NaBloPoMo

Not just a pretty show dog

July 12, 2009 by kathi

Axe wants you all to know he is not just a pretty boy. He has x-treme sports skills, too. Well, I don’t know about x-treme, but he is getting much better at catching the frisbee. Unfortunately, I’m not getting any better at remembering to have a camera on me whenever we go outside. Plus, today Axe didn’t bring his “A” game and his catch percentage was on the low side. So we have no pictures of actual catches. These two turned out pretty nice, though. Once again, behold the beauty that is Axe!

Unfortunately, a later shot in the sequence showed the frisbee bouncing off his face. He is not allowing me to post it.

He still has fun with the misses. He chases after them and pounces on them like a cat. Remember, he was raised by Oliver, the kittyweiler.

Hopefully, we’ll soon have some photos of actual frisbee catches.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 12 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 169 of 274)

Free Flash and graphics that I do like

July 11, 2009 by kathi

I know I have ranted in the past about free Flash website introductions and the so-called webmasters who think these non-unique creations are making their websites better. That does not mean I am against all free stuff, though.

If you can customize it enough to make it your own without violating someone else’s intellectual property rights, I’m fine with it. If you are trying to get started learning by analyzing someone else’s work, I’m fine with it if they are.

FlashDen, along with the other Envato Marketplace sites, is now offering a free file of the month. July’s file is a nice photo gallery with quite a few customization options. I am a fan of FlashDen in general. As someone who is very weak in Flash but who needs to use it for projects now and then, I really appreciate having a good source of affordable and customizable Flash files like FlashDen. Not every file is a master work, but the buyer ratings and comments help in selecting something that is worth the price.

I also try to remember to log in to iStockPhoto weekly to grab the Free Image of the Week. It’s not always something I can use right away, or maybe ever, but I’ve definitely grabbed a few images that fit into themes that will come up in time. Again, I am a fan of the site for its reasonably priced royalty-free stock photography. I am not a great photographer, so when I can’t provide my own photo illustration for a project, it’s good to have an affordable source with quality images to choose from.

Some free stuff is definitely worth a lot more than the asking price!

Quick Rottweiler update: Freya is now in the stopped-up phase of her current IBS digestive upset episode. I always worry about a blockage at this point, even if she seems like she is feeling better. She is usually back to normal about 24 hours after the stopped-up phase so hopefully I can stop worrying tomorrow evening. Axel has some tummy troubles of his own today, but probably related to either grazing (most all of our dogs have been like black and tan cows and I wish I knew what kind of grass might taste bad to Rottweilers) or heat. Since we have had almost no actual warmth this summer, the heat seems to be affecting both dogs a little quicker than usual.

Quick jagoff update: Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, but a few jagoffs still have firecrackers left over from last weekend. Guess where I would like to shove those firecrackers (hint: like Butt Rocket, only with higher-powered explosives).

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 11 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 168 of 274)

Rottweiler ramblings

July 10, 2009 by kathi

Freya is having another bout of IBS-related digestive upset. Since her last episode was only a month ago, I’m a little concerned. Her diet hasn’t changed and although we are trying to prepare for a trial on July 25, I didn’t think that we were training hard enough to raise her stress level in any significant way. Mine, yes: maybe she’s picking up on that? I’ve read a lot about the effects of diet and supplements on IBS. I know that stress can worsen IBS, but I don’t really know much about it. Time to do some research.

Axel almost gave me heart failure by escaping the yard to visit another dog. Across the street. Since we live on a busy street, and he is not always great with other dogs, this was a high stress situation indeed. He did not get hit by a car, he and the other dog sniffed each other and did not fight, and he was kind of oblivious to the other dog’s people. Yes, I am thanking God profusely for the non-dramatic outcome.

What bothers me the most, though, is that someone apparently unclipped the front gate sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., which is why Axel was able to get out so easily. This is the front gate to our back yard, which is set back quite a distance from the sidewalk. The meter reader, the UPS delivery person, or our lawn service might leave it unclipped after exiting the back yard. None of them would have been there at that late hour. There is pretty much no reason for anyone uninvited to be near that gate in the evening.

