I am a movie star, and don't you forget it

So we had some guests here and I had a great time getting lots of extra attention (not to mention bacon, ham, and turkey scraps!  Thanks, Grandma!).

It has come to my attention that certain members of the guest party have not yet seen my movie.  I cannot believe this.  Truly unfathomable.  One guest suggested that my clip might be available on YouTube, so for those of you who have not yet seen my star turn, you can click here (though beware, there's some "inappropriate language," and the video's of pretty low quality.

Even crazier, someone has redone my scene with other actors, including ANOTHER DOG playing my role.  Again, the "inappropriate language" warning still holds, but check out this ridiculous little dog trying to play my role!  He actually RUNS AWAY!

While I was searching for the right video (it's tough when you're typing with paws!) I found out that Mickey Ward was bitten by a dog back in June!  That's just crazy.

In which I celebrate

So Bridget was in the process of creating this blog post when she heard a suspicious noise. That noise was me eating the brand new awesome bagels that Jake and Lucy bought at one of their favorite stores. Bridget was PISSED. Man, she can scream.

Anyway, Bridget's post was going to be about the fact that she's so glad that they just spent a lot of money to find out that this weird lump thing in my arm pit (leg pit) is just a benign tumor. Benign. That's good. It's actually called a FATTY TUMOR. Perhaps, Bridget has suggested, I should stop stealing bagels and other baked good and I wouldn't have so many FATTY TUMORS. Whatever. That bagel was awesome. And so am I.

movie update

Looks like that movie really is coming to Lowell! Check out this article in the Sun, which says:
[I'm pasting the whole thing below as the Sun stories don't seem to stay up for very long]:

LOWELL -- Window grids cast shadows on the exposed brick walls of a loft above the American Textile History Museum as Robert Moresco looks out over the Acre neighborhood past a downtown canal at sunset.

In the eyes of the two-time Academy Award-winning movie producer, the loft space defined by the century-old mill's original ceiling beams and the gleaming granite kitchen countertop signifies what Lowell stands for.

"It's a brand-new Boston with all the old underpinnings," Moresco said.

A perfect marriage between old and new is what Moresco has been looking for in locations for the shooting of the upcoming movie based on an international espionage novel. The Residences at the American Textile Museum on Dutton Street delivers that for him.

"This is a perfect fit for a single ex-cop," Elaine Rogers, a film producer, said of the movie's main character, who would live in the loft. "It has the right feel."

Hollywood is returning to Lowell.

Led by Moresco, Rogers and Lowell's own movie producer, Chris Byers, a production crew visited the Mill City on Tuesday on a hunt for ideal spots to shoot a new movie. The film doesn't have a name just yet. Based on Deadly Codes: A Gallagher Novel, a thriller authored by Bedford dentist Joseph O'Donnell, the conspiracy-filled story that centers around a Boston private eye is expected to be an attention-grabber. The crew is eyeing the spacious lofts that overlook the western edge of the downtown as

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backdrops for parts of the suspense drama.

The American Textile History Museum building, which houses the Residences, a 45-unit luxury condo complex, along with the museum and The Sun downstairs, is a stone's throw away from the cobblestone-paved downtown that has provided scenes for two recent Hollywood movies. In 2009, the shooting of Ricky Gervais' movie, The Invention of Lying, featuring Jennifer Garner and some other stars, drew crowds outside The Dubliner, a Market Street pub used for the shooting. The Fighter, the Oscar-winning movie about Lowell boxer Micky Ward, also incorporated many of the city's hangouts, including the Owl Diner and the West End Gym.

In case of the Deadly Codes project, Moresco said he wants to combine Boston's cityscapes with scenes from one of its "underbelly" towns like Lowell. The former industrial mill featuring the oversized windows not only has the right ambiance but should also help stir imagination for Moresco, who is writing the movie script from the book, Byers said.

"Bobby is a phenomenal writer," Byers said of Moresco, whose credit includes such Academy Award winning films as Crash and Million Dollar Baby. "He keeps it moving and exciting all the time."

