Genarlow Wilson freed.
I don't get what was so hard about this case.
[Edit: 8:10 pm EDT]
What in the hell is my state guvment thinking? Now they're going to spend the taxpayers hard earned money to fight the judges decision to free Wilson? Must be why Sonny vetoed the property tax "rebate" earlier this year.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Friday, June 08, 2007
AB1643 - California Health Pets Act
SayUncle and Squeaky Wheel Seeks Grease have both picked up on the fact that AB1634 passed the California General Assembly last week. Both blogs are focusing on the fact that if you are a breeder of pure-breds, you are exempt from this bill. Truth is, in order to be exempt you have to be licensed breeder, subjecting yourself to the whims of local and state legislation and regulation. Ok, so you're saying 'So what?'. What if you're a hobby breeder, raising show dogs or as we do, raise performance hounds in order to preserve function? In Sacramento, an intact dog or cat will cost you $150 for a license. Most of these hobby breeders aren't making any money, just doing it to try to preserve and hone function. The vast majority come off the hip for vaccinations, feed, exams, to the tune of thousands. We're supposed to shell out more money for an already losing proposition?
So, just to be fair, this isn't class warfare. It's not pure-bred v. mutt. What it comes down to is we all need to stick together to fight more government intrusion in our lives!
So, just to be fair, this isn't class warfare. It's not pure-bred v. mutt. What it comes down to is we all need to stick together to fight more government intrusion in our lives!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Cool weather gizmo
I've used weather.com for years, like most people I'm sure. I switched for a while to using weather underground and still use it occasionally. The Weather Channel now uses MS Virtual Earth satellite photos for their mapping. You can see down to street level what the weather is doing (or not). BTW, the rain didn't reach the ground and the Jeep is dry so far! :)
Pass this around
I got the link to this here. I've seen eBay auctions and heard plenty of tales of empty boxes being "mis-represented" as actual merchandise (ie "Apple Ipod-30G-box"), but I never imagined that a brick and mortar could get away with it. Luckily, I don't have to boycott CompUSA since they've closed them all in our area.
Technorati Tags: rip-off
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Other than that
Last night, we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It was a great movie, full of spectacular effects, but a little confusing at times. I was pretty much able to keep track of what was going on, but the crossing, double-crossing, triple-crossing and even quadruple-crossing got a little convoluted. Overall, it was a fun movie, not quite as fun as the original, better than the second I think.
This morning I got to sleep until about 8:00. Quite a difference from the past three nights when dogs and kids have gotten us up and kept us from getting a real good nights sleep. After getting up, I had a cup of coffee, caught up on a few e-mails and read some blog stuff. I found a link from some post to Windows Live Writer Beta which I'm trying out for blogging. So far, I kind of like it.
Went running this morning too for the first time in about a week and a half. The last time I ran I got this sharp pain in my hip. I went out a couple of days later to give it a shot but the pain was making me alter my stride so that I was actually pulling my back. So, I've rested for a few days and was able to make the full run this morning. The hip feels better so I guess I'll get back on a regular schedule.
Not at the II
I'm sitting at home on Saturday morning, the first day of the II. I can't believe that we're missing our second II in a row. Last year was all about kids and injury. Sweeney was coming off his ligament repair surgery and wasn't ready for 2 days of competition and the kids get out of school right before the II weekend. This year, it's money money money and kids :) . Once again, kids got out of school Friday, so it makes it hard to get away. Gas prices being upwards of $3.00/gallon would make the driving portion almost $350! I drove a motorhome from Cartersville to Taos, New Mexico then up to Colorado Springs and back for around $400 a few years ago. That's the impact of gas prices!
Another factor in not making the trip is the fields. The fields are small. We would not have run our fast Greyhound on that field at all. Whippets might have done well, but there are visual barriers all the way around the field. We just didn't think that we'd get optimum performance out of our Whippets.
Hopefully we'll get a good location, during a good part of the year. I doubt we'll miss another II. The dogs are getting older and next year will be on the east coast. There's a group in Region 8 who have secured what I hear is a very nice field in Leesburg, Virginia for the 2008 II. The sticking point now is the date since the field is available not only on the first weekend of June, but also during cooler parts of the year. Although I'm not too bothered/worried about it since my dogs are acclimated and run well in the heat, Virginia can be quite hot in June. So, I guess we'll have to wait a bit to find out where the 2008 II is.
Good luck to everyone in Minnesota this weekend. Wish I was up there with you!!
Maybe Dan will post another update tonight.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
A dog post
Most of you dear readers (all three or four of you) are dog people and read this because you know us through coursing. I've got some interesting information that I want to get out and get some feedback on. According to a well placed source, the ASFA BOD is considering a proposal from some Region 8 clubs to host the 2008 International Invitational in Leesburg, Virginia. They propose to host this on the normal first weekend in June. The alternative at this time is for the ASFA BOD to step in and run the II for 2008.
Unknown and unconsidered to most of the fancy, sources say that the field that Region 8 is proposing to use is available at other times during the year, specifically cooler parts of the year. Now, I personally did not have a problem running the dogs we have at both Leesburg in 1999 or in Remington in 2005. The weather was hot and humid, but not unbearably so. I do think that if the opportunity exists to run in cooler weather, I would much prefer to do so. If not for reservations about the field and gas prices, we'd be at the II in Minnesota this weekend. I am confident that the weather will be ideal for running dogs.
So the question comes down to this. If an alternate, possibly (probably?) cooler weekend were available, would you rather ASFA keep the II on the first weekend in June, or would you like to see it in a cooler part of the year? Comment here or email me at todd at toddbirchfield dot com and let me know!
Unknown and unconsidered to most of the fancy, sources say that the field that Region 8 is proposing to use is available at other times during the year, specifically cooler parts of the year. Now, I personally did not have a problem running the dogs we have at both Leesburg in 1999 or in Remington in 2005. The weather was hot and humid, but not unbearably so. I do think that if the opportunity exists to run in cooler weather, I would much prefer to do so. If not for reservations about the field and gas prices, we'd be at the II in Minnesota this weekend. I am confident that the weather will be ideal for running dogs.
So the question comes down to this. If an alternate, possibly (probably?) cooler weekend were available, would you rather ASFA keep the II on the first weekend in June, or would you like to see it in a cooler part of the year? Comment here or email me at todd at toddbirchfield dot com and let me know!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Who Gives a F***!? - or, What's wrong with mainstream media
A prostitute lists out the "Sexiest Athletes". This makes the front page of the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation dot com.
What about immigration? What about sanctions on the Sudan? Nope. We get a list by a whore.
What about immigration? What about sanctions on the Sudan? Nope. We get a list by a whore.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day
Remember what the day is about. Remember those who have fought and died for the freedoms we cherish.
A little over a week ago, I posted about my Grandfather. Here's a link about the China Burma India Theater. I need to sit down and interview him.
A little over a week ago, I posted about my Grandfather. Here's a link about the China Burma India Theater. I need to sit down and interview him.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Watch where you wi-fi
This story is a good reminder to be careful about how you decide to access the internet. I've heard of people getting busted for piggy-backing on their neighbors wi-fi, but never heard this about free internet. Maybe he should have bought a cup of coffee!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Ethanol is The Answer?
You hear a lot about alternative energies these days. Hybrid cars, Hydrogen fuel cells, bio-diesel and ethanol are all darlings of the media and politicians. John Stossel debunks some of the myths about ethanol.
h/t to Boortz
h/t to Boortz
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
California trying to impose Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Sounds good? Another infringement on your rights! Please oppose this crappy bill, especially if you're in California.
This short video was put together by George Bell. Thanks to Dan Gauss for the heads up.
This short video was put together by George Bell. Thanks to Dan Gauss for the heads up.
What we're breathing
The wildfires in S. Georgia/N. Florida are 90% contained. I think 100% of the smoke is blowing into the Atlanta area...
That ^ was taken at about 7:00 am edt. Below were taken @ 10:20 am edt.
That ^ was taken at about 7:00 am edt. Below were taken @ 10:20 am edt.
ZOMG!!!
Camille. Andrew. Katrina. We all know how bad these storms were. The names will go down in history and will never be used again. What happens when both your first and last names are used back-to-back in the same year to name hurricanes? What are the odds of this happening?
I've known Karen and Mike for quite a few years. When I met them, Karen was the perfect storm, red-headed, full of bluster and a whirlwind of activity. Her kennel name is Winds. She's always been in the center of controversy since she has bred some of the finest lure coursing and amateur racing Greyhounds in the United States. Now she's being honored... (thanks Wanda Mae!)
Presenting the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season:
I've known Karen and Mike for quite a few years. When I met them, Karen was the perfect storm, red-headed, full of bluster and a whirlwind of activity. Her kennel name is Winds. She's always been in the center of controversy since she has bred some of the finest lure coursing and amateur racing Greyhounds in the United States. Now she's being honored... (thanks Wanda Mae!)
Presenting the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season:
Monday, May 21, 2007
Dealing with trouble
Along this vein, this story will cheer those of you who have lost faith in parental units everywhere!
h/t to Boortz!
h/t to Boortz!
Vacation
Last year, I lost quite a few days of vacation since I maxed out what I could roll over. So last Friday I took the day off work, intending to do nothing more than run errands for R, read and generally just lay around. Instead, I called my grandfather up and we got together in the early afternoon at Spivey for a round of golf. For those of you who don't know, my grandfather is a better than par golfer. At 86 years old. At least twice a week. He plays from the front tees now instead of the backs, but still... He can out drive me by a long shot. He hits straight and long, and most importantly, accurate. Every time. Not bad for a man who didn't take up the game until he was in his 40's, and then only so that my father couldn't have a sport in which he could beat him.
It's a pleasure to be schooled on the golf course by my grandfather. I don't spend enough time with him, what with kids, dogs, jobs, etc. I'm doing better than I have in the recent past though and try to do as much with him as possible.
