It's been two and a half weeks since we got Maya. Here are the things that have happened since then:

Her fur has gotten glossy and smooth

She's started to gain some weight (thank God - she really needed it)

Her teeth have visibly improved (yay for Dentastix!)

She's learned how to play with toys (she was baffled by them when we first got her) and has become an absolute fiend for squeaky stuffed animals. None are safe with Maya in the room!

She has proven that, although she hasn't got the border collie herding instinct, she has all the scary border collie intelligence, as can be summed up with just one statement of fact: she taught herself (within one day) how to open closed & locked child-proof gates! This just seems wrong...

She has also proven that she has absolutely no common sense. I can't even count how many times she's flopped herself backwards for tummy-petting and fallen right off the couch. (Luckily, she seems to be pretty boneless - she only looks surprised when this happens, never hurt.)

Sadly, sadly, she's gone into heat. Poor Maya...poor us...we're all looking forward to it ending. Although Maya doesn't know it, she has some surgery coming up in a month or so to take care of that problem... :(

And of course, most of all, she's just gotten more & more lovable. After talking to the vet, we think she's probably around two years old (rather than being three, as the shelter had guessed), but she is still such a puppy. She makes me laugh several times a day, and also snuggles up into me whenever I lie down on the couch. I've been infinitely happier since we brought Maya home.

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As usual, Gwenda posts all the best links! Just to pass on my very favorite writing links from the past week:

Justine Musk on characterization: Writing From the Flaw

Debra Doyle on bringing together plot and character arcs

Nalo Hopkinson on issues to look out for when writing short stories

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And my new favorite writing quote, from Ellen Kushner: "Plot? Isn't that that thing you have so your characters can have something to talk about?"

So true... :)