Doggy-Dog World!!!

Well, going through all the growing pains that is puppy ownership. Biting, jumping and constantly testing the boundries. I can't wait for the 26th. We enrolled our little youngling into puppy preschool. He learns to how to socialize and some behavioral correction stuff.

So, Premmy is 12-weeks-old now and my God how he has grown! In the four weeks I've had him... his personality has come out, he's grown and he's becoming way too smart for his own good. He figures crap out that I don't want him to figure out. He's got a vet appointment here on Tuesday (Oct. 17) and then he starts puppy preschool the following week. I think he'll enjoy preschool because he really likes to socialize... more with people than dogs. But, that's the vizsla way. He's a good people-dog!!

So, my sister is just full of little nuggets of wisdom when it comes to puppies. She told me to block off the back room because that's where he always went to the bathroom. Well, when I did that, he started telling me when he needed to go out. Voila! I now have a house-trained puppy. So, she also told me to get more toys so that he has different things to keep him busy. I did that Friday night... and his day is now too busy to get into too much trouble around the house. Plus, he seems a lot happier... which is really all the matters!!!

Hmmmmm.... what else is going on out my way? Got into a car accident. Nothing major. So, I made a U-turn at a disadventageous place.... and some high-Schooler clips my tail. Now, I've been thinking about it... how do you hit someone doing a U-turn unless you're doing one of two things: not paying attention; or tailgating... or a combination of the two!!! I dunno... I know that what it boils down to is that I shouldn't have done the U-ie there and that's probably why it would've been all my fault.

Well, that's about all that's happening out here in S-L-C!!! Hope all is well to those who read this.

....'till next time...

Dog Days of Fall...

Cough, cough....

Sorry... give me a sec while I tear down some cob webs and get this fine layer of dust off of my blog....

Thanks...

So, I've been busy with work and that's why the blog has fallen into serious ill-repair. Work, and my girlfriend bought a vizsla for us. I got to name him... it's Premysl, named after Saint Wenceslas of Bohemia. We call him "Premmy" for short. That's him to the right, there, just 12 hours after we got him. He was eight weeks there. He's now 10 weeks and two days!

So, I had him for a week and worked on the potty training... and that's progressing ever-so slowly. However, just this past Thursday, I started with some training and he's got a good command of "Sit!" and "Lay Down!" Good pup. I've also got him trained to sit before I open the front door... no charging out on me unexpectedly (yeah, right!).

But, on an unintentional training note. He has started to show some of his instincts. He is now sneaking up on his toys, going after the pigeons that like to roost on the neighbor's sill and he even points (or kicks) from time to time!

Okay, enough about the D-O-G. Anymore talk and he may wake up... and I need a little peace around here... whew...

So, the fam (less me) spent the last month in China. I wasn't invited. I'm not loved... heh, heh. Actually, I was busy with work so there was no way for me to go. Sounds like they had fun. It was weird, though, being THE only one in whole family left stateside!

And, I'd like to wrap up it up with a shout out to my girlfriend... the same one I mentioned in the first graph. She's beating cancer and well on her way to returning to a normal life. Way to go, hun!

'Till next time...

It's in the Proverbial Bottle!!!

I posted the pic on Aug. 5 ... but I edited it today, Aug. 6. In stead of playing on the "Lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice" idiom, I went for the "Lightning in a bottle" reference. Seems much more apt to me!

And, I wanted to haiku:

From the sky to film
I caught all its majesty
Lightning is deadly

And, to wrap this edit up: I heard as a child that more people are struck by lightning in a year than are drafted into the NBA. Seems to me that those folks are the ones that caught lightning in a bottle, eh?

The only thing that bothers me about this pic is all the light pollution! What an ugly, ugly world we live in when there's an NASTY orange glow at night. Yuck!

Below is the original Aug. 5 post -

So, it's been a while since I updated my blog... sorry 'bout that!

I had to run to my blog though and tell it to the whole world. I caught lightning on film! It's only taken me some 13 years but I did it! I went to a movie on Saturday night (Talladega Nights) and when I left the theater, I saw a lightning storm over the Oquirrh Mountains to the east of Salt Lake City. So, I went up to the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon and took open-shutter pics for like an hour... before I got the one I posted here! I'm so excited!

So, the picture is looking north at downtown Salt Lake City. The high rise buildings of downtown are to the left of the pic while the lights under the lightning strike is where the University of Utah is located!

Yeah for me!