It's more than just being out on the golf course, a worthy destination in itself. Being with a man who has so much experience in life, and so much still to teach. Not just golf, but life. Makes me think of the quote by George Bernard Shaw, "Youth is wasted on the young." I wish as a younger man I had the wisdom to really listen to what he said. I gleaned a lot, but I also have to admit that I resented his attempts to step in as a fatherly figure in my life.
My grandfather is a great man. He's one of the Greatest Generation. He lived through the depression in very rural Alabama, getting out during World War II and spending the war in India. The Army Air Corps gave him training in repairing avionics and instruments. After the war, he came home and gathered up my Grandmother and Father and moved to Atlanta to work for Delta Air Lines for 40 years. After being there for a few years, he was asked to serve on the Delta Employee Credit Union board, a position he held for over 50 years, representing both his department and later retirees.
He raised two kids and helped raise me and my sister after my father died back in 1985. Soon after my father's death, we moved to Lake Jodeco, just a few houses down from my Grandmother and Grandfather. They were gracious enough to keep an eye on us while my mother was flying for Eastern Air Lines in the late '80's. While I'm on the subject, my Grandmother was probably my best friend for many years. Needless to say, my Grandparents were very important in my life. Thankfully my Grandfather still is.
It's a pleasure to be schooled on the golf course by my grandfather. I don't spend enough time with him, what with kids, dogs, jobs, etc. I'm doing better than I have in the recent past though and try to do as much with him as possible.
It's more than just being out on the golf course, a worthy destination in itself. Being with a man who has so much experience in life, and so much still to teach. Not just golf, but life. Makes me think of the quote by George Bernard Shaw, "Youth is wasted on the young." I wish as a younger man I had the wisdom to really listen to what he said. I gleaned a lot, but I also have to admit that I resented his attempts to step in as a fatherly figure in my life.
My grandfather is a great man. He's one of the Greatest Generation. He lived through the depression in very rural Alabama, getting out during World War II and spending the war in India. The Army Air Corps gave him training in repairing avionics and instruments. After the war, he came home and gathered up my Grandmother and Father and moved to Atlanta to work for Delta Air Lines for 40 years. After being there for a few years, he was asked to serve on the Delta Employee Credit Union board, a position he held for over 50 years, representing both his department and later retirees.
He raised two kids and helped raise me and my sister after my father died back in 1985. Soon after my father's death, we moved to Lake Jodeco, just a few houses down from my Grandmother and Grandfather. They were gracious enough to keep an eye on us while my mother was flying for Eastern Air Lines in the late '80's. While I'm on the subject, my Grandmother was probably my best friend for many years. Needless to say, my Grandparents were very important in my life. Thankfully my Grandfather still is.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Where the Braves play
The Atlanta Braves have a new owner in Liberty Media Corp. Personally, I don't think that AOHell/TimeWarner did the Braves any real justice until this year when they were looking to sell so they loosened the purse strings a bit. The new owner at least acknowledges that a sports franchise should be run by a sports person... Here's hoping the Braves will be given the tools to succeed for many seasons to come!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Updates
Well, it turned out that a BIOS update I tried to install was probably the cause of my problems on Friday. The HD showed up on schedule Monday and I started the install process. Started getting the same ol' BSOD at the same point I was on Friday when trying to install XP. Strange... So, I do some deeper Googling, and find that not only could that error be the HD, but it could be the RAID drivers. Hmmmm.... So, I go into the BIOS and change the RAID settings, do the install and BAM!, no problem. I'm now the proud owner of XP...again...
The old HD was corrupted still, so the machine wouldn't boot from it. Even when I installed it as a second HD I couldn't see the file structure. Found a program that promised to allow me to view the file structure and retrieve the files off the corrupted HD (I know, I could have booted to Knoppix, but didn't feel like it). TestDisk has a DOS interface that allows you to browse, scan and copy directories and files. It worked for me! I was able to retrieve all the files that I needed off the old HD. Now, if I could figure out a way to convince Dell to let me keep the HD, I'd be pushing 1 TB built in and 300 GB removable USB storage! But then again, what would I ever need that much space for... :)
The best news is that I'm sitting here working on this XPS M1210 now. I've been using my old laptop for quite a few years and it was getting a bit worn out. The OS wasn't quite as stable as it was in it's younger days, and the batteries were showing their age; One had shorted out on my trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago. So, it was time to update and the latest compact, powerful machine from Dell is now mine. I opted for Vista as the OS on this, here's hoping that I don't have the same issues with a native install that I did with the upgrade I did on my desktop. So far, it's working well. I do notice that boot time is extremely long. I'll have to do some research and see if I can figure out what's going on there.
The old HD was corrupted still, so the machine wouldn't boot from it. Even when I installed it as a second HD I couldn't see the file structure. Found a program that promised to allow me to view the file structure and retrieve the files off the corrupted HD (I know, I could have booted to Knoppix, but didn't feel like it). TestDisk has a DOS interface that allows you to browse, scan and copy directories and files. It worked for me! I was able to retrieve all the files that I needed off the old HD. Now, if I could figure out a way to convince Dell to let me keep the HD, I'd be pushing 1 TB built in and 300 GB removable USB storage! But then again, what would I ever need that much space for... :)
The best news is that I'm sitting here working on this XPS M1210 now. I've been using my old laptop for quite a few years and it was getting a bit worn out. The OS wasn't quite as stable as it was in it's younger days, and the batteries were showing their age; One had shorted out on my trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago. So, it was time to update and the latest compact, powerful machine from Dell is now mine. I opted for Vista as the OS on this, here's hoping that I don't have the same issues with a native install that I did with the upgrade I did on my desktop. So far, it's working well. I do notice that boot time is extremely long. I'll have to do some research and see if I can figure out what's going on there.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Poor excuse for a day
Showed up to work at 7 this am to find a nice frozen screen on my desktop. Aw hell, Vista is such a piece of crap! Froze up again I figure. Do a hard re-boot and it goes into the endless loop of post, safe mode choice, re-boot, etc, etc. Can't blame this one on MS or Vista. Seems the HD is the piece of crap this time.... At least it's under warranty, I'll have a replacement on Monday. Now to see if I can get all the files off the old HD...
To add to my misery, I have to be here tomorrow for the graduation broadcast. Actually, I could pull off my part from home (more than likely), but as soon as I do, I'll need to be here to push some damn button...
There is one bit of good news. This should be arriving in my office early next week!
To add to my misery, I have to be here tomorrow for the graduation broadcast. Actually, I could pull off my part from home (more than likely), but as soon as I do, I'll need to be here to push some damn button...
There is one bit of good news. This should be arriving in my office early next week!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Happy news for a Star Wars fan
Cool from FoxNews.com:
Hat tip to /.
"And here's a little news: Lucas tells me he will make two more live-action films based in the "Star Wars" era.
'But they won't have members of the Skywalker family as characters," he said. "They will be other people of that milieu.'
The two extra films will also be made for TV and probably be an hour long each. But, like "Clone Wars," Lucas doesn't know where on TV they will land.
Hello, HBO and Showtime. It may be time to pony up."
Hat tip to /.
And a dog brag...Simply...
We went to SEGC on Sunday in Cartersville. The dogs did very well, Sweeney finished his LCM, Everett took BoB and Lobo took 2nd. A good day.
No dog brag time
It's time that I finally brag on something that R and I have been doing since the first of the year. I had just about reached maximum density, and R wasn't real happy with where her body was headed. We decided that we both would work together and try to become not just lighter but healthier. Four and a half months later, we've both made huge strides towards our goals. Actually, R has reached and passed hers already. I've reached and passed my short-term goal of losing 25 lbs while lifting weights. So, I've lost a couple of inches in my waist (damn, I wish I had taken some measurements other than weight at the beginning). I've worn 38" waist pants for many years and haven't seen the south side of 36's since, oh, the late 80's. Now, my jeans and shorts are literally falling off (walking through the Mart of Wals) and my shirts are pretty baggy. Everything has gotten leaner, from my neck all the way to my legs. I've gone from a personal high of 250 down to 220 lbs! This is very close to my post-divorce-diet weight!
I haven't been under 200 since I put on the Freshman forty in 1985/86. My long-term goal is to get below 200 lbs for at least a little while and then hold around 205'ish. I figure if I can do that, I'll have restored at least a few days on to my life expectancy!
I've been on a pretty serious exercise regimen as well. I hit the gym for weight lifting at least 3 days a week, usually four. I'm not quite benching my all-time high, but I'm getting there. I'm doing cardio usually three times a week, right now I'm up to running between 17 and 21 minutes.
The hardest part about losing weight has been changing my eating habits. I love to eat, love good, rich food. I never really thought I ate too much, I didn't snack all the time or eat huge portions. R went on-line and signed up for Weight Watchers. She did a damn good job keeping up with the points while I rode her coattails. We figured out what we needed to cut out (mostly anything white) and what we needed to keep/increase (!). We've pretty much gone whole grain when we have to go "grain" at all, we've increased our veggie/fruit portions and we're maintaining a healthy balance of proteins (fish, chicken, some pork and some beef). The hardest part for me is limiting beer. I love me some good beer, but good beer packs on the lbs. So, I try hard to keep the consumption of said treat to a minimum. Mostly I succeed, but with Summer around the corner, it'll get harder and harder to resist!
Where does the next six months lead? Hopefully fulfilling my goal of getting below 200 lbs. I know that I'm going to keep up with my running since I feel so damn good when I finish (although it's hard as hell to get going). I plan on running the Peachtree Road Race again in 2008 (last time was 26 years ago). I better work on getting some side jobs so that I can buy a new wardrobe.
What I'm really looking forward to is having people not recognize me! Oh, and hopefully you won't ask if I'm sick!
