Vacation!

It's been a fun month! Mama and papa went to Canada to visit papa's family in August! They had a great time! They went to visit a few wineries in the Niagara region. This one is Jackson Triggs where they make some of the best ice wines in the world:
Mama and papa also went to the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. They had a dog show where there was an agility contest. The best was obviously a Jack Russell Terrier :-)
After the show, the JRT was the most popular puppy! I think it's because we are such a lovable breed!

Mama and papa also went on a side trip to New York City. They saw Hairspray on Broadway.
They stayed at a hotel 2 blocks from Times Square:
New York had a lot of interesting people...
...and the food was...well...a little too much...that sandwich is bigger than me!They went to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). Mama really enjoyed it and papa had fun even though he had food poisoning...they got to see works from Monet:
MoMA's gift shop also had souvenirs with a Japanese twist...too bad they have no idea what Tokyo a map of Tokyo looks like:
I guess this person figured it out and decided to sleep on the steps of MoMA rather than going in...
Where's Donald?
Mama and papa also visited the Rockefeller Center:
...and went to the "Top of the Rock":
They also went to Soho...but someone called the cops...
They got back to Toronto during sunset:
And they got tickets from papa's mama to see a Toronto Blue Jay game from box seats! It was quite an experience to see a game from such great seats. They had a wine tasting and got to see Godzilla Matsui hit a home run. At the end of the day though, Toronto beat the hapless Yankees 14-3!!! Toronto rocks!!!
After the game they saw the CN Tower lit up:
And all I got was this Hot Dog shirt...
But I got to stay at a really cool place called Log World in Chiba:
I had a great time! It was nice to get away from mama and papa for 10 days...
...and meet some new friends!!!

Finally!!!

After 2 years, hundreds of hours of frustration and many, many new grey hairs, papa finally finished Zuma!!! 2 years ago when mama and papa went to Canada, papa's parents got them the PC game and since then, try as he might, papa was unable to finish the game...until tonight!!! August 4, 2008 is a historical day of victory in Roots' house! There are 13 levels in the game and papa had 12 frogs going into the 12th round (mama generally has 27+). It was scary for a while as papa lost frogs left, right and centre, finally completing level 12 with only 3 frogs left, looking defeat in the eye as he went on to level 13. He gained a frog in his first attempt at level 13 but then lost it, finally finishing the game by the slimmest of margins. It doesn't sound like much, but tonight was the culmination of 2 years of cursing and swearing and sweat and tears...(papa is a little weird sometimes...). But then again, small victories are sometimes the most important...

*Note: Mama was able to finish the game within a month of getting it 2 years ago. She generally finishes the game now with almost 30 frogs and scores about 2.8 million points (papa got a little over 1 million...loser...).

As for me, I just like chillin' with my posse...

Nice Evenings and Dark Knights

It's been so hot in Tokyo lately. Low to mid 30's and humidity in the 70's and 80's. Mama bought me a new shirt that says "Roots Boy" (in case I forget my name and gender). When I go for a walk, mama wets it and puts it in the fridge before putting it on me for my walks. It's nice and cool so I don't get as lethargic and tired when I go out in this weather. I walk really slowly until we start heading home and then I will walk at a regular pace again.


Papa took me for a walk today to see the Naka-Meguro summer festival but it was so hot that papa thought that he would have to carry me home.


Sunset was beautiful a few days ago. Mama was able to capture the moment......and a few friends decided that I make a good pillow... I finally found my old friend the Lion today. He's seems to have been hiding for a few months but he's a lot of fun to play with...


I also figured out how to freak people out and win staring contests!
Yesterday, mama and papa went to see The Dark Knight. They said it was really good, much better than Batman Begins. They were lucky enough to get tickets to the sneak preview a week ahead of its Japan premier next week. Heath Ledger was perfect as the Joker. He was brutal with just the right amount of mental instability to make it gruesome yet believable. He and Christian Bale brought about a certain realism to a fictional story, interpreting a comic book to help us understand the crazy world that we live in today (papa also liked the disappearing pencil trick that the Joker did). Batman has finally returned to its roots as a dark hero in an even darker world where sometimes bad people do bad things for no reason at all...just for the thrill of "seeing the world burn". This movie showed the darker side of being a hero, and even of just trying to do the right thing. Not everything is black and white with a pretty ribbon nicely wrapped around it. Sometimes the best of a person also brings out the worst and vice versa...we see it in all of the main and supporting characters, and we see it every single day in our regular lives. We were taken on a journey through the darker side of humanity where there is a very thin line dividing psychopaths and heroes. Papa highly recommends this movie...so far it's his favorite of the year.

Friends

We went to Komazawa Park with mama's friend from work and her JRT named Muku-chan. We are really good friends...except when he has something I want... I also ran into an old friend. Look familiar??? I think his name is Hannibal... Sometimes I hear noises outside and have to check it out. Unfortunately my legs are too short...but fortunately, papa helps me (unwittingly...)...It's been so hot in Tokyo lately. Today it was up around 34 degrees with humidity in the 80's. I spent my time lounging around with my friend...

...and being lounged on...

Mama bought me a new toy! She and papa put delicious treats inside for me to get...if I can...it's very difficult and frustrating...


...but I finally got one!!!


