Gossip Friday - January 16th 2009

It's that time of the week. Forget T.G.I.F., it's Gossip Friday! Let's get started.

If I would like to do a shout out for "Hotel for Dogs" as this movie is opening today and even though I cannot see it in the theaters because even in NYC they do not encourage dogs to go to movies. Anyway, a certain amount of proceeds will go to animal shelters so I encourage you to go see this movie. A bunch of cute dogs will cheer you up! Better than whiskey and drugs!

Whoa boy! Boy George just got sentence to 15 months in prison for keeping a "male visitor" held captive in his home. I don't understand the judges in London. Boy George gets 15 months in prison for playing rough but Pete Doughtery and Amy Wino do drugs openly and get to cavort around town and the Caribbean? Strange town, Londontown. Anyway I have a picture here of Boy George and I think no one will be bothering him in prison as he has become unrecognizable and bit on the fuggly side.

Strange Human Celebrity Baby Name Update: I think I can do this every week. Well, here is the updated list:

- Ben and Jen Affleck named their second daughter and I was a little surprised as I thought it would be a flower name. Well, they did give their daughter a flower middle name, however her full name is Seraphim Rose Elizabeth Affleck. It's not a crazy name but it isn't normal either.
- English Adventurer Bear Grylls just named his newborn son Huckleberry Edward Jocelyne Grylls. Not only does he get the name Huckleberry he also gets a girly sounding Jocelyne. Bear also has two other sons; Marmaduke and Jesse however Bear thinks when they are older and he yells. "Huck, Duke and Jesse!" it will sound more manly.
-Charlotte Church just had her second child and his name is "Dexter", not bad but quite nerdy. I guess if he is called "Dex" he will avoid getting beat up on a daily basis in the school yard. It's kind of how my mother calls me "PP" at the dog run so the other dogs don't use me like a chew toy.

One other bit of news that relates to a child's name. Remember the child that was named after "Adolf Hitler"? Well, he was taken away by Child Services. Actually all their children were taken away. I don't know if it was the weird names that made them lose their children but you know how strongly the PPP felt about this. Those parents were obviously not in their right mind. Hopefully the children will be given more proper names and have a chance at a normal life.

And now we are going to get away from gossip and go to news. Yesterday as many of you know a plane went down in the Hudson River. However the pilot and co-pilot were able to make as safe landing as you could under the circumstances and all crew and passengers survived and without major injuries. So I am going to salute not only Capt. Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III, his co-pilot, crew and all the city workers who came but also NY Waterways as these water taxis were the first to arrive and start rescuing passengers. And here I thought they were just an expensive water ferry! They have proven themselves invaluable to New York and even though I am not allowed on the water taxis I salute them.

Well, although all days feel like a Friday to me, I am off to relax and take as long of walk as I can bark my mother into giving me on this very cold winter day! Chow for now!

I wish this was my problem...

There is one problem I can honestly say I do not have in my life and that is that I am definitely not overfed. My mom is very strict on my two containers of Cesar's Dog Food and a few measly treats I get every day. So when I see a story like this I start drooling.

Meet Patch. Patch is obese. Patch is actually extremely obese for he is so fat he cannot even walk. Patch has to be transported around in a harness. Patch was brought to a shelter after his owner passed away. Patch is 62 pounds which is twice the weight he should be. You could say Patch would make the ideal dog for more than half of the Americans who are now officially considered obese. Because of his weight Patch is now considered high risk for all sorts of diseases and organ failure. As the shelter now works with getting Patch's weight down they now have to be careful because if he loses weight too quickly he is in jeopardy of going into organ failure.

Now I think Patch's previous owner probably thought Patch's weight was cute and being overly fed was really their way of saying he is overly loved. However just like humans, we dogs (actually all pets) need the care that all beings deserve. We need a good balanced diet, plenty of daily exercise, checkups and good hygiene. It really is unfair to not provide these necessities to your pet.

So maybe as much as I would love to overeat, my mommy is right in providing me with just the right amount of food and daily exercise, love and B-A-T-H-S (yeah she thinks I don't know what she is saying when she spells those letters out to me). I love to run fast and I would never want to be carried around in a harness so thanks Mom!

Today on the PPP we are very sad to announce the death of Ricardo Montalban. My mommy is very sad upon hearing of his death as when she was a little girl every Saturday night she would watch "The Love Boat" and then "Fantasy Island". So she is sad to hear that Mr. Rourke is now in the "Fantasy Island" in the sky. I myself just love saying the name "Ricardo" with a Spanish accent. "Hello, my name is Ricardo Powder Puff de la Rivera". Umm, on second thought I sound like a chihuahua.

