I think it's "The Chaz"...a dog day afternoon

Originally uploaded by Marcos Fontes.

As I watched the snow fall outside my office window yesterday afternoon, my mind wandered to the contents of my fridge at home. What was in there that could constitute dinner? Did I have to make a trip to the supermarket on my way home or, worse still, would I have to get home to drop my work bags off and THEN head out to the supermarket? Given the weather conditions, Option A was obviously the lesser of two evils.

I was on the bus and snowflakes were still fluttering down. Given my lack of experience with all things snowy, I had no way of knowing whether the end of the snowfall was in sight. All I knew for sure was that an English muffin with peanut butter, plus a bowl of cereal with hot milk, was sounding like the best dinner ever. And so it was that I got home, changed into warm clothes, wrapped myself in my sleeping bag, and ate breakfast for dinner.

When Sarah went out to the gym at 8.30pm I was left to look after her Rottweiler, Chaz. He is staying with us until Sarah goes home to Wisconsin this weekend to drop him off. He’s a lovely dog with an inquisitive nature and very calm temperament. She rescued him from the Humane Society and I can scarcely believe that someone would have allowed him to be there in the first place. He is a smart dog and very quiet but also protective – of all of us, not just of Sarah.

But boy can that dog fart! Sarah returned from the gym, came into the lounge room where Chaz and I had been lying pretty much motionless since she had left about an hour earlier. Sarah walked in, sniffed the air, and announced that Chaz’s bowels had obviously been venting some pretty noxious substances during her absence. No kidding! I nodded politely, given that the foul air had retarded my vocal chords. She laughed and conceded that his flatulence was a condition that she should perhaps have disclosed to me at some stage. Again, no kidding!

My dog-sitting days over, I retreated to my bedroom and fell into an exhausted sleep under my heavenly IKEA quilt.

I awoke this morning to realise the snow had melted away. The air outside was a very crisp -6 degrees celcius, too cold even for snow to fall. But I wrapped myself up in my new long jacket that has me resembling an extra from Doctor Zhivago – fur collar and all. And I don’t think that I have been warmer in my life! The jacket was a fantastic investment even though the sheer glamour of the fur collar made me wonder if it was a little too “va-va-voom”, even for me. But I will doubt its suitability no longer. And when paired with my knee-high boots and leather gloves, I like to think that I am contributing to the chic of this beautiful City.