Diary of a Network Geek

My dog seems to have done an interesting thing.
She’s retrained herself. My backyard is more or less subdivided into three sections. The “front” section, which is between the house and the koi ponds is mostly what folks see from the house. But, behind the ponds is a whole lot more yard that is divided by a slowly decaying shed. There used to be a fence, too, but that’s all come down now. When we first got Hilda, my ex-wife and I tried to train her only to “do her business” in the far back part of the yard, with the idea that we could enjoy the area by the koi ponds more if it were dog-poop free. Unfortunately, as anyone who has potty trained a puppy knows, my little bundle of brown joy had other ideas. So, for the better part of three years, she’s gone right where I’d prefer she not go. Sometime in the past two weeks, that changed.
Every Sunday, I clean up the yard in preparation for doing yardwork of somekind. Even when it’s too hot to do yardwork, I still police the yard. It’s just part of owning a dog. Yesterday, though, it seemed to me that there wasn’t hardly anything to clean up. And, just when I was thinking about taking the poor, constipated thing to the vet, it occurrs to me that there’s a whole lot more yard for me to check. Sure enough, right where we tried to train her almost three years ago, she’s started “doing her business”.
So, my miracle puppy has read my mind and retrained herself. Wonders never cease!

Okay, so I’m almost done coughing up a lung.
Yeah, I’ve been sick this week, but not in the usual way. I’m not sure if it was a sinus infection or the flu or what, but horrible wracking cough is finally dwindling. I’m sure it was not helped by the long hours, or extra days, I was putting in at work. The good news is, though, that I mainly got my problems worked out and I’m starting to feel better. And, I now know more about Linux boot loaders and Novell’s ZENWorks Workstation Imaging solution than I thought possible. I feel like Dr. McCoy in that episode of Star Trek “Spock’s Brain” where he has an entire civilization’s medical knowlege dumed into his head. (Yes, I’ve had the same bug-eyed stare, too!) But, whatever, I got it more or less done. Now, we get to test. Yea! Incidentally, I don’t reccomend pushing yourself as hard as I do. I don’t plan on living to be as old a man as my peers. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Okay, so, maybe I’m not burning twice as bright, but I’m burning faster than I ought to be. Eh, what the Hell, I figure I’m losing the last years where I’m drooling on myself and don’t remember my own name anyway.
Oh, and for those of you who were interested, no, I don’t actually expect to get my Hilda back. That was just my way of expressing how crazy my week was. It felt like anything could happen! But, as always, I pray for the best and plan for the worst. Though, I am keeping an eye on what seems to be Hilda’s sister. Sometimes, volunteering at H.O.P.E. has its advantages!

Advice from your Uncle Jim:
"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious."

It’s official!

We just got word at lunch-time today that we’ve been approved for our puppy adoption. We’ll be going to Fondren 5 Star Kennels Saturday morning at 9:30am to pick up our new girl. My wife can tell that I’m just a little excited because last night I baked some dog biscuits for our new family member. I have to admit I’m really looking forward to having a dog again. I haven’t had a dog since college. My parents had to put my dog down when I was in school, because her back had gotten so bad. In fact, they waited until I was away to do it so that I didn’t have to be the one that took her to the vet that last time. I’m not sure if I appreciate that or resent it really, but, as a result, I’ve missed having a dog since then.
Don’t get me wrong, I love our two cats, but somehow a dog is different. Cat’s don’t come when you call them or play fetch. Well, actually, our cats do mostly come when I call them, but only if I’m going to pet them. They’re kind of trampy that way.

Now, all we have to do is decide on a name.