Stieg Larsson is amazing.

Good news #13 It has been exactly 2 weeks since I first picked up Rudy from his irresponsible owners. The first night/day I had him all he did was cry, he had no idea what was going on and where his people were. Soon enough he got use to me and my family and started to let his guard down, he is the sweetest and goofiest puppy. A couple came to look at him last sunday in Secaucus and fell in love with him, they are still interested, and if their references are good, they will be adopting him on saturday!

Good news #14 I read the most interesting trilogy since my last post! Stieg Larsson is amazing! I recommend "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", "The Girl Who Played with Fire", and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" to anyone looking for a good read! The entire trilogy is a page turner, leaving you wanting more. I give 5 out of 5 stars for the first two and 4.5 out of 5 for the last one.

Good news #15 I started reading "From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava" written by a Lt Col of the US Marines. So far it is alright, hoping it will get a little better soon. Some of the military terminology is hard to follow, but luckily I have my own 2nd Lt who can answer any questions I have :)

Almost

Good News #10: Devon left on the 7th for 2 weeks of training.. that two weeks is almost up :D He comes home tomorrow! He leaves again in October for 6 months, I have no idea what I'm going to do :/

Good News #11: Parker got adopted by a wonderful couple living in NYC! After saying goodbye to Parker I picked up my new foster puppy Jaden.

Jaden was absolutely adorable, unfortunately (for me) he already had two families interested in him.. however I did tell myself that if we had Jaden for over a week, we would adopt him... two days later I had to drive him to his adoption. He got adopted by a family living in Westwood.

Good News #12: So after Jaden was adopted out I made plans to foster a pup that was being returned... The family got Rudy in december (born late september), they said they started having problems almost right away with Rudy and their 7 year-old. The mother said that Rudy was jealous of her son and the attention the son got from her... So when she left A TWO MONTH OLD PUPPY AND A 7 YEAR-OLD ALONE together she said she would catch Rudy trapping the boy in the corner and would bit him, she said he had marks all over his legs because of the dog.. So now in August they want to return the dog... I was thinking they wanted a puppy and after Rudy was done in his puppy stage they returned him. Turns out the mother left the part of the 7 year-old boy wrestling around with the dog, playing extremely rough, and actually choking the dog... (Rudy is a fragile 24 pound pup, and the 7 year-old is on the larger side) They then said Rudy didn't eat alot and that he was picky so they gave him puppy chow because that is what he liked.. Puppy chow is probably the taco bell of dog foods.. I tried giving him some Iams the following day and he gobbled it right up. I really hate how some people treat their pets. But anyway... pictures will be included in the next post!

Books, Books, Books!

Wow I can't believe my last post was almost a month ago.. I have no idea were time goes anymore. This summer, which is also the last "summer" I will ever have, has gone by so incredibly fast! So I'll start off with some good news, then switch to books I've recently read/reading now.

Good News# 7: Devon's parent's house sold! Their house had been on the market for nearly two years without any serious buyers. I label this under good news because the family really wants to move out of the house, I consider it bad news because they are moving to South Carolina (Devon lives with me, so he'll stay in Jersey). But that means no more getting our families together for holidays (Thanksgiving and Easter mainly) and no visits "just because." South Carolina is a good 13-14 hours away.

Good News #8: Parker finally came out of his shell! He is such a cutie!! He was laying between me and Devon last night on his back and sleeping, snoring away (the french bulldog in him), and having some type of dream where he was eating something haha. Here is a picture of him from last night with his nose tucked under a blanket:

It is really hard to get a good shot of him inside while he is laying, playing, chewing, etc. because he is all black, making the the figure in the picture have very little definition. Here is one of him in the car coming home from Petsmart:

He is the weirdest little dog, but so adorable! He went to the vet today to be neutered- the vet tech person said he was adorable and compact haha.

(Neuter went well, and heart-worm negative!)

Good News #9: I've been able to do so much reading lately, it is amazing! I've finished 3 books within the last month, which is really good for me. i usually never get the time to read, but now while I babysit I get to read while the girl naps.

So I got this idea from a fellow blogger and friend of mine, she rates movies on a scale from 0-5 stars and writes a little about why she rated it that way and a little about the movie. If you have some free time I would highly recommend reading her blog :)

One Flew Over the Cuckcoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. (4.25 stars out of 5) I've seen parts of the movie, but not the entire thing. I figured I would read the book first than get the DVD to watch, if I did it the other way around, I would never read the book because I already knew what would happen... I'm one of those people who can't read a book twice. I just got the movie from the library, so i'll update about my comparison as soon as I watch it! The book was wonderful, detailed and "politically" correct. I'm in the psychology field and have a real idea of how treatment use to be before the mental health movement came into play. The novel focused on the "Chief" and his view of things happening in the hospital. The only thing I was disappointed about was how long it took to get to the climax of the story, and how little the novel stayed with it afterwards. It was like 150 pages to get to the climax, 10 of the climax and 20 to end the novel. I say "climax" because I don't want to give away anything from the novel. If your interested in psychology, I would highly recommend this novel.

Doghead by Morton Ramsland (4.75 out of 5) The best book I've ever read, or at least one of them :) Ramsland has written a few novels and is extremely popular in Sweden and the Netherlands. Doghead is his first novel translated into english. A fictional, yet true to history & could be true story, that contains WWII/nazis + dysfunctional family x's 10 + life lessons. The novel goes through the history of a swedish family from generation to generation, switching back and forth very smoothly. Lots of twists and turns throughout the novel, always keeping you wanting more, such a page turner!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (3 out of 5) Some great lines in this NYT best seller, but it just wasn't for me.

"Who is Achilles without his tendon? Who is samson without Delilah? WHo is Oedipus without his clubfoot? Mute by design, I have been able to study the art of rhetoric unfettered by ego and self-interest, and so I know the answers to these questions. The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles-preferably of his own making- in order to triumph. A hero without a flaw is of no interest to an audience or to the universe, which, after all, is based on conflict and opposition, the irresistible force meeting the unmovable object"

The novel is written from a dog's point of view (one of the reasons I read it) and goes over a heart-wrenching family story. Good life lessons, but only read if your a dog lover, and be ready to cry in the first 2 chapters.

Currently I am reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, have NOT been able to put it down! So far, it is amazing!

Has anyone read anything good lately?? Any recommendations?