I haven't been under 200 since I put on the Freshman forty in 1985/86. My long-term goal is to get below 200 lbs for at least a little while and then hold around 205'ish. I figure if I can do that, I'll have restored at least a few days on to my life expectancy!
I've been on a pretty serious exercise regimen as well. I hit the gym for weight lifting at least 3 days a week, usually four. I'm not quite benching my all-time high, but I'm getting there. I'm doing cardio usually three times a week, right now I'm up to running between 17 and 21 minutes.
The hardest part about losing weight has been changing my eating habits. I love to eat, love good, rich food. I never really thought I ate too much, I didn't snack all the time or eat huge portions. R went on-line and signed up for Weight Watchers. She did a damn good job keeping up with the points while I rode her coattails. We figured out what we needed to cut out (mostly anything white) and what we needed to keep/increase (!). We've pretty much gone whole grain when we have to go "grain" at all, we've increased our veggie/fruit portions and we're maintaining a healthy balance of proteins (fish, chicken, some pork and some beef). The hardest part for me is limiting beer. I love me some good beer, but good beer packs on the lbs. So, I try hard to keep the consumption of said treat to a minimum. Mostly I succeed, but with Summer around the corner, it'll get harder and harder to resist!
Where does the next six months lead? Hopefully fulfilling my goal of getting below 200 lbs. I know that I'm going to keep up with my running since I feel so damn good when I finish (although it's hard as hell to get going). I plan on running the Peachtree Road Race again in 2008 (last time was 26 years ago). I better work on getting some side jobs so that I can buy a new wardrobe.
What I'm really looking forward to is having people not recognize me! Oh, and hopefully you won't ask if I'm sick!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Playing (race) cards
Hopefully, you won't need a login for this, but Jesse Jackson is in the news today, lamenting the fact that The Atlanta Braves aren't doing enough to promote black players. So, the Braves made the concession to actually meet with Rainbow Coalition members. Now that they've made that gesture, can we get on with playing ball?
Oh, aren't there other colors than black in a "rainbow"?
Oh, aren't there other colors than black in a "rainbow"?
Friday, May 04, 2007
It really sucks to be him...
Robbers Glue Victim to Exercise Cycle
Maybe he should have been packing fingernail polish remover!
Maybe he should have been packing fingernail polish remover!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Something techie
So, being a geek, I sure am behind the times. I spend a little bit of time each week reading blogs, typically clicking links from my blog to what I want to read. This can be time consuming and fruitless at times. If a blog hasn't been updated, I have clicked through for no reason. RSS readers have been around for a long time, I know. I just never really found one that I liked. That is, until I tried Google Reader from Google labs. It's cool, easy to manage and makes blog reading easy. It's allowed me to add more blogs and feeds and read in a much more efficient manor. Try it out!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Earth Day
Didn't even realize until today that yesterday was Earth Day. Ends up I celebrated in my favorite way, by cutting down some trees.*
*I don't advocate cutting trees for the hell of it, but if they're threatening property or are diseased/dead, no problem.
*I don't advocate cutting trees for the hell of it, but if they're threatening property or are diseased/dead, no problem.
Mass murder v/and suicide
Flippant? Why, yes! Opt for the suicide and leave the rest of us out of your misery.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
What's going on
Non-ASFA folks might want to just keep on moving... Last weekend I was in Phoenix for the ASFA ACoD. I thought the convention went well, even though we didn't pass the Discipline article that had been demanded at last year's convention. I'm amazed that this didn't pass. Last year, the uproar was about the ASFA BoD getting involved in what basically boils down to a breeder dispute. The floor of the ACoD was outraged (even though this wasn't included in the official minutes... hmmm) and demanded that CRC re-work Article IX (discipline) to include some limit on jurisdiction. Unfortunately, in the manner of the ACoD, delegates were either too unfamiliar with the background or were too involved with their own agendas to vote for what was obviously a step forward.
If you're reading this and you're involved in the "legislative" process of ASFA, please feel free to request information about this. Luckily, the issue will come back in front of the ACoD next year for another vote.
If you're reading this and you're involved in the "legislative" process of ASFA, please feel free to request information about this. Luckily, the issue will come back in front of the ACoD next year for another vote.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Good things
It might have only been 45 degrees, with a wicked wind whipping, but baseball came back to Atlanta last weekend. Thanks to one of Andrew's suppliers, Andrew, Neil, Will and I went to the game on Saturday. Yeah, we froze, but there was beer, peanuts and baseball. To me, it's a combination that's hard to beat! Oh, the good guys won the game too. Got to see John Smoltz pitch a nice game and hand the traitor Tom Glavine a loss. Not a bad day at all!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Missing it...
Hope everyone in Kansas is having a good time and their dogs are doing well. I wish I was there.... Drop me an email as soon as results are available!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Denial doesn't work
UPDATE 12:30: R got Lobo up to Dr. Toby's and he confirmed what I thought. Torn muscle along the chest. Can't be surgically repaired since it's paper thin. He's putting a drain in now and Lobo will be home in a bit. Not sure about the long term prognosis...
We were supposed to be headed to Lawrence Kansas this weekend for the Whippet National lure coursing trial. Everett and Lobo both turn 5 this year and still run quite honestly and can really hang with the younger dogs. We figured that we really needed to get them to the Nationals this year...
That was before we ran them at SEGC this past weekend in 90 degree heat over way too parched ground. Unfortunately, Ev took the corners off two of his pads and Lobo took the stopper off both front feet. To make it worse, Lobo has a muscle issue in his chest that we can't figure out. He's going to the vet today so she can give it a look.
So, as much as we've all been looking forward to this weekend, especially running with all the great competition, we're just not going to be able to pull it off... We'll miss seeing y'all and really miss seeing the dogs go head to head.
We're still planning on the II this year with the Whippets, so get ready for that!!!
We were supposed to be headed to Lawrence Kansas this weekend for the Whippet National lure coursing trial. Everett and Lobo both turn 5 this year and still run quite honestly and can really hang with the younger dogs. We figured that we really needed to get them to the Nationals this year...
That was before we ran them at SEGC this past weekend in 90 degree heat over way too parched ground. Unfortunately, Ev took the corners off two of his pads and Lobo took the stopper off both front feet. To make it worse, Lobo has a muscle issue in his chest that we can't figure out. He's going to the vet today so she can give it a look.
So, as much as we've all been looking forward to this weekend, especially running with all the great competition, we're just not going to be able to pull it off... We'll miss seeing y'all and really miss seeing the dogs go head to head.
We're still planning on the II this year with the Whippets, so get ready for that!!!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
CHASE March
We had a pretty good trial last weekend. Smallish by our standards, but everyone had a good time, we got to see some really good runs and people had a good time. BIE went to John and Laura Parker's greyhound Cole, a very nice running dog who defeated the Saluki Basheera in a run-off. Weather left a little to be desired on Saturday when we were fighting very stiff winds all day long. Sunday was much nicer with temps in the 50's and much less wind.
We only had four field champion Whippets on Sunday... Four.... Amazing for this part of the country. The competition was great as all four were top 20 dogs last year (#1 and #3 included).
Sweeney did great finishing a very respectable 2nd on Saturday. The best part is that he's finally to the point where he could run a third time (run-off) or on Sunday possibly.
Congratulations to all the winners! Big thanks to everyone who stepped up and helped up put on such a great trial!
We only had four field champion Whippets on Sunday... Four.... Amazing for this part of the country. The competition was great as all four were top 20 dogs last year (#1 and #3 included).
Sweeney did great finishing a very respectable 2nd on Saturday. The best part is that he's finally to the point where he could run a third time (run-off) or on Sunday possibly.
Congratulations to all the winners! Big thanks to everyone who stepped up and helped up put on such a great trial!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Remembering
Something Dan said in response to my post 300 got me to thinking. I have mentioned here before that I don't have many memories from my childhood. Once again, it's not a whine because I'm not sure that I'm missing anything, it's just an observation. Hell, I didn't know until about 5 years ago that I couldn't really remember much and the person who noticed this seemed surprised that I didn't remember. I never really thought much about it before then but have thought about it a bit since. I wonder what it is in my makeup that keeps me from remembering details from years ago? Dan mentioned that if I had really bowled a 290 something I would remember it exactly. Well, not really. I do remember that it happened, remember who I was with and where I was, but evidently not the important details... That happened probably 17'ish years ago, so well past childhood.
All this leads me to wonder where memories go and where the "rememberance" line might be for me. Did something traumatic in my past cause me to just not care about remembering? Hell, like most people, I've had my share of tragedy in life but I've tried to not let it dominate my LIFE, you know? Maybe I could get all pshrinky and analyze what the hell is going on. Maybe I should have in the past. I don't know... I do know that I'd like to figure out ways to remember more of my experiences in more detail...
All this leads me to wonder where memories go and where the "rememberance" line might be for me. Did something traumatic in my past cause me to just not care about remembering? Hell, like most people, I've had my share of tragedy in life but I've tried to not let it dominate my LIFE, you know? Maybe I could get all pshrinky and analyze what the hell is going on. Maybe I should have in the past. I don't know... I do know that I'd like to figure out ways to remember more of my experiences in more detail...
Monday, March 12, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
ACC
Running at the ACC trial last weekend was a blast! I love going to those trials. The people are wonderful and the weather is always warmer than home. The dogs did well this weekend. Sweeney ran prelims and finals on Saturday, finishing BoB for Greyhounds! His recovery, while slow, is moving along. Everett took 1st Saturday and 2nd Sunday, losing out to a really nice dog, Sam. Lobo finished NBQ and 3rd respectively. Nellie ran in Singles again both days and blew everyone away. I sure hope that she decides that she wants to concentrate on chasing and leave the other dogs alone. She's a very nice, fluid, flexible bitch who could do well on almost any course plan. She has speed, but really uses her body well in negotiating the corners.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
How inconvenient
Wow at Al Gore for his utility bills!!! I'm with Boortz on this one, let everyone have what they want/can afford. But don't get all self-righteous and preach about how we're screwing up the environment.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Coursing last weekend
A little more reflection on coursing last weekend.