Byers hopes the Deadly Codes project will help boost his hometown's new identity as a destination for movie productions.

"My whole goal is to shoot a film from start to finish" in Lowell, said Byers of New England Capitol Studio, who is involved in the project to build a 630,000-square-foot movie studio in Devens.

Deadly Codes is a second book written by O'Donnell, an associate clinical professor of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, who runs a dental office in Winchester and began writing novels in recent years. The movie project came about when his family member showed the book to an actor friend. Before he knew it, O'Donnell was sitting down with Rogers, an entertainment lawyer with an office in Boston, and a few others to go over a preliminary movie script. Once Byers became involved, so did Moresco. He never expected to see his fiction on a big screen, said O'Donnell as he toured the lofts of Ed Cain, owner of Candlewick Development LLC, which is developing a part of The Residences.

Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_18770608#ixzz1WEGlnZEN

The movie project now involves O'Donnell's and his business partner's company, Gallagher Enterprises, as well as New England Capitol Pictures and Apple Hill Productions. Byers said the movie and TV industry has changed tremendously over the past few decades. With 600 cable channels to feed contents to, filming now takes place anywhere in the country, and Massachusetts is claiming its share of the pie with the tax incentives, Byers said.

Lowell's permitting process, which is accommodating the film industry, makes the city an attractive place for producers, said Karen Stark, location manager who looked for locations for the Deadly Codes project with the help of the Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Filming in Lowell costs 40 to 50 percent less than in Boston, Byers said. Navigate the traffic is also easier here.

"There are a bundle of reasons why" movie crews want to be in Lowell, Byers said.

If all goes well, shooting could start as early as next spring, or by fall of 2012 at the latest.

Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_18770608#ixzz1WEGpPa61

My next gig, perhaps?

Just saw in the news that the location scouts are out looking at Lowell again for another feature film. According to the Lowell Sun article,

LOWELL -- A part-time librarian from the Boston suburbs hops into her husband's car.

She turns the key in the ignition.

An explosion erupts.

Flames and black smoke engulf the car while her husband frantically tries to ply open the door from outside. The husband, a cryptographic analyst for the National Security Agency, has seen enough car-bombing videos to know his wife is dead.

These dramatic scenes open Deadly Codes: A Gallagher Novel, an international espionage story by Winchester dentist-turned-author Joseph O'Donnell. Lowell could soon provide backdrops for the suspense-filled story on the big screen as Hollywood works to shoot a movie based on the book.

I'm guessing that "Part-time librarian" and "NSA Agent" need a good, friendly, really good-looking and faithful dog as a family pet. Sounds perfect for me. I'm just waiting for the call from central casting.

Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_18723226#ixzz1VZTpi5S1

So here's what happened

A few days ago, while Bridget and Jake ran off to Cambridge and I was here hanging out with Lucy and John and Rose, I kinda ran off. Well, "ran" might be an exaggeration. I saw that the gate wasn't completely closed, I wiggled through, and wandered off. As you might imagine, John and Rose were quite worried. But they had heard that I do occasionally go visiting my neighbors, so they figured I'd be nearby. And indeed, when John went out to find me, one of the neighbors a few doors down yelled "are you looking for a dog?" and it was me and I came home and all is well and that was over. John and Rose told Bridget and Jake about the adventure. Or at least, the version of the adventure that they knew.

The plot thickens.

Yesterday, I did it again. Jake was getting stuff into and out of the car, and I made a break for it while he wasn't looking. Bridget went off in search of me, and again, a neighbor yelled "are you looking for your dog?" and Bridget came to get me. I was not at all interested in the fact that Bridget had been calling my name, walking up and down the street. I totally heard her. The people at the house where I was informed Bridget that I had been there a couple of days ago, and that they were having a BBQ then. More importantly, they thought that I was their landlord's dog, and they GAVE ME CHICKEN AND HAMBURGER OFF THE GRILL. So Bridget actually had to climb up two flights of back porch stairs to pull me away from the grill, which I was calmly sitting beside, ignoring the conversation and the urgent search for me.

