As you know, we here at Pug Slope like to keep our masthead up-to-date as the seasons change in our neighborhood. At this point, we are definitely past the time when snow is in the forecast, so we thought it would be a good time to update the masthead which can only mean one thing: Pug Photo Shoot!
We took Sid into the park hoping to catch him doing something adorable in front of some daffodils, but he was a proving to be a little difficult to work with today – largely due to the eventual revelation that we didn’t really have any treats and were just pinching our fingers together and waving them around in an attempt to lure him into posing for the photos. (Don’t worry – he got plenty of real treats when we got back home!)
Here is a shot-by-shot transcription:
“Marvelous shot, Sid. You’re off to a great start. Can we just get a tad more of a head tilt? You know it’s one of the rules of cuteness.”
“WHOAH…ok, that was way too much head tilt. Reel it in a bit…we want a head tilt without it looking like a head tilt, y’know?”
“No, Sid, that guy over there said he was going to meet someone…he didn’t say ‘treats‘…yes, yes, you’ll get your treats after the session per your contract.”
“Alright, Sid! I think we got a winner! Now, uh, about those treats we discussed…I’ve got a tiny bit of bad news…um…”
I don’t know what inspired this…The fact that Brian and I were both immediately on board for this experiment without any hesitation whatsoever makes me wonder if perhaps Sid is chanting suggestive mantras into our ears while we sleep: “You will feed me straight from the peanut butter jar. You will feed me straight from the peanut butter jar. You will feed me straight…” and so on and so on.
In our defense, the peanut butter jar was basically empty. We just needed some way to clean out those last morsels…you know, so we could toss it in the recycling. I mean, why waste water when there’s a pug on hand who will be more than happy to lick that jar clean, right? Water is a precious and limited commodity, but a pug’s appetite for peanut butter is renewable and unrelenting. We did this for the planet, people. We did it for YOU. Okay? OKAY? *hangs head inshame*
I’m in the process of taking a cartooning class and am putting together a “mini comic” which features Sid. I’m still roughing out the whole idea but here’s a few more sketches of him that I think are kind of nice.
I also tried to do a very “cartoony” version of Sid. I started with the mini one up in the corner and then just did a big head (too close to the mini one of course!).
More to come, soon, I hope. I need to have the whole thing done in less than a month!
We’ve been had! The 60-degree spell we had here about a week ago turned the rational part of our brains to mush. Even though it was only mid-March, summer clothes were immediately unearthed from storage bins, outdoor seating at restaurants filled up faster than they could supply seats, and the park was packed with people enjoying the pleasant, sunny weather. Spring was here!
A couple days later, it snowed.
Luckily, this dusting of (abnormally large!) flakes was nothing compared to the blizzard we had in December. This snow didn’t even stick. That being said, it still is poor timing considering I already packed away my puffy winter coat for the the season.
Confused as ever, Sid has resigned to hibernating until June. He just doesn’t want to be fooled again.
PUG SLOPE chronicles the adventures of a pug named Sid as he navigates his way through the world. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, started the blog in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and is currently calling Chicago, Illinois his home.
