Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

Rottweilers. Computers. Cameras. World Domination. Not necessarily in that order.

Rottweilers.
Computers. Cameras.
World Domination.
Not necessarily in that order.

Giving a sign (2 of 31/37 of 274)

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I don’t believe in Heaven or Hell, but I do believe in an afterlife of some kind. Whether it takes place as reincarnation or moving to another level of existence, I do believe we go on from here. I’ve always hoped for some communication from my dear departed family members (human or otherwise), but I don’t believe they’ve ever contacted me. Other than one very real-seeming dream in which dearly missed Oscar appeared to let me know he was fine on the other side, wherever that is, I’ve never seen a sign from beyond.

This year I took some photos at and around the gravesite of my maternal grandmother and some other family members who died long before I was born. I’ve seen some ghost photos that were obvious fakes, and others that really made me wonder, so I thought I’d see what might show up in any photos that I took. Nothing unusual showed up, either upon viewing the photos right after taking them, or upon viewing them at full size on the computer later that evening.

But something rather strange did happen at the next gravesite I visited.

After spotting my uncle’s gravestone from the roadway, I happened to glance down as I walked towards it. The gravestone I saw was a smaller one with a photo: a high school graduation photo of someone I’d been friends with so very long ago. This was not someone I’d ever dated, or been extremely close to, but we had been pretty good friends all through my high school years. I knew he had passed away very young. I had already moved to Chicago and lost touch with a lot of people, including him, a couple of years before that.

Someone I hadn’t thought of in many years. Until earlier that week, when I saw an advertisement for the 70s Nightclub Reunion, which took place just this past weekend. I had a lot of friends who played in bands during the 70s, and his would have been one from that time. I knew quite a few of the members in the bands that were playing at this event, and I was just thinking about other friends from that time. Including him. And then to stumble upon his gravesite, with a forever young photo.

I am not sure if that was a sign from beyond. My friend has been gone for almost 30 years, and my uncle for about 6 years. It is very strange that I never happened upon my friend’s gravestone until that day. I visit my uncle’s gravesite every year. What are the odds that I would have always gone up the other path?

Giving (1 of 31/36 of 274)

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I think I’ve been doing more taking than giving for the last few days, and it will continue for at least another day.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to redeem points from the various credit card company rewards programs that I participate in. You never know when they might arbitrarily end the programs, or almost as bad, discontinue the good rewards. Instead of being in a gift-y mood and passing out several Amazon gift certificates, I gave only one Amazon certificate to my husband, and spent all other available points on a Flip Mino mini digital camcorder for myself. Mine, all mine.

I would normally choose an expensive, whiz-bang “real” camcorder. But there is something to be said for something small, fun and simple that fits in a pocket and will definitely get used, even if only for dog and cat movies. Oh, and that didn’t cost any “real” dollars. It arrived just in time for my upcoming road trip, in which I finally get to see my Axel in the show ring. I just hope I can find a spot where I can film him without him spotting me and ruining what I am told is some great ring presence in my absence.

Also, my wonderful husband bought me a new laptop to replace the almost-six-year-old one I sort of complained about back in January. It is a pretty dark red Sony VAIO VGN-CS290JER. To make it even better to my shallow self, it not only color matches to my digital camera, BlackBerry case, and Bluetooth headset (and probably other electronic stuff I am forgetting), it came with a color matched wireless mouse. Life is good. Mostly good, anyway. I’d forgotten what a task it can be to get a new computer set up just perfect. It’s going pretty well so far as this computer wasn’t loaded with as much junk and trial software as the last two that came my way.

And tomorrow I pick up the much-needed replacement to my 11-year-old minivan. Because I had a pretty small budget and apparently not much imagination, it’s another Dodge Caravan. Grand Caravan this time, as they no longer make the short wheelbase Caravan, and blue, because when you buy out of dealer stock on the second-to-last day of the special offers period, there is no chance of getting a dark red anything. At least that has been my experience.

So if giving to myself counts, I’ve got our March NaBloPoMo theme well covered. Stay tuned for some less self-indulgent posts as the month goes on, I hope.

Oh! Can’t sign off without an Axel update. There wasn’t much Axel love at the Deep South shows, although he did bring back a few reserves and placements. He got back in the groove this weekend though with two more wins and two more points. Total points now: 5 of 15, no majors yet. He is basically 1/3 of the way there! I hope I am making the right decision to give him a break after next weekend. More about that during the week to come.

Wordle! (34 of 274)

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Stolen from Aerik’s blog because it looked like fun. Enter your blog URL in Wordle and it will produce a “word cloud” from your blog feed. Anyone surprised to see “dog” as the featured word in mine?

Wordle: Look Twice

See the full-sized version here if clicking on the thumbnail doesn’t bring it up (image courtesy of http://www.wordle.net/).

I’m so lame (33 of 274)

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Because I am so lame, I have been visiting the AKC site every day once a week had passed since Axel’s show debut weekend, waiting to see evidence of his official points progression. Never mind that the website clearly states that it could be several weeks before points are officially recorded.

I was quite busy at work on Monday and Tuesday, brought work home on Monday evening, and had no internet at home on Tuesday evening. So today during lunch I finally had a moment to check again. Look!

axel_first_points

For those who remember that I said he has three points, apparently his point for the February 1 show did not make this report.

Of course we made some time to watch the Westminster Kennel Club show on Monday and Tuesday nights. The internet has made this event better for me, since Westminster KC now provides streaming video from each day’s breed judging. Rottweiler #10 in the breed judging video is Freya’s half brother Odin, by the way.

I always enjoy watching the TV broadcast of the group judging, particularly the Working and Herding groups. I was pleased to see 10-year-old “Stump” get Best in Show and his moment in the spotlight, but I honestly don’t know enough about the Sussex Spaniel standard to make any intelligent comments on the win.

I was looking at the #westminster Twitters after the fact, and it was fun to see what the general public tweets about dog shows. It was pretty obvious to me which tweets were from dog fanciers and which tweets were from people who think that dog fanciers are “psycho dog people.”

One tweet that left me perplexed was one where someone wondered why none of the female handlers wore high heels. Umm. I hope the tweeter was watching the Toy group judging at the time they tweeted. In the other groups, it would have been evident that you have to run down and back, and around the ring, with your dog. Personally, any scenario I can come up with that involves a show ring, my dog, running and high heels does not have a happy or pretty ending.

I was watching rather than tweeting myself, except for a tweet in which I wondered who the new co-announcer was. I really did not care for her at all.

I haven’t been to a dog show myself in quite a while. I’d like to visit Axel this weekend, but so far it’s not looking good for that. Maybe I’ll go to the International Kennel Club show for the first time in several years the weekend following, though.