Mishmash 01.21.2012

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Happiness depends upon ourselves.

~~ Aristotle, Greek Philosopher and Polymath, a Student of Plato and a Teacher of Alexander the Great,
384 BC – 222 BC

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The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

~~ Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, last of the “Five Good Emperors” and also considered one of the most important Stoic Philosophers, 121 AD – 180 AD

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The Golden Globes may have overlooked me [their loss!] but the awards that really count did not. The awards pawed out by fellow bloggers are the most meaningful and prestigious awards one can receive. The Oscars and Golden Globes pale in comparison. [But don't get me wrong Oscar Committee and Golden Globes Committee, I would still be very honored with an award from either of your organizations. I would even devote an entire post to you if you awarded me. Just sayin'...]

I am very humbled to have recently been presented with a fabulous award, the Liebster Award. “Liebster” means “dearest” in German, and the Liebster Award is meant to recognize up-and-coming bloggers, with less than 200 followers, to help them receive the attention they deserve. So, attention, come and get me! The Liebster Award was given to me by my very sweet, fun-loving, adorable, and funny friend from Montana, by way of Ireland, Scrappy! Thank you, Scrappy, for so kindly bestowing this lovely tribute to me. I am very honored to receive such a pawsome award and I appreciate your recognition.

In accepting the Liebster Award the recipient, that would be moi, agrees to the following:

1. Thank the person who honored you with the Liebster Award and link back to their blog. Done!
2. Copy and paste the Award to your blog. Done!
3. Choose five blogs that you enjoy, who have less than 200 followers, to receive the Liebster Award. Make sure to leave a comment on their blog so they know they have been presented with this fabulous Award! Not done.

You see, I am a rebel, as any respectable Alpha Male should be. I don't follow the rules, I make them. And although I gladly accept the Liebster Award and do not mean any disrespect to it, I just cannot follow Rule 3. I have too many amazing, cool, great, and deserving friends to just pick five. All my friends rock!

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

Annibale Carracci, The Choice of Heracles, circa 1596 (Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy)

Dosso Dossi, Circe (or Melissa), circa approx. 1530 (Galleria Borghese, Rome, Italy)

Back to me...

As you may recall, in my previous post I prayed to both Ullr and Khione to please bring me some snow. Guess what? They did! They answered my prayers, and rather quickly too! Thank you Ullr and Khione!

No way.

Snow! My snow has finally arrived!

Bliss.

Although I am very grateful my snow prayers were answered, I was a bit disappointed that so little snow came my way, and that it was gone just a few hours after it arrived. Two days later, I was napping in the warm sun, the snowfall a distant memory.

'Tis better to have had snow and lost it, than never to have had snow at all.

But, the best was yet to come. Courtesy of my dear, sweet friend Kika, I now live in snow forever - in cyberspace. Kika and her wonderfully creative mom, Grace, made this amazing gift for me:

Hey yummy bunny, hop on over! It is nice and warm in here in my tummy...I mean cave.

Snow forever and a yummy bunny to eat admire, forever. Life as it should be. Sometimes I feel so blessed! Muito obrigada Kika and Grace.

Thinking ahead, or rather, preparing for the inevitable, I will require a date for when I win an Oscar and a Golden Globe. I think Gerald Butler's dog would make a smashing date. Although she is rather small, just a little Pug, she is very cute. And, as I have discovered from my pawsome Pug blog friends Little Janey Austin and Tweedles, Pugs are smart and lots of fun. So, Gerald Butler's Pug and I would have a great time at the award shows! Of course, my human, K, would be my chaperone. And she had no input into my decision to attend with Gerald Butler's dog. None at all. *cough *cough I'm just sayin'...

Severe Snow Withdrawal

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Being a man, ne'er ask the gods for a life set free from grief, but ask for courage that endureth long.

