Better Late Than Never

kalm responded to my "ask me" on March 24 with these questions.  I meant to answer them right away, I really did, but then life got in the way.  Things are calming down.  Notice this will be the first post in a long time that's not "All Gilly, All the Time".   But there will be Gilly content since the first question is about her.

1: what made you fall in love with a dog that looks so much like a hippopotamus? (she does, in that icon! it's the broad flat nose.)
That is Gilly's "I know nothing, NOTHING" look, with the subtext "And if I did know something and I told you, I'd have to kill you.  So just be happy that I love you and believe me when I say 'I know nothing'."   

We first saw Gilly online - she was at a Dobie Rescue in the Sacramento area.  One photo was a cute, but nothing special, picture of her sitting up looking at the camera with her floppy ears erect and head tilted.  The second photo was a completely goofy looking shot of her playing with a basketball - her all time favorite toy.   When we met her, she was all excitement and energy.   The woman running the rescue had health problems and I think she really wanted to get as many of the dogs settled in homes as possible.  After giving us the third degree over the phone and filling out a lengthy questionnaire,  we expected the meeting would just be a meeting.  Next thing I know I was writing a check and they were loading Gilly's crate and some dog food in our van.  

We had a rough few months in the beginning.  I thought we might have to send her back.  I had to keep explaining to her she'd been adopted by 3 old farts.  Of course, falling in love with a dog takes me only about 10 minutes, but after that initial NRE is over, I can say loving Gilly is easy.  She is always ready to play, she can go from sleeping to bouncing off the walls in .38 seconds - just pull out the laser light.  If she hears me crying, she will come to me.  Once, I was laying in bed watching tv.  Something stuck me as hilarious and I laughed and laughed.  Gilly jumped up on the bed and stuck her nose in front of my mouth.  Looking up at this big nose attached to an even bigger head hovering over my mouth made me laugh even more.  She kept sniffing, as if she could figure out what this noise was all about if she could just get the scent of it.  

She can be a clown, a lover, almost as stubborn as stonebender, and a food hound, but first and foremost, she is our dog.

2: how did you meet stonebender?
We met in college (Southern Illinois University) in the Science Fiction club. 

3: why do you live in the city you live in?
It's where we could afford a house in the Bay Area.  And it's only 1.5 miles from a BART station, so it makes it do-able for stonebender and dbubley to get there on their own, if need be.

4: what is your favorite thing to eat?
Chicken or beef (often left over) in a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions and my own vinaigrette dressing.  Of course, I have many favorite things - chili, my own spaghetti, a good rib eye steak. 

5: who is your favorite artist? 
Tomye is a friend and I really like her work.  I do have one original by her.  http://www.energyart.com/tomye/tomye_painting_exhibit_page_1.htm
And just like the food question, I have many artists I like from Judy Chicago to Ansel Adams.