RIP Billy Dawg 2003? – 2019

We lost our cherished Billy Dawg last week. He died at home, surrounded by love. Here is a picture his dog sitter sent us. She captioned it: “Here he is motivating me to complete my senior project!” (Like mom, like pup!) Billy was (we think) at least sixteen years old with some of the usual…

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Furball Friday: Billy’s Studio Shots

So, we hired a professional photographer to capture Billy in all his furball glory. I’ve hired a pro for my business, but never personally. The things we do for our dogs! It was a bit of a splurge – $250 for everything including some prints – but worth every dime. Not only are the pictures…

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By Popular Demand: Billy on Parquet

He’s not so easy to photograph as he’s a wiggler. Also, he’s not the most facially expressive of dogs–it’s all in the eyes and body language. But here’s a pic. Oh, and we’ve had him two months and 0 “accidents” in the house. OLD DOGS RULE.

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Dogs Don’t Like Perfectionism Either!

This piece by Nancy Tanner on how impatience ruins dog training is brilliant: When I am asked what is the biggest problem I see in dog training today, it is the same problem I saw fourteen years ago, and thirty years ago, it is the misunderstanding of time. It takes time to learn how to…

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Live From Kalamazoo: A New Shot at Love

A little over a year ago, I was invited to write a letter to a newborn baby, Toby. In it, I wrote about the benefits of being generous, and in particular generous in love: “I’ve also given away lots of love. Often that love was returned, but sometimes it wasn’t, which was painful. But as…

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Writer’s Block: Erykah Badu Gets It Right

Singer Erikah Badu’s fantastic advice re writer’s block: “Don’t worry. When U have NO content to express the emotion U are feeling. It’s not writer’s block. It’s just downloading time.” ht Sheldon Levine, Sysomos Here’s another singer who gets it.

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In Which I Advise a Young Baby

My friend, free software activist, Ciaran McHale and his wife, Bianca, recently had a baby–the gorgeous Toby. And they did something  completely cool, which was to ask friends concerned with social justice to write letters to Toby, which they would publish in a book. The book Letters to Toby is out, and you can read…

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In Which I Advise a Young Baby

My friend, free software activist, Ciaran McHale and his wife, Bianca, recently had a baby–the gorgeous Toby. And they did something  completely cool, which was to ask friends concerned with social justice to write letters to Toby, which they would publish in a book. The book Letters to Toby is out, and you can read…

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New Year’s Resolution: Do Less Housework!

Most people think of procrastination as a simple bad habit, but it’s often much more than that: it’s a strategy we employ when we’re afraid of the outcome of an activity or project. So, someone who hates his job might procrastinate on looking for a new one because he’s afraid of not getting any offers,…

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Friday Fun: Hell’s iPod and Fugly Plants

I’ve been saving these up for just the right Friday: Hell’s iPodA collection of entertainingly awful music videos, most of which seem to date from my youth (and, hence, don’t sound all that awful to me). The classics are all in here: Muskrat Love, Billy Don’t be a Hero, Honey, You Light Up My Life,…

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