Something to Think About...

I'm busy today and don't have a lot of time, but I just wanted to put this out there for you to think about...

Dogs do not have shoulders.

Bye for now.

Small Dog Musical Instrument Case Covers

This week on Mabel's Wacky Website of the Week, I'm not so much showing you a weird website, as much as a weird product which happens to be on a website. I know, this is a fairly new feature and I'm already stretching the rules, but back off and give me a break. You'll just have to trust that I'm smart enough to know what I'm doing. If you don't like that reason, then I'll just fall back on my reason for everything weird that I do - I'M VERY OLD.

I live with a musician, and he has guitars sitting around in the living room, which I run into a lot (the guitars, not the living room). The guitars are in cases, to protect them from scratches, dents, or other guitar-related mishaps. By the way, this guy seems to have named his guitars... he calls one "Martin," and the other one is "Taylor." What a nut.

Anyway, the cases seem to be a good idea, because "Martin's" case is pretty scratched up, but "Martin" himself looks pretty good. I can't help but think that if it wasn't for the case making the sacrifice for "Martin," then "Martin" would look like the case, and that would be bad for "Martin." I'm going to dispense with the quotes now.

So, guitar cases are a useful, good thing. But that should be enough, for heaven's sake. Who in their right mind would think that there needs to be a case for a case? Well, apparently some people think that way, because there's a product out there called Small Dog Case Covers, designed to protect the appearance of musical instrument cases.

Naturally, I was somewhat curious about this thing, for a few reasons. One, I happen to be a small dog, and I made a mistake and thought the thing was "Small Dog Cases," and I thought this could be handy in case I need to go anywhere, because I'm old and I have arthritis. Two, again because after all I happen to be a small dog myself, I'm always looking for products to endorse.

But this is absurd. There's nothing wrong with a few scratches on a guitar case - that's a natural, beautiful thing. Just ask Martin. He won't answer you, because he's a guitar. But you get the point.

To make it even more silly, these Case Covers apparently cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $150, which is a few streets over from the neighborhood where I live. But beyond silly, take a look at the site - that supposed "dog" is just plain creepy. He looks like some sort of amphibious, dragon-like creature.

So to all you musicians out there, don't get sucked into the pretension of this product. And to all you small dogs, like me, who live for the day that we might get into a lucrative endorsement contract, this small dog says "no, thank you." (there are the quotes again).


***Addendum, January 30, 2009:

For some reason, this particular post has attracted a number of comments, trying to correct misunderstandings about what exactly Small Dog Case Covers really are. So let me just address those comments...

You people need to relax. This post is almost 4 years old. It was written in an attempt to be funny. Not everyone thinks it's funny, but some people did. Mabel was a dog. Dogs can't read or write, and have no idea what guitars are, let alone guitar case covers. Therein lies the humor. Or no humor, depending on what you think is funny.

Do you have any idea how stupid you look defending a product on a "dog's blog?" If you don't like what was written - then don't read it anymore. Move on with your little lives and forget about it.

Old Age

I'm old. I sleep a lot, my hearing's going, and I have arthritis that's worse some days than others. The past few days have been hard. My nightly walks have been getting slower, and sometimes I can't remember if I even took the walk.

But I can still do my job.

I'm here for one purpose... to make my family feel good. I don't need to run fast, or hear perfectly, or be a puppy to bring a smile to their hearts. I just have to have that special quality I like to call "Mabelness." I have the uncanny ability to just hang around, look up occasionally, and make them laugh. I'm not even sure how I do it, but it's just a thing I have.

No other dog has it.

Someday, my job will be over and maybe another dog will take my place. But for now, even at my advanced age - I've still got it!

Save the WHAT???, Part II

More on the Save the Gonads idea...

Next time you're at a nationally televised sporting event, like the Super Bowl, or the World Series, or the American Kennel Club Dog Show, find that guy with the "John 3:16" sign. Sit next to him, but with your own big sign that says, "SAVE THE GONADS!"

Save the WHAT????

I'm begining a new feature on Mabel's DogBlog. It's called Mabel's Wacky Website of the Week.

Every week, or whenever I get around to it, I'll direct your attention to an interesting, or bizzarre website. The Web is a fascinating place, and I'm always amazed at what actual people actually put out there.

Well, my hope in Mabel's Wacky Website of the Week is to find websites that will make you say, "Wow that's interesting," or "How wonderful that someone cared enough to put that information out there for me," or "Why on earth would anyone think of THAT?" (One interesting example which I've already mentioned is the Mormon Name Generator, which I wrote about in my article entitled "Just Call Me Amberly."

O.K., now for this week's feature. It's called ...

Save The Gonads

I'll bet none of you has ever heard of this site before, and you may think this is a joke, but there's actually a serious, medical purpose for it.

The woman I live with (let's refer to her as "Kelley") is a registered nurse - believe me, if you're going to get a nurse, make sure you get the registered kind. But Kelley isn't just a registered nurse, she's a nurse who works with very small babies in a place called the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, sometimes referred to as the "nicu." (Pronounced "nick you.")

In the Nicu, sometimes babies have to get x-rays and apparently, this is a bad thing for the babies' very small private parts. So, in an effort to avoid private-part damage, this organization has developed very small, heart-shaped lead shields that simply cover the babies' private areas, thus preventing those nasty x-rays from doing any damage. Then, hopefully after at least two decades and a marriage, those babies can become mommies or daddies themselves. Pretty cool.

Of course, I can only speak about private parts from a distant memory, since mine were apparently removed when I was very young. I don't know exactly when they were removed, because now I'm very OLD, and I can't remember very many things. But my family was told that I don't have that kind of equipment anymore, and apparently that's a good thing, because the people I live with said, "that's good."

But I digress. I've talked about lots of things in this edition of Mabel's DogBlog, so perhaps I should review what we've learned...

1. The Web is a wonderful place, but sometimes a little strange;

2. If someone uses the expression "nick you," they might not be talking about shaving. They might be talking about something medical;

3. Private parts should generally be covered, especially when being x-rayed.

That's it!