~~ Menander of Athens, Greek Dramatist and best known representative of Athenian New Comedy, 342 BC – 292 BC

I wish I might a rose-bud grow
And thou wouldst cull me from the bower.
To place me on that breast of snow
Where I should bloom a wintry flower.
- [Roses]

~~ Dionysius of Chalcus, Greek (Athenian) Poet and Orator, fl. c. 444 BC

I am a snowaholic. There, I woofed it. I am a snowaholic. I am addicted to snow. And this Winter I have only had a slight dusting of snow which lasted approximately 30 minutes. To a Malamute, snow is the number one thing in our lives. That is just the way it is. We were born and breed to be snow dogs, and a Malamute without snow is like my human, K, without chocolate orangutans without primary and old secondary forests. In other words, not a life we were meant to live. Hence, I am going through Severe Snow Withdrawal. I am lethargic, somewhat sad, not eating much, and confused as to how Winter can be snowless.

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I don't see any snow Suka, but I don't mind. This weather is great!

Silvius, you just don't understand. I need snow.

*sigh...

In mid-July we started seeing huge fluffy caterpillars, a sign that a cold Winter was looming. So, where is the snow? Caterpillars don’t lie.

Hey Mr. Caterpillar, where is the snow?

Did I woof something wrong?

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

French School, Leaving for the Hunt, woollen tapestry, circa 16th Century (Musée National du Moyen Âge, Thermes et Hôtel de Cluny, Paris, France)

Guido Reni, Aurora, ceiling fresco, circa 1613 (Casino Rospigliosi Pallavicini, Rome, Italy)

Back to me...

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Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray to Ullr and Khione to please please please let there be snow in the morning. Amen.

I am so excited! I hope there is snow!

Where's the snow?

Where's the snow?

Where's the snow?

O snow, snow, wherefore art thou snow?

Perhaps some duck jerky might help.

The only known cure for Severe Snow Withdrawal is snow. So, without snow, I fear my symptoms will get worse. A snowless Suka is a sad Suka. Don't worry, I normally don't woof in the third person. Suka's just sayin'...

Time For Some 2012! Happy New Year!!

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Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.

~~ Seneca, Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Dramatist, and in one work Humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin Literature, 4 BC – 65 AD

The beginning is the most important part of the work.

~~ Plato, Classical Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Writer of Philosophical Dialogues, and Founder of the Academy in Athens (the first institution of higher learning in the Western World), 424/423 BC – 348/347 BC

Before beginning, prepare carefully.

~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman Philosopher, Statements, Lawyer, Orator, Political Theorist, and Roman Constitutionalist, 106 BC – 43 BC

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May each and every one of you - humans and animals - have a super great 2012! Cheers to new beginnings and a year with fantastic potential! Let's see 2012 usher in a World of beauty, honesty, integrity, love, and peace.

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Well, what do we have here?

A sweet, delicate scent of melon, peach, apple and grapefruit. Probably from the Piedmont area of Italy, most likely late 1990s. My nose knows!

Grrrrr...Sorry Porgy but I am going to have to put my paw down. This is all mine!

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

Georg Flegel, Still Life With A Parrot, circa Unknown [perhaps early 1600s] (Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany)

Annibale Carracci, The Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne, circa 1597 (Palazzo Farnese, Rome, Italy)

Back to me...

Woah! I only had one bowl. This stuff is strong!

What time is it? Is it 2012 yet?

No I didn't.

I am sorry I growled at Porgy and I am sorry I drank the entire bottle of champagne myself. Even though I don't think I did.

It is time for 2012! The year 2011 turned out to be a not-so-good year, and my human, K, and I are very happy to see it leave. Bye-bye 2011! Please don’t come back. There were a few good things that came out of 2011, like all the super new friends we made on the blog-o-sphere and the continued blossoming of friendships we already had. My blog friends are the best! And on a personal side, there were some good things that occurred in K’s life, and mine. But overall, 2011 was not a year we will look back on fondly. So, it is definitely time for some 2012!

In 2012 let's see a World of infinite possibilities open up – of amazing inventions and strides in intelligence and education that will create a civilization of breathtaking art, wondrous architecture, beauty in all things, creativity unleashed (hey...why can't I be unleashed?), and intellectual stimulation to challenge us to be the best we can be. Let 2012 bring us a World where beauty, honesty, truthfulness, grace, and integrity are once again admired and striven for by all. So, 2012, Welcome! And if you turn out to be just like 2011, or worse, you will have to answer to me. I’m just sayin’