My last news today is that a few days ago my mom and I saw an article about "the best job in the world". Australia is offering one person to live on an island on the outer reef for six months to take care of the island and write a blog and perform other minor chores. Mom and I thought we should apply for this job as it is perfect for the PPP. Between my mom's scuba skills and my writing blog skills, we should be a shoe-in. However just about every news agency, blog, Internet site has picked up this story so there must be millions of people now applying for this job. However we will still apply as I can just visualize myself running on the beach next to my mom and describing my adventures to all. So wish me luck and any tips on making my application unique and strong I will appreciate greatly. Well, mom and me are out of food, it's just like the nursery rhyme, we have empty cupboards, so we are going to do some food shopping on this cold, winter, snowy day and dream of warm Australian waters. Chow for now!

Watch out Mom! You may be going to jail!

Yesterday's post was about doggie winter fashions, however today's post is about "over" dressing your pet. In England, the RSPCA (the equivalent of our ASPCA) is threatening legal action against dog owners who over dress their dogs. Officials claim that putting on items such as boots, all-in-one trousers and hoodies, could be harmful to dogs and lead to prosecution for owners if they feel an animal's welfare is at risk.

Now I am a little torn about this as I know my mother loves to dress me up. To be fair to her, she only dresses me up during the winter in coats and sweaters so I don't get cold. She also dresses me up on Halloween, Talk like a Pirate Day (Sept 17th) and Christmas. Granted when she puts costumes on me I really don't know what to do with myself and I end up feeling quite frozen and stiff. My last Halloween costume I was dressed as "Jack Sparrow" from Pirates of the Caribbean. The outfit was very elaborate and it even had a pirate's hat that came with dread locks and beads. I must admit I did look quite spiffy and swashbuckling for a dog and I did bring a lot of joy to every one who befriended me that day. My mom knows that when she over dresses me that I lose some of my spirit so she does keep it at a minimum.

When it comes to warm weather I am always naked, just my harness and collar are my wardrobe. However there are some people that over accessorize their dogs EVERYDAY! They have their dogs in hats, tiara's, costumes, matching outfits, booties everyday. In England, Dorset RSPCA spokeswoman Jo Barr said: 'Dog owners should be aware that under the Animal Welfare Act that came into force in April 2007 they have a duty of care to ensure that all of their pets' needs are met. They want to discourage restrictive clothing and people treating their pets like accessories. I am all for that but I would hope it can be done with social awareness and no one has to be prosecuted because for many people their dogs are their children and that is why they tend to anthromorphized their pets (the attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to nonhuman organisms or inanimate objects).

People who treat their dogs like handbags or extensions of their outfits are what get my dog temper up. I feel sorry when I walk down the street with my mother and I see these dogs because they look really miserable and uncomfortable. Hopefully if my mother starts veering in that direction, our family and friends would put her in her place and give her a reality check. But for now I am happy with my snazzy outfits so I say, "Keep it coming"! Chow for now!

Winter Doggie Fashion

I was going to write an article on Spring 2009 doggie fashion like the editors of fashion magazines but it is sooo cold out I am going to continue writing about winter fashion until it a little bit warmer. So for some "wear now" fashion advice I have the following:

Dog Booties! ruffwear.com sells these winter booties for dog's paws. I know you may snicker at a dog with booties (as we walk like we are in Hitler's SS Army with them on) but the salt sprinkled on the ground hurt our paws so this really helps.

Doggie Pet Balm: Just in case you do get some salt on your paws there is a balm you can use, Woof Fur and Pet Balm from surburbandoghouse.com, this product helps protect your pet's paws and it's also organic so it's okay if your pet licks their paws afterwards.

Doggie Fashion Coat: Which leads me to the fashionable coats that we doggies can wear this season. There are very feminine coats for the bitches and some very masculine coats for us little terrors. Petoga.com offers a full collection of all types of coats and dog products. Sure, they cost almost as much as your coat but really let's be truthful here. When we are walking down the street together, who is looking at who? I don't see anyone saying how cute you are. I see them pointing to me and exclaiming how cute my outfits are. I think that is money well spent!