We have the best neighbors!!!

Pawtograph

A big fan of mine requested an official pawtograph. Bridget had some challenges with getting this done. First of all, I'm at the height of my fuzziness at the moment. Said fuzziness involves a lot of hair growing between my toes. Seriously. They made it difficult to do anything other than a furry mass of blue ink. So Jake joined in and helped Bridget clip the hair between my toes, and she did a re-take today. As you can see above, it looks pretty good.

By the way, the vet called and said that my tongue thing biopsy came back clear, and the lump was totally benign and unlikely to reappear. This is all good news. The vet also said that I am UNDERWEIGHT, so I need to work on bulking up!!!! WOO HOO!!!

Carter after Dentist

So yesterday I went to my friends at Wignall's, and they totally got me drunk. Well, actually, they put me under anesthesia, cleaned my teeth, and removed the growth on my tongue. But when I woke up, I totally seemed like I was drunk. I just hope I wasn't as bad as this kid.

Before the surgery, the doctor thought I had an irregular heartbeat, and they were worried that this indicated some heart disease. But an x-ray informed them that my heart is OK. Of course it is. The rest of things were smooth sailing. I get to have delicious, canned wet food for a week or so, which is totally awesome. Bridget and Jake haven't had a chance to see my tongue yet (they don't want to bug me about it too much), but I'm doing pretty well. This is totally embarrassing, but the picture above shows the nasty lump thing pretty well. Gross! I'm glad it's gone. In a week or so we should have a biopsy back to know what the heck it was.

In other news, someone at Bridget's work asked for an actual paw-tograph for her son. He totally wants to have it to hang up in his room. I am awesome!

Growth

So there's this thing growing on my tongue, and it's not a new tongue. It's a bump. So Jake took me to the vet for the usual $300 appointment (every single time it is $300). They want to take it off (my poor tongue!) so I'll be going under the knife (probably) on Wednesday. While they're at it, I'll get a full teeth cleaning deal. Fun! So look for a further report later this week.

Also, I just spent a week with my lovely Aunt Paula, and my dog buds Briscoe and Marlin. I'm awesome.

Health Check All Clear

The vet called back and I'm in good health! We're all very happy about this. Check out this photo -- obviously I'm a model dog, the picture of good health!

Health Update

So last week, I was coughing, like a lot, during the day. Bridget called the vet, all worried, and I went in the next day for a visit with the vet. The thing is, I didn't cough ONCE after Bridget called the vet. Seriously.

So they gave me the "senior" blood workup, since I'm a "mature" dog and all. They also wanted a sample of my pee. Yup. So the vet-tech and Bridget took me outside to make a collection. But I would not pee in front of them. They were weirding me out. They kept walking all close, shuffling up to me with their plastic container anytime I went near the bushes. So I held it. So the vet tech gave up, gave Bridget the equipment, and sent us home. So Bridget tried for the rest of day to collect my pee. This is hilarious. I mean, it's hilarious to me, and I'm sure it's hilarious to the neighbors who were watching. I don't think Bridget thought it was too hilarious, though, as she seemed to say a lot of angry words. She tried for a long time. And she failed.

She did finally collect the pee a few days later. We're still waiting for the results. Basically, according to my bloodwork, I might have some trouble with my thyroid, but that's not bad, and it's not terribly unusual for a dog of my age. But overall, my health is good. And I enjoy making Bridget feel inadequate at collecting pee.

Eating Antics Updates

I've been on a bit of a tear, grabbing all kinds of stuff off of tables and out of bags. I ate a bunch of Lucy's candy that she got from the artists' studios last weekend. Bridget was particularly irritated by this, because Lucy had one of those Lindt milk chocolate balls, and she had resisted eating it because it was Lucy's, and then she found the wrapper (all nicely smoothed out) on the floor and realized that I had munched it. This made her mad. She should have taken the opportunity when it presented itself. That's what I do!