Nothing new here... but only nine days until The Simpsons: Season Eight is released on DVD. Celebrate!!

Going to California...

Hmmmm....

What else is new. I really have nothing new to say. I just wanted to post something so that my birthday post went away! Kinda white trash to leave that up when my birthday has come and long gone.

I just got back from California. My best friend got married in Sacramento, Calif. I was the best man... in more ways than one (if you know what I mean. And, if you do let me know because I don't!). I had a good time... catching up with him and his family. I'm really glad I was invited and was really happy that I got to go.

I finally started sprucing up my moutain bike. My brother-in-law tripped it out with new handlebars, breaks and a rear derailer. But, my doting girlfriend got me some clipless pedals. I had never used them before and have spent the last couple days trying to learn how not to fall on my ass! Needless to say, it must have been an entertaining show for the people who had a view of the quad I was practicing. I also got new shoes to go with my pedals.

Ooop... Family Guy is on TBS. Must be entertained... Peace out!

PS - Only 22 days until The Simpsons: Season 8 comes out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!!

That is a picture of the flower cake my wonderful girlfriend sent me today...

TODAY IS THE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF MY 21st BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me

(editor's note: sung to the tune of "Happy Birthday")

Here's what other magical things happened on July 17! And, if you're into the whole entertainment mumbo jumbo... here are some famous things that happened again on this magical day!

Have a good day... only 28 days until the DVD Release of The Simpsons: Season 8.

Happy Bastille Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Bastille Day to my French friends (I don't have any). Bastille Day is actually a funny thing... the liberation of its prisoners in 1789 by revolutionaries began the French Revolution. But, it was practiacally empty. A mere seven people were imprisioned! Imagine 100's of people storming a prison to liberate all these wrongfully jailed people... and there's only seven there! Ha, ha, ha!

Speaking of France.... vive le Tour de France. American Floyd Landis still dons the maillot jaune. U-S-A, U-S-A!!!

One of my co-workers lost her husband to Cancer on July 11. The funeral was today (July 14). I went. So, that was my second funeral ever and I don't think I'm going to do that anymore. That's just some sad stuff. I say no more dying. I haven't thought about the logistics of eternal life... and the drag it will be on economic and natural rescouces. I mean, a lot of people are employed because of the whole "death industry."

So, all you all that read this... no dying because I sure as hell am not going to another funeral! But, you all are invited to mine and mandated to attend! =) God willing, that's still a number of years away!

I finally got to go out mountain biking today.... after an unsettling two week hiatus. My "in-shapeness" hadn't deteriorated as much as I thought. I'm still really liking the whole mountain biking thing. When you're in shape and finally get the hang of it... it's actually quite a rush! I like it.

Hmmmm... what else.... my birthday is in three days. That's pretty exciting.... to me.

Vegas, baby! Vegas!

Hello everyone. I made it through the weekend in Las Vegas. It was my best friend's bachelor party and we all rented a house in one of the 'burbs and spent our evening on the strip. I know y'all are like, "Bust out some pictures, man," but I was not the trip historian. So, I took no holiday snaps! And if you think I was the locus of exciting doings.... well, I wasn't. I was merely an innocent bystander just tagging along for the ride!!

It was awesome seeing my best friend. We've known each other for a mere 26 years! The one thing I enjoyed was one of the people we hung out with was a government spook! Good thing I decided to pay my taxes last April, eh?! While he didn't speak about specifics, it was interesting to hear the things he could talk about. It certainly made my job look mundane...

Some good news! My girlfriend is getting out of the hospital after nine months in there. She's been fighting cancer and completed her chemo treatments while I was in the City that Never Sleeps. When I was in Boise, Idaho, over the Fourth of July, my brother-in-law saw someone wearing a cool shirt that said, "Beat Cancer? Hell, I kicked its ass!" I thought it was appropriate. Anyhoo, I'm very proud of my girl... and am anxious to get busy livin' life with her...

Speaking of girlfriend, I have to thank her for figuring out how to get a pic on my profile.

Some bad news. My last post I was talking about how me and my girlfriend were gonna get a dog and name him/her Premysl. I found out that I have to name him/her Oscar.

PS - Only 36 days until The Simpsons: Season Eight is released on DVD!!! Yeah, I can't wait either!!!

Puppy Love...

