in the bottom of the bag. Well done, boys, well done. 

Anyway. Food Guy woke me up for breakfast and we packed up and finished the hike in the morning. We walked along a beautiful trail to the NOC. Food Guy used to work there, so he had to stop and talk to all his friends and eat some lunch. I thought I'd get to go into the restaurant, but I had to stay outside. 

I thought that was a little silly. I mean, it's not like I'm a regular dog or anything. Heck, I can write, and I have my own blog. But, some people just don't understand how the world should work. I was pretty tired from running up and down the trail trying to make sure I got to smell everything. I mean, it's not like I was carrying anything and walking 8 or 9 miles in a morning is not big deal anyway. Food Guy and I run that far a couple of days a week. So, I had to make sure I got a good workout in. I don't want Zozo and Sug to think I'm getting fat and lazy. I'll bet I hiked 30 miles that weekend. It was pretty sweet. Although, I think I should have run around a little less. Food Guy mentioned something about getting me my own pack so I can carry my own food and water next time we go hiking. I'm cool with that as long as Food Guy slips a few extra dog bones in that pack.

Well, Food Guy's waking up from his nap. We're gonna watch the Heels finish whooping Ga. Tech. Hope y'all have a great week. Don't work too hard or anything. You know I won't. 

A new semester...

Well, school's back with a vengeance, so that means the Food Guy isn't home as much as he usually is. That means I get to spend a lot of time sleeping, which isn't really all that bad. I usually sleep on the Food Guy's bed or on the couch watching The Ocho while Food Guy's on campus. But once in a while I like to sleep on my dog bed, just to show the Food Guy that I appreciate having one. I like to sleep with my toys spread out around me. Like this:

Food Guy's been back on the bike lately too. That means I don't get to go running as much, but he still takes me running a few days a week, which is really OK with me as long as I get to go on lots of walks. The upside is that we play more frisbee when we don't run as much. I love playing with my frisbee. I can can catch it in the air and everything. Mostly I just like to catch it and then carry it around like this. 

It makes me look like I have giant red dog lips. Pretty funny huh? Anyway, life is good here in Athens. I'm sad that football season's over. I don't really know what to think about the stupid Gators winning another National Championship. I mean, you have to be happy that your conference owns the trophy. You have to happy that we put the Big 12 in their place, but Florida? Florida! Really, I hate them so much. Oh well, next year. I have to say that my favorite part of that game was watching Tebow get a taunting penalty. My favorite blogger over at Hey Jenny Slater said it best: "Taunting your opponent makes the Baby Jesus Cry, Tim. Funny stuff!

Anyway, that's about it from Athens for now. Food Guy's reading lots of books and getting ready to start writing his exams. I'm still looking for more dog food. Things are pretty much as they should be. Well, Go Heels. We'll have to survive on basketball until the Braves get going. Not too sure how that's going to pan out since Frank Wren can't seem to sign anyone decent, but hope does spring eternal. Who knows what can happen with 162 games on the slate. 

New Year's: Cards, Clogged sinks & A Win for the Dawgs

Well, the Food Guy and I got dragged our tired selves back from the ATL today. It was another fun trip- as always. New Year's Eve was pretty fun. We went to Reeve and Corinne's and had a cookout. But first Reeve, Food Guy and I went for a good run at the trails at Sope Creek. No matter how many times Food Guy takes me running there I'm always amazed that we're actually in Atlanta while we're running. That place is awesome. After we finished our run we headed to the house to get ready for the New Year's Eve Festivities. That was an adventure. I was happy to see Java, O-Dog, Maya, and Bella (some of my favorite ATL Dog-peeps). We ran around and played with tennis balls while Food Guy and Reeve sat there still freezing from their run. Reeve & Rin's hot water heater took the Big Ambien, so there was no water or heat in the house while some people were installing a new one. That actually worked out pretty well for me and the rest of the doggies since Reeve and Food Guy decided they would be warmer if they took us back outside for a hike (note to self- sabotaging hot water heaters = more outside time). Anyway, eventually the people decided it was time to start grilling out since it was going to be hours before anyone could take a shower. Let me tell you, the grill smelled so good! Food Guy was grilling these gigantic pork chops that Rin had marinated earlier in the day. I sat there doing my best good dog impression and gave Food Guy my best I'm SO HUNGRY face but he still wouldn't give me a pork chop- someone really needs to talk to him about the no people food thing. I did manage to snag some people food from Rin, but I ended up throwing it up. Not a good thing to do when you're trying to make a case for getting to eat people food once in a while. 