It's hard sometimes for me to find a happy medium in course design. For the big dogs I like to see a big, open course that let's them really stretch while showing their agility on corners that aren't asking them to do 90 degree turns. I think these course plans showcase good Whippets as well. I get a lot of grief about my choice of plans because some owners/breeders (especially of slower big dogs and most Whippets) want to see choppier courses with more acute turns.
Thanks to Woody and Jennifer for their help all weekend. We've gotten a really nice influx of new coursers in the past year and it's nice to have a couple step up to the plate and really work hard to help put on the trial.
Remember that we're all volunteers out on the field. In the Atlanta area, there are four very active coursing clubs. Basically, the same group puts trials on for all four clubs. If you can help in any way, set up, huntmaster, lure operate, clerk, whatever, please step up and help!
I lure course because (1) I love to watch my dogs run; (2) I love to watch other good dogs run; and (3) because I like the social aspect of getting together with others who can appreciate the good dogs.
Being able to turn while running slow does not equal agility.
One more time.... Being able to turn while running slow does not equal agility.
It's hard sometimes for me to find a happy medium in course design. For the big dogs I like to see a big, open course that let's them really stretch while showing their agility on corners that aren't asking them to do 90 degree turns. I think these course plans showcase good Whippets as well. I get a lot of grief about my choice of plans because some owners/breeders (especially of slower big dogs and most Whippets) want to see choppier courses with more acute turns.
Thanks to Woody and Jennifer for their help all weekend. We've gotten a really nice influx of new coursers in the past year and it's nice to have a couple step up to the plate and really work hard to help put on the trial.
Remember that we're all volunteers out on the field. In the Atlanta area, there are four very active coursing clubs. Basically, the same group puts trials on for all four clubs. If you can help in any way, set up, huntmaster, lure operate, clerk, whatever, please step up and help!
I lure course because (1) I love to watch my dogs run; (2) I love to watch other good dogs run; and (3) because I like the social aspect of getting together with others who can appreciate the good dogs.
Being able to turn while running slow does not equal agility.
One more time.... Being able to turn while running slow does not equal agility.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Forfeit your celebrity
Not that I give one whit about what she does with her life, but in my mind, once you become a celebrity you forfeit your privacy. Why do celebrities actually believe that the personality cult that they've created for themselves will actually turn off at will?
"Britney Spears has voluntarily checked herself into an undisclosed rehab facility today," (Larry) Rudolph (Spears' spokesman) says in a statement. "We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those of her family and friends at this time."
Monday, February 19, 2007
It actually....
turned out to be colder than the forecast. But if you wear enough clothes you won't get cold. But if you wear that many layers, you get sore and tired... Oh well, it was a very nice weekend, even with the cold temps. We had 61 dogs on Saturday and 76 on Sunday. One of the biggest weekends we've had in a couple of years. We had a nice turnout of Ibizans and Ridgebacks. Not an overwhelming number of Whippets, but still quite a few. The Ridgeback Cameron won BIE over a couple of nice Ibizians and a Pharaoh.
Nellie ran in Singles on Sunday. She's beautiful to watch run and I hope that she gets her focus so that we can certify her. Lobo took 2nd on Saturday, but in the process took a pretty nasty spill in finals and cut under his shoulder pretty badly. He's sore, but he'll be ok. Everett took 3rd on Saturday, but came back strong on Sunday to take Breed. He's getting back in the groove after the collision in Tallahassee in December.
Looking forward to racing this weekend. Actually I'll be home taking a midterm, but R is going to take the dogs down to Jax for racing on the training track. Tallahassee is the next weekend. Looking forward to getting down there again.
Nellie ran in Singles on Sunday. She's beautiful to watch run and I hope that she gets her focus so that we can certify her. Lobo took 2nd on Saturday, but in the process took a pretty nasty spill in finals and cut under his shoulder pretty badly. He's sore, but he'll be ok. Everett took 3rd on Saturday, but came back strong on Sunday to take Breed. He's getting back in the groove after the collision in Tallahassee in December.
Looking forward to racing this weekend. Actually I'll be home taking a midterm, but R is going to take the dogs down to Jax for racing on the training track. Tallahassee is the next weekend. Looking forward to getting down there again.
Friday, February 16, 2007
The chilly South
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Bogging down in blogging
I really do like to blog. I don't think that 99% of what I have to say has any kind of importance, but it's nice to put stuff in writing sometimes. I really should do this more often, but with work, kids, dogs, and the other minutiae in life, the blog tends to be neglected. I think I'll regret this as I get older, much as I regret not having any journals or logs from my younger years. I really don't have many memories of my childhood (good or bad) or even of my teen years for that matter. I don't know why, I just don't.
Anyway, all that to say that I'm going to try to do more writing in the future. Not for you (not sure if there's even a you), but for me.
Anyway, all that to say that I'm going to try to do more writing in the future. Not for you (not sure if there's even a you), but for me.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
My day...
Installing a pressure regulator in my house... Got started today at about 12. Cutting out the section of pipe for the regulator was no problem. Getting the regulator in, not really a problem. Once it was in, problem. A little leak, not around where I had soldered the pipes, but around where the teflon tape was sealing the fitting into the regulator. Ah well, trip to Home Depot. Get more fittings and that liquid seal stuff. Back home, put new fittings in, go to solder pipes again, forget to empty water out of pipe. Oh, that was the last fitting to solder. Dammit. Have to cut one side of the regulator out and sweat the other side. Back to HD for pipe that I forgot the first trip. Back home, put a f-ing patch in instead of the damn regulator. I'm sure I've melted something in there and I really needed a shower. Small drip where the patch is. I'm done for the day though. It'll just have to leak. Next weekend, I'm sweating that whole length of pipe out from elbow to elbow and replacing the shut off valve. Reminder to self, disassemble shut off valve before soldering so that I don't melt the rubber gasket...
Fun day.
Fun day.
You don't say
This article at /. talks about Google's dealings in North Carolina last year while the internet search giant was seeking tax breaks for possibly locating a server farm in the state. Does this surprise anyone? Major corporations do this all the time, with benefits for both the corporation and the state/locality. In recent years, Tennessee has gotten a GM plant, South Carolina has gotten a BMW plant, Alabama a Mercedes plant and Georgia a KIA plant, all because of corporate courting. I don't hear much gnashing of teeth about these deals, but over at /. the geeks are up in arms about "big business" and whatnot. I just don't see what the big deal is...
Monday, January 29, 2007
Walking the dogs
Saturday was a very nice day. When R came home from dropping off the kids, she had the great idea to take the Greyhounds over to my step-father's families land. He and his brothers own quite a bit of land in Ola, just a few miles from the house. Anyway, we went over and spent about an hour with Sweeney and Nellie just wandering around. R and I had a great time, just getting out and spending some time outdoors together is a treat. The Greyhounds were happy and tired. We'll have to do this again soon.
I really want to work up to having the dogs off lead while we're out on the property. My old Whippet JR was a great dog to have off-lead as he had great recall. Sweeney will come back to R with no problem, but we've never really just walked around hundreds of acres with him off-lead. I'm not sure about Nellie either, especially since she's young and we haven't worked much with recall. Something to think about, especially if I'm ever going to take one of them out to do some OFC...
I really want to work up to having the dogs off lead while we're out on the property. My old Whippet JR was a great dog to have off-lead as he had great recall. Sweeney will come back to R with no problem, but we've never really just walked around hundreds of acres with him off-lead. I'm not sure about Nellie either, especially since she's young and we haven't worked much with recall. Something to think about, especially if I'm ever going to take one of them out to do some OFC...
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Vista cont...
Dammit, it keeps freezing on me again. I have no idea at the moment. Nothing new except JRE 6.
EDIT: Well, it continued to freeze for about 30 minutes (the freezes last about 30 seconds and I can't tell what causes them). Anyway, after that freeze free for the rest of the day. If anyone has any ideas, send them to me!
EDIT: Well, it continued to freeze for about 30 minutes (the freezes last about 30 seconds and I can't tell what causes them). Anyway, after that freeze free for the rest of the day. If anyone has any ideas, send them to me!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Vista
Vista, Microsoft's newest OS, sure is pretty. And it runs pretty fast. It's a pain to get set up though. I spent the better part of the day trying to install Vista on my desktop, a 2.6GHz Dual Core with 2 GB RAM. According to MS, my machine is a prime candidate for Vista, so I decided to take the plunge.
First off, I'm installing an MSDN version that comes with our subscription at work (this is my work machine). This is a January, 2007 release, so is probably what's going to be released to the public at the end of the month. I installed Vista on a machine that has been running XP Pro. The installation process gives you a choice of performing an upgrade on your machine and preserving programs and documents that are already installed. Of course it's a very good idea to keep a backup of everything just in case. The other option is to perform a full install of Windows Vista.
I started out by trying the upgrade. The process seemed to move along quite nicely for about 30 minutes, but after that it hung up. From this point, I tried to cancel the install but could not, everything was just locked up. So, from this point, I had no choice but to do a hard reboot of the machine. I restarted the install process and once again, got to about the same point and the install hung. At this point, I wanted to see if I could roll back the install to XP as that is an option given in the install. No luck, the machine would not boot into any OS.
