A Squeaky Friend

Porter had quite an eventful day today (as did Sara and I). First, I should mention that Porter has been not what you would call a typical puppy. He's playful, but not hyper. He'll chase a ball, chew on some bones, sneak away with the occasional sock or shoe, but then he just lays down and rests or takes a nap. So, we began to wonder, "Maybe he's sick. He has a cold and that crazy puppy behavior is just around the corner. No puppy could possibly be this relaxed and, for lack of a better word, normal."

So we brought him to his new veterinarian this morning. The vet said "Sick? Not even close. That's just the swissy (Swiss mountain dog) in him." Later she said, "Well, you got lucky. He's a very good dog. No, he's not sick, he's just very low key". Yeah! A low key puppy! Truly, Who could ask for more. But how low key?

We tested the low key hypothesis by taking him to the dog park. Low key? Um... no. He ran like the dickens! He chased. He was chased. He played and was played with. Wonderful! He gets along with other dogs and people. Really well! We were in the dog park for an hour and at the end did not want to leave! When we returned home, however, he was all tuckered out. I don't think he moved for several hours, except to scoot into a different position on his bed.

Anyway, the low key concept is true back at home. He's a different guy. Basically, he's calm (for the most part) around the house.

So, for the rest of the day we ran errands, and I finished writing a lecture. I left the house to finish the lecture. But when I returned, someone (I'm not naming names, but it rhymes with Sara) brought Porter a little friend. A squeaky friend. A little green squeaky plush turtle! A turtle? Lime green? Not the most manly of colors, but hey, how can I deny him. Porter absolutely loves his little buddy.

Does it get any cuter?

You work all day. You work all night. You have moments of greatness. Moments of frustration. You come home to a fearless beast. A beast unlike any the world has seen before. A beast that haunts men's dreams. But how could a beast be this cute?

Mini My Ride

Porter may be cute, but he's only one of the new additions to our household. The other new addition is not a person per se, but will have a big influence in our lifestyle. After months of discussion, and a jaunt in Europe, Sara and I decided to trade in the reliable old Honda Civic (well, not really old, it was only a 2003) for a 2006 Mini Cooper. We haven't named it yet, but it's British racing green.

Also, now that we're no longer in the mass o' hills that is Pittsburgh, we left the land of automatic transmissions to return to the wonderful land of manual transmissions! Personally, it's much more fun with a manual.

Here's a picture Sara took while at the dealership.

Porter

Over a month has gone by and I've been quite lax on the blog (as Sara has told me). So, before I catch everyone up on our travel / research / Nashville related activity, let's begin with Porter. Porter you say? And what might porter be? Well, it's not a "what", but a "who". Porter is our new puppy! After 6 months of living the canine-free lifestyle, we're back with a 12 week old mostly swiss mountain dog. He's mixed with something else, but we're not sure what. We adopted him from a rescue kennel in Kentucky yesterday and he's adjusting to the cushiness of the house faster than you can say Jack Sprat.

Can you say "big boy"? He's only 3 months old - and he's already 40 pounds. Judging by the size of those ginourmous paws he's sporting, we're guessing he's going to grow to around 80. But anything is possible: