First and last and always

I’ve been thinking about this guy a lot ever since I saw the sign:

Namely, the fact that this dog has a last name. Is it his owner’s last name? I know some dogs (okay, I don’t know them; I follow them on Twitter) named Matt Power and Jeff Sharlet, and they don’t have the same name as either of their owners. They’re named after two journalists from Vermont, because… well, they’re not my dogs. I have no idea why they’re named after two journalists from Vermont. I’m not sure about Matt, but Jeff Sharlet the dog is a terrible speller. Maybe he has an editor.

I looked to see if Barry Allen the dog could be named after a famous person, and the answer is maybe. The only Barry Allen that I kept finding was the DC comic character The Flash, at least one of the four people who assumed the Flash persona. Maybe this dog has three brothers named after the other three Flashes – Jay Garrick, Wally West and Bart Allen. But then again, Bart Allen is Barry Allen’s grandson so maybe it would be weird if Bart Allen the dog and Barry Allen the dog were brothers. Then again, being someone’s brother and grandson at the same time sounds kind of perfect for a comic book superhero. Superhero comics are really confusing.

So maybe there is this whole family of Flash dogs in Frogtown, and right now they’re missing their second incarnation. Maybe Barry Allen the dog is hiding out using his forensics specialist secret identity, trying to solve a crime.

Or maybe this dog just has the same last name as his owner.

Personals

Benny and I saw this note on a community bulletin board in Joshua Tree this weekend. If I were older and single and living out in Joshua Tree, I might give Mike a call.

Especially if french bulldog pups were included in the deal.

The 36th Chamber of Chien

a/k/a

• Prince Rakeem
• The RZArector
• Bobby Steels
• Ruler Zig-Zag-Zig Allah
• Prince Delight
• Abbott
• Bobby Digital
• Continental Toy Spaniel

 

 

(kind of looks more like ODB to me, but who knows)

Some wonderful, magical animal

I am hoping this dear creature was just confused and made a run for it

and he wasn’t actually stolen from the sanctuary. Also, I am relieved that we decided against ham for Christmas dinner.

Perhaps he’s gone off the deep end

While trying to find out where the phrase “lost your marbles” came from, I found this article on the Oxford Dictionaries blog that ties together lumber, furniture, Virginia Woolf and Nicholson Baker. There are some astounding leaps in the progression of the idiom in the theory being proposed, so astounding that they remind me of the origin of “raspberry” (in lieu of “Bronx Cheer”). So that’s making me figure that the theory must be correct. Slang never makes sense.

Why was I looking up “lost your marbles”? Well…

Neorealism

No, I didn’t post a cartoon this weekend. Benny and I had an unexpectedly busy weekend starting Friday night. I’m still a little grumpy about the whole incident so I don’t want to go into a lot of detail, but it basically started with a strange kitten finding its way into our house, then

then

then

then

(photo not available)

So yeah, we found a kitten and lost her again before we could find her owner or whatever. All this after I had been feeding a vacationing friend’s cat who runs away from me whenever I show up to feed her. Cats hate me now.

Forget cats. I’m only making friends with delinquent monkeys from now on.

I guess I shouldn’t make the assumption that this monkey is a delinquent. Maybe he’s a hardworking monkey who was driven to desperation by circumstances beyond his control.

Hang out with me, monkey. If you don’t run away from me, I promise not to call the authorities about the bicycle.

 

Curb appeal

Directly across the street from this

I noticed this:

Guys, if you lose a dog, you might want to check around here. It seems to be some sort of canine vortex or something. Be sure to watch your step.

Cat on a warm tile roof

If you’re friendly and approachable, you may not have much in common with Maggie the Cat, Milo, but I will still endeavor you to jump off the roof. Jump off it! Cats can jump off roofs and land on their four feet uninjured. Even that wreck Brick says so.

Coming attractions

Churro*.
Named for a Portuguese snack.
French bulldog.
Living in Silver Lake.
What happens
when Churro feels the clash of his cultures
and has to make…
THE FRENCH ESCAPE
?

Rated PG-13 for language and extreme tongue situations.

*Benny learned his name was Churro from the Nextdoor Silver Lake group. Thanks for being there so we don’t have to, Benny.

Anchored Hawkings

You might think that I’m posting this lost cat notice because the cat’s name is unusual. Or because all of the last minute hand-edits with sighting locations indicate the owner has been just one step behind a very wily character. Or that “Please help me find my kitty before moving” is kind of a weird imperative sentence to say to a stranger.

But I’m actually posting it because of something you can’t tell from the photo – the fact that this was taped to the ground. On a driveway into a Chipotle parking lot, to be specific. Maybe it was taped there by the owner in the hopes that Hawkings would see it and feel guilty and come home. An interesting tactic that I haven’t seen before.