KONGS AND OTHER TRAGEDIES

In my last post I spoke of heading to Santa Monica to go to Photo L.A. but alas I never made it out the door. As I was getting ready to leave the house, I accidentally stepped down onto one of Lucy The Boxador's favorite toys - her beloved hard rubber Kong - and I promptly rolled my ankle, painfully spraining it in the process. So I've been away from blogging and cavorting for the week, instead I've been taking care of my ankle the tried and true way of R.I.C.E. - rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Although the initial ankle roll had me screaming and writhing on the floor for a few minutes, the sprain has actually been the least painful one of my life. Despite the swelling and turquoise and purple bruising, I'm actually not in any pain. I just can't walk or stand a lot. So I missed Photo L.A. and there's a very good chance I'll miss the Doo Dah parade on Sunday in Pasadena. Although I chalk this up to a freak accident (I didn't see that the Kong was left at the base of the step down into my room), maybe this was just an evil plan by Lucy to keep me home with her. Here are Polaroids of Lucy taking a snooze and using one of her Kongs (not the culprit) as a cozy chin rest.



Who knew that something that looks so innocuous and that Lucy enjoys playing and sleeping with so much could cause so much pain!?! Actually I WISH I had stepped on the red Kong Classic, but instead I stepped on the black Kong EXTREME - billed as the "World's Strongest Rubber Dog Toy...designed to satisfy large, tenacious power chewers."

These shots show that the Kongs are kept close to Lucy at all times. The black Kong is the one that I stepped on, the other Kong is called a Jump'n Jack and it's part of their Dental Line where the rubber ridges help clean the dog's teeth as they chew on the toy trying to get their treat out.







Lucy's not into retrieving balls at all, so when I found that she loved the Kong line of dog toys, I was thrilled to find something that she not only enjoys playing with but that can keep her occupied for ages. Most of the Kong line is designed to stuff food and treats inside. Instead of just giving your dog a treat they will gobble in a split second, they have to work on chewing or rolling or bouncing the toys to get to the food. A third of a slice of American cheese melted into one of the Kongs can take Lucy a half hour to get out! Instead of you simply dolling out treats, Kongs provide your dog with a mental and physical challenge (and treat reward) that keeps them happy and healthy. And a dog that's chewing on their favorite Kong isn't chewing on the furniture or other household items.

Lucy's favorite game is using her paws to bounce the Kong Classic or Kong Extreme around my office until the dog cookies shoved inside start to break up and fall out bit by bit. When she empties it out, she'll drop it by my feet and give me a look that says, "Hey, come on, this needs a filler up!" Anyway, I'm not against Kongs, I'm just against stepping on them. In the future, I'll leave that "fun" to Lucy.

For more info on Kongs go to www.kongcompany.com.

Lucy The Boxador snoozes with her Kong Polaroid by Lydia Marcus

NUTS!

Today I'm attending the funeral of a friend. My ex's Uncle Jay died a few days ago, he was only 49 years old. I met Jay nine years ago and he instantly felt like family. Jay was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when he was just in his early 30's. Jay had severe MS and he took a lot of prescription drugs to stay functional. In many ways, those drugs were worse on his system than the MS but he needed them to be functional. Even though Jay had horrible physical problems and pains related to the MS you would never think of him as a sick person - Jay was ALWAYS the life and fun of any gathering. He was truly a one of a kind person. Jay LOVED to tell jokes and funny stories and whenever you met him it was like someone pulled the string on his back and he just regaled you with tales. Sure some of them I'd heard more than once, but it didn't matter, they were always interesting because he told them with such enthusiasm and gusto. Jay loved cars and that's something that we had in common. Corvettes were his favorite and he owned many of them over the years. His last Vette was a triple black convertible. Jay was such a huge influence on my ex and there are certain things she still says like Jay. I'm pretty impressionable when it comes to phrases and speech patterns, so of course I even picked up Jayisms I still do.

Over the years, Jay had many MS health related problems that landed him in the hospital and in near death condition. I don't mean he was really sick and then snapped out of it, I mean he literally was expected to die and then he'd come out of it and literally cheat death. The first time it happened, I referred to him as the "Energizer Bunny" because he just kept on going. After it happened a few more times, I started calling him the "Cockroach". Whenever there was another hospitalization and everyone thought Jay was a goner I'd think, "No, he's the Cockroach, he'll be okay." Well Jay's body finally gave out. Yes he's gone, but he'll never be forgotten. I think his spirit has reunited with Sue, one of his best friends who also died too early in life. And I think he's still telling some damn good stories. In tribute to Uncle Jay, here are a few photos of him and some Corvette shots.

Serena and Jay in his Calypso Red BMW 750 IL - one of many cars Jay owned over the years.

Serena, Jay and his sister Barbara at the Keno machines at the Orleans in Las Vegas in 2001

Jay and Sue at a Dodger Game in 2000. A typical Jay expression! I can imagine him probably saying NUTS! and doing that face.

Serena, Jay, Me, and Susan at the Gold Coast in Las Vegas in 2003.

Jay and Serena in Las Vegas in 2005.






Me in a Vette at the L.A. Auto Show in 2007

I love you Jay and I'll never forget you.