At this point I figured I better just opt for the full install. This seemed to go well for about 30-45 minutes before hanging. I was getting frustrated at this point, to the point where I considered dropping back and just re-installing XP. I hadn't worked on it this long to just quit, so I tried again. This time was it! Finally, the install proceeded without a hitch. Very easy to set up once you get the OS installed. Setup wizards were very intuitive and should be easy for even the most non-tech-savvy type to handle! One thing that I have noticed is that I had problems with Vista locking occasionally for about 30 seconds. I was never able to nail down exactly what thread or process was causing this to happen as it has finally quit, but I think it had to do with my graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS) and the drivers. After installing the drivers for Vista and working through some of the settings, I'm not getting that lock up anymore.
Overall, I like Vista. The graphics are pretty, the OS is fast. I don't think the search function is quite as hot as MS has touted, but it's improved. Organization is a little improved over XP and other previous Windows versions, but it might take you a while to get used to it. So far all of my applications are working without a hitch. I don't recommend non-techy people installing Vista right now though. If you're uncomfortable with having to work through install issues or wiping out your OS to install something fresh, I'd wait a bit. MS is sure to have an update out sooner rather than later.
I'll keep you updated on any new developments, if there are any.
First off, I'm installing an MSDN version that comes with our subscription at work (this is my work machine). This is a January, 2007 release, so is probably what's going to be released to the public at the end of the month. I installed Vista on a machine that has been running XP Pro. The installation process gives you a choice of performing an upgrade on your machine and preserving programs and documents that are already installed. Of course it's a very good idea to keep a backup of everything just in case. The other option is to perform a full install of Windows Vista.
I started out by trying the upgrade. The process seemed to move along quite nicely for about 30 minutes, but after that it hung up. From this point, I tried to cancel the install but could not, everything was just locked up. So, from this point, I had no choice but to do a hard reboot of the machine. I restarted the install process and once again, got to about the same point and the install hung. At this point, I wanted to see if I could roll back the install to XP as that is an option given in the install. No luck, the machine would not boot into any OS.
At this point I figured I better just opt for the full install. This seemed to go well for about 30-45 minutes before hanging. I was getting frustrated at this point, to the point where I considered dropping back and just re-installing XP. I hadn't worked on it this long to just quit, so I tried again. This time was it! Finally, the install proceeded without a hitch. Very easy to set up once you get the OS installed. Setup wizards were very intuitive and should be easy for even the most non-tech-savvy type to handle! One thing that I have noticed is that I had problems with Vista locking occasionally for about 30 seconds. I was never able to nail down exactly what thread or process was causing this to happen as it has finally quit, but I think it had to do with my graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS) and the drivers. After installing the drivers for Vista and working through some of the settings, I'm not getting that lock up anymore.
Overall, I like Vista. The graphics are pretty, the OS is fast. I don't think the search function is quite as hot as MS has touted, but it's improved. Organization is a little improved over XP and other previous Windows versions, but it might take you a while to get used to it. So far all of my applications are working without a hitch. I don't recommend non-techy people installing Vista right now though. If you're uncomfortable with having to work through install issues or wiping out your OS to install something fresh, I'd wait a bit. MS is sure to have an update out sooner rather than later.
I'll keep you updated on any new developments, if there are any.
Fields and dogs
Last weekend we went back down to Moreland, GA to lay out a couple of course plans for the SEGC trials in March. For Saturday we have 1000 yards laid out, mostly sweeping turns, a little agility and plenty of terrain! I can't wait to see how the dogs do on this at the trial. We ran Sweeney once and he did great! Nellie ran a couple of times and looked really good, even on a tighter course that we put out after laying out Saturday's. Overall, it was a really good day with the dogs.
We're going to Jacksonville next weekend for our first foray into NOTRA. This is something I'm really looking forward to, especially after Sweeney's performance at the Winter Challenge. Dr. Anna Midgarden was out gathering some more data for her Borzoi study, running dogs on a straight and measuring their speed in a 50 yd trap. According to just about anyone I talk to, this is the most accurate measure of pure speed that has ever been done. Anyway, Sweeney went out and blazed down the straight at 40.23 mph.
Anyway, we're looking forward to seeing what all the dogs can do on the track. The track at Jax is a sand greyhound training track. Really nice surface, safe for running and conducive to speed.
We're going to Jacksonville next weekend for our first foray into NOTRA. This is something I'm really looking forward to, especially after Sweeney's performance at the Winter Challenge. Dr. Anna Midgarden was out gathering some more data for her Borzoi study, running dogs on a straight and measuring their speed in a 50 yd trap. According to just about anyone I talk to, this is the most accurate measure of pure speed that has ever been done. Anyway, Sweeney went out and blazed down the straight at 40.23 mph.
Anyway, we're looking forward to seeing what all the dogs can do on the track. The track at Jax is a sand greyhound training track. Really nice surface, safe for running and conducive to speed.
Windows
So, after fighting with my laptop for the past couple of weeks, I finally decided to do a clean install of XP. I'm glad I did since now everything is running nice and speedy! It's a bit of a hassle having to re-install programs and copying documents back and forth, but after using this machine for gosh, it must be three years now, day after day, it was time to clean everything up. Sometimes Windows just needs to be freshened a bit! :)
I have Vista installing now on my desktop. Looking good so far. I'll update this when it's done.
I have Vista installing now on my desktop. Looking good so far. I'll update this when it's done.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Good to see
Two years ago, it was decreed in England that hunting with hounds would stop. The anti's finally had their way and a ban was passed forbidding fox and hare hunting with hounds. Here's an article revealing that the ban isn't really working...
toth to Stephen Bodio
toth to Stephen Bodio
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
If only I had Dan's photo equipment!
This was in the back yard today. I know it's hard to see, but as far as I can tell, it's a Pileated Woodpecker. Pretty!
Ipod ramblings
I finally got an IPod! I'm a huge music nut, have been forever. I have 200+ GB of music on a hard drive, all of it legal :)! So, I've been wanting an MP3 player forever (or at least since 98 when the Diamond Multimedia Rio came out). I've waited and waited, not really liking the idea of ripping all my music and not liking the UI's on the mp3 players that have been on the market. Apple hit a home run when they came out with their Ipod and I've sort of coveted one since. I still didn't relish the idea of ripping all those cd's, but finally bit the bullet and bought a large HD and got down to it. Ripping took a few full days, but the results are worth it. I still waited for an IPod, knowing that I'd get my chance sooner rather than later. Finally this past Christmas it made sense from a technology standpoint and a $$$ standpoint to make the move. I am now the proud owner of an 80 GB Video Ipod with about 50 GB of music on it. I had to re-sample a lot of the stuff I want to put on it to a lower bitrate, but the sound on the Ipod is good.
Now Apple has released the IPhone. What a beautiful piece of equipment that is! I love the concept, but I don't think I'm going to be an early adopter (I used to be, back in the heady days of early DVD and AC3). I love the package, I love the concept, but come back to me when you put a real storage system in it. The IPhone is going to be released with 4 GB storage (not shabby) with an 8GB model following soon after. This is probably based on the flash storage capability of the Ipod Nano instead of the HD capability of the Video. Flash technology is increasing at a huge rate, so don't be surprised to see the IPhone (and Nano) grow in storage size over time.
Anyway, I'm really happy with my Ipod and look forward to a long relationship with it. :)
Now Apple has released the IPhone. What a beautiful piece of equipment that is! I love the concept, but I don't think I'm going to be an early adopter (I used to be, back in the heady days of early DVD and AC3). I love the package, I love the concept, but come back to me when you put a real storage system in it. The IPhone is going to be released with 4 GB storage (not shabby) with an 8GB model following soon after. This is probably based on the flash storage capability of the Ipod Nano instead of the HD capability of the Video. Flash technology is increasing at a huge rate, so don't be surprised to see the IPhone (and Nano) grow in storage size over time.
Anyway, I'm really happy with my Ipod and look forward to a long relationship with it. :)
Farmington redux
Annie sent me this image of the Farmington site. Note that one field is different from what was discussed last Fall. Thanks to Annie for providing this to me.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
This guy....
This guy is a grandfather! Congratulations to Jessi and Chris and to all the Alley clan!
A comparison
Yesterday's post was of a new field in GA that we're probably going to use. Here's a comparison of what we use now (Old Mill Farm) and the II field for 2007 in Farminton, MN.
Monday, January 08, 2007
New Field
It's big! A group of us got together Sunday and walked a new field. This one is HUGE! It's a nice rolling field of Bermuda with a clay base. I think we're going to have a field trial there this Spring. Ya'll come!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
WOW
The Winter Challenge for 2006/2007 has come and gone. It was another challenge just to survive! 139 dogs Saturday, 129 Sunday and 104 on Monday. There were many Top 20 hounds in attendance and overall the competition was fierce. I think the cream rose to the top for most of the breeds. Congratulations to all the winners!
We had several factors working against us all weekend including short daylight hours, the large entry and the weather. Saturday was the nice day of the weekend and we finished all 139 by dark. Sunday wasn't so nice, what with the driving rain and all. We contended with string problems a bit, but still finished at dark. Sunday started off very nice, but the temperature fell all day and we finished in the dark again with a stiff wind and temps in the low 40's.
I had fun, but I can wait for next year. The joys of running in Region 7!
We had several factors working against us all weekend including short daylight hours, the large entry and the weather. Saturday was the nice day of the weekend and we finished all 139 by dark. Sunday wasn't so nice, what with the driving rain and all. We contended with string problems a bit, but still finished at dark. Sunday started off very nice, but the temperature fell all day and we finished in the dark again with a stiff wind and temps in the low 40's.
I had fun, but I can wait for next year. The joys of running in Region 7!
Darwin Award Nominee #1 for 2007
I noticed another blogger that I read regularly lamenting the first murder in her city for 2007. I usually don't notice stories of such things in ATL, but couldn't resist this story: Celebratory shot kills 1 in Cobb.
The story, from the Atlanta Journal continues,
The story, from the Atlanta Journal continues,
When the clock struck midnight, the 20 or so revelers who had gathered at a Mableton house retreated to the back yard and rang in the new year in what, police say, has become an all-too-common practice: firing guns into the air.
