Saturday morning I woke up with a massive headache - I didn't even do any drinking the night before! There just weren't enough hours for me to get some good sleep. I knew I had to get down to the show; today was more seminars, plus a whole bunch of other wonderful treats!
First up, I went to see Dawn Omboy again - this time she was speaking about getting creative. She had two of her Poodles with her, both of them colored, of course! The seminar was aptly named All That Glitters; we used glitter in several of the activities. Other things included how to make collar scrunches, getting creative with fake flowers, and putting rhinestones on dog toenails.
Moving into the trade show, I went straight for the Red Clipper booth; I knew my model as well as what blades I wanted. I decided to go with a #30 to use under snap-on combs and a #7F for shavedowns. They showed me how to attach the blades (they're a bolt-on style) and maintain my clipper, which involves cleaning the filter... to borrow a line, "That's it, baby!" Haha! I even got to try it out on a demo dog. The clippers do all of the work--I just guide them! They even went through a thick, tangled mat with no effort on my part. Good God, I can't wait to use mine!!
Although I got there ten minutes early, Lisa began her seminar--Short but Sweet Poodles--early. I sat down in the VIP section. The only thing I really missed was her introduction. Lisa is amazing with a pair of shears and snap-on combs! That reminds me, I realized by watching her that I need a set of the Wahl stainless steel attachments--they are incredible! Lisa no longer uses any other blades!
After cruising around the trade show for a bit and picking up some free samples, it was off to the first luncheon, which featured a groomer's talent show. We were served some kind of grilled seasoned chicken over rice, and it was delicious. Dessert was Reese's pie--absolutely decadent! I met up with some of the PG members and met a few new friends as well, one of them from a town near home! I was getting the same question from them and passers-by the whole time: "Is the car that's painted up outside yours? Seems like something you would do!" Hmm, deja vu from last year when everyone was saying, "You look like a groomer, I'll bet you are!" Haha!
Anyway, the talent show was incredible. First, we had a girl who just signed up to try and win a prize. She just did a little dance. Then, one of Judy Bremer-Taxman's friends did a great comedy set, most of it featuring dog jokes: different breed answers to how many dogs it takes to screw in a lightbulb, new desginer breeds, and then she threw in some tongue twisters and said them perfectly! The next act, however, had most of the audience (including myself!) floored! Sasha Reiss came up on stage and said that since most people have trouble with his accent, he would sing. There is only one picture of him at the beginning for a reason: when he began to sing his operetta, it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. I was stunned. I will see if there is a video out there somewhere of him singing--he could easily bring the burliest men to their knees!
There were several singing acts after him, including a girl who did a parody of a Rascal Flats song... all about grooming cats. The funniest thing was that she could sing about anals in her hair and cat pee in her shoe, yet keep a straight face! She ended up winning, with Sasha in a close second. After he gave us an encore, Judy tried to take him home with her!
The luncheon ran a little longer than expected; luckily, my next seminar was right next door. Kathy Rose was hosting a series called Designer Doos. When I got there, she was stating that the dog she was supposed to be working on hadn't been de-matted, so they needed a substitute. In came a little Pomeranian mix, so she decided on--big surprise--a lion cut! I learned a few tricks to make my lion cuts look even better. Then, she added blue hair extensions to his head and tail... too cute!
Once again, I hit the trade show. Walking by the Espree booth, I decided to pick up a sample starter kit--it was only $15! Can't beat it! When I parked all my stuff near the Wahl booth, I paused to watch a demo given by none other than Lisa Leady; she was grooming a cute little Poodle to look like a Portuguese Water Dog. The little girl reminded me of Armani, so I smiled to myself. I had more reason to smile when Jorge walked by and made a snarky comment!
To which Lisa responded: "Yeah yeah, I know! You're Jorge!! It's OK, I can say that because I married you at last year's Groom Expo! No wait, then I married Jasper! I married everyone last year... except for Artist. Even before I was GHI, I saw Jorge and told him I was marrying him, then I saw Jasper and told Jorge to move over!"
That's when Lisa's sister said, "Hey guys, have you all seen that movie Lady and the Tramp? Well Lisa's not the lady!"
And so Lisa threatened to restrain her with a Groomer's Helper!
