There's a celebrity in my house. No, I'm not talking about the time I was on that episode of Cops. I'm talking about my boy Spartacus.
After I sent the pictures of my new puppy Spartacus, a friend of mine who is a volunteer on the board of directors for the Humane Society of Williamson County asked if she could submit one of the photos to be on their 2006 calendar. And Spartacus made the cut.
The picture of Spartacus appears on July 2006 of the calendar. Unfortunately, the slots for the big pictures were already taken, but he didn't seem to mind. He said he simply wanted to be on a month with at least thirty days so that people would get to enjoy his picture longer. His exact words were, "Anything but February!"
The calendars can be ordered from their website at http://hswc.net/. You can either use Paypal to order it online, or you can download their order form and send that in. Also, the calendars will be sold at any of their offsite adoption days. (See their event calendar for a time and place near you.)
P.S. No, I wasn't really on an episode of Cops. My face would have been pixelated anyway.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Saturday, November 19, 2005
It has to be the coaching
For the past few years, I've coached a boys soccer team with the help of my friend Gary. This was our tenth season to coach, and there have been some good ones and some not-so-good ones. One season, we had five boys on the team who had never played soccer before, out of eight total players. We didn't win a single game that season.
This past season was one of the good ones. The team (pictured here) ended the season in first place of our soccer association, which made us eligible for the CAYSA (Central Austin Youth Soccer Association) Fall Champions Tournament. There were twelve teams from the greater Austin area in our division, divided into three groups of four. The winner of each group plus the runner-up with the most points moved on to the semi-finals.
We finished group play with one win, one loss, and one tie. We didn't get enough points to move on to the semi-finals so our tournament ended after group play. Kudos go to the boys for a job well done.
This past season was one of the good ones. The team (pictured here) ended the season in first place of our soccer association, which made us eligible for the CAYSA (Central Austin Youth Soccer Association) Fall Champions Tournament. There were twelve teams from the greater Austin area in our division, divided into three groups of four. The winner of each group plus the runner-up with the most points moved on to the semi-finals.
We finished group play with one win, one loss, and one tie. We didn't get enough points to move on to the semi-finals so our tournament ended after group play. Kudos go to the boys for a job well done.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
The Inner Don
For Halloween this year, I wanted to choose a costume that spoke of the inner Don: the peacefulness, the thoughtfulness, the joy. A costume that would inspire. A costume that was Don, only moreso. 
And on the plus side, unlike the pimp costume I wore last year, I didn't have to explain to little kids what I was. Last year, I just told them I was a happy cowboy.
And on the plus side, unlike the pimp costume I wore last year, I didn't have to explain to little kids what I was. Last year, I just told them I was a happy cowboy.
Friday, October 28, 2005
I, Spartacus
After my dog Dylan passed away last month (see Dylan: 1995-2005), several of you inquired as to whether I'd be getting another dog. Since I still had Boo, my cat who doesn't handle change very well, I'd decided that I wasn't going to get another dog. Instead, I would let Boo live out his last few years as the only pet. Well, that was my intention anyway.
Earlier today, a friend who shall remain nameless (her name starts with the letter Sinde) e-mailed me about a couple of abandoned puppies that had been found at her work. If no one stepped up to take them home, the puppies were going to be taken to a shelter. So she asked if I could take one or both of them as a last resort. Actually, she sent me SEVERAL e-mails. Plus, she sent a video to my cell phone showing me how adorable the puppies were. One of her coworkers took one of the dogs, but no one stepped up to take the other one.
So, this evening I picked up my new puppy Spartacus. I was going to name him Peeve, because I always wanted to say I had a pet Peeve, but that seems more like a cat name. So I chose the name Spartacus instead. We took Spartacus to a groomer to get him cleaned up and dipped, and then I brought him home. Here are a few pictures of the new addition:
Earlier today, a friend who shall remain nameless (her name starts with the letter Sinde) e-mailed me about a couple of abandoned puppies that had been found at her work. If no one stepped up to take them home, the puppies were going to be taken to a shelter. So she asked if I could take one or both of them as a last resort. Actually, she sent me SEVERAL e-mails. Plus, she sent a video to my cell phone showing me how adorable the puppies were. One of her coworkers took one of the dogs, but no one stepped up to take the other one.
So, this evening I picked up my new puppy Spartacus. I was going to name him Peeve, because I always wanted to say I had a pet Peeve, but that seems more like a cat name. So I chose the name Spartacus instead. We took Spartacus to a groomer to get him cleaned up and dipped, and then I brought him home. Here are a few pictures of the new addition:
Friday, October 07, 2005
Maturity is knowing when you can be immature
Where I work, my coworkers and I had offices in two buildings. Our main building had a lot of empty space, so the people on my floor are being moved over to the main building this weekend. At the close of business today, we had to have our offices packed up and ready. I took the day off today (after all, it is my birthday ... hint, hint), so I had to pack my office yesterday.
