Message From Asta's Neighbor: Furprise News!

Hello, friends of Asta. My name is Oscar and I've been Asta's neighbor for the last few years. And Asta getting her furprise has everything to do with me. I'm from Michigan and I moved to Melbourne about 10 years ago with my servant, K.O. My servant works with Asta's hooman, and sometimes when my hooman goes to the US, Asta and her servant feed me and care for me, which is what they live for. I've known Asta since she was a puppy, and we get on pretty well considering she's a dog. Last year, Asta's mum had to take me to the vampire vet for some blood tests and when we were at the vampire den, she saw a cat up for adoption. Obviously, this creature wasn't as wonderful and handsome as me, but Asta's hooman was gaga, claiming this hideous and scraggly mop of hair and bones was the spitting image of a cat she had 20 years ago back in California, so she took her home on a misguided impulse. She was obviously suffering delusions. Anyway, this pathetic animal had been given the embarrassing name of Big Mama Puss by the vampire's assistant, but Asta's mum had the good sense to rename her after her previous incarnation, Pussy Galore. Here are her paws and you will see the rest "soon."

Nursie Dweam Team on the Move & Help from Mum

G'day Pals, Our fwiend Axel's mum is sick, and us Asta's awe back in action as the Nursie Dweam Team. Asta NYC is making lots of food to help out and I'm giving expewt Nursie attention.


Mum is also doing hew best to help by pwaying fow Axel and his mum at the western Wall in Jerusalem. Mum says you can leave notes fow God in the wall and he listens. We hope Axel's mum is feeling bettew soon!

Happy Austwailia Day & Dad Gets Citizenship!

G'day Pals, Happy Austwailia Day! I'm celebwating by wearing my True Blue Aussie Digger Hat! Fow you Seppos (if you don't know wha a Seppo is check my rhyming slang dictionary) out thewe, Austwailia Day marks the beginning of English colonization of Austwailia, so it's like Columbus Day, 4th of July, & Thanksgiving all rolled into one!

Austwailia Day is a good day to shawe some important news. My dad got his Austwailian Citizenship last year. Mum got hewes 2 yeaws ago: the Prime Minister rushed it thwough fow hew because hew work is so impowtant.

Aftewards mum made my dad weaw this ridiculous hat, just like she made me weaw. She said it was to show dad was fair dinkum, but I think mum is unfair dinkum!

Aftewards my pawents went wif the Figgs to a pub to celebwate being fare dinkum Aussies. I'm spending Austwailia day weekend wif the Figgs to give dad a chance to west and pway pooter games nonstop.

My Furprise has Eyes!

G'day Pals, We are getting closer to revealing my furprise to the world. Just a little while longer and you will know all!
Muwahahahahahahah, Muwahahahahahah

Enjoying the Summew & Nessa's Friendship

G'day Pals, I'm enjoying my summer, while dad slaves away to buy me pig eaws. I love my pool. I know some of you awe cold like poor Koobie. I wish you could all come down hewe and have a pool pawty wif me. The pool also serves a pwactical puwpose. I love water so much that I tip ovew my water dish, so this is too big to tip over. When I get a break from all of this fun, I'll tell you more about my furprise!

Guess what Pals, I stopped swimming long enough to collect this award from Nessa, my Hovawart pal in Slovenia. The coolest thing is that Nessa made this award herself. I could never do that. I learned that Hovawart means "estate guard dog." Nessa's blog is really bootiful and it's bilingual. I want to encourage evwyone to visit sweet Nessa.

A Little More Furprise and a Gift!

G'day Pals,
I'm taking a bweak from my pool, which is soooo much fun, and which I will tell you more about soon, to reveal a little mowe of my furprise. Many of you have a pwetty good idea what's coming, but this gives you a just a bit more idea of things to come. I will soon tell you about how I helped mum acquire this wondrous creature for our household amusement.

Also, pals, I got this friend award from Nessa, my really cool pal in Slovenia.
I’m passing it on to Twinny, Snowy, Taddy, Ronin, Normie, Joey & Dooffus, Dewey Dewster, Goofy, Sophie La Brador, Jax, and Koobie.
xxx Asta

The Happiest Day of My Life!

I have a small confession pals. Another one of the weasons I didn't blog last year is that I got this exciting pwesent: my own little pool. And, while mum was slaving a way working, I've been having a good time.

Oh boy, dad, fill it up I can't wait. And, because it's summew now, I'm enjoying it again.

Get the hose, get the hose, get the hose, hah hah hah hah hah!

Yes, yes yes yes, I can't wait, fill the pool, fill the pool, fill the pool!!!!
Dad and I go through this evwy 3 days!
Ok, pals, you have to wait fow the next installment on the pool, and a little mowe info on my furprise!

I've got a Furprise Coming Pals!

