Sleep

Sleep. How do I love you? A dog's life is marked by long periods of sleep. Perhaps you did not know that dogs total sleep time daily is 21 hours.

Dogs sleep for several reasons. The first, the pure pleasure of sleep's luxury and the excitement of dreams, considered the film of the dog world.

Second, let's be honest. Our loving people leave us all alone for 8-9 hours per day. Sure there's mischievous behavior to indulge, books to read, television to watch, and computers to use (!), but after all one can only remain occupied for so long. So, yes boredom plays its role.

Finally is the cuteness (the awww) factor. While I appear to be napping, Maman et Papa feel compelled to provide treats and play when I "awaken." Poodles have a special advantage: our long hair hides our eye (see photo above) so in fact Maman et Papa can't tell if I'm sleeping or if I'm awake. (see entries about omniscient and darling Santa).

In the end, sleep does play a large part in the life of dogs generally and in mine specifically. Luckily I've been given several different beds, one in each room, plus a cool loft space, my own home, in the bedroom. I hope you too are provided with the proper accoutrements of deeply restorative sleep , with the time necessary to refresh and to reflect on sweet dreams.

Reflections on Christmas from dawn to dusk

Dear Followers,

About Christmas. It never travels far from the Roushanzamir household. It has been a week since the start of 2012 but as you can see the Christmas tree is still up.

Are Maman & Papa merely procrastinating? The horrible truth is that the Christmas trees stay in place all year long. Christmas trees, Christmas lights, Christmas cards, Christmas decorations, Christmas stockings, even Christmas music dominate the decor of all but my own very small loft apartment. The worst of course is that there's one major omission of the Christmas season revelry: No More Gifts.

What are Maman et Papa afraid of? Letting go of the general jollity? Fear that their lives will pale to a tepid gray without the (spurious) sparkle of what, let's face it, are tawdry symbols of a highly solumn if joyous holiday. Perhaps these accourterments symbolize their attempt to bring joy, if not to the world, at least to out household.

Or could it just be that Maman et Papa are indeed procrastinating and that days turn into weeks into years into decades and so come to define the lives of my darling, if eccentric, my very darling Maman et Papa..