new dog old trick

I Voted - Did You?

Just got back from voting.  A bit of an odd ballot with only about four positions (Governor, U.S. Representative, and two state legislative posts) and one state constitutional amendment on the ballot.  The two state races were uncontested so it meant only two real decisions to make.  Not like the situation that voters in so many districts find themselves confronted with.  Nonetheless it felt good to vote.  It's an essential part of all of our roles as citizens in a democratic society to vote for those who are going to represent us and to hold our elected representatives accountable for the votes they take while in office.  I think maybe a lot of us have been back-sliding a bit on our responsibility but I think this election that won't be so much the case. 

I hope you all voted too.  At the end of the day, we may disagree on who should represent us but we all need to let our voices be heard. 

Bo hears Thunder

My 60 pound dog turns into a very nervous little lap dog when he hears the slightest sound of thunder. It's cute, in a very perverse way. He tries to either snuggle on the floor right next to me or he tries to get into my lap. Here's a picture of him in lap dog mode.

As I type this, there is thunder in the area and he's curled into a tight ball right under my feet and the keyboard tray that I have pulled out from my desk.

A couple more Bo pics...

OK, I can't resist. Here are a couple more pics of the New Dog's new dawg, Bo. First, one on our screened porch - ain't he alert!

And second, an action shot.

New Dog gets a new dawg

Welcome aboard Bo. The newest addition to the pack here at New Dog Old Trick is Bo (or Beau - my wife and I are still, er, discussing the correct spelling). We rescued Bo yesterday from the Williamson County Animal Shelter in Franklin where he had been residing for the past couple of weeks.

He was picked up stray by animal control so we have almost no factual info on Bo. The shelter's best guess was that he is around 3 years old. We wonder, after observing him for a day, if he might be a bit younger than that. We were worried about how he would be around our 17+ year old cat, who at her age is simply not interested in new members in the family. So far, they are doing well together - the cat has claimed the dog bed I bought for Bo as hers and Bo is staying a couple of claw lengths away from the cat at all times.

We don't know for certain what breed of dog Bo is. The shelter had him down as a chow mix. He does have the black tongue that is characteristic of chows but there are a number of other breeds with that tongue. Bo definitely has the two-layer coat of a chow (and the lower layer is currently blowing out which makes for ginormous dog hair bunnies running across the hardwood floor) but so do other dog breeds. The best current guess as to breed is Finnish Spitz. He certainly matches most of the breed characteristics although he's a bit larger than breed standard for males. We're taking him to the vet on Friday so hopefully we can get a better fix on breed, age, etc. from the vet.

It has been a year since we had to put our 12 year-old chow chow, Gabby, to sleep. Enough time had passed and it was time for another dog. Bo is our third rescue dog in the past 20 years. The first two were great dogs and we're looking forward to getting to know Bo.

Great Advice on Keeping a Positive Mindset

My friend Jeff Cornwall has a great post this morning on his blog The Entrepreneurial Mind. It is titled Seeing Things "Half Full" is more Important Than Ever!

This post really resonated because it hit me right where I have been feeling a bit sensitive. I realized a week or two ago that part of what has been holding me back from posting on my own blog is the fact that I've been paying too much attention to the "half empty" negativity associated with so much of what is going on right now, especially in Washington. It seems like the D.C. crowd has tapped into a never-ending stream of policy decisions that have nothing but negative implications for entrepreneurs, small business owners, job creation, and much of what matters to me as a blogger, entrepreneur, and citizen. I don't really want to post about what goes on in Washington but I do want to post with a positive attitude that is hard to muster right now.

Jeff's post was a useful kick in the butt. I shouldn't ignore what's going on in D.C. but I need to tap my deep-seated optimism in the power of mainstream Americans to use free markets, innovation, and the strengths of our system and culture to continue to create vital and growing new businesses even in the fact of (hopefully) misguided policies. Besides, that's the only way we're going to put the economy back on a growth track - it can't and won't happen through centralized decision-making in Washington.