G'day Pals, I'm going to be updating you on my recent activities. As I update you about them, I'm going to gradually reveal a furprise to you! Those of you who come to weekly chat know what I'm talking about, but the rest of you will just have to keep checking back!
xxx Asta

New Year's Kisses 2009 & Up Date

Happy New Year Pals! Sowy I haven't been keeping up my blog, but my mum will offer an explanation below.
Mum has been wowking in Israel since November and gets back on 1 March. My dad is taking good cawe of me meanwhile. Fow Kwiznuz, I had a nice big steak wif my dad and his two fwiends that he bar b q'ed wif and they came back for dwinks and cawds fow New Year's Eve. As you can see, dad liked the big wet sloppy kiss I gave him at midnight. He said that having a bootiful (and modest) girl to kiss him on New Years (yours truly) made him fowget all about mum being away. He says he like the way I stick my tongue up his nose, but enough of the kinky stuff. He was also gwateful I didn't take any kitty "tootsie wolls" fwom the cat's treat box - more about her soon! I think the I-phone mum bought him fow Kwiznuz also helped put the smile back on his face. In the next weeks, I'll be bwinging you up to date on my recent adventures!

Message From Asta's Mum

Dear Friends of Asta, I just want to apologize for the delay in helping Asta update her blog. My blog is also behind, but I do have some recent photos up and plan to add more. This has been a busy year for me that has involved publishing 2 books, writing some articles, organizing a conference that brought 48 speakers from 14 countries to Melbourne, seeing Asta's dad join me in getting dual Aussie/US citizenship, going to a conference in Cyprus, digging in Israel in July, then returning to Israel for 4 months in November, breaking my toe (oh toe is me!), and teaching my students. Look for more photos of Asta, her new cat Pussy Galore II, and updates on her life in the coming weeks! Asta's mum.

My New Year was Totlly Pawsome

Happy New Year Pals,

I had the bestest New Year ever here. It happened after mum and her booz soaked associates sampled beers and ate pizza at a local bar. Evwyone came back for me and took me to a pool pawty wif one of mum’s students. Yes, a real swimming pool! It was in the middle of a big apartment building just like the TV show, Melrose Place. It was over 40 C (over 100 F) hewe - the hottest ever NYE in Melbourne! At midnight, all of the pawty peeps jumped into the pool. I got soooo excited! I ran round and round the pool bawking. Finally I mustered my cowage jumped in. It was sooo cool, it was pawtastic. I swam round and round the pool - mum could not keep up wif me, and then I rode on a boogie board, and then I swam some more. There was also another doggie there - a cocker spaniel named Elton. He kept dunking my head under, but I swam longer than him. Then I wan round the pool and bawked some more and swam some more. It was gweat. Stupid mum didn’t bwing her camewa, but she came in swimming wif me. I hadn’t been in a real pool since last NYE when the Figgs took me swimming and I messed up the Ph balance. I’m zausted now from all of the laps I swam.

And later, I joind the round the World International Chat Pawty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was held by Dogs with Blogs. I stawted chatting about noon on New Year's Dav and got to ring in the New Year and talk of my exploits to my best buddies: Bussie, Gussie, Jax, Butchy and Miss Snickers, Asta NY, Momo, Ruby, Precious, Snowball, Jaffe, Opy & Charlie, Ruby, Joey, Faya, and too many mowe to count. I feel we've gotten 2008 off to a gweat start!

Meeting Opy & Charlie's Mum!

Me and my pal, Brooke in the Patio



Guess What Pals?

The woomers you heard about are twue! I had a visit fwom Brooke - Charlie & Opy's mum! I met a weal DWB celebwity! And I am only the second DWB doggie to meet hew. The first was Hammer. She bwought me this bootiful rope/stuffie/ball fwom Opy and Charlie also! And, I sent Charlie and Opy some of my famous giant pig eaws that mum buys me in the Victowia Mawket. She had the bootiful smells of Charlie and Opy on her.
My Thin Twin Asta up over was so excited that she sent this e-mail to me: "That is so vewy excitingTHE Bwooke???wow she's like the most famous doggie Mom of them all..I'm vewy jelly!... That is so cool that she came to see you and bwought you goodies fwom Opy and Charlie."
I not only met Bwooke, but I got to go out to lunch with Bwooke and mum. They went out for Lesbian food (mum: that's LEBANESE food, Asta) and I got to twy the Lesbian cheese on pee-ta bwead! (mum: that's LEBNE and PITA, Asta).
Mum says that ouw daddies are going to get together also and pway wif their compooters. I was sowy not to meet Charlie and Opy, but Bwooke says they are home-bodies. I'm looking foward to meeting the whole family!

Woe Is Me!

