ET's Info-Stew

It's been late in coming, but we're finally getting some good snow here. Champ just loves it! If it is actually snowing, he'll try to catch snowflakes out of the air. Or he'll be running and kick up snow, and he'll chase after the snow he kicked up, making him go faster and kick up even more snow. He also likes to eat the ice under the snow. He got freaked out by a snowman we made.

Driving in snow is certainly interesting. Neither of us have had much experience with it so we go slow. Yet, it's good to see other drivers going slow too. Everyone is driving extra carefully. I'm not taking my Sentra out of the garage while there is snow on the ground. It's been sitting for a month. I don't really need to go anywhere, so that works just fine for me.

Here are some pictures. Click on one to see it bigger, and from there you can browse to the other pictures in the gallery.

I haven't posted anything new in a while, so here is what's going on.

Since last year Jenny and I have been discussing when we'll be getting another dog. Lassen was a huge loss for us and his passing left a huge hole. Today we've picked up the newest member of our family: Champ Thomas. He is a 12-week-old Toy Fox Terrier Miniture Pincher mix. He's only 3.5 pounds, and he's expected to reach 7-9 pounds. So he is a small dog.

The story of how we got him is a little amusing. Jenny and I wanted to wait until our travel was done toward the end of August. While I was on travel Jenny visited the pet store, found Champ, and fell in love with him. She even went as far as to put a $100 deposit on him, though she didn't tell me. She sent me pictures and told me his history. When I got home from travel she said she wanted me to go see him the next day, and that's when she said she already put down the deposit. When I met him I fell in love with him right away. He seemed to like me too, even though I accidentally dropped him when he tried to jump from my arms in the holding pens. So we ended up getting him. At first we decided to call him Jack. But then when Liz came over with Bailey, we decided to change it to Champ, like the Broncos player.

He was bred by a breeder and given to a mall pet store to be sold. The rest of his litter had already been sold and he was the only one left because he had pneumonia his first couple weeks at the store. We have his breeding history, some medical records and his shot records (he only has a rabies shot left).

He is a spunky dog, always on the move. We are clearly going to have a chewing problem during his puppyhood, so we'll need to keep him busy with lots of chew toys. I love his high level of activity, because it means I can play with him a little rough.

We intend to raise him differently than we did Lassen. Since we have a house and I work from home, potty training him should be much easier. We're also going to start obedience puppy training right away. Lastly, we'd like to crate train him, which can be used to keep him tame and under control when the situation calls for it. I'd like to get him on a natural food diet, not just dog food. I felt bad for Lassen always having to eat his dry dog food.

Here are a few pictures from his first day home.

Please excuse this rant on banks. I listen to a daytime radio personality named Clark Howard who talks all about personal finance. He calls them "Super monster mega banks" and says they have "customer no-service". I'm so tired of them.

Today I got two letters in the mail, one from US Bank, the holder of our first mortgage, and TCF Bank, the holder of our HELOC. The letter from US Bank said that I owe the insurance company for the first year insurance premium. So I called the "customer no-service" and asked them what the deal was. He said "You paid your first year's premium at closing."

About a week ago we ran the dishwasher and noticed a puddle of water at the base. We didn't know for sure it was the dishwasher until this morning when Jenny ran a load through and the puddle started forming again. I was thinking "Great, now we're going to have to buy a new dishwasher."

The Ford is no more. The insurance adjuster said it was a total loss. I asked her if it was borderline and she said it was actually an "obvious total loss". When she ran the numbers the cash value of the car is nearly $12K, and since we have a $500 deductible and $5,500 left on the loan, that means we'll be getting a $6,000 check to help pay for the next car.

Driving home from work today Jenny got caught in an extremely heavy downpour, hydroplaned the Ford Explorer, and spun off the freeway. The car struck a on-ramp light pole on the rear driver's side door, doing significant damage to the car. But the most important thing is that Jenny is okay. She has a skin burn from the seat belt, and her neck and back are sore. But she doesn't require medical attention. The second most important thing is that there were no other vehicles involved, so nobody else is hurt.

I don't know if I'll ever be another best man, but if so I want to have a good speech of advice ready.

You two have found your perfect match and I'm so happy that you've tied the knot. Marriage is the biggest step two people take together, making a commitment that lasts for the rest of your lives. I've been so fortunate to have been happily married to my wife and best friend for N years. And over those years I've learned a lot about what it takes to maintain a happy marriage. I'd like to impart some advice for you both.

When most people get married, they stand up at an altar in a church to make a promise with God that is supposed to last until death. Perhaps for some there really isn't a symbolic religious tie, thus there is no basis for a true life-long commitment. For others, there may be an initial life-long commitment, but the evolution of a marriage causes that commitment to lose value. I've unfortunately seen the marriages of two young couples dissolve within less than five years of making the vows. Is there something missing from 20 somethings' knowledge about marriage?

We went to the movies on Friday with Liz and Cy to go see the new Batman movie. When we got out of the theater it was evident that it had just rained. When we got home we were surprised to hear, through the garage door, our fire alarms blaring! Afraid of what we might find, I carefully opened the door...but there was no indication of a fire. We checked the whole house, including the crawlspace and attic, but there was not sign of a fire.