And to end on a happy note, papa finally broke 100 today in golf!!! He went to The Glenmoor Country Club near Narita which was designed by Pete Dye. The course looked pretty tough with a lot of water hazards and bunkers. Papa was expecting to score 120 but managed a 98! Check out the 9th hole! And the 18th!

Eggplant

Last weekend mama and papa took me to Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture over the long weekend. Nasu also means eggplant in Japanese. Papa was so happy that he could eat nasu in Nasu! Mama thought it was a stupid joke...I agree...

Mama and papa stayed at a place called Niki Club. Mama got a discount through work so it was half price. We arrived in Nasu Sunday after a morning of heavy traffic from Tokyo. We went to a place called Nardius that had a dog run for me to play in. I got to run around until I was tired at which time I couldn't even stand up to drink. Papa had to give me water while I was lying down. He was muttering something about being lazy and spoiled...

I don't mind when papa makes fun of me sometimes because he provides me with necessities in life like shade when it's 32 degrees celcius... After running around Nardius, we went to a place called Sheik Omar for lunch. It actually wasn't as bad as the name would suggest...

After doing a little shopping at some local stores, mama and papa took me to a dog hotel called Suno House since I wasn't allowed to stay with them at Niki Club. The people who took care of me were nice but the place was a little dumpy. Mama and papa were a little worried but I was fine. Mama and papa really enjoyed Niki Club. It was located in a really nice place surrounded by trees and secluded from civilization. Mama and papa had French for dinner and then enjoyed themselves in the spa where there was an outdoor hot tub and sauna.

There was a greenhouse where they grow their own veggies for dinner as well as a rice field just behind the cottage where they stayed.
On Monday, mama and papa came to pick me up and we went to the new outlet mall in Nasu. There was another dog run there and I ran around and played with other dogs for a while. They had some agility equipment and I did a few jumps and ran through the tunnel a bunch of times but try as they might, mama and papa couldn't make me do the slalom.

Just before coming back home, mama and papa took me back to Nardius for a shampoo and trim. The owners have a Schnauzer... ...and one of the other customers had a polar bear...
It took 4 and a half hours to drive home due to long weekend traffic but we finally made it back last night. All in all it was a really fun weekend!!! But papa keeps making fun of me. Do I have something on my face again???

Muck Me

Last weekend we went to Jonan Koen again and had a great time. Not only was I able to steal other dogs' toys, but I also found something new that I love to do - I love to find a puddle of mud and lie down in it, much to the dismay of mama and papa. Fortunately, they'd had the foresight to make a shampoo and grooming appointment for me that afternoon so I came home nice and clean!

Papa found some weird grape-sized fruit called "Miracle Fruit". Not sure what it does but it costs $5.00 for just 1 of them...

Ever get the feeling that you're trapped like a prisoner in your own home???

Or that you feel like you're boxed in with nowhere to go...

Papa went golfing again this past weekend with 3 friends to Gunma Prefecture. He played Saturday and Sunday but wouldn't tell me his scores...he probably can't even count that high...

I just love spending time lounging around the house with my friends...

Getting Away

We went to Karuizawa for a few days and (unfortunately) came home today. Mama and papa took a few well-deserved days off work and took me to a bed and breakfast in Nagano to a place called Caro Foresta. We arrived yesterday around noon and went to my favorite restaurant for lunch, Dog Garden Cafe. Papa wasn't happy that they changed the menu and no longer have the awesome burgers that they had last year but he still enjoyed lunch. As you can see, mama bought me a new toy.

After lunch, we went to Sky Park so I could run around for a while. Mama and papa thought that it would tire me out enough that they could relax and have a nice dinner and a good night's sleep...boy, were they wrong...

After Sky Park, we went to the B&B to check in and I ran around their dog run for a little while and then we went for a walk before dinner. Instead of my regular food, mama and papa ordered me a special dinner of beef with veggies and a risotto. Dessert was one of my favorites - chicken!!! Mama and papa had a good dinner too but I wasn't really paying attention because they wouldn't share with me so I didn't care what they had. During dinner, I was a pain in the butt. Whenever another dog barked, I would bark even louder and pull at my leash which was fastened to a hook in the wall. It really annoyed mama and papa. I think they were really embarrassed because all the other dogs were being good and staying quiet for the most part except for me. There were a lot of poodles there...at least 5...but I managed to be even more yappy than them!

On Monday, we went to Sky Park again and then for a walk at Asama Farm...

...and at Sky Park, I got to play frisbee but I think I wasn't the only one who wanted to play...I had the feeling that I was being followed...
After dinner, mama and papa took a bath and then we went to bed...well, at least they tried to go to bed. Every time I heard a noise or another dog bark, I would bark even louder and longer. This went on throughout the night - at least twice an hour from 11pm to 7am I would suddenly bark really loudly and wake mama and papa from their half-sleep. Sometimes I would do it 3 or 4 times an hour if I thought mama and papa looked too relaxed and comfortable. I couldn't understand everything papa said but he used a lot of words that had 4 letters...and he also called me a lot of new names that I've never been called before..by the way, what does &'$(*%@#+?*$ mean??? It didn't sound very pleasant the way papa said it...

Not sure how this will work, but I thought I'd share a video of me playing with my new favorite toy...