A fine specimen

Just thought I'd put up another Shih-tzu pic. Drake says I'm not allowed to put tiny hats on our dog. Even cowboy hats. He ruins all the fun.

Puppies!

Do you see those sweet little blobs next to this cute dog (and the little one in front buried in the neck?) One of them may soon be an addition to the Dantzler family.

One of my wonderful students brought her Shih-tzu to school one day and I fell in love. I know that it is totally cliche to be a voice teacher with a shih-tzu, but I can't help it. We'd better start accumulating turbans, bangles, large sunglasses and the other necessary accoutrements. She left Romeo (the father of these sweet puppies) with me for the afternoon, and I held him and every time someone sang a high note he would pop his head up and look over the piano. I was gleeful. When she came back to pick him up at the end of school, she said "maybe if our dogs have puppies again you can have one!"

I didn't think about it too much (and by that I mean that I read all I could about Shih-tzu's online and re-watched Best in Show for the thousandth time, and visit Shih-tzu puppies often at pet stores.) But then! While I was still in Charlotte, Drake came back to Austin and ran into her at school, and she told me that they were having puppies and were saving me one to have of my very own!!! Drake responded with slightly less glee than I did. I think he said, and I quote, "A Shih-tzu isn't very much of a dog... what do they even eat?" We have since found that they eat dog food, like normal dogs, but that it is best to give them spring water, since they are very sensitive.

So now the eternal question. Am I allowed to have a dog? I've been able to care for plants, and that's worked out well, but a dog is something else entirely. Drake and I are both a little clumsy.... what if we crush it accidentally?? Drake says that you don't accidentally crush dogs that you love, that you always are subconsciously aware of where they are. I asked him the same would apply to humans, since he proportedly loves me, and is constantly stepping on me and crushing me. He said that if I were a puppy that I would yelp and then he wouldn't step on me. I do yelp, but he says I "don't really mean it."

But accidental death aside. We don't even know where we're going to live as of July 1st. Are you allowed to have a dog if you don't know where you're going to live? What if we end up in NYC, or what if we both get singing jobs that take us away at the same time? I have to say that I am looking forward to getting a little carrier purse for it....

Should Drake and Alta get a sweet little dog of their very own to love?

Check one.
Yes
No

On Tour

It is now May 8th and I have been home in Texas for nearly a week, but was so busy at the end of the tour that I didn't have a chance to talk about all the fun things that happened in my last week in North Carolina.

Our tour took us to some fun and interesting places, including the Smoky Mountains. Beautiful! and there was lots of gambling as well as Indian gift stores. I didn't buy any gifts. But my friend bought four knives. Sorry everyone, no gift knives from me.

I went to Roswell and Atlanta GA with Amy and we had such fun! Her parents took us out to eat for every meal and it was awesome. We also saw a laser light show on Stone Mountain which, as it turns out, is like a little miniature confederate Mount Rushmore. The show lasts about 40 minutes and the song list includes many country faves, and patriotic medleys. Amy knew all of the words to all of these songs, which made me feel very un-American. She was appalled that I'd never heard the song "Rockytop." I tried to think of regional songs pertinent to the New England Area that she wouldn't know.... Rock Lobster? no..... I guess that old "Spirit of Massachusetts" song that the tourism board used in the 80's doesn't count...

Come to think of it, the South has a TON of regional ballads! How come we don't? Let's get on that!


While we were there eating dinner one night, there just happened to be a huge bicycle race that went right by our table! It was such fun!

We just got to sit there and eat fried chicken while a slew of international cyclists circled our dinner for 80 minutes. It's very gratifying to eat fried chicken whilst others exert themselves. It makes you feel like part of the action, except that you are the part of the action that's eating fried chicken. We all have to play our parts.