Sorry for the angry title, but dude, I am angry. The internet at my house is sloooooooooow, which is annoying considering how many files I upload/download for the business side of Shuttersmack. So we've been trying to solve this problem for awhile now, and we finally upgraded speed through Century Link and had them deliver the modem we were to use in the upgrade. The service was to go live today, so we needed to install the new modem to ensure uninterrupted internet service. So we did that. And by "we," I am of course referring to my poor, overworked husband who worked on this while I dressed up in fancy matching t-shirts with Miss Margaret (above) and went to the Star Trek premier (quick review: It was good, but not nearly as good as the last one).
Then I came home and Jamie was angry. If you have ever met my man, you know he is calm, cool and collected. Angry is barely in his vocabulary. It turns out that the internet broke when the new service was turned on and he installed the new modem. He called customer service and they insist it is a problem with the phone wires in our house and of course nothing was wrong on their end. Even though these same phone wires worked perfectly RIGHT BEFORE THEY FLIPPED THE SWITCH.
Because they are POSITIVE it is a problem on our end, they have to send a technician out to our house, which cannot be done until Saturday afternoon. OMG. I DO NOT HAVE A WORKING SHOWER RIGHT NOW. And now no internet. I am telling you what, I am teetering on the edge of falling down the rabbit hole. Especially considering the amount of emails and work I need to do tomorrow ON THE INTERNET. And yes, I *could* go to a bar or coffee shop, but I have several shoots tomorrow, so my time is precious. And besides that? I'm having to travel to the gym or the office to even shower right now, so the convenience of internet at home in 2013 would sure be nice. Especially considering what we pay for it.
So I will now close the blog and drive back home as I am posting this from a Snap Fitness down the street where I am stealing internet. Hey... I wonder if they have showers in there...
Also, if there is no blog post tomorrow, know that this is the reason and I'm not being lazy. And if you see a Century Link van out in the city today, flip them the bird for me.
Say good morning to the energizer bunny! This kid's level of enthusiasm could power the city of Manhattan! But man, is she cute or what? We take Merlin for walk every morning, but it's pretty short as the old man's hips are giving him fits. We have been walking Magda separately for a bit longer so she'll get in more exercise, but tonight I added a second walk in an effort to wear her out... and I think it worked. We'll see.What she really needs is a good 45 minutes at the dog park -- you should see her run! We have her first vet appointment this weekend, and we'll get her Bordatella vaccine along with her city license so we can take her off to the park for sprinting. I tell you what though, get this girl tired and she is sweet as can be. All snuggles and wimpers and adorableness.On a very fun note, I also had a big shoot today for Purina! One of the agencies that I do work for has them as a client, and I got to spend the morning photographing dogs at work in a pet-friendly agency. You guys -- that was so much fun. Sometimes I get jobs like that and I just have to pinch myself that it's real.
Today was IN.SANE. Sooo much work over at the Star Tribune -- two shoots, one of which I styled and had to go collect/return the clothes for. Then I rushed home and made dinner for a friend while we marveled at the amount of energy a puppy can contain. If only they could harvest this to fix the nation's energy crisis! The photo above is from one of our models today. I wanted to show it to you because she's the same model on 
Oh you guys, today has been so much fun.I picked this little girl up around 10:30 this morning and brought her home for a loooong walk to tire her out before she met Merlin. It took only one block before she was trained not to pull on the leash anymore (smart girl!) and soon she was sitting at each corner and she was a delight to walk.Then I brought her home and she and Merlin played a little in the backyard, before we retired to the basement for work all day (the contractors have the run of the upstairs, and I didn't want this sweet thing getting in their way). Also? You should see how sweet these men are with Merlin.So we played a little fetch and tug-of-war between grading papers and then I made sure she would lay down in her crate and now Jamie's on his way home and I am SO EXCITED for him to get to spend time with this one. She is such a snuggler and loves to curl up and fall asleep against you, snoring and kicking the whole time.As for a name, we are starting with Magda (a nod to her Vizsla, Hungarian heritage), with the realization that Maggie will likely be her nickname. We aren't finalizing anything until the end of the week though when we know her personality a little more. And I know I try to limit the blog to one dog photo a week, but you guys are just going to have to deal with a bunch this week because ohmygodsheissoeffingcute.Also! I posted a set of photos from Palm Springs :) You can see them all 
Alby and I took our long morning walk today alone while Chris and Jamie hung back having a relaxing Sunday with the newspaper. One of the many reasons I love these walks with Alby is that he serves as both a tour guide showing me all the homes of the stars, but also because since he has a "photo a day" journal, he always takes me to spots that will provide interesting images. We've been averaging 5 miles each morning, and it's such a great way to start the day... especially since it's about the ONLY thing we did!Alby took me over to this really cool middle school (mid-century modern with outdoor "halls") and I took this shot of him while he was snapping away to get his own daily photo. Later we met up with some old friends from LA who were also in Palm Springs for the weekend, and then lounged by the pool before heading to the airport.Overall it was a truly wonderful and relaxing vacation, and we are so fortunate to have Chris and Alby as friends -- there aren't that many people you can spend 3 full days with and leave so happy. But we're also excited to get home and see Merlin again as well. Even if it is still a touch cold in Minnesota...Tomorrow, I will post a full photo set from the trip ... and I'll pick up OUR NEW PUPPY. Eeep!
I have to give credit for this shot to Alby, who noticed the reflection while we were sipping cocktails by the pool this evening, waiting for our dinner to finish marinating. I agreed that it was lovely, and ran inside to grab my camera.Today it hit 104, but I'm not gonna lie, it really wasn't too bad. As long as you were in the pool, all was just fine. So today consisted of another 5-mile morning walk (it's essential to leave before 7 am to beat the heat) followed by delicious breakfast, lounging by the pool, reading magazines, grabbing snacks, lounging by the pool some more and evenually heading out for a little shopping before returning home for... wait for it... lounging by the pool and cooking dinner.I have this habit of planning vacations where I explore and learn and shop and eat and stay very busy. This vacation right here? This is just what I needed.
Today we woke up, ate fresh-baked croissants, went for a five mile walk, got coffee, walked home and ate more food (scrambled eggs and salsa), laid by the pool, ate lunch, napped, laid by the pool, swam a little, laid by the pool, showered, napped, met friends for drinks, played with dogs, went out for dinner and laid by the pool. Do you see a theme here? You guys, the vacation is wonderful. All that working hard? It's paying off right now.