Veterans Day

Today, November 11, is Veterans Day. Today we honor all of those who serve or served in our armed forces: Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard. This is a holiday that is also celebrated in many other countries, often under another name such as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. It's celebrated on November 11 because the holiday originated to commemorate the end of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. It was later expanded in the U.S. to recognize all of our veterans.

Take a moment to thank those men and women who have served and protected all of us and the country that we and they cherish. From World War I through World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War, to the Iraq and Afghan campaigns in the War on Terror and to the many smaller conflicts in which our service people have served, these people have represented us, protected us, and have overwhelmingly been a force for freedom in the world. They have sacrificed on all our behalf. They deserve our respect every day of the year. But today is the day we give voice to that respect. Take the time to thank a soldier, a sailor, an airman, or a marine today.

To all of you who have served and those who continue to serve, thank you.

New Dog's Comment Policy

I don't recall ever formally defining my comment policy for this blog. Given that I plan on starting to post a bit more frequently on public policy issues that may well be contentious, I think a comment policy may be in order.

Here are my current thoughts on my comment policy for New Dog Old Trick. These are subject to change with no notice - after all, it is my blog.

1. I love comments on blogs. I post here at least partially to help me explore and learn about issues and comments are another means to learn. I love good discussions in blog comment threads. So if you want to comment, you are welcome to do so, subject to a few minor constraints.

2. This site is rated PG. If your comments don’t reflect that rating, they will be edited or removed.

3. I love a good argument. Having said that, let's keep the discussion civil and respectful. I reserve to right to delete offensive comments, personal attacks, ad hominem nonsense, etc. Disagreement is good, strong opinions are good, well reasoned discourse is good, personal hostility is bad. If the same commenter has repeat offenses, they will be banned.

4. Relevant links in comments are fine, irrelevant links are strongly discouraged and easily could result in the comment being edited or deleted.

5. I hate spam or spam-like substances. If I think your comment, link, etc. is spam, it's gone and you are banned. I don't spray paint on the walls of your house, don't deface my blog.

6. I am not responsible for the contents of comments left on this blog by anyone other than me.

Reboot the blog - again?

It has been a long time since I posted anything, much less posted regularly, on this weblog. Lately I've been feeling that it's time to start posting again. Lots of things have been percolating and I've been thinking that it might be better to percolate some of it in the open where I might be able to generate some feedback and "creative friction" rather than just sit in the corner and talk to myself.

So I downloaded ecto and I'll give that a try as my offline blog editor - I've switched to a mac so need to adjust my tools a bit. I'll also get around to updating and cleaning up the clutter on the sidebars.

Bluebird on the Mountain starts new season

Linda and I had a great evening last night at the first Bluebird on the Mountain concert for 2007.  For those not in Nashville, The Bluebird is the preeminent singer-songwriter club in Nashville (and hence, in the civilized world).  The Mountain is actually more of a big hill, but on the top of the big hill is Vanderbilt University's Dyer Observatory.  Bluebird on the Mountain is a concert series hosted outdoors on the grounds of the Dyer Observatory where the concert is held more or less in the same format as one of The Bluebird's three performer round-robin shows and the talent is booked by The Bluebird.  The audience tends to show up early with blankets, chairs, picnic baskets, coolers, etc. and settles in for some al fresco eating and drinking and then some music.  Imagine mixing a big outdoor picnic with a crowded singer-songwriter club, plus a big dome covering a telescope, and you have Bluebird on the Mountain. 

Last night was a beautiful night to be outside on the top of the mountain: warm but not humid, gentle cool breezes, and early enough in the season that there weren't any bugs to speak of.   The three performers were Kim Carnes, Greg Barnhill, and Dana Cooper.  They were backed by what I take to have been Kim Carnes back-up band.  We weren't familiar with any of the songwriters but the music was great and the evening was just about perfect. 

It was also a nice way to celebrate Mother's Day.  In a way, the night out was a gift from our son.  Linda's grandmother lives with us and needs constant monitoring, so we don't get out together very often.  Our son Lee has agreed to watch grandmother on one Saturday night a month so that we can go to each of the Bluebird on the Mountain events.  Thanks Lee!

This is very cool...

This was my birthday present from a couple of weeks ago...it just arrived today...thanks Linda!