Has everybody taken their sunbath today?

Sid, the self-proclaimed “King of Sunbathing”, insists that a daily sunbath is essential to living the complete pug life of leisure (only eating/acquiring treats is more important). He firmly abides by the motto: “Why snore in the shadows, when you can lounge in the light?” I guess I agree with his philosophy – although my fair skin doesn’t handle direct sun exposure very well. I do love the warming effect though, especially since this Midwestern Spring keeps coming and going!

P.S. I also wanted to post a picture of some lovely pink rhododendron flowers I saw over the weekend at the Garfield Park Conservatory (sorry, Sid, pugs were not allowed). These flowers reminded me of Sid’s good pal, Payton the pug, and I’d like to dedicate them to her memory. We miss you, Payton!

Sid’s been the center of attention since his b-day earlier this month, and amid all the craziness of 1000 Pugs weekend, he also had two special non-pug (i.e. human) visitors.

It was Payton‘s ‘rents, Tim and Christy! They were in NYC for the last leg of their multi-city Remembering Payton tour and the NY/NJ 1000 Pugs photo shoot.

As soon as T & C set foot into PugSlope HQ, Sid knew he was in for a treat. Especially when he noticed the bright-colored gift bag Christy was toting. Like most of his flat-faced bretheren, Sid assumes that any bag or box that enters his domain (our apartment) is undeniably his. This time, he was actually right.

If I get close enough, I think I can see through the wrapping paper.

The first gift was a plush IntelliBone which is one of those puzzle-type toys that Sid goes ga-ga over. Plus every little component has a sqeaker inside so his mind was definitely blown.

It didn’t take Sid very long to pull all the plush donuts off the center bone, at which point he decided to show off by coyly using the bone as a head-rest. Yes, we are now justified when referring to him as a bonehead. Wah-wah.

This is how we store our bones on Planet Cool Sid.

Of course, we couldn’t just let him sit there all smug with his little peanut head resting on that bone. So we put the donuts back on. And he took them off again and proceeded to perch his head, victorious, on the bone again. After repeating this process a few more times, Sid was losing steam. By the end of night he just laid there like this:

Every five seconds or so, he’d gently squeeze the bone, just to confirm it was still there in his mouth and that he wasn’t dreaming.

But the excitement wasn’t over just yet. Another package was pulled from the bag. Inside was a framed photo of the fabulous Miss P herself along with a very special confidence shirt.

This shirt is actually the one that Payton is wearing in the photo. We were all moved by this very thoughtful gift (even Sid blushed – though he’ll never admit it) and were so glad we got to spend some time with such a great couple.

I recently finished up another batch of pug portraits featuring Mochi, Macho, and Marshmallow, and then realized that I never posted the three portraits I did earlier this year of miss Payton.

Jenn and I got to meet Payton (and her parents) this past Christmas and we hope to meet Mochi, Macho, and Marshmallow (and their mom) at the 1000 Pugs photo shoot in NYC this fall.

Here’s the “M3” gang from New York:

Mochi (in her “Jack Sparrow” halloween costume)

Macho

Marshmallow (who is a very rare WHITE pug)

Here are the portraits I made of the incredible Payton, who crossed over the rainbow bridge in April of this year. We still miss her very much.

Okay, guys, so yesterday’s special post was all about how cool I am, and I think we all agree that I am indeed very cool.  But, just in case there’s still any doubters out there, here’s one more photo of me being cool:

ICE COLD

Today’s favorite posts are all about something ELSE that’s cool, and the cool thing that I’m referring to is TUPPERWARE.

First, we have OPERATION TUPPERWARE, or, as I like to call it, OPERATION SID’S NOT STUPID.  My parents think they’re all slick because they set up a secret camera to spy on me when they leave the house, but little do they know that I’M TOTALLY AWARE OF THE CAMERA because in addition to being cool, I’m also always around and I can totally see what they’re doing and hear what they’re talking about, so, DUH, of course I know I’m being filmed.  DUHHHH!  And like some stupid camera is going to stop me from checking out the Tupperware shelf.  COME ON!

I mean, normally when they’re filming me, they WANT me to do something awesome like herd the Tupperware.  Like, in this post, when I scaled the Tupperware shelves like a sherpa. (Did you know that a sherpa isn’t just a bag/house for traveling dogs, but also a person who helps rich and/or adventurous humans climb mountains?  IT’S TRUE!)  They don’t even try to stop me from climbing the shelves in this video, which means they totally approve of everything I ever do, EVER!

And then we have this awesome post in which I use my renegade skills for the good of society, monitoring the Tupperware stash for my oh-so-busy parents.  I picked this post because there’s something else super special about it – not to get all mushy-mushy-goo-goo, but it’s the very first time my good friend Payton commented on my blog, and Payton was up there with Tupperware in terms of coolness.  For real.

Sid and Payton in Chicago, December 2011

What a sad day.  Payton, you little ball of inspiration and determination and perseverance and love, we’re honored to have gotten to know you through your amazing blog and to have had the opportunity to spend time with you in Chicago, and our thoughts today are with your wonderful, loving and supportive family.  You were a tough cookie, a spunky little sweetheart, Sid’s feisty older lady, and the embodiment of the pug motto “multum in parvo.” You are already missed.

*****

Please visit Payton’s blog, Pugnacious P, to read more about her experiences with PDE and to share your support with Payton’s family.

Okay, Sid, we get it.*  You LOVE potatoes, you LOVE your new gigantic duck, you LOVE using unconventional items as bolsters, and you LOVED hanging out with Payton.  Now stop being so absurdly cute so your dad and I can get some work done!

*I swear on the integrity of this blog that we humans played no part in arranging the toys in this photo.  This was all Sid’s doing.  

Well, like I mentioned in a previous post, not only did we get to hang out with my family over Christmas, we also finally got the opportunity to meet up with another pug blogger and her family. Yep, we got to meet “Pugnacious P” herself – Payton!

After some initial meet-n-greet circle-n-sniff (by the pugs of course – the humans shook hands), Payton’s dad brought out a bag of dried apple treats, immediately gaining the undivided attention of the flat-faced two-some.

Even though the treat is out of the frame, its location is pretty obvious to gauge. Just follow the intense stares emanating from Sid and Payton. Sid had never eaten dried apples before but that didn’t stop him from immediately bowing down to the unknown-but-sure-to-be-tasty enigma (as he often does with anything in a bag).

Still, the treats were held captive by the humans. While Payton chose to do the aloof  “I don’t care about that stupid treat” reverse-psychology technique, Sid went even deeper down, into a Full Jimmy. This pug wanted one of those delicious dried apple treats – and he wanted it NOW.

And finally the treats started flowing!

Payton’s dad was lucky he didn’t lose a finger in the nosh-fest that followed.

Oh, and not only did Payton’s family bring treats, they also brought a present for Sid. Without even being told about it, he dug the wrapped present out of their tote bag and started tearing into it while we weren’t looking – c’mon, Sid, really? We need to work on those manners, dude.

While Sid paraded around the living room squalking his giant plush duck, we sat down with Payton and her parents, ate a little pizza and talked shop – pug shop. Among other interesting stories, we found out Payton’s name comes from running back Walter Payton of Chicago Bears (aka “Da Bearce”) fame. I’m not really a huge football fan, but I certainly was in 1985 and can recite the entire Superbowl Shuffle verbatim at the drop of a hat (don’t make me do it!).

After the pizza and pug-talk, we moved over to the living room for a shot of the whole gang.

 Thank you to Payton and her family for meeting up with us and for the gifts. We hope to hang with you guys again the next time we’re in Chicago!