Some plastic crates were provided by the moving company to be used for packing. They could be stacked together and placed on top of some rollers to make it easy to move them to the other building. However, as shown in the picture linked below, they also made it easy to play:
The people in their offices were surprised to see me go speeding by, but one of my coworkers was able to get a picture with his camera phone. I ran into the wall once or twice, but luckily I only hit my head.
Some plastic crates were provided by the moving company to be used for packing. They could be stacked together and placed on top of some rollers to make it easy to move them to the other building. However, as shown in the picture linked below, they also made it easy to play:
The people in their offices were surprised to see me go speeding by, but one of my coworkers was able to get a picture with his camera phone. I ran into the wall once or twice, but luckily I only hit my head.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Dylan: 1995-2005
![[Dylan]](http://donyoung.us/images/pets/dylan_sm.jpg)
Earlier this week, my dog Dylan was feeling lethargic and not eating, so I took him to the vet. After the initial tests, they had me bring him back in last night so that they could put some fluids in him overnight and run some more tests today. Unfortunately, while at the clinic Dylan passed away this afternoon. Since he was 10 years old, they believe his kidneys just finally gave out.
![[Boo and Dylan]](http://donyoung.us/images/pets/boo_dylan_couch_sm.jpg)
Dylan was given to me by my friend Wayne a couple of years ago. He was a good boy (Dylan, not Wayne), he got along well with my cat Boo (eventually), and he was an expert at getting out of the backyard. In fact, on a couple of occasions he got out of a locked house, which worried me, because if he had figured out how to open doors, then I was never going to keep him in the house. Luckily, he had only figured out how to nudge open the windows, push out the screens, and jump into the yard. Still, pretty impressive for a dog.
![[Regal Dylan]](http://donyoung.us/images/pets/regal_dylan_sm.jpg)
One time, Dylan got out of the house while my friend Tom was housesitting. Tom told me that Dylan was a very smart boy, because he just walked out the garage door that Tom had left open. To which I replied, "Well Tom, apparently Dylan doesn't have to be very smart. He just has to be smarter than you."
Monday, September 05, 2005
Doctor Improvisation
One of my softball teams had a game tonight. (Yes, on Labor Day.) And since we didn't have a full team show up, we only played 3 outfielders. (Also, we didn't have a second baseman, and a player on the other team played catcher for us. Needless to say, we lost.)
I ended up playing centerfield, which is a lot of room for an old guy like me to cover. Luckily, I make up for it by being really, really slow. One of their players hit a fly ball in between me and the rightfielder, so I took off after it. At the last minute, I dove for it, caught it, landed on my left shoulder, and rolled a couple of times. The crowd went wild! Ok, it was little kids and they were already screaming, but in my version of the story, they were screaming for my incredible catch.
When I got home, I wanted to put an ice pack on my shoulder. I thought it was already in the freezer, but I couldn't find it. I looked in several places it might have been, but my search turned up empty. Sometimes you just have to improvise:
http://donyoung.us/images/shoulder_ice.jpg
September 10th followup: Since the pain never went away, even with the "frozen vegetable" packs, I went to the clinic today to have the shoulder checked out. And after a quick three hour visit, they told me the shoulder was separated, specifically an Acromio-Clavicular Separation. Some of the ligaments were torn as well, but they should heal just fine with rest. It looks like I'll have to take a few weeks off from softball.
I ended up playing centerfield, which is a lot of room for an old guy like me to cover. Luckily, I make up for it by being really, really slow. One of their players hit a fly ball in between me and the rightfielder, so I took off after it. At the last minute, I dove for it, caught it, landed on my left shoulder, and rolled a couple of times. The crowd went wild! Ok, it was little kids and they were already screaming, but in my version of the story, they were screaming for my incredible catch.
When I got home, I wanted to put an ice pack on my shoulder. I thought it was already in the freezer, but I couldn't find it. I looked in several places it might have been, but my search turned up empty. Sometimes you just have to improvise:
http://donyoung.us/images/shoulder_ice.jpg
September 10th followup: Since the pain never went away, even with the "frozen vegetable" packs, I went to the clinic today to have the shoulder checked out. And after a quick three hour visit, they told me the shoulder was separated, specifically an Acromio-Clavicular Separation. Some of the ligaments were torn as well, but they should heal just fine with rest. It looks like I'll have to take a few weeks off from softball.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Where is that pesky esophagus?
My older brother Richard went to the hospital a couple of weeks ago because of some stomach pains. The doctors eventually found that he had been bleeding internally and that he had lost a lot of blood. They initially thought he had been bleeding from his esophagus, but they eventually determined it was from his stomach. After a couple of weeks of testing and medicating, Richard is doing fine. He returned home from the hospital yesterday and starts back to work on Monday.
