Rockin' on down the road to Christmas

11/27/2009                  Rockin' on down the road to Christmas By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian I can't sing. In the Bible where is says, "May a joyful noise unto the Lord," well, I take that literally. Other than the time I was delving into a story on karaoke and was cajoled into singing at The Hut Restaurant and Lounge, I try to confine my singing to private environments. For the past month, Christmas tunes have been my mainstay while in the shower and my car. I even announced earlier this month to those within earshot of my desk that rather than using the radio to drown out extra sound in the Hermiston Bureau, I'd be playing Christmas music for the next 10 weeks. Although Thanksgiving, for most people, seems to be the unofficial beginning of when it's acceptable to play Christmas music, I start at Halloween. There are just too many good holiday tunes to cram in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, I've been rocking down the road with the likes of "Happy Holidays" by Billy Idol, "A Twisted Christmas" by Twisted Sister, as well as playing the majestic sounds of Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. And I even get a little Motown with "Christmas Here with You" by The Four Tops. My husband, John, is always on the lookout for new albums - so when I noticed on Amazon.com that Bob Dylan was coming out with "Christmas in the Heart," John told me he had already pre-ordered it. After listening to it several times, I commented to John that maybe traditional Christmas music wasn't where it was at for Dylan. John was appalled. "You know what the money's going for, don't you?" he said incensed. Proceeds from the album are going to Feeding America. The program will provide more than 4 million meals to people in need during the holiday season. In addition, future royalties will continue to feed the program. Sure it's a noble cause, but "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was designed to be a joyous song, but with Dylan's raspy baritone, it sounds more like a funeral march. Don't get me wrong, I'm as big a Dylan fan as they come, but a large part of my enjoyment of him is based on his message and not as much on his sound. "Do You Hear What I Hear." No offense, but yes, Zimmy I do, and it sounds like you're "Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door." —— Tammy Malgesini is the EO community editor. Her column, Inside my shoes, appears twice a month. You can reach her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

It's a boy

10/27/2009

John Malgesini cuddles with Lucifer, an 8-week old German shepherd puppy who recently joined the Malgesini pack. Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini It's a boy By TAMMY MALGESINI The East Oregonian Things are drastically different in the Malgesini household. Four additional paws found their way into our home this past weekend. Actually, we've been awaiting the arrival of Lucifer, a black German shepherd, since late May - some members of the pack more enthusiastically than others. My excitement began the moment I placed the puppy order with Becky Geyer at Geyer German Shepherds. She's the breeder I got Jeter from 10 years ago. When we had our Airedale terrier put down in January, it wasn't a question of if we'd get another dog, but when. My husband, John, determined immediately he wasn't ready for another Airedale, but four months later, he settled on the idea of getting a black German Shepherd. And to complicate his desire for a specialty dog even further, he wanted a black male with a short coat. Becky planned to breed No No Nanette and Fabian, whose genetics, she said, suggested a high likelihood of producing some solid black dogs. However, their doggie courtship wasn't planned until mid-summer. The wait probably wasn't such a bad thing. It had been more than a decade since we had a puppy prowling around. While puppy-proofing was something we could somewhat prepare for, explaining to Jeter what was about to transpire only led to a quizzical look and cocked head. Each time Becky's name came up on caller ID, a smile spread across my face. When the call came on Aug. 31, I knew it meant puppies. As much as I wanted to excuse the social pleasantries and blurt out, "Were there any black males?" I listened as Becky talked extensively about the whelping process. She finally said, "There were five black girls, two black boys and ..." I didn't hear the rest of the birth count. All I cared about was two black males. "I've never seen so many black dogs - they just kept coming," Becky said. When Becky called a month later to schedule adoption day, she said to watch for a picture before the end of the week. After she e-mailed a photo of Lucifer, John started to get excited. He bought food and water dishes, a collar and a crate. He said before he saw the photo, the dog wasn't real. And for Jeter, the new puppy is now quite real. He seems a little perturbed about having to share our attention with the prince of darkness. And we thought the terrible twos were bad.  Tammy Malgesini is the EO community editor. Her column, Inside my shoes, appears twice a month. You can reach her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.