There has been word on the street of a heat wave that just swept through the east coast, but I would like to note that this here site did not dwell on that. No, sir, yours truly made a significant step in personal growth by choosing not to focus on the sweltering heat and stifling humidity by griping about it, even though I would have loved waxing poetic on the unfairness of it all. Speaking of which, is it fall yet?
Um, anyway. Needless to say, it was not a hoot continuously sweating from the extreme heat index and the energy consumption of our wall-unit air conditioner. Usually, open windows and the ceiling fan are enough to keep us relatively comfortable, but they were no match for the past few days. Ted had a tough time dealing with the temperatures, and he was dead weight on our walks, even at 6:30 in the morning. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, he dragged his paws, and when he decided that he had had enough, he dropped onto the grass by the sidewalk, not budging another inch unless it was in the direction of home. Westies tend to be lethargic in hot weather, which is just another reason why Ted is a good fit for me, but his energy seemed to replenish as soon as he stepped into the cooler house. He bounced off the walls, running laps, chewing on the old couch, and getting hold of junk mail. Not being able to let him run around outside was clearly detrimental to Ted’s pent-up energy store and our waning sanity reserves.
At a loss for what to do, we finally caved and let Ted play Mario Kart on the Wii.
Okay, not really. We just propped him up with the controller for our own amusement, but look — I think the pictures show Ted’s stages in getting accustomed to the game:
- Investigation
- Concentration
- Expertise
- Triumph!
I have yet to try out Mario Kart on this new system, especially after my disappointing Guitar Hero debut, but my history with the game is less than victorious. I had never played before college, and a bunch of boys took the opportunity to drop me onto the Rainbow Road for my first try and laugh the whole, agonizing way through. I had zero finesse with the joystick thingie for steering, and I went careening off the side of the course constantly. I maintain that it was a low move, not that I am bitter or anything. I don’t think I have played the game since, except the one time I humored our friends’ kids, and even then, I lost! Honestly, I doubt Ted could do much worse than I can. I kind of wish that we could make Ted a Mii, but there aren’t any animal face options in the menu. Get on that, Nintendo!
Get your daily dog dose with Smalls, Kaya, Rufus, Ben, Bailey, Gus, Foxy, and Zapp!
9 comments
Aww, poor Ted! Dogs are too furry to deal with heinous heat like we’ve been having. Also, I was not able to exercise nearly as much restraint as you when it comes to complaining about the weather. Yesterday’s venting session still might not have been enough.
My animals are not tolerating the heat well, either. I’ve caught Henry and Max both doing inappropriate things to the cold, tile floor in the kitchen.
Kudos to you for not complaning about the weather
OMG!!
We should trade Mario Kart numbers and become friends!
That way we can play against each other.
Or maybe Bailey and Ted can race!
That photo series is too adorable!
Also, my previously planned Roommate Week schedule saved me from complaining about the weather, too! Thank goodness!
Hilarious! I love the pictures!
Oh my gosh, favorite Dogarazzi EVER! Ted looks like an excellent driver!
For what it’s worth, I think the steering on Mario Kart Wii is highly intuitive. I was nervous about playing the first time because last time I played the game with a joystick controller I sucked it up big time. But with the steering wheel, I am kicking some serious booty.
Also, if you go to the Check Mii Out channel (or whatever it’s called) I bet you could find a Westie mii that someone with far more creativity and time on their hands has created. It’s amazing what some of those people are able to make out of the human face options available.
And with that, I’ve reached my weekly geek quota.
Except I have to add, having read Julie’s comment, that there should definitely be some exchanging of Mario Kart numbers so we can all race each other. How fun would that be?!
Oh my gosh– there are not many things in this world that are cuter than a dog trying to drive with a disembodied steering wheel. “Triumph!” is my favorite. He seems to be sharing a knowing look with the camera that says “yeah, you knew that I’d rock this game and you were RIGHT!”
These photos are awesome! I love that Ted plays Wii!
Rufus hates being hot. The recent weather has made him one crabby-patty. He much prefers extreme cold with some snow and sleet. Also, a nice sunny and 60 with a slight breeze is a favorite.
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