I’m sleeping right now so I’ve got a short, spiky-haired ghostwriter taking my notes and putting them on virtual paper. Sometimes it’s very tiring being me. I’m either walking all day long or sleeping all day and all night. Oh, don’t sound so envious.
Mom’s been running me ragged.
After we came back from Road Atlanta, we spent just a couple of days at home catching up before it was time to go to Fontana – back and forth, no hotel this time – for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway. While mom was out doing interviews, I bided my time under the table in the pressroom. Her seatmate and friend Lynne said Jimmie Johnson asked Lynne if she was the one with the doggie that he met in February. She could have taken that bait and flown with it but Lynne said no, I wasn’t hers. Maybe I could have gotten a five-time champion to give me a hug. Bad Lynne.
We didn’t get to go out around the track too much but we did, when it was quiet, take walks through the motor-home area. Those people really know how to party, let me tell you! They were drinking hard at 9 in the morning every single day. At least there was some good grass around for me to do my business and it was nice to take a good walk around the concrete. Everybody wanted to be my friend but we just kept walking. Mom did stop for a Bloody Mary at one campsite; she said there was too little alcohol and a wee bit too much spice for her so she gave it to somebody else. That was a first.
We worked – well, she worked – hard once that race was done and we stayed home until it was time to go to Las Vegas for the NHRA races, the second to last race on the schedule. We went to Rancho Mirage first for a Lexus new car preview and then continued on, the back way, to Baker and up to Vegas. She seemed to be very happy with the back roads along the way and she didn’t heave the Scion tC she was driving into the corners too hard, thankfully.
We stayed with gal pal Toby during the race weekend and into the SEMA show activities. Toby is so nice and she’s got a great lap. I just love people with great laps. We walked the SEMA show Monday and Tuesday and drove home on Wednesday morning, which was a nice relief. We did a lot of walking at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway too, but not nearly as much as did at the Convention Center. That place is big!
A week later, it was time for the NHRA finale and we worked that one, too, going to Pomona’s Auto Club Raceway at Pomona – the virtual home of NHRA – five days in a row. Finally, mom decided enough traffic was enough and we stayed at a hotel the final Saturday night, spending time with Melanie Troxel’s mom and her doggie. I was on my best behavior all week long but by Sunday at the drag races, I needed to speak. Just once. One of the NHRA people told mom I was barking, but she checked with some other journalists who said I only spoke once. Mom thinks he really has it out for us, but we’ve discovered he’s like that with everyone.
After the NHRA banquet on Monday night, Carey came to stay for the LA Auto Show and we did the Blue Line trek on Wednesday and Thursday for press days. Mom dragged me all over the place and I jumped into and out of a few interesting cars. Can’t say which ones I like best because I’m really not sure. As long as they don’t force me to jump too high, I’m cool with it.
We went to a bunch of parties too and that was fun. We should have gone to the Hyundai party but our legs just didn’t work anymore.
We spent Thanksgiving with Christie instead of going to the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale. It’s always so loud and so cold there that maybe it’s better for me not to be at the racetrack for that particular race. We laughed a lot, mom and Christie drank a lot (well, they weren’t driving anywhere) and they fixed a great meal for all of us, including Scarlet Begonia. Scarlet and I have become good friends. The next morning we all went for a walk – the girls tried to leave us behind but we got out of the door and found them as they searched for sage. Then we came back and mom cleaned three pounds of lavender. Wow!
And now we’ve just returned from Orlando and the PRI show. We stayed at the fabulous Hilton next to the convention center and it was so cool. Unfortunately I couldn’t hold my water and peed on the carpet – mom was so embarrassed. And should have been. We walked all over that convention center floor but at least we got upgraded on the plane both directions so I could sleep coming and going.
Pretty soon it’ll be Christmas. Maybe I’ll write again before the end of the year? Or maybe not. If I can’t get to the keyboard and don’t have a transcription expert handy, let me tell you, it’s fun being a service animal and working with my mom. She loves me so much and takes good care of me. I’m a very lucky Chihuahua.