There are a number of jagoffs in the neighborhood, but I hope this was just a one-time thing with some kid messing around. I don’t want to think that someone nearby is that big of a jagoff to purposely unclip our gate to create a potential problem. I really don’t want to have to put a padlock on the gate, and inconvenience ourselves, the meter reader and the lawn service guys just because of the existence of jagoffs.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 10 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 167 of 274)

Random thoughts

July 9, 2009 by kathi

I don’t have enough to say on any one topic, so you get to listen to… ermmm… read… this “brain dump.”

I’m awaiting the arrival of my WordPress 2.8.1 automatic update bar. It is sad that even the five-minute update is too much work for me now that I’ve gotten accustomed to the automatic updates, which work great for me. I know some have had issues with the automatic updates. I am not one of those users. If I were smart, I’d be backing up my database and files while I wait, instead of waiting for the update bar to remind me.
I really enjoy Thursday’s Monthly Mingle and the bloggers I’ve “met” there. Thanks, Indigo, for the fun that is the Mingle!
As part of my rally obedience education (remember, I’m the dumb half of the Freya and me team), I joined one Yahoo! Group devoted mainly to AKC rally, and one specifically for UKC rally. I am truly appreciative of the good information that is shared freely in messages and files, and I hope to be able to contribute in time as I do in other groups where I actually know something useful about the subject matter. However, the signal to noise ratio of forums and e-mail lists just amazes me. So many people just don’t seem to care about netiquette, or maybe they simply never learned it. There was a time when only “smart” people had computers, but there was never a time when only polite people had computers, so what gives? This isn’t about the two groups I just joined, by the way. It’s an observation about forums in general (these two actually have a very good signal to noise ratio).
Bird neighbor update: I haven’t seen the male cardinal in a while, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he hasn’t been around. I think we keep very different hours. The female cardinal has been sitting on her nest daily. According to several different sources online, cardinal eggs take from 11-13 days to hatch, and the babies leave the nest in about 10 days. I’m not sure when the eggs were laid, but based on when we first noticed the cardinal pair, I’m going to start being very careful with the dogs near the rosebush starting late next week.
I’m really amazed at how many hits have come here as a result of searches for “Mary Wild” or “show dog deaths.” That awful incident has been in my thoughts as well quite a bit ever since it happened on June 22.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 9 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 166 of 274)

A small Freya training update

July 8, 2009 by kathi

One of my business partners is on vacation this week, so it isn’t the ideal situation to fit in classes, drop-in training, or fun matches. Plus there is always the dilemma that several of the clubs who normally do once- or twice-a-month fun matches don’t do them during the summer, not to mention the rain that has been ever-present so far this summer.

That does not mean we have done nothing, just that we haven’t gotten away from the house to do it. Not a great situation, but there is still time before the trial to get out and about and fix that. Speaking of the trial, we received e-mail confirmation on Tuesday, so we’re definitely committed!

I think I’m the stupid half of the team. Freya knows all of the exercises fairly well. I’m the one who is probably going to screw up by misreading a sign or worse yet, tripping over it. During some dead time at work (which there is far too much of this summer, but that’s another subject entirely and one that far too many people are facing at their own workplaces) I printed out a set of the UKC signs and rules to familiarize myself with them.

Monday’s weather allowed us to work outside, but my Flip Mino was missing in action, so no video is available (it has since been found, not stolen or lost, much to my relief). Not so for Tuesday or Wednesday. Here is my lame setup for working indoors:

I taped a few signs for exercises that can be done in a small space to the fridge, door frames and a couple of taller furniture items. Hey, it is better than not practicing, or practicing in the rain. Oh, yes. I did train in Schutzhund forever ago, and yes, we did train in inclement weather. I suppose I should still do that, but I’m older, tired and don’t feel like getting wet.

That’s where we are for the moment!

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 8 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 165 of 274)