Vote to help some fuzzy creatures

I'm a fan of the Lowell Human Society. If you'd like to help them out, vote for them daily here:

http://challenge.aspcapro.org/vote-your-shelter

(go to MA -- Lowell Human Society)

so that they can save more fuzzy lives. They're in 10th place at the moment. Voting goes on until April 15th.

thanks!
-Carter

I heart carbs!

I just ate nearly half a loaf of bread! It was awesome! Jake was in the basement, Bridget was on the phone, and I took the opportunity to snag a loaf of home-baked brown bread off the table and snarf snarf snarf! DELICIOUS!
Lucy is gonna be mad when she wakes up to find her precious, precious bread destroyed!

You're Welcome, Christian Bale

So I was just reading (yes, I read) an article on Slate about my co-star, Christian Bale's Golden Globe acceptance speech, and this part really got my attention:

But rather than offer a typical co-star backslap, he elaborated on the yin-yang interrelation of actors on screen. "You can only give a loud performance like the one I gave when you have a quiet anchor," he said, referring to Wahlberg's stoic turn as Eklund's kid brother and former Welterweight champion Micky Ward. "I've played that one many times, and it never gets any notice. Kudos for that, because otherwise we wouldn't have gotten away with it."

I would like to propose that Wahlberg is not the "anchor" that Bale refers to here. Slate got it all wrong. It's me, people. It's me. I am the quiet anchor. You know it. Let's hope he thanks his "FUZZY quiet anchor" in tonight's Academy Awards.

If you need more evidence, take note of the way that the line about ME ("Is that a cocker spaniel?") is in every discussion of the film:

The Atlantic Monthly refers to it, and even random film blogs do, too!

Here's a photo-retrospective of me!

Who Moved My Cheese?

Yesterday while Bridget and Jake and Lucy were off having fun at Matt & Mary's, I got hungry. So I went foraging. After a lot of digging that would no doubt have been fun to watch, I found a bag inside Jake's bike bag that had a brick of Grafton Cheddar in it! Yum! I love that! I dragged it over to my bed and munched away. I only ate about a third of the bar, and I very kindly left the other end of it wrapped so that the peoples could eat the rest after they cut off the mangled end. I'm a considerate dog. Sort of.

Also, I do not like this snow. There is way too much of it. How much? The Boston Globe reports that Logan airport has had over 70 inches this winter. They have illustrated just how crazy that number is using a brilliant feature called the Shaq-o-Meter. Check it out by following the link.

Not cool, guys. Not cool.

First Post of 2011

So it's 2011! And my birthday is coming up soon (January 24th)!. You can read a post here about when Jake and Bridget first brought me home. Wow, I can't believe it's been four years! I wonder what Jake and Bridget are planning for my Birthday. Maybe they'll invite Christian and Amy and Mark over for a party. I was thrilled to see all the Golden Globes that went to my film, although I do feel like the Foreign Press maybe forgot the award for "Best Dog in Any Movie, Ever." I guess I'll have to wait for my lifetime achievement award.

So far, 2011 has been pretty good, although I am totally fed up with all the snow. I spent some time at my Aunt Paula's house, which was really great. I got into a bit of a scuffle with her new dog, Briscoe, but we sorted things out and now we're great pals. Woo hoo! Also, I got a new toy elephant from Paula. Lucy kinda has her eye on it, but I think I'll keep it. Oh, also, speaking of Lucy, the other day, she closed all the downstairs doors and left me trapped in the front hallway. By the time Jake and Bridget realized this, I had already gone upstairs. Upstairs! I never get to go upstairs! If that kid's gonna be all bossy and lock me out, I am totally going to go upstairs and do whatever it is I did. I'm not saying what. Bridget and Jake don't know. But boy, do they wonder whether I do this all the time when they're gone. There was talk of them looking into a doggie-cam. HA!

Sadly, I also heard some more sad news: my good dog friend, Goldie, passed away. Ernie & Vonnie will miss that girl a lot, so I'm sending out my warm, furry, star-studded nuzzles to them.

I'll try to keep the posts coming, if Bridget ever gets off the darn computer!