Wha? Summer's Just About Over? Good deal!

Yes! Summer's really just about over! YES!

The end of Summer means the beginning of Fall which is my favorite season, and I'm excited. Aren't you? Over the last couple of months, I've channeled some significant energy into getting my home office or my Webwhore Headquarters (to borrow from Trixie's vernacular) set up. It took me forever to paint and redecorate, but the place turning out pretty decent (as you can see in that picture up there, I hope). I'm not finished unpacking all of my clothes yet -- costumes & shoes are still trying to get situated. I always forget *exactly* how much stuff I've got until I try to unpack and then amongst all of the wilting cardboard I remember and am overwhelmed. Instead of letting myself feel too daunted, I've tried to remain optimistic that I'll actually get to use all of these high heels and lacy underthings on webcam. And Halloween is coming!!! I've a renewed enthusiasm for trying to have this room set up for costume-themed webcamming. While we're on the topic of costumes and Halloween. I wonder what my viewers and online friends would like to see me in this year? I have a few ensembles that I've not yet debuted, but if you'd like to pick something new from my Amazon Wishlist -- I added a bunch of sexy costumes. Certainly couldn't hurt to have a few more, right?

Since the last time I blogged, I've been up to a few other things as well. BigD and I have made a commitment to being more healthy and so we -- *gasp* -- have joined a gym! I know, I know, you probably never thought you'd see the day that junk-foodie AmberLily would be exercising the conventional way, but alas, I am. I'm also the biggest whiner when it's time go too. ;) Still, it's better to try to make some improvements in the name of keeping fit and with my no longer working out on a nightly basis on a stripclub's stage -- having a gym membership seems like the best option. I can't say that I'm feeling more toned or anything yet. I've always felt like that kind of thing comes and goes on me from week to week anyway, but aren't you proud of me for trying? I've cut down on the amount of sugary sweets I eat but I haven't cut them out of my diet altogether. Wouldn't that be totally futile now that stores everywhere are stocking their shelves with fun-sized candies and Starbucks has brought back their Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Methinks so.

Other notable investments have been a second computer for my webwork (this time a PC) and SoCal resident annual passports to Disneyland. Whoo hoo! I'm still in the "adapting to Windows 7 phase" with the new machine, but really, it can only mean good things as I buckle down and use some of my days off from camming on Streamate to work on website stuff. And the other days off, well, don't you agree that they should be spent doing something fun? That's where Disneyland comes in. It's nice to pop on over to Mickey's place, hit a couple of rides, and then grab dinner without the pressure of trying to squeeze in as much Disney fun as possible because we know we won't be back until next year. Having passes gives us more breathing room to take in a little here and there -- and I'm thankful for it. So don't be surprised if you see more cellphone snaps like this one with me stuffing my face on bread pudding at the Cafe Orleans in my TwitPics. I promise I'll try to figure out how to rotate pics in my silly phone next time around, lol. (Lordy, I miss my old phone, it was easier with that kind of thing.)

I should shake a leg and get in the shower before I start webcamming tonight/this morning. Here's the view from my chatroom if you haven't visited me on Streamate in awhile.




And The Doggy DNA Results Are In...

We couldn't take the the not-knowing any longer and finally decided to have Dutch DNA tested. The suspense was killing us now that he's almost all grown-up at nine months old, so I picked up a DNA Breed Identification Kit from BioPet Vet Lab at PetSmart, swabbed his gums, mailed the swabs, and waited patiently for two weeks. The results are in and they certainly did give us a good chuckle so I had to share. Our crazy-looking mutt is... Drum roll please.... 50% German Shepherd, 20% Siberian Husky and 30% Basset Hound! Yes, I said Basset Hound! Muahahaha!

The family that we got Dutch from told us he was a German Shepherd/Husky Mix and as it turns out they didn't fib. They just left out that Basset Hound part. At first, we weren't sure the results were accurate, but then BigD did an image search on Google for Siberian Husky/Basset Hound Mix, and we saw some very definite similarities between Dottie and our boy Dutch. (Follow that link to see what we saw; Dottie is adorable.)