So, here's a picture of my two favorite pups. The one on top is Brit and the one on the bottom (looking half-dead) is Sasha. They're vizslas! I love vizslas. Had two growing up... Fritz (who died of cancer in 1985 at three years old) and Whiskey (who died of old age in 1996). I'm looking forward to getting a house with Ms. Humble and getting me a vizsla. I wanna name him Premysl (pronounced: Preh-mish-elle). I got the name from the Austro-Hungary history class I took at Colorado State (I know... snore!). Wenceslas Premysl is the patron saint of the Czech Republic and was one of the first enlightened despots. This same despot was also the inspiration for the Christmas Carol "Good King Wenceslas."

While I have Prague on my mind... if you don't like your government, throw them out the window on to a huge stinkin' pile of CRAP! Ha, ha, ha!!! This event perhaps rates as one of my favorite in history.

Anyhoo, those are my sister's vizslas... I was visiting her over the Fourth of July holiday. It's nice to get out of the Mormon stronghold every once in a while and get normal-strength beer!

I was very happy with my Fourth of July trip. My brother-in-law took me on a couple of good mountain bike rides.... effectively whipping my ass in to A LOT better shape. I finally figured out why I got into mountain biking. Took long enough but now it doesn't kick my ass anymore!

Well, I haven't seen anything worthy of a WTF nod this week, sadly. But, it is only Wednesday. And, I am heading to Vegas for my best friend's bachelor party. To quote Vince Vaughn in "Swingers"... "Vegas, Baby! Vegas!" I'm sure Vegas will be full of WTF's? In fact, I know it is. The fact that I'm making my fourth trip there this year is a WTF moment in and of itself.

Well, I'm gonna log off here... but before I off.. I'd like to welcome my mom to the blog portion of the information superhighway. Her slice of internet is right here!

PS - if my mom is a DAR-ling.... does that make me a SAR-ling? Methinks that's a question without an answer like, "What's the sound of one hand clapping?"

So far, so good ...

I'm on day three of owning a blog and so far, so good. I haven't crashed the Internet and no government spooks showed up at my door.

Sorry that my blog isn't aesthetically pleasing just quite yet. I'm still trying to build upon my basic knowledge of HTML programming so that I can add pictures and whatnot.

I haven't really seen anything for my "WTF Moment of the Week" nod. Although, the story on cnn.com about Rush Limbaugh smuggling Viagra was the Web site's most popular story on Tuesday. That is a good front-runner for a WTF acknowledgement. I didn't know that ultra-right-wing Republicans had "casual carnal relations"... so I'm wondering what Rush was doing with all those Viagra pills! Maybe ultra-right-wing Repbulicans do have "casual carnal relations" but living in Utah, all I hear is the WWJD-CTR. I'm pretty sure that if you apply that little acronymn to casual sex, it means "relations for procreation only."

See... CTR is a Utah thing. It stands for "Choose the Right." Now, I haven't decided if that's a "good-evil" reference or a political statement. Methinks that while it means "choose to do good", me also thinks that the subliminal message is to "choose the far right of the political spectrum." I mean, Utah is, afterall, an EXTREMELY red state.

Well, as I said earlier.... no government spooks have shown up at my door... but I'm sure the religious majority in Utah will draft a "cease and decist" order and send hired goons to rough me up over questioning the whole "CTR" thing.

At any point, why Rush's sex life was the No. 1 story on cnn.com is dissapointing to me. I mean, there are people losing their homes to flood in DC and Pa., and Hamas recognized Isreal (on some diplomatic level) yet more people were interested in Rush smuggling/ingesting pills so he could get his little soldier to salute on command!!! Ugh!

Hello world!

So, I have decided to try and venture into the blogging world.... with the hopes that it's a succussful one!

I'd like to begin with my "WTF Moment of the Week." Now, it happened last week but it still irks me.... and since I didn't have a blog back then, I thought I'd share it:

So, those of you who live in the Beehive State and are avid hockey fans may have been dissapointed two Saturdays ago when they sat down to watch game 6 of the Stanley Cup's Oilers v. Hurricanes.

The idiots who run the NBC affiliate here decided to show Real Salt Lake (MLS) play at Houston in hockey's stead... now RSL is like 3-6-1. The only reason they're not the worst team in the league is because the Cheevas own that dubious distinction.

I was so happy to watch a meaningless regular-season MLS game when the Stanley Cup was on the line!!!

What sucks is that the quick-thinking, oh-so-intelligent management at said local affiliate didn't make arrangements to show the hockey game on a different outlet.

The only thing that would've made it worse is if the same station opted out of the Stanley Cup to show General Conference.... but I'm sure that day's in the not-too-distant future!!