But early Monday morning, one of the bullets fell from the sky and hit a 52-year-old guest in the back. His death is believed to be the first fatal shooting in metro Atlanta in 2007.
Haven't these folks heard that what goes up must come down? Ah well, the thinning continues...Monday, December 25, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
A week and a day
Is how long it's been since Everett got T-Boned. He's doing much better, thank you very much. He's still taking antibiotics and a cough suppressant, but he's moving much better tonight than he has all week. He's shaking and stretching like nothing hurts. It'll still be a couple of weeks before we let him run, but I think he's making huge strides!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The Wire
Do you have HBO? If you do and you don't watch 'The Wire', you're missing the best TV....Ever. If you don't have HBO or have somehow missed 'The Wire', rent, buy or steal it and watch.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Everett update
Thankfully, Everett should be ok. X-rays show only one broken rib, no punctures in the lungs. He's on crate rest for the next two weeks (probably we'll go longer) and will be running again probably in February, missing the Winter Challenge for the first time in 3 years.
Let me say that I don't blame the breed of dog for what happened. What I blame is the owner for having a restraint that was not sufficient for the breed. An already broken, knotted rope does not make a good enough leash for a Pit.
Thanks to everyone at the trial who stepped up to help or just show support after Everett was hit. It means so much to Ruthanna and me that we have such terrific friends in this sport. There are more people than I can thank, but know that all of you are appreciated.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Everett
Everett got hit hard during the BoB runoff yesterday in Tallahassee. I don't have much to say about it right now other than it was a Pit-Bull that T-boned him. I'm having x-rays done and I'll know more tomorrow
Friday, December 08, 2006
How much would you pay?
Developer builds two half million dollar houses in an Atlanta suburb. I guess their tape measurer's weren't working that day...
From the Atlanta Journal/Constitution, Friday December 8, 2006
A majority of the Forsyth County Commission decided late Thursday that premier developer John Wieland Homes can bring out the hammer, nails and checkbook — not the wrecking ball — to save two half-million-dollar homes that were built too close together.
The houses in Weston, Wieland's South Forsyth County development, were built 6 feet apart. They are 4 feet closer than the 10 feet that's required and so close that Forsyth County Fire Chief Danny Bowman has said a car fire in one driveway could easily bring the other house down.
The Forsyth County Commission voted not to force John Wieland Homes to tear down two half-million-dollar houses built 4 feet too close together. Fire-safety modifications were recommended.
District County Commissioner Brian Tam, who represents the part of the county that includes the Weston development, recommended that Wieland be allowed to finish and sell the houses, with some fire-safety modifications.
"The choice is simple: Try to find some common ground or tear the houses down," Tam said.
Two other commissioners agreed to grant embarrassed Wieland executives a variance on the houses, which were 85 to 95 percent complete when county inspectors realized last June they were too close together.
County Commissioners Dave Richard and Charles Laughinghouse opposed the variance, and Richard warned Wieland executives about proceeding. Richard said he plans to ask the new commission, which takes over in January, to overrule Thursday's 3-2 vote.
He said an experienced developer like Wieland should never have made such a mistake.
"It is extremely noticeable," Richard said. "This is a clear case of asking for forgiveness."
Terry Russell, chief executive officer for John Wieland Homes, said the company was embarrassed to ask for a variance. "It's not the way we do business," Russell said.
As part of the conditions for the variance, the company will have to tear down the front porch of one home and replace it with a smaller one to put more distance between it and the driveway of the other house. Tempered glass also has to be placed in some windows in both houses.
In addition, the company is donating $5,000 to the neighborhood, Russell said.
Bowman told commissioners that the proposed modifications will improve fire safety. But he cautioned: "The houses are very close."
Tam hinted that the county may share some blame. "This is something that should have been addressed in the early phases of construction, not when the house was done."
Weston resident Jeff Dyer appeared at an earlier meeting of the commission to ask that the builder be forced to abide by the law, even if that meant tearing down and moving one of the houses.
"It's an eyesore, and if it's allowed to stay like this, it could affect our property values," Dyer said.
From the Atlanta Journal/Constitution, Friday December 8, 2006
A majority of the Forsyth County Commission decided late Thursday that premier developer John Wieland Homes can bring out the hammer, nails and checkbook — not the wrecking ball — to save two half-million-dollar homes that were built too close together.
The houses in Weston, Wieland's South Forsyth County development, were built 6 feet apart. They are 4 feet closer than the 10 feet that's required and so close that Forsyth County Fire Chief Danny Bowman has said a car fire in one driveway could easily bring the other house down.
The Forsyth County Commission voted not to force John Wieland Homes to tear down two half-million-dollar houses built 4 feet too close together. Fire-safety modifications were recommended.
District County Commissioner Brian Tam, who represents the part of the county that includes the Weston development, recommended that Wieland be allowed to finish and sell the houses, with some fire-safety modifications.
"The choice is simple: Try to find some common ground or tear the houses down," Tam said.
Two other commissioners agreed to grant embarrassed Wieland executives a variance on the houses, which were 85 to 95 percent complete when county inspectors realized last June they were too close together.
County Commissioners Dave Richard and Charles Laughinghouse opposed the variance, and Richard warned Wieland executives about proceeding. Richard said he plans to ask the new commission, which takes over in January, to overrule Thursday's 3-2 vote.
He said an experienced developer like Wieland should never have made such a mistake.
"It is extremely noticeable," Richard said. "This is a clear case of asking for forgiveness."
Terry Russell, chief executive officer for John Wieland Homes, said the company was embarrassed to ask for a variance. "It's not the way we do business," Russell said.
As part of the conditions for the variance, the company will have to tear down the front porch of one home and replace it with a smaller one to put more distance between it and the driveway of the other house. Tempered glass also has to be placed in some windows in both houses.
In addition, the company is donating $5,000 to the neighborhood, Russell said.
Bowman told commissioners that the proposed modifications will improve fire safety. But he cautioned: "The houses are very close."
Tam hinted that the county may share some blame. "This is something that should have been addressed in the early phases of construction, not when the house was done."
Weston resident Jeff Dyer appeared at an earlier meeting of the commission to ask that the builder be forced to abide by the law, even if that meant tearing down and moving one of the houses.
"It's an eyesore, and if it's allowed to stay like this, it could affect our property values," Dyer said.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Control...
Not sure where this came from originally, so if you know then let me know so that I can give credit where it's due.
1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
3. Colt: The original point and click interface.
4. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.
5. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?
6. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.
7. "Free" men do not ask permission to bear arms.
8. If you don't know your rights you don't have any.
9. Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
10. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved.
11. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you NOT understand?
12. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the
others.
13. 64,999,987 firearm owners killed no one yesterday.
14. Guns only have two enemies: rust and politicians.
15. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
16. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
17. 911 - government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.
18. Assault is a behavior, not a device.
19. Criminals love gun control -- it makes their job safer.
20. If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.
21. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
22. You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.
23. Enforce the "gun control laws" we ALREADY have, don't make more.
24. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.
25. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.
26. "A government of the people, by the people, for the people..."
1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
3. Colt: The original point and click interface.
4. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.
5. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?
6. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.
7. "Free" men do not ask permission to bear arms.
8. If you don't know your rights you don't have any.
9. Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
10. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved.
11. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you NOT understand?
12. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the
others.
13. 64,999,987 firearm owners killed no one yesterday.
14. Guns only have two enemies: rust and politicians.
15. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
16. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
17. 911 - government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.
18. Assault is a behavior, not a device.
19. Criminals love gun control -- it makes their job safer.
20. If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.
21. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
22. You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.
23. Enforce the "gun control laws" we ALREADY have, don't make more.
24. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.
25. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.
26. "A government of the people, by the people, for the people..."
Thursday, November 30, 2006
More...
You might notice that I've added a couple of columns to the right side. Music and books. The lists are a bit short right now as I haven't had time to sit down and compile the books I've read in the past couple of years. Music will be a bit more current, keeping up with what I listen to day to day. I'm a firm believer that social networking is the best way to expand musical tastes and experience different genres of music. So, if you have any recommendations, please let me know!
Updating the dogs. Sweeney is just about ready to get running again. His toe looks really good and he's finally not showing any lameness. He's been free running the backyard for a couple of weeks now with very good results. Not sure what's up with Lobo. Talked to one of our friends and she thinks it might be a slight tendon rupture. He's not very lame, even when he is. Right now I think we'll just let him rest a bit. No reason to push too much! Everett is doing well after his collision with Zydeco last Saturday at the Regional. That was one nasty wreck! Everett got thrown into the air ass over tea-kettle! He had the wind knocked out of him, but luckily that was the extent of his injuries. He finished 4th in the Regional.
Everett continues to amaze me. In St Louis, he finished his LCM 8 on Saturday, got first Sunday and took first on Friday before the Regional. So, he has 2 firsts and 100+ points for his LCM 9. I'd like to get that finished this year, just depends on how much we do. I know we'll have the end of year, but beyond that, maybe just ACC. We'll see.
Updating the dogs. Sweeney is just about ready to get running again. His toe looks really good and he's finally not showing any lameness. He's been free running the backyard for a couple of weeks now with very good results. Not sure what's up with Lobo. Talked to one of our friends and she thinks it might be a slight tendon rupture. He's not very lame, even when he is. Right now I think we'll just let him rest a bit. No reason to push too much! Everett is doing well after his collision with Zydeco last Saturday at the Regional. That was one nasty wreck! Everett got thrown into the air ass over tea-kettle! He had the wind knocked out of him, but luckily that was the extent of his injuries. He finished 4th in the Regional.
