We have been taking care of my parents’ dogs for almost 2 years now. These dogs are definitely not our dogs, even though I try to bribe them with treats. No matter how many cheese-flavored things I give them, they still ignore me completely when I try to scold them for peeing on the carpet, barking at leaves and acting as if Dan is an intruder. Hello, dogs? He lives here. You’ve seen him every day for the PAST TWO YEARS. Knock it off.

Anyway, the dogs used to have a daily ritual when they lived with my parents. After dinner, my parents would head upstairs to watch TV in the media room. The dogs would race up the stairs, nearly knocking them over in the process, and would patiently wait beside the couch. After everything had been turned on and my parents had sat down, the dogs would joyfully join them on the couch and fall asleep in their laps.

Again, it’s been two years since this ritual has taken place on a regular basis. During the occasional visit, the dogs will venture upstairs with my parents, but for the most part they stay downstairs.

Over the winter break, my sister went upstairs with her dog, which was also visiting. Our dogs acted as though it was the best day of their lives. They raced upstairs alongside her and curled up on the couch. It only happened once or twice, but I took pity on them. They were so happy, even if it was just because of the priviledge of sleeping upstairs instead of downstairs. So, last night I decided to watch TV up there instead of in our room, and I brought the dogs with me.

One dog refused to sleep beside me and curled up on my lap. When I tried to push him to the side, he glared at me. My leg fell asleep from lack of circulation.

The other dog farted. A lot. More than any little dog should fart. I finally sent a text message to Dan, (who was downstairs) to inform him that the dogs smell. His response? “So do my farts.”

Maybe these dogs are ours, after all.

Last year, I decided to post non-resolutions. The stuff I knew I would never be able to change. This year, I’ve decided not to go the lazy route. Ok, I take that back. I’m still going the lazy route. But it’s a lesser lazy route.

I’m only doing one resolution this year.

This resolution has to do with blogging. I go through periods where I have a lot to say and I tend to have a post a day. Sometimes two. But then there are long periods of silence (i.e. Dec 16 thru today) where I don’t post anything. Not even a simple “Merry Christmas” or “don’t worry, I’m not dead” post. There’s lots to talk about, sure. It’s just that I’m talking about it in real life and/or on Facebook.

Which is kinda the same thing, sadly. I spend too much time on that darn Facebook.

So my resolution this year is to post at least once a week. Even if I have nothing important to say, I can always make fun of Dan. I get plenty of  daily material for that.