Anyway, after the people ate all their good food, they played this crazy card game. It's called Dirty Clubs. It's kind of like Spades, but the person that loses has to do the forfeit. The forfeit for this game was the famous "PowerNut" which consists of taking 6 hot Krispy Kreme donuts, mashing them together, and eating them like a Big Mac. 

Poor Justin lost. So all the people loaded up in cars and headed to the QT to obtain some donuts. Justin cruised through the first half of his forfeit, but Food Guy said he looked like he was hating it for the last few bites. Hopefully he hasn't gone into a diabetic coma.

New Year's Ended with another plumbing commodity at Reeve and Rin's. Food Guy and Reeve started doing the dishes when the sink decided it didn't want to drain anymore. I tried to tell the Food Guy that this wouldn't have happened if he let me lick all the plates clean, but I interrupted myself by throwing up the food Rin had snuck me earlier. Not too convenient. Anyway Reeve and Food Guy spent most of the day trying to sort out the plumbing issues. They didn't have much luck. 

The first good news of the day was the Dawgs win at the Capital One Bowl. I was pretty happy to watch the boys take care of business and beat the Spartans. I wasn't too happy the my boy AJ Green didn't get to break the 1000 yd receiving mark, but we won. All in all not a bad year considering all the injuries we had this season. Like  I said before, I'm pretty sad that football's over. But I got some pretty sweet christmas presents from Jen, Zozo, and Sug. On our way home, Food Guy and I stopped by to visit them. I got a brand new bone with dead animal still on it and everything. It is so good. I chewed on it for most of the night. Then I played with the Yellow Baby that they gave me until I was so tired I fell asleep. 

All in all it was a pretty good start to 2009. Good times with good friends, a W for my Dawgs and some good presents. 2008 was a pretty good year, but I'll bet 2009 will be even better. 

Holidays

Hey y'all. Food Guy and I have been on the road for what seems like a month straight. I got to stay with Jen, Zozo, and Sug while Food Guy went up to Baltimore to hang with his sister and old school friends. That was a blast. I was so tired by the time the Food Guy picked me up  that I slept for like two whole days. It was pretty sweet. Then, we loaded back up into rolling dog house and headed to Charlotte for Christmas. We had a great time at the lake. Food Guy's niece, Haley, was there and she played chase with me lots. Plus, Food Guy's dad kept slipping me extra dog bones when no one was looking. I told him the Food Guy never feeds me. I think he believes me, so don't tell him any different. 

Wanna know the best thing about it being New Year's Eve? Well, I'll tell ya. No more stupid pants. Now that the year is over, Food Guy doesn't have to wear those stupid Red Leg- Black Leg pants anymore. I really hope he learned his lesson and doesn't make any more bets with Jen. I was pretty happy when I saw him put those pants in the back of the closet. We'll have to keep them around though. You never know when you might need some silly pants for a costume or something. 

Anyway, Food Guy are I are about to load up and head to the ATL for some New Year's Eve festivities. One last hurrah before Food Guy has to get back to work. School is starting back up next week. Boo Hiss! That means Food Guy will be back to spending all of his time reading those silly books and writing papers. 

Hopefully the Dawgs will take care of business and beat the Spartans tomorrow. I'm not sure how much of the game I'll get to see. Food Guy are I are going hiking, and since we're playing in a pretty lame bowl that's during the day we might miss some of it. We'll be sure to catch all the highlights on the Ocho. I can't wait for next football season. It's always sad when football is over. But, that's OK. March Madness is coming and we've got the Heels to occupy us until Baseball season starts. 

Happy New Year, 

The Yellow One

I don't think the Food Guy's ever met a stranger

The Food Guy finally got back from his conference in Florida. I don't know why, but I couldn't go with him. For some reason they don't let dogs go to resorts in Sanibel Island Florida. I'm not complaining though. I had a pretty good week chillin' with my peeps in the ATL. Jen, Zozo, and Sug and I had a big time this week. I was pretty happy to see my food guy when he got back tonight. He had some crazy stories from his trip. I'll tell ya what: Food Guy lives a pretty charmed life and I'd say the kindness of strangers is pretty good thing except I just don't think the Food Guy would call anyone a stranger. 