Doggie Toys for the Inside: My Uncle Adrian was just telling my mom this is a toy that I need (hint, hint!!). It's a toy for the inside with treats inside of it. Now anyone who knows me knows I don't like to play with toys, that was more Q-Ball's deal. But if you put a treat in it that I can get to, then that's the toy for me and it will help me wile away the hours of winter as my walks are much shorter with the cold weather. Orbee the Tuff Ball is exactly what I need. Now hop to it mom! You can get it at lucy-the-dog.com

Now for the big news! My mother always knew that when she started her jewelry line that she would eventually make some doggie jewelry that looks like her human jewelry. She is now making a dog collar for my Cousin Coco Puff for his birthday and then she is going to make me a collar too (my birthday is coming soon in April). So hopefully we will have a doggie jewelry collection in a few months. I am hoping to be a muse for my mother and I know she had lots of ideas for pieces she wanted for Q-Ball so it's going to be a great line. When we get some pieces done, we will show them on the PPP. In the meantime you can check out my mom's site, nrjewelry.com

Well, that's it for now. We are going to have a short walk now (it's cold outside). Mommy has been very busy today so I must be off. Chow for now!

Good News Sunday

Since I was feeling a little of the winter blahs yesterday, I promised you I would cheer up today and give you chipper news.

Today we woke up to sunshine and since we had all the windows opened last night our apartment was just bearable (we are still walking around in our undies). Mom left me to go with Uncle Adrian for brunch and then they went to the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design. She thought the museum was free on the Sundays for January but it actually was pay as you wish which was OK with her. They saw an exhibition of drawing room watercolors from the last three centuries, Chinese housing and children's wall paper. They found out the Cooper Hewitt is going to be re-designed (sponsored by Apple). She and Uncle Adrian thought it is about time as the building looks more like it should house armory instead of design objects. Whilst looking through the galleries, Uncle Adrian came up with a new look for me. I don't know if I'm feeling it. What do you think?

Uncle Adrian came back and played with me for awhile which was fun. While they were gone I looked for nice happy events and news that happened this past week and they were:

We finally have that car that flies, you know just like in "The Jetsons"! The Terrafugia Transition, a car that can transform into a plane takes it first flight next month. If it works out, we can expect to see it in showrooms in about 18 months. I say it's about time!! Then again, the closest me and mom have to any vehicle of transportation is a shopping cart.

This past Tuesday was The Feast of the Epiphany which in many Catholic orthodox churches is the real day of Christmas. Check out the Bulgarian men bathing together to celebrate the holiday. Christmas is a very metrosexual holiday in Bulgaria.

Cristiano Ronaldo, famous UK football star wrecked his expensive Ferrari in a tunnel. Why is this good news? Well, Cristiano and his eyebrows escaped any harm and he was able to drive in an expensive Bentley the very next day.

Button the Dalmatian gave birth to 18 pups all at once! Michelle Duggar may be the mother of 18 but she did not do it all at once like Button :) Anyway, Button now holds the record for most pups born in one birth in the UK. However she has to get at it again if she is going to beat the world record as the record is 24 pups. I wonder how many pups I would have been the proud daddy of if my mommy had not had me snipped?

And due to some very chilly weather in Europe lately, the canals in Amsterdam froze over so a good chunk of the country have been playing hooky and skating the canals. That's like us skating down the Hudson or East River! I tried looking for doggy ice skates but could not find any so I leave you with this cartoon. Have a great relaxing Sunday! Chow for now!

I've Got the Blahs :(

Hey there! Well, the title of my post pretty much says it all. I've got me a major case of the winter blahs today. It's cold and gray outside. Snow and sleet are just starting to fall so I can't get a nice, long walk in the park like I did yesterday so to add to the blahs I will develop an acute case of small apartment fever.

Whereas a few weeks ago we had no heat in our apartment, for the last twenty-four hours we have had too much heat. It comes from the pipes so it looks like a sauna here. Even with the windows open we have had to strip to our bare undies (I am actually going naked, even the undies are too much). Mom has been trying to make sure I am dehydrated as I can't seem to stop panting. We had a sleepless night last night as we both just tossed and turned all night. I even became delirious and starting barking for no reason in the middle of the night. My mommy was not happy with that as she had taken some Valerian Root to help her get to sleep and apparently my barking made it wear off and leave her with a headache. She was acting a little weird last night and Googling, "How to become a nun" and "Can a nun have a pet?" Apparently a nun takes not only a vow of chastity but a vow of poverty so she is not given money to support a pet (interesting enough a priest does not have to take a vow of poverty). She also found out that while studying to become a nun (a novice), novices must pay for their own health insurance and bring a dowry to the church. So it is actually expensive to become a nun! After she read this she cursed the Catholic church out (incidentally we have been going to the Episcopal church now for over fifteen years) and we both agreed that they are a greedy institution and no wonder women don't want to become nuns anymore. Even if they did want to become a nun chances are they couldn't afford it. Mom had the Midol bottle also on the nightstand so maybe this explains her behavior and weird Googlings lately? I hope so!! Anyway, looks like I won't have to be a convent pet. I am sure they would have used me in Christmas paegeants as the "holy lamb of god" as with this short haircut I do bear a striking resemblance to little lambs.

