That'll Do, Pig.

So Jeremy and I have long suspected that our shelter dog, Tilly, is a Lab/Border Collie mix. She mostly looks and acts like a lab, except she has longer hair and hates the water. So when we took her with us to the junior high lock-in last weekend (we're adult supervisors for the youth group at church…man, I feel old writing that), we expected a lot of this:

The girls especially (and there were a lot of them—I think 14 girls and 3 boys, bless their hearts) loved Tilly. And while Tilly loves attention and kids, I think it was a pretty anxiety-ridden night for her. Why, you ask? Well, it turns out her "herding instincts" are MUCH more prominent than Jeremy or I knew.

Imagine trying to keep up with and herd 17 tweens. I think cats would have been easier.

Every time a kid left the big room we were all in and went to the bathroom, Tilly would hop up and follow. She would then wait outside the bathroom door until the kid emerged, and escort them back to the group. If there were two people in the bathroom, she would escort one back, then return to the bathroom to fetch the other one.

When the kids started playing Manhunt in the dark, empty church, I thought her little head was going to explode. As it was, any time a kid ran by, Tilly would run after—not in an aggressive, nip-at-their-heels way, but I don't think she was really playing, either. You could almost hear her saying, "Hey! HEY! You get back to the flock!"

The only time she stayed still was when Jeremy closed her into the office he was sleeping in for the night. Needless to say, my puppy was beyond pooped the next day. Still, I can't help but have a certain amount of pride in owning a dog that is almost as Type A as I am.

No, no, it wasn't a wax thing--it was moving and it was freaky looking!

So it turns out that receptions in wax museums are simultaneously incredibly creepy and incredibly entertaining. First, all I could think of while walking through the closed museum was how it must get even creepier when all the lights are off. Second, we walked through some of the museum, but most of the food and drink was congregated in one small area. This was highly confusing for all…I kept staring at real humans and wondering, "Who's that supposed to be?" (until they started moving, of course). And some of the more inebriated attendants started talking to some of the wax figures. And then there was the inappropriate touching…someone bragged to me that he had felt up Carrie Underwood for a photo op. Dude! If you're going to feel up a wax figure, how about Britney Spears, who is hanging from a stripper pole over there? Don't manhandle the chick that sang "Jesus Take the Wheel!"

A Daily Show bit involving goats (don't ask) reminded me of one of my favorite stories to tell from college. Clemson is, somewhat aptly, known as a "Cow College" (meaning there's lots of agriculture/animal husbandry stuff). My roommate and I had an apartment off-campus, up behind an old stone church and pretty isolated from the main drag. One day we look out and realize, "Hmm…there's a goat in the parking lot." Discussion ensued. Where did this goat come from? Should we approach it? Who do we alert to the fact that there's a farm animal out front? Barbara finally decided to call the "non-emergency" police number. After explaining that there was a goat in the parking lot, we both expected an incredulous response…but instead, we got, "That durned goat! We been chasin' that thing all day!" Ah, Clemson. And to head off some of the redneck jokes…no, I DON'T use the word 'varmint,' I've never milked a cow, and I am NOT my own grandmother.

On a completely different note, I'm planning an itinerary for a visiting Israeli delegation in a few weeks. One of the delegates is strictly kosher, which would be no problem if they were staying in Montgomery County, but in the city? I can find only three options – Eli's Restaurant, the JCC Café, and the cafeteria at the Holocaust Museum. What fun that would be: Hello, welcome to our country! Let us eat among stark reminders of the genocide of your people!

Yeah, my job is weird sometimes.