Everett continues to amaze me. In St Louis, he finished his LCM 8 on Saturday, got first Sunday and took first on Friday before the Regional. So, he has 2 firsts and 100+ points for his LCM 9. I'd like to get that finished this year, just depends on how much we do. I know we'll have the end of year, but beyond that, maybe just ACC. We'll see.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
What are you thankful for? I'm thankful for my wonderful family and great friends. We're blessed to share our lives with some pretty cool dogs too.
Try not to take anything for granted. Be Happy.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Try not to take anything for granted. Be Happy.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Yeah, Right!
If you ever go back and look at my grades in high school, you know this is a lie:
Tip of the hat to Tam.
You paid attention during 91% of high school!
85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!
Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz
Tip of the hat to Tam.
SLASH
Last weekend Ruthanna and I made the trip to St. Louis for the SLASH field trials. Thanks to Karen Frederick and all the folks from SLASH for having me up to judge. It was a great time!
The boys did really well! Everett went BoB both days over 20 Whippets. Lobo took 4th both days. The run of the weekend for me was Lobo's final run on Saturday. After having a not so great prelims run, Lobo went out and nailed the course in finals, getting the highest score for any course for the day. Way to go Little Buddy!
The field at Purina is really nice with a lot of terrain, making it challenging for the dogs. They really had to pay attention in order to do well.
I really enjoy getting to go to other parts of the country to see how our dogs compare with dogs we don't see all the time. Region 7 is usually a hotbed of Whippets, but there are still plenty of really good dogs in other parts of the country and it's good to see what else is out there. I think Everett really earned the BoB's he got this weekend and defeated some really nice running dogs.
The boys did really well! Everett went BoB both days over 20 Whippets. Lobo took 4th both days. The run of the weekend for me was Lobo's final run on Saturday. After having a not so great prelims run, Lobo went out and nailed the course in finals, getting the highest score for any course for the day. Way to go Little Buddy!
The field at Purina is really nice with a lot of terrain, making it challenging for the dogs. They really had to pay attention in order to do well.
I really enjoy getting to go to other parts of the country to see how our dogs compare with dogs we don't see all the time. Region 7 is usually a hotbed of Whippets, but there are still plenty of really good dogs in other parts of the country and it's good to see what else is out there. I think Everett really earned the BoB's he got this weekend and defeated some really nice running dogs.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
RIP
Rest In Peace Atlanta radio. It was announced today that 96 Rock will be changing format tomorrow to Active Rock (whatever the hell that is). I think it's what my kids listen to, basically screaming laid over a constant bass riff.
When 96 Rock started in 1974, I was 7 years old, not quite up to listening to Rock music (Mom and Dad were more of the easy listening types). But when I started to form my own taste in music 96 Rock was THE station to listen to. Through High School, that's all there really was (with a bit of punk and some new wave thrown in). Bruce Springsteen, REM, Rush, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin were all standard fare and, cheesy as it sounds, the soundtrack to my teen years.
More recently 96 Rock had morphed to sort of a Classic Rock format. Not bad, mostly stuff that was already classic when I was in High School. My taste in music has matured quite a bit since those days, but every once in a while 96 Rock was a good fallback. In addition, they had the best morning show on radio in Atlanta, The Regular Guys. TRG show was, for the lack of a better term, shock radio. Nothing really terrible, just inventive, funny stuff that was original and entertaining. TRG got suspended a couple of years ago because of a backwards porn stunt they were recording to poke fun at FCC rules in the wake of boob-gate. They were off the air for about a year but came back and were better, and smarter, than ever. Their latest incarnation lasted until last month when Clear Channel fired TRG.
I haven't listened to 96 Rock since that happened and probably wouldn't without some major development. It is sad to see though that the station that I grew up with is going away.
When 96 Rock started in 1974, I was 7 years old, not quite up to listening to Rock music (Mom and Dad were more of the easy listening types). But when I started to form my own taste in music 96 Rock was THE station to listen to. Through High School, that's all there really was (with a bit of punk and some new wave thrown in). Bruce Springsteen, REM, Rush, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin were all standard fare and, cheesy as it sounds, the soundtrack to my teen years.
More recently 96 Rock had morphed to sort of a Classic Rock format. Not bad, mostly stuff that was already classic when I was in High School. My taste in music has matured quite a bit since those days, but every once in a while 96 Rock was a good fallback. In addition, they had the best morning show on radio in Atlanta, The Regular Guys. TRG show was, for the lack of a better term, shock radio. Nothing really terrible, just inventive, funny stuff that was original and entertaining. TRG got suspended a couple of years ago because of a backwards porn stunt they were recording to poke fun at FCC rules in the wake of boob-gate. They were off the air for about a year but came back and were better, and smarter, than ever. Their latest incarnation lasted until last month when Clear Channel fired TRG.
I haven't listened to 96 Rock since that happened and probably wouldn't without some major development. It is sad to see though that the station that I grew up with is going away.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Coursing
It was a good coursing weekend, even if the weather was less than desirable. Decent weather on Saturday, highs in the upper 60's until the rain swept through around 2:30 and the temperature started dropping and the wind picked up. Miserable 30+* mph winds all night Saturday night prevented us from getting much sleep and then the wind pounded us almost all day on Sunday.
We had our friend Karen with us for the weekend and had a blast! She's so wonderful, wish she and Mike would just pick up and move down here! :)
The dogs did well. Not a huge entry, but top ranked dogs. Lobo went BOB on Saturday and took 1st on Sunday. Everett finished 2nd both days. Quite the turnout by the boys!!
Sweeney had his stitches out on Friday and the toe is looking good.
St Louis this weekend. See ya there! :)
*Estimated. Your mileage may vary
We had our friend Karen with us for the weekend and had a blast! She's so wonderful, wish she and Mike would just pick up and move down here! :)
The dogs did well. Not a huge entry, but top ranked dogs. Lobo went BOB on Saturday and took 1st on Sunday. Everett finished 2nd both days. Quite the turnout by the boys!!
Sweeney had his stitches out on Friday and the toe is looking good.
St Louis this weekend. See ya there! :)
*Estimated. Your mileage may vary
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
A distraction...
I've found something interesting that might have fulfill my wish from a few days ago. I'm playing with it now and finding it quite fun! I'm not going to say much more about it, but rest assured, it's pretty cool!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Sweeney and Ruthanna
I love this picture of Ruthanna and Sweeney from way back. Another great photo from Dan Gauss.
It's cruel to be kind
What's up with people these days? I see blogs of people bitching about the rudeness of others all over the web. This is just another one of those...with a twist. What I notice and hate is when someone does something nice for someone else and isn't acknowledged. The most obvious example of this is in traffic. I make it a point to try to let people in to traffic when we're not moving very much (and believe me, in McDonough, GA, that's a lot). Well, why don't people at least give you a little wave as just to say 'thanks'? I was raised in the South and taught from a very young age to be courteous to others whenever possible. I'm not perfect, but I sure try as often as I can. I just don't know why people just can say a little thanks for the kindness.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Are you worthy?
Are you worthy of US citizenship? I am! :)
You Passed the US Citizenship Test |
 Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct! |
P...P...F
That's Sweeney and Dresda.
I'm looking to make a move. Don't go getting all freaked out, there's just something else I need to do in my life (in addition to the other stuff, not instead). Maybe I just need to decide once and for all what I want to be when I grow up! :)
Sweeney's doing well. We're 12 days post-op (or 7 days post-post-op) and did the second bandage change last night. The toe looks good, but looks kinda like a naked mole rat foot.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Happenings
Last week was the week from hell. Thank God this week has slowed down a bit. We had a small complication with Sweeney's surgery on Thursday so he had to go back in and have the to re-sutured. Probably more traumatic for Ruthanna than for anyone else. Unfortunately, when it came time to change his bandage for the first time, I was out of town at a conference and wasn't able to help. Not that I could have done anything to avoid the problem...
Anyway, Sweeney is doing much better. We did a bandage change a couple of days ago and everything looked great.
Last night being Halloween, we took Emily trick-or-treating. We all had a great time visiting a neighborhood near us. Man, I've never seen anything like that! I'd say at least 90% of the houses were decorated and lit. I bet that there were 1000+ kids roaming the streets. What a trip! I mean, this was a regular street party atmosphere! Kudos to Joyner Estates for putting on such a great show. They should charge admission!
Anyway, Sweeney is doing much better. We did a bandage change a couple of days ago and everything looked great.
Last night being Halloween, we took Emily trick-or-treating. We all had a great time visiting a neighborhood near us. Man, I've never seen anything like that! I'd say at least 90% of the houses were decorated and lit. I bet that there were 1000+ kids roaming the streets. What a trip! I mean, this was a regular street party atmosphere! Kudos to Joyner Estates for putting on such a great show. They should charge admission!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sweeney is a stud!
So Sweeney had his surgery today and is out and on his way home. Dr. Carmichael removed the P3 cleanly and closed the pad over the removed area. Sweeney will have crate restriction for a few weeks while the toe heals, followed by a prolonged rehab period (don't ask how long 'cause we play it by ear).
Now to the really cool part. While Sweeney was on the surgery table a Chihuahua came in needing an emergency c-section. She had already had several pups at home, but evidently the rest just wouldn't come. Well, Dr. Carmichael did the surgery but the Chihuahua needed a transfusion. The clinic didn't have any blood on hand, so they used Sweeney for the transfusion. So while he was out, Sweeney saved the life of someone's beloved pet and mother to puppies. SWEENEY ROCKS!
Now to the really cool part. While Sweeney was on the surgery table a Chihuahua came in needing an emergency c-section. She had already had several pups at home, but evidently the rest just wouldn't come. Well, Dr. Carmichael did the surgery but the Chihuahua needed a transfusion. The clinic didn't have any blood on hand, so they used Sweeney for the transfusion. So while he was out, Sweeney saved the life of someone's beloved pet and mother to puppies. SWEENEY ROCKS!
