The Marriage Ref and Adventures with Josie the Dog

Friday is upon us again.  Last night I was watching that new show, The Marriage Ref.  Have you seen it?  They bring three "stars" on as the panel and they have this guy, who is the host, and maybe even a therapist or something, though in reality he is just really funny.

Anyway, last night, Howie Mandel, Bette Midler, and some person I didn't know, Craig Robinson was on the panel. 

The format is that a couple will air their "problem" to the nation and these three talk about it.  Then the host makes "The Call" and tells the couple who is right, or who wins the argument.

I think this show is funny because you actually see the "stars" in rare form.  There have been some doozy's on...Gweneth Paltrow, Martin Short, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, some big names. 

Last night, there was a husband that was irritated that his wife was always on her Blackberry.  Instead of having a conversation with him at supper, she would answer text messages and emails. 

I see his point on this.  If you have kids with cell phones, you probably have had issues like this.  Sometimes I think I am like that.  If I am in a text conversation with a friend, and my husband is trying to talk to me, it is difficult to hold both conversations.  I try not to do it, but well, you know.  Anyway, if you make a date or are trying to be attentive to your mate or whoever you are with, then put the electronic device down.  That's all I am saying.  What is your opinion on this?

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My dog was acting weird last night.  She is a 7 year old chow-chow-german shepherd mix.  She has the body of the shepherd, the hair of the chow.  She is beautiful and playful.  She stays on the enclosed back porch during the day and we let her in at night...sometimes.  Last night, it was so humid in the house, that I figured she wouldn't want to be in.  So when I went to turn out lights, she was at the back door looking at me with those big brown eyes.  So I let her in. 

Josie Belle wanted to play.  She wanted to run around the house, and play with me.  I will bat at her with my hands and when I turn my back, she comes up and jumps up and hits me with her paws, like tag.  She is so funny.  So I played with her for a while like that. 

I finally got her to settle down and I decided I wanted to go to bed.  She wouldn't come to the bedroom.  I love Josie, but she is not going to wander our house freely.  She will get into the trash and whatever else she can find.  Nope, not going to do it.  So I walked down the hall to our room and I clicked my tongue at her.  Nothing.

I whispered, "Josie, let's go to bed."  Still nothing.

So I walked backed up the hallway and there she was sprawled out on her side, lounging on the floor.  She looked up at me like "What?" 

I nudged her with my foot, but she laid there like a lump.  I told her, "Well, it's either the bedroom or you go back outside.  Your choice."  She blinked.

So I sat down on the couch, turned the tv back on and laid there for a few minutes.  I woke up later and my husband came out of the bedroom to get a drink.  I turned off the tv and grumbled, "Stupid dog." 

I stumbled down the hall into my room, got my jammies on, put my earbuds in and turned on my Ipod.  I put the Ipod under my pillows and laid down and started to drift off, when all of a sudden...POUNCE!

There was Josie, up on the bed, walking over my legs to get to the outside part of the bed (the one next to the window), panting.  I scooted my legs over to make room for her and drifted off to sleep.

Now usually, sometime around 4 AM, Josie Belle wakes me up wanting to go outside.  It usually goes like this:  Josie gets up, walks up to the head of the bed, sits on my pillows and pants over the top of me.  Sometimes she paws me in the face to wake me.  That makes me get up. She will follow me down the hall to the back door.  I thought that would happen last night as hot as she was, but when I got up at 5:30 AM, she was laying at the foot of the bed, panting and restless. 

I started out to the shower and looked at her and said, "Let's go", and walked away.  I hear her jump off the bed and down the hall, she turns left and goes into the living room, I had turned right to walk toward the front door. 

I turn left and there she is, trotting toward the backdoor.  I slide the backdoor open and she takes off, sniffing the air.  As I close the door, she lets out a bark to wake up the neighborhood.  Dumb Dog!