Naturally, there's more to the story. My dad had called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that Richard was in the hospital. Dad wasn't exactly a scholar in high school, but I'm never really sure when he's yanking my chain or not. When telling me what problems Richard was having, here's how our conversation went.
Dad: They think he's bleeding internally from his esophagus.
Me: Oh.
[pause]
Dad: Where is the esophagus?
Me: It's his throat.
Dad: Oh.
[pause]
I thought it was in his ass.
Me: [chuckling] Uh, no, it's at the other end of the digestive tract.
That's my dad! (Although he does sometimes claim otherwise.)
Naturally, there's more to the story. My dad had called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that Richard was in the hospital. Dad wasn't exactly a scholar in high school, but I'm never really sure when he's yanking my chain or not. When telling me what problems Richard was having, here's how our conversation went.
Dad: They think he's bleeding internally from his esophagus.
Me: Oh.
[pause]
Dad: Where is the esophagus?
Me: It's his throat.
Dad: Oh.
[pause]
I thought it was in his ass.
Me: [chuckling] Uh, no, it's at the other end of the digestive tract.
That's my dad! (Although he does sometimes claim otherwise.)
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
The Mother of Invention
The world is full of people who can't drive. Typically, those people include everyone in between you and your destination. So how can a person tell when the drivers around them can't drive? Paintball cannons. That's right, paintball cannons.
I think all cars should come equipped with a paintball cannon mounted on the hood or grill. A trigger would be placed on the steering wheel, and the driver would be allowed by law to fire the cannon at any driver who cut them off, changed lanes without signaling, or who drove more than 10 MPH below the speed limit. The worse someone drove, the more times they would be shot by paintballs. Thus, the really bad drivers could be determined by the amount of paintball splotches on their car, and they could be avoided.
I think all cars should come equipped with a paintball cannon mounted on the hood or grill. A trigger would be placed on the steering wheel, and the driver would be allowed by law to fire the cannon at any driver who cut them off, changed lanes without signaling, or who drove more than 10 MPH below the speed limit. The worse someone drove, the more times they would be shot by paintballs. Thus, the really bad drivers could be determined by the amount of paintball splotches on their car, and they could be avoided.
Friday, July 22, 2005
The Wisdom of Accounting
I love accountants. Not in the romantic sense, unless of course they're beautiful and female. No, I love accountants in the sarcastic sense. Nothing throws off an accountant more than not following a process to the letter.
Last month, I had to go to a work meeting at our Houston location. In my opinion, it just as easily could have been done with a conference call, but hey, they reimburse for the mileage, so I went. A few days after I got back, I filled out the electronic expense report for the mileage reimbursement, had it approved by my manager, and sent it off electronically to the bean counters in accounting. A month later, I received an e-mail from accounting saying they couldn't process my request because I hadn't sent in my receipts. I was confused (how odd), because there were no receipts to send in.
I asked my manager who I needed to contact over there, but instead he explained to me what I had done wrong. When sending in the electronic expense report (you know, so that we can save paper), I had to print out a receipt report which stated that I had no receipts, and then I had to send that to the accounting department in our Houston office. After all, it's not like the accounting department couldn't have printed that report themselves, thus saving the time of waiting for me to send them via "real" mail. No, that would be too easy. And of course, it makes perfect sense to require printed reports for "paperless" processes.
Oh well, I'm sure I'll get another e-mail in a week or so telling me something else I forgot to do. I might get that money in time for my birthday this fall. (Oct. 7th: Shop early, shop often.)
P.S. Wow, I started the birthday reminders early this year.
Last month, I had to go to a work meeting at our Houston location. In my opinion, it just as easily could have been done with a conference call, but hey, they reimburse for the mileage, so I went. A few days after I got back, I filled out the electronic expense report for the mileage reimbursement, had it approved by my manager, and sent it off electronically to the bean counters in accounting. A month later, I received an e-mail from accounting saying they couldn't process my request because I hadn't sent in my receipts. I was confused (how odd), because there were no receipts to send in.
I asked my manager who I needed to contact over there, but instead he explained to me what I had done wrong. When sending in the electronic expense report (you know, so that we can save paper), I had to print out a receipt report which stated that I had no receipts, and then I had to send that to the accounting department in our Houston office. After all, it's not like the accounting department couldn't have printed that report themselves, thus saving the time of waiting for me to send them via "real" mail. No, that would be too easy. And of course, it makes perfect sense to require printed reports for "paperless" processes.
Oh well, I'm sure I'll get another e-mail in a week or so telling me something else I forgot to do. I might get that money in time for my birthday this fall. (Oct. 7th: Shop early, shop often.)
P.S. Wow, I started the birthday reminders early this year.
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