Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Dog Prog Rocking with Chimp...

OK, this one is weird, but bear with me. It is just too odd for me to pass up.

I am working from home today, developing some requirements for a Business Intelligence dashboard for my client. Got the goods, now I am just building the document and preparing for the next steps. I need some music, to motivate. Hmmmm, what to play. Scanning the iTunes list - yes, Kansas will be just perfect. How about a total Kansas day - just play every Kansas album in order until I am done.

The Huskies are all sleeping in the bedroom (ON the bed, of course), or on the tile floor in the living room. The foster Shar-Pei/Boxer pups (Shoxer? Sharxer? Boxpei? Chinese Boxers ala Saturday Morning Kung-Fu Theater?) are recharging their batteries in the X-pen. Tilde, the Chi, is curled up in her little fleece cave. Phoebe, the young Siberian Husky, is in my office because I have vowed to housebreak her this week, curled up under my work table to the left.

The scene is set.

Singing along with Kansas is one of my favorite things. I no longer have the range of a young Steve Walsh, but it's fun to try. Belexes comes on, one of the best tracks Kansas ever wrote. Energy level is building up ... wait, what was that? Did I just hear something in Belexes that I have missed for more than 30 years? Yes, there it is again, something like a chimp squawking perfectly in rhythm with the beat Ehart is laying down. Eeeyoop Eeeyoop Eeeyoop Squaaaaaaa Squaaaaaaa. No way.

I drag the volume bar up to get a clear sound from the Bose 901s. They don't lie. Nope, can't hear it now. Hmmmm. OK, rewind it back to the beginning of that phrase. There! There it is again! I dragged the pointer back again - wait. The chimp is still sqawking, but the music is not playing.

I look down to my left, whence the sound is clearly coming. Phoebe looks up at me with those big comic book brown eyes, with the chimp doggie chew toy between her teeth. She is looking at me like "What did I do now? It wasn't me!"

I swear she was chewing that chimp RIGHT on beat with the Kansas tune. Heck, I knew drummers that couldn't keep a Kansas beat. Darn talented dogs, those Sibes...