Project Runway 2012 Begins. Some Kooky, Some With Leopard Hair. Already a Predicted Winner

Contender Christopher won this challenge, the first in the summer of the 2012 Lifetime Project Runway series.

Contender Beatrice got sent home for a really ugly dress, gone before I even got to know her.

I snuggled down for the first episode of Project Runway, pondering who was going to replace Heidi Klum and how well this vaunted fashion series would do with such direct challenges as NBC's new Fashion Show series.

It would turn out that Heidi Klum, as well as Tim Gunn and the rest of the Project Runway judging team have returned in full force. I thought I read or heard that Heidi was leaving the series but no wait! She's getting a divorce, that's what I heard.

The contenders for this series are just wow. WE got one contender with some sort of leopard spot hairstyle. A couple of contenders pride themselves on a color specialty, one adores red and one adores black. We'll see how that goes.

I watched the introduction of the current crop of contenders and I was clucking my tongue. Kooan Kosuke is obviously this year's kook contender entrant. His clothes are silly and amateurish. Kooan himself is a bit of a goof. This is not one who will represent Marie Claire during Fashion Week at the series finale, Lifetime knows it, I know it, and now yon readers know it.

Not to fear however. I've got a contender I'm already infatuated with. He is Ven Budhu and his designs are pretty and feminine.

16 contenders began this series. We will be watching over the upcoming weeks and writing up our fashion reviews, commenting and dishing up some snark. Come back to this Blog for updates.

I end with a small picture from my one and only jaunt on the runway. Indeed I was a model for my church's annual fashion show. Keeping in mind that fat people need clothes too, I did walk the runway and did it quite well I must say.

But, then, how hard is it?


Project Runway airs on Lifetime on Thursdays at 9pm.

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Drivel: Quiet

Even good decisions are sometimes hard to make, and harder to carry out.

After having Guia's picture taken by the pet adoption people, I checked their Web site every day for my dog's picture to show up. When a week had gone by, I called them. "Oh, yes, we're a bit behind," the receptionist said. "I'll have someone call you back."

Guia was on the site the next day, and the adoption woman, Pat, called me back to let me know things were moving. "But," she warned me, "the first six to eight days it's like the dog isn't on the Web at all. Calls usually don't start coming in for awhile."

She was right. An agonizing seven days went by without so much as a nibble. Then, two calls on Monday. Pat and I discussed the homes and decided against them. One had a husband, and the woman was sure she could "cure" Guia of her attitude toward men. The other wanted a dog who could learn to play Frisbee and I couldn't picture Guia in that role. She has only casual interest toward toys in general and no interest at all in bringing one back. I wanted a good, if not perfect, home for Guia, not to put her in a home where they would have the same issue I had or where she didn't fit their expectations.

Another week went by, and I heard nothing but quiet from Pat.

That Tuesday I called the adoption place, and they told me "nope, no calls." My heart sank; was there no home out there for this dog? Had we made the wrong decision to find her another place to live? Should we have taken one of those first two offers?

I buried myself in Law & Order episodes that night, with Hunter and Guia both up on the loveseat next to me.

When I got to work the next morning, I had voicemail. Pat had called the evening before, with a possibly wonderful spot for Guia. I made myself wait until after 10am to call her back, figuring she would not appreciate a 5am call.

We discussed this new offer. It sounded great: the woman has two Shelties already and has been looking for a blue merle. The dogs have crates which they sleep in by choice, and the dogs are in their own television room (with a couch!) during the day when the woman works. A petsitter comes by around noon to let everybody out for a potty break. No, there is no man in the household, and Pat said it didn't sound like that was an option. I agreed to a meeting.

Thursday and Friday passed with a few calls from Pat. We tried to set the meeting for the weekend, but that didn't work for someone each time. So, Pat arranged it for Monday of this week. The woman (her name is Lisa) is off work all this week and it would be good timing for a new dog. She would bring her two Shelties and we would meet at Pat's house. If everyone got along and agreed, Guia would go home with Lisa that day. During that call with Pat, she was reviewing some of Lisa's application and noticed that where the emergency contact stuff was, Lisa had put down her partner. Ha! There *is* a God. I had told some folks that what Guia really needed - the best of all possible situations - was a lesbian household.

Wish granted!

On Sunday Harry folded Guia's crate and put it in the car. It would go with her on Monday if things worked out and Harry would be bottling. I packed enough of her food for a few days, to help acclimate to what Lisa's dogs are being fed. I packed some of the dried duck treats she really likes. I made a list of the things I would need to gather on Monday: leash, collar, dog bed, a favorite toy. I printed a few pictures of her from her time here and wrote up a little bio for her new mommy.

Monday arrived. I scrambled home from work at about 2:30, packed up the stuff and got Guia on her leash. When I stepped outside to put her in the car, Hunter came, too. I put him back in the house and he threw a massive fit. He was *very* unhappy to be left at home.

At Pat's, Lisa and her two dogs were already in the fenced yard. They are both mahogany sable Shelties. The female was very friendly. Lisa calls her a "belly slut," always willing to do anything for a belly rub. The male was more standoffish. He sniffed my fingers and that was enough for him. Guia had no troubles with either of them, and although they were interested in her, they weren't pushy or anything.

Guia would not go see Lisa or Pat. They were, of course, strangers.

We were all in the yard for about an hour, and during that time Lisa gave Guia a couple of treats, and Guia came over on her own when the other dogs did, but of course Lisa wasn't "mommy." Still, we could all see that she would fit in just fine and I have no doubt she'll accept Lisa as pack leader in a short time.

We agreed to the adoption and Lisa filled out some paperwork. It's a standard protection agreement - she won't sell or put the dog up for adoption (Guia comes back to Pat if things don't work out), she'll care for her appropriately, she won't abuse her, and the adoption folks have the right to come see how she's being treated, if they feel that is necessary. I could tell by Lisa's dogs - both in how they looked and how they acted toward her - that there was no question of abuse.

I left before Lisa loaded Guia into her car (a fairly new expensive SUV). Still, Guia didn't like being on the wrong side of the fence from me and was pawing to get out. I hadn't cried until then. That was my last image of her, but I still know she's gone to a really good home.

That was two days ago.

Last night, Harry returned home. So many things have changed. We keep expecting to see Guia on the end of the bed, where she used to sit most of the time. We expect two dogs to need to go outside. We're used to letting Guia out of her crate when we come back from being somewhere.

Instead, there's only Hunter. He's a very different dog without her. I can't tell if he misses her or not; we really don't think he's very smart and I'm not sure he remembers there was another dog. What I do know is the house is much, much quieter.

There's no longer a flying attack at the television when we turn it off. There's no eruption of dogs when the wake-up alarm goes off in the morning. There's no random barking . . . at least not yet.

But most importantly of all, there is no barking at Harry in the morning.

This morning he got up at 12:30 (yes, 12:30; it's not a typo). After he'd let Hunter out to go potty, the next thing I knew he was starting the shower. Then the next thing I knew he was saying goodbye!

That time, the space of about an hour, would have been interrupted by barking at least four times, if not more. Hunter just looks up and lays his head back down when Harry walks by, and doesn't even twitch when Harry makes a noise in the kitchen or living room.

It was a good decision. Hard to make, hard to follow through, but a good decision. I have permission from Lisa to call or stop by any time. I will likely call next week, just to see if they think their decision to adopt was a good one, too. Most likely I won't drop by, and I certainly wouldn't do it soon. Guia needs to bond with her new pack and I would only upset that process. As long as I know Lisa and her partner are happy with the addition of Guia to their household, I think that's enough.

And here in alaHouse, we will continue to enjoy the quiet.

Michelle
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