But I have been vewy bad. Mum took me for our regular 2 hour walk and I wrolled in a pile of vomit that I found in the pawk. It smelled so pawtastic - it was even better than the dead bird I wolled in a couple of weeks ago and my usual bat poo and possum poo perfume, but mum was weally upset. She said my behaviowr was enough to make hewr sick and she took me stwaight to the public bathwoom and washed it all off, but it didn't get wid of that pewfume-like awoma, so she gave me another bathf. She is making a face because of the fwagwant awoma. She just doesn't have any taste! No, don't wash it away.
Oh, woe is me!

All Is Forgiven

I guess I'm going to have to forgive mum fow ignoring me and my blog. She bought me some belated bawkday gifts: a big bag of pig eaws, a new pink rope toy, and 4 of my favowite rope kongs! Then she suwpwised me wif this wope ball. I think it will become my new favowite! And, she says another suwpwise is coming, plus she is still pwomising me some ice cweam.

Mum Cheats On Me

G'day Pals,
Mum told me she abandoned me fow 3 weeks to go to confewences, but these photos tell another stowy. It seems that she was weally pawtying it up dwinking pawtinis and cheating on me wif other animals - including hew fwiends dog, Tommy and all of these stwange cweatures. I don't know if I can twust her anymore. Boo hoo hoo.

Back Home Again

G'day Pals,

Mum picked me up and bwought me home on Dec 6. I was weally tiwered fwom all of my mischief as you can see. I had a gweat time at the Figgs house. You know I love water and I was vewy bad there. I tipped over all my water buckets and played in the mud. The Figgs weren't vewy happy and kept punishing me wif lots of baths. Mum is just now helping me wif my blog because she took lots of photos in California and was busy wif her own blog. You can see them at lahconfidential.blogspot.com and I'll post a few here.

Another Cawd Fwom Jax

G'day Pals,

Thanks fowr all of your bawkday wishes. I got another cawd fwom Jax and when I'm not rolling in the mud, I've been enjoying the pawtini's, bikini's, and surfboard sent by my Thin Twin, Asta up over. Mum says she is going to take me out for Ice Cweam when she gets home next week!
xxx Asta

1-2 Days Till My Bawkday!

Ellen Figg looked up my barkday on my blog so they are going to make make me a pawty hat tomowow. Of couse it's 2 days till my bawkday in Califownia, but just 1 day here in Melbourne. I'm going to be thwee! My thin twin Asta up over has sent me a bootiful bawkday carwd. Meanwhile mum is having a good time in California.
Mum's first conference ended a couple of days ago and the next one starts on Friday. In between, she says she has been catching up with old friends and eating lots of Mexican food. I'm glad that hewr twip is already half over. Brian has been spending half of his time with his 86 year old mother, so he's not having as much fun as mum, talking about hewr bones all the time.
We have had some hot weather in Melbourne, in the high thirties (93 F!) and now it has plummeted to below 20 (68 F) again - welcome to Melbourne.
My Cairn pal Judah is getting old, he is not at all interested in playing wif me anymore - he shudders when I come neaw him. His legs are really sore, so I have to amuse myself wif tipping over the water bucket and running around the back yard until I am completely black. Mandy has been punishing me wif daily bathing! I haven't suffewed this much since mum gave me a bath aftew rolling on a dead bird. I smelled so much betew. I just don't understand these hoomans.

Figg Time

G'day Pals,

The fiwst photo shows how I helped mum mawk hewr enowmous pile of papews and now I'm staying wif the Figgs fow 3 weeks while mum goes to confewences in California. Mum has been working pwetty hawd and needs a bweak. I'm going to be enjoying life wif my pals Mandy (holding me hewe) and Ellen and thewe dog Judah. Mum comes back in December, 2 weeks aftew my bawkday.

Where Is Asta?/Asta's Routine

G'day Pals

Mum has been working so very hard these last few weeks - late nights evwy night and she has bad insomnia. She still finds time to take me for 1-2 hour walks/runs evwy day. She says it helps hewe sleep better. I can't believe she hasn't had time to work on either of our blogs for almost a month!

We always walk or jog a mile to Princes Park where our beloved Blues used to play. Then we visit the dog section of the park. Here you can see me with my pal Axel - he's a massive and with my other pal Conor, who is a Cavy. Cavy's are popular here in Oz. Then mum and I go running through the middle of the fields and you can see the skyline of Melbourne in the backwound. We do this almost evwy day, so life is pwetty routine.

About the only blog I've had time to visit is the one of my thin twin, Asta up over. And we didn't even have time to watch all of hewr clever videos - we just wead about her fun activities. We do always twy to make the weekly chat that Bussie has to keep up wif my pals.

Mum is going to Los Angeles in 2 weeks and she has so much to do to get weady. She says she has to write a confewence paper, whatever that means????

Plus she has to mark papwews and final exams and theses. I offewed to mawk them fow herw but she says that wouldn't help. I don't know why. We'rew weally sowy we haven't been awound lately. Mum hopes to catch up on evwything duwing the Chwistmas times.

Happy Halloween pals!