See, after he dropped me off to stay with my ATL peeps this week, he caught a flight to Ft. Myers Florida for a conference called ARF. You'd think they let dogs go to conference called ARF, but they don't. Anyway, he went down there with no clue how he was going to get to Sanibel Island from the airport. He said he'd, "just sort it out when he got there." That's my Food Guy. He won't go into the woods without a plan and lots of food and stuff, but make him travel around in the city and he just flies by the seat of his pants. Good think he doesn't mind just chatting people up. When he got off the plane, he just started talking to some people. They happened to be from Berry College in good 'ol Rome Ga. Guess what? They were Georgia grads and they were going to the conference, so they were kind enough to let him poach a ride. They even gave him a ride back to the airport today!  Then, check this out. He didn't really know where he was staying. He just figured he'd go the conference and figure it out. One of his friends from school, Amy, had talked to some of her friends who said he could stay with them. Food Guy didn't really know where they were staying but he figured getting to Sanibel was the most important thing to figure out since he had to give a presentation at the conference the next day. Anyway, it turns out that Amy's friends were staying at the conference hotel and after a few hours of hanging around, Food Guy got in touch with them and stayed in a sweet pad on the beach. Check it out:

Not too bad for a food guy who left Georgia in a rain storm without much of an idea of where he was going.  He ended up spending the last couple of days hanging out with some really cool people. He told me he went running on the beach. I think he should give me some extra dog bones for going running without me!

I'm pretty tired from playing with Zozo and Sug all week. Our friend Jen is a top-notch food lady. She even let me go on all the dog walks with Zozo and Sug. That's pretty cool since it meant that she had to walk three doggies at one. That's some serious leash management! 

Well, y'all have a good weekend. I've got to go back to sleep. You know, yellow dogs like to sleep a lot. Plus Zozo has been coaching me on the importance of getting a full 18 hours of sleep in everyday. 

A week with no Dawgs

Hey y'all. I know it's been a long time since my last post. The Food Guy has been hogging the computer lately. He's been frantically trying to get all his papers finished for the semester, so I haven't really been able to get a chance to give y'all an update on what's been going on around here. 

We made a trip home to Mooresville for Thanksgiving. It was a pretty good time. The Food Guy and his Dad went to the airport to pick up Food Guy's brother-in-law who came down for the weekend from Baltimore. They made the obligitory trip to the Waffle House on the way back from the airport. I hear they made some killer hashbrowns there.

 But, you know the sad 'ol story- no people food for me. All in all, it was a good trip. Food Guy's dad gave me lots of dog bones and I got to hang out on the boat some. 

We rushed back to Athens to make it in time for the Ga Tech game. I have to admit I was glad I got to watch that one on TV. Poor Food Guy stood in the rain all day only to watch our Dawgs lose to a bunch of smart kids from the North Avenue Trade School.

 Boo hiss! I mean, really. Losing to Tech! COME ON! I knew the ridiculous penalties and all the missed tackles were bad when we were playing real schools from the SEC, but to lose to an ACC school- and to Tech our arch rival at that! LAME! Seriously, this ain't basketball. You know ACC rules basketball and the SEC rules football. It's that simple. I like it that way too. We can root for our Heels during basketball season with no guilt because SEC basketball is LAME and root for our Dawgs during football season because ACC football sucks. Well, I guess I shouldn't really say that since we lost to Tech, but you know what: Even a blind squirrell will find a nut once every 8 years so as long as we don't make habit of losing to those nerds I'll get over it. Plus, you gotta stick by your boys even when they do something stupid- like lose to a bunch of geeks.

Anyway, the Dawgs don't play again until January, so it's kind of the boring time of year for football. I'll watch some NFL games and some of the boring bowl games, but mostly I'll just have to wait for the few nights a week when the Heels are on TV dominating. Tomorrow should be good though. Bama will hopefully roll all over the stupid Gators. I hope Cody makes a snack out of that hypocrite Tebow and Saban makes Urban Meyer look stupid. For now, all I can say is Roll Tide. Hopefully the Dawgs will right the ship and put on a good show against whatever Sister's of the Blind school we have to play in our bowl game this year. I shouldn't complain though. We finished 9-3. That ain't too shabby really. Tubberville and Phat Phil would still have jobs if they were 9 and 3. But, we'd better come out tackling and playing smart next year!

Well, the Food Guy still has to wear the stupid red-leg black-leg pants until the end of the year. So, I'll try to get his phone and take some pictures of him tomorrow and give y'all an update on what we've been up to.