We started Dog Training last week and so far so good. Dutch really is more of a lover than anything, but larger dogs are held to a higher standard as far as behavior goes, so we've been very strict with our easily-excited puppy in the hopes that because he's so young something will stick. Our teacher's told us that the Puppy Retard Phase lasts 2-3 years and after that his personality will be as developed as its probably gonna get. It will be interesting to see. That's for sure.

Memphis Beat Missing Notes?

A few months back when I first heard that TNT was going to have a detective drama called Memphis Beat, I got all excited. The Birthplace of the Blues is such a colorful backdrop to do this type of show that it seemed a recipe for success. But, we're a few episodes into the first season now and there has been almost no view of Memphis' seedier underbelly. They've covered BBQ, Southern beauty pageants, and a couple of story-lines that have worked in some (totally fictional) musical celebrities but only one with drug dealer's family? Um, huh?

So far, there have been no bar fights, no gangs, no prostitution, no politics. And what's worse from from my ex-exotic dancer-who-lived-in-Memphis perspective, there have been absolutely no encounters with strippers or visits to any shake joints! Why is Memphis Beat being so stingy with the salacious stories? I get that the show hasn't set out to be deliberately unwholesome, but to leave all of that out isn't very genuine, because Memphis really is a major city with all of complications that major cities have. Quite frankly, it's making the show dull and flat. If they can't find a way to make it a bit more dirty, I'll have to stop watching. The new season of Mad Men comes back this Sunday, after all. Mmmm, tasty, tasty Mad Men...

Anyhoo, if you're up for reading what Memphians are saying about this show, head on over to The Memphis Flyer to see each episode reviewed. And don't forget to take a glance at the reader comments for some extra giggles. I literally laughed out loud when I saw a native say: "It's starting to resemble 'Glee' but with grown-up rednecks." Yup, I second that opinion.

Putting Down Roots

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Back To The Way It Was

This is just a fleeting post to say that I've been trying out some blogger templates lately but ended up not really digging how they looked so *now* you'll notice that my blog has gone back to the way it was. I might still keep my eye out for something more "spacious" looking, but really, the way that it has been for the last year isn't all that bad.

If you've got a favorite Blogger Template Site, then by all means, impart with the info with a comment to this entry.

Dutch With The Girl Next Door



This picture of Dutch with Blondie, the girl next door, was too cute not to share. He's no longer the little puppy we brought home before Christmas, but he sure isn't going to be anything close to the size of our Mastiff neighbor either. We're about to cave in and buy one of those Doggie DNA Tests so we will *really* know what our mixed mutt is... Is he really a German Shepherd/Husky Mix? We'd like to know more of what we're in for with potential health issues and that might be the only way to find out. He's not on the Puppy Cyclone setting for a long as he was when he was a newbie to our household, but that's because we try to exercise the hell out of him. Growing so fast, it won't be much longer before he's big enough to not get *totally* plowed by the Labs he plays with at the dog park. Me, on the other hand, am probably doomed to be nearly knocked over when those big wrestling dogs go at it and collide with me when my back's turned, lol. It's a good thing everyone (so far) has been fairly well-behaved and responds to their owners. Believe you and me, I do appreciate that!

Happy Valentine's Day


Happy Valentine's Kisses! on 12seconds.tv

Just a goofy little 12 second video wishing you a Happy Valentine's. I'm expecting it to be pretty relaxed around here today. BigD's birthday's on the 18th so we'll just be combining the Valentine's dinner out and his day and hopefully avoiding any crowds or making reservations. (Crowds are actually something we have to consider here as we're in a *much* more populated area.) I'm not terribly demanding this year. Feel a bit like Valentine's even snuck up on me, truth be told.

Anyhoo, enjoy something sweet today. My goal is to find a Red Velvet Cupcake & savor/inhale it with my regular dose of Coffeeeee!