This is broken
Good and bad from the SEGC trial this past weekend in Cartersville. Let's do the good first. Sweeney won FCh Greyhounds on Saturday pretty convincingly. I do love to watch that dog run. Takes my breath away every time. Everett finished second on Saturday out of 17 FCh Whippets and Lobo tied for NBQ but we forfeited. On Sunday, Lobo finished 2nd in his flight of 10 and Everett finished 3rd in his. So, not firsts, but Maurice and Deb brought some damn good competition! Congratulations to them for their sweep on Sunday (1st in Open, FCh A, FCh B, Vet and BIE). DebMar's Lilly took Best in Event.
Now for the bad news. Sweeney broke a P3 in finals Saturday. He's having it taken care of as I type. With any luck at all, he'll be mended and back on the field soon. After being cared for by the immensely talented Dr. Toby Carmichael, Sweeney was barely aware of any injury and was being his usual goofy self.
If you have any questions about what is going on, or you hear any rumors, please feel free to contact me personally and I'll be glad to give you more info than I'm sure you'd want!
On another topic, sportsmanship is important. Let's keep this in mind especially when we're disappointed in the scores our dogs get. I know that I've had my moments on the field and shown my ass, but I hope that I've been able to make amends for those moments and have been able to grow and learn. Anyway, please try to remember that what we do is fun and a judge's score can't injure your dog. What's most important are the two ends to the dog. If they're wagging their tail and grinning then it's all good. No matter what the judges say.
Now for the bad news. Sweeney broke a P3 in finals Saturday. He's having it taken care of as I type. With any luck at all, he'll be mended and back on the field soon. After being cared for by the immensely talented Dr. Toby Carmichael, Sweeney was barely aware of any injury and was being his usual goofy self.
If you have any questions about what is going on, or you hear any rumors, please feel free to contact me personally and I'll be glad to give you more info than I'm sure you'd want!
On another topic, sportsmanship is important. Let's keep this in mind especially when we're disappointed in the scores our dogs get. I know that I've had my moments on the field and shown my ass, but I hope that I've been able to make amends for those moments and have been able to grow and learn. Anyway, please try to remember that what we do is fun and a judge's score can't injure your dog. What's most important are the two ends to the dog. If they're wagging their tail and grinning then it's all good. No matter what the judges say.
Friday, October 20, 2006
SEGC
SEGC is this weekend at Old Mill. We should have good weather for the hounds (60's-70'ish) and hopefully dry.
Here's a picture of Sweeney.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Where the wind comes sweepin down the plain
Spent the weekend in very rural Oklahoma. What a nice place to run the dogs! We were at Windyglen in Boswell Oklahoma. The trial was smallish, but the dogs that were there ran quite nicely. I saw a number of very nice open Borzoi and IG's. My guys did well with Ev taking breed both days and Lobo finishing second and third. Nellie had great practices both Saturday and Sunday. Very exciting stuff!
The best part of the trip was getting to see the good people in Region 4. I really enjoyed myself. I love that part of the country too. I think that if I had to move anywhere in the country, it would have to be somewhere in New Mexico/Texas/Oklahoma. The people are nice, the land is beautiful and sparsely populated and I just like the feel of the place. Go figure...
I've got a weekend off upcoming and then back out to the field. SEGC is the 21st and 22nd. Ya'll come!
The best part of the trip was getting to see the good people in Region 4. I really enjoyed myself. I love that part of the country too. I think that if I had to move anywhere in the country, it would have to be somewhere in New Mexico/Texas/Oklahoma. The people are nice, the land is beautiful and sparsely populated and I just like the feel of the place. Go figure...
I've got a weekend off upcoming and then back out to the field. SEGC is the 21st and 22nd. Ya'll come!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Falling
It's been neat to get to go north for a couple of weekends in a row this year and see an early fall. Here in GA the temps are still getting to the 80's during the day even though it's cool in the mornings. It was quite different in WI this weekend, albeit far from unpleasant. The weather cooperated well and we had a couple of very nice days for the dogs to run. MWCC's field is quite nice, large enough to put a nice course on. I was pleased to see dogs working a bit more this weekend and putting in some nice runs. Thanks to Greg and Kevin for having me up to judge, especially after I had to cancel last year due to my torn hamstring. I got to see some of the 'Minnesota Mafia' again this weekend. They're nice folks with good, competitive dogs. Hopefully Al will come down for New Year's in GA. I'm big on getting the best dogs together and competing head to head to see who's the best of the best. Maybe I'll work on contacting as much of the top 20 and seeing what kind of entry we can get here.
Once again, flying isn't my favorite thing in the world. I'm glad that I don't travel a lot for my job and wonder how my father ever was able to travel as much as he did. When I was growing up, he would have to spend quite a bit of time away from home, travelling the world for business. I never really noticed how much he was away and just took it as a part of life. I know that I would be miserable if I had to spend so much time in airports and airplanes away from family and friends. At least on this trip I wasn't folded into a seat as I was flying Midwest and their service to and from Atlanta is all business class seating.
This coming weekend is GIT in Oklahoma. I know, Oklahoma isn't Texas... Hopefully they'll have had a little rain and the ground won't be baked hard as a rock. We're going to take the dogs with us and get them out for the first time since my trip to NY during the summer. Hopefully they won't be too 'soft' to compete!
Around here things are quite busy. Em is playing softball and that takes a lot of our time. Softball is pretty serious business around here so we spend a lot of time at the ball field either practicing or playing games. Their team is good, but very young for their age bracket. The girls have a lot of fun and that's what it's all about.
The peeps are peeping. I'm wondering if I actually saw eggs in the nest of if I was seeing things. We'll know soon enough if we hear the cheeps of baby peeps!
Once again, flying isn't my favorite thing in the world. I'm glad that I don't travel a lot for my job and wonder how my father ever was able to travel as much as he did. When I was growing up, he would have to spend quite a bit of time away from home, travelling the world for business. I never really noticed how much he was away and just took it as a part of life. I know that I would be miserable if I had to spend so much time in airports and airplanes away from family and friends. At least on this trip I wasn't folded into a seat as I was flying Midwest and their service to and from Atlanta is all business class seating.
This coming weekend is GIT in Oklahoma. I know, Oklahoma isn't Texas... Hopefully they'll have had a little rain and the ground won't be baked hard as a rock. We're going to take the dogs with us and get them out for the first time since my trip to NY during the summer. Hopefully they won't be too 'soft' to compete!
Around here things are quite busy. Em is playing softball and that takes a lot of our time. Softball is pretty serious business around here so we spend a lot of time at the ball field either practicing or playing games. Their team is good, but very young for their age bracket. The girls have a lot of fun and that's what it's all about.
The peeps are peeping. I'm wondering if I actually saw eggs in the nest of if I was seeing things. We'll know soon enough if we hear the cheeps of baby peeps!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Dogs that run
Finally! The weather is getting cooler and the dogs are getting restless. We're in the 50's here in GA in the mornings and it's making the hounds crazy. They're ready to get out and do some coursing. It'll be a couple of weeks, but we're getting ready.
Last weekend I judged in Minnesota, kicking off a busy schedule for the Fall. FWIW, flying sucks. My flight Friday night was delayed 2.5+ hours and my flight Sunday was canceled and I was originally re-booked on a flight Monday morning. Thanks to a really nice Delta ticketing agent, I was able to get out on Sunday night, albeit 3 hours later than scheduled. I'm appreciative of the fact that I can hop an airplane and get most anywhere I need to go pretty quickly, but I absolutely detest the experience of waiting... Waiting in line at security, waiting at the gate, waiting in the plane to take off, just generally waiting. I only really have one complaint though focusing on the airline. I hate the CJR. I'm kind of a big guy, broad in the shoulders. I was absolutely folded into the seat and I had an aisle seat. Ah well...
This weekend I'll be heading to Milwaukee, WI to judge. This should be fun as I'll be seeing many of the same people that I saw last weekend. Finally, next weekend we're going to Oklahoma. Finally the dogs will get to run a bit!
Last weekend I judged in Minnesota, kicking off a busy schedule for the Fall. FWIW, flying sucks. My flight Friday night was delayed 2.5+ hours and my flight Sunday was canceled and I was originally re-booked on a flight Monday morning. Thanks to a really nice Delta ticketing agent, I was able to get out on Sunday night, albeit 3 hours later than scheduled. I'm appreciative of the fact that I can hop an airplane and get most anywhere I need to go pretty quickly, but I absolutely detest the experience of waiting... Waiting in line at security, waiting at the gate, waiting in the plane to take off, just generally waiting. I only really have one complaint though focusing on the airline. I hate the CJR. I'm kind of a big guy, broad in the shoulders. I was absolutely folded into the seat and I had an aisle seat. Ah well...
This weekend I'll be heading to Milwaukee, WI to judge. This should be fun as I'll be seeing many of the same people that I saw last weekend. Finally, next weekend we're going to Oklahoma. Finally the dogs will get to run a bit!
Monday, September 11, 2006
5 years
It's the 5 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. It wasn't an attack on New York, on the WTC but an attack on America. Too many people have forgotten that. Try not to forget.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Post
I've been too busy to post for a while now. So today I'm just going to post a picture of Everett doing what he does. Thanks to Dan Gauss for the awesome shot.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Say What???
According to Mark Malloch Brown, United Nations deputy secretary general, referring to the war between Hizbollah and Israel:
Ummm, ok. So they're different in name, but make no mistake that Hizbollah is nothing more than a terrorist organization. Just another indication that the UN has lost it's usefulness...
"It’s not helpful to couch this war in the language of international terrorism. Hizbollah employs terrorist tactics, it is an organisation however whose roots historically are completely separate and different from Al Qaeda."
Ummm, ok. So they're different in name, but make no mistake that Hizbollah is nothing more than a terrorist organization. Just another indication that the UN has lost it's usefulness...
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