Progress Report

Here is a quick update on our newest member of the family. His name is Gunnar and he is officially 10 weeks old and about 25lbs right now. He is coming along very well with his training and is a very well behaved dog for only 10 weeks old. He does like to chew on things like rocks, sticks, and feet. I would also say that he is getting to be a bit of a spoiled dog but if you can't spoil a puppy, who can you? He is very sociable dog, but he can play very rough.

It is my hope to have him tested for apptitude for the Schutzhund program. That is a tracking, obedience, and protection program for large dogs. Primarily, it is German Shepards, Rottweilers, and Dobermans that participate, but all sorts of dogs can be found in the program. Time, money and ability will tell if Gunnar gets to partake of the program. We are starting on some basic imprinting with basic commands and stuff. Nothing big yet.

As you can see, he is a very handsome fellow and will be quite large. As the weeks go by, I will try and update his progress. So, more to follow!

later!


oh.. his full name is Gunnar Valentin vonG.....

Happy Days are here again... in 2008!!!

Read on my blog friends! This is great news! (from Reuters, via Yahoo news)


"Star Trek" franchise set for 2008 revival: report
Fri Apr 21, 3:13 AM ET
More than three years after the last "Star Trek" movie crashed at the box office, the venerable sci-fi franchise is being revived by the director of the upcoming "Mission: Impossible" sequel, Daily Variety reported in its Friday edition.
The as-yet-untitled "Star Trek" feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release through Paramount Pictures, the Viacom Inc. unit looking to restore its box-office luster under new management, the trade paper said.
The project will be directed by J.J. Abrams, whose Tom Cruise vehicle "Mission: Impossible III" will be released by Paramount on May 5. Abrams, famed for producing the TV shows "Alias" and "Lost," will also help write and produce.
Daily Variety said the action would center on the early days of "Star Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission.
The paper described "Star Trek" as Hollywood's most durable performer after James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series.
The 10th film, "Star Trek: Nemesis," bombed at the box office on its December 2002 release, earning just $43 million in North America. Last year, Viacom-owned broadcast network UPN pulled the plug on the low-rated series "Star Trek: Enterprise" following a four-season run.



Finally! Getting back to the characters that really made Star Trek the phenom it was! It will be hard to see Kirk and Spock as younger characters and played by someone other than Shatner and Nimoy. There are a few great books that detail the very early years of both and they would do well to consider looking at them, but those people never listen to me!

Well! Not only is 2007 going to be a fun year with the HALO movie, but 2008 will be a great year to see Star Trek come back to life!

Live Long and Prosper!

Well kept bike, well kept life...

Just a couple of updated photos of my bike. The weather is getting warmer and I have had her out a few times already. I can't wait for dry weather! (and slightly warmer mornings!) I hope to do a lot of riding this year as opposed to last year. A good friend of mine recently purchased a similar bike and we hope to make a few long distance rides with our ladies. Riding on a good looking bike is a real ego trip. Whether anyone else likes the bike, it makes me feel like a million dollars. My kids think it is the best bike ever and that certainly helps the old ego. And I have been