So I would recommend no one come visit us today as we live in a Swedish Sauna and are a little bit grouchy from lack of sleep and exercise. If it wasn't for this post I wouldn't know what to do with myself today. I think mommy is going to go to yoga later in the afternoon (at least SHE will get out of the house). We decided to have a nice quiet day without television and not much time on the Internet so we can get the buzzing noises out of our heads. We might as well be in a hot mud hut in Indian doing a silent meditation.

Tomorrow my Uncle Adrian is coming over (Yeah!!) as he and my mom will go to brunch and then the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design as the museum is providing free admissions every Sunday in January. This museum has an expensive admissions fee so they are jazzed to get in free (as you can see I am trying to bring back "jazzed"). So if you are looking for something to do on a Sunday in New York, I recommend the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design. Here is the link for current exhibitions:

http://www.cooperhewitt.org/EXHIBITIONS/

See, even on a blah day The Powder Puffington Post can be useful.

I promise you I will be much more chipper tomorrow and actually have a topic to write about besides my blah feelings. I can't help but be a dog of depth. So I hope you are having a happier Saturday than we are. As you can see from my pictures, I am in quite a lackadaisical mood right now. Who knows, we might end it in a more chipper mood? Maybe I can talk her into some wanker tv? I think that will help us. Chow for now!

Gossip Friday - January 9th 2009

It's that time of the week again, time for silly celebrity gossip. I promise from now on to make sure it is G rated.

And nothing can be more G rated than babies. Also nothing can be more sillier than celebrity baby names. In the last few weeks some celebrities have had babies and the list of ridiculous baby names have just only grown (yes, even sillier than Powder Puff). Some of the recent names have been:

- Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz: These pop stars have just had their first child and the moniker they have chosen for their little boy is Bronx Mowgli Wentz. Inspired by the tough borough of New York City and "The Jungle Book", I predict lots of school yard fights for this little boy.

- List Bonet and Jason Momoa: This childhood star and her actor boyfriend have just had their second child together, a boy. While their daughter was given the provocative name of "Lola" their little boy was given a slightly longer name: Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa (I had to cut paste that one). Nakoa means “warrior,” while Mana refers to “strength/spirit,” and Kaua — “rain” — and po — “dark” — refer to the conditions at the time of his birth. The second middle name, Namakaeha, is also Jason’s. I am afraid if I repeat that name out loud three times, I will evoke rain clouds.

- Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell: these actors just gave birth to twin daughters and they decided to name them Dolly Rebecca Rose O’Connell and Charlie Tamara Tulip O’Connell. Dolly was named after "Dolly Parton" not the lacy cloth your grandmother use to put on her couch armrest. Charlie was named after her Uncle Charlie, but don't worry about her as she has the ever so feminine "Tulip" to fall back on.

- Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck: this celebrity couple just had their second daughter and we haven't heard what the name is yet but seeing as they named their first daughter "Violet" (aww, I love that name) I am guessing they will keep it normal and maybe name her after another flower. Maybe Daisy? Lily? Poison Ivy? Fern? Cactus Puss? We will soon find out. UPDATE: A little surprise here, the baby girl was named Seraphim Rose Elizabeth Affleck. I knew there would be a flower in there somewhere, but the first name is actually a little bit original. I didn't know Jen and Ben had it in them.

What do you think is the most ridiculous celebrity baby name of all time? My top ten of all time are:

1. Fifi Trixibell: Bob Geldof and Paula Yates (also parents to Peaches and Pixie)
2. Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily: Paula Yates and Michael Hutchence (Paula Yates again!)
3. Moxie CrimeFighter: Penn Jillette (also father to Zolten)
4. Rocket: Robert Rodriguez (also father to Racer, Rebel and Rogue)
5. Moon Unit: Frank Zappa, also father to Dweezil and Diva Muffin
6. Pilot Inspektor: Jason Lee and Beth Riesgraf
7. Jermajesty: Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza (previously married to Jermaine's brother Randy)
8. Heaven: Lil' Mo (also mother to God'Iss Love Stone)
9. Apple: Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow
10.Ocean: Forest Whitaker (also father to Sonnet and True)

This makes me wish my mother didn't have my goodies snipped off as I would have had so much fun naming my litter of pups. I would have kept up the "Puff" tradition as my name is Powder Puff, my cousin is Coco Puff so I could have named them; Puff the Magic Dragon, Cream Puff, Power Puff, Curry Puff, Puff Daddy, Puff of Smoke, Poppy Puff, I can go on.

So next time you think of lecturing my mother on mine and Q-Ball's name, just think of this list and shut your mouth! Chow for now!