I almost didn't want to go to my last seminar, just so I could watch the fur fly out here... in more ways than one! However, my last seminar of the day was just as funny, if not funnier. Judy Bremer-Taxman made a whole bunch of dirty jokes before and after the camera started rolling for her Spa Illusions seminar; her face was priceless when she realized that they were filming! She claimed that Sally Liddick was going to kill her! We had a lot of fun with this one! She gave us all vegan oil and asked us to massage the hands of the person next to us. It was a little weird at first, but after a while it started feeling absolutely wonderful, especially since I've been carrying stuff around all weekend! Then she showed us how to create a spa-type atmosphere in salon lobbies, but not without letting a few more dirty jokes slide! I can see why Jon was being as nasty as he was at the party, haha!
One more visit to the trade show; I picked up Happy Hoodies, then went to find Jorge. He gave me another huge hug, and told me what happened. "So las' night, I said lemme take a two minutes nap, I woke up and it was 2 AM! I was'so mad! But someone posted a vid'yo of the party, and jeesh, you wher dancin' like crazy, flappin' those ears around!" I told him about how Jon said that the GHI season one people were too old to party. "He said that? I'm gonna kick his butt... even though, he's probably right!" We had a good laugh. I need to get a picture with Jorge, Malka suit or not!
After that, I went to watch the Poodle competition. Big surprise, Jonathan won the Expert class--his Poodle looked great! I was hoping to schmooze with Judge Joey afterward, but I had to get back to the room to get my formal attire on--it was time for the Dancing with Dog Stars Dinner!
This food was just as good as, if not better than, the luncheon: pasta salad and mesquite-grilled chicken with fruit salsa! And for dessert: a huge piece of chocolate cake with alternating layers, and a little cup of mousse with an edible chocolate dish. Talk about rib-sticking goodness!
I met another new friend from Colorado at my table. We talked about the classes at Nash and how I work with the shelter dogs. Everyone always tells me that it's the best way to get started--guess I took the natural path!
Before the show began, they brought out all the winners from the grooming competitions for the best in show awards. Judge Joey had to help one of the contestants get her giant Old English Sheepdog onto the table! Jonathan didn't win, but was beaten by a small rescue Poodle: a real "zero to hero" story there!
The opening ceremony was Sasha singing again! This performance was the one that brought me close to tears--it was THAT intense, sublime, and awe-inspiring. The representative from the K9 Freestyle Organization announced that we were moving away from the sublime and into the ridiculous--indeed, her statement was highly accurate! They brought out all the human dancers, who began with a Japanese dance, which went into the chicken dance, the macarena, and the can-can!
There were eight contestants all together. Dogs included a Border Collie, Papillon, and a Golden. Other dogs of note included two Greyhounds at the same time, a "sassy senior" Lab, a Siberian Husky, and last but not least a Norwegian Elkhound. When I saw that last dog, I combined her look with the Husky's coat and couldn't help but wonder how my boy was doing... the one of the four-legged variety, hehe!
Sally and Judy brought out the GHI stars to judge the competition, decided by audience applause. Mostly, they fought over who had more! After several "hand recounts" (get it? Applause? Never mind...) the winners were finally decided.The two sassy seniors took honorable mention, Border Collie took third, the Greyhounds got second, and the Golden got first.
Closing featured, for the fourth time, Sasha singing. Judy announced that Sasha didn't think anyone would want to hear him, and I couldn't believe it! I could listen to him sing all day! His last performance wasn't as intense as the others, but it didn't need to be; it was just as spellbinding and gorgeous, and left us all smiling. I wanted to get a picture, but he took off. Judge Joey disappeared earlier as well. That's OK, I was wiped out as it was. This morning, I thanked my watch for waking me up, as I fell asleep with the lights on. Of course, my new noisy neighbors could've done the job just as well, ugh!
So, here we are--the last big day. I think I'm going to get emotional this year at the show close--why can't it be like this more often? Before that though, I've got four more seminars, the trade show (big purchases today), pictures with Jorge, and hopefully Judge Joey to talk to... so much to do in so little time!
More photos on the way as well!
http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/lightningyoshi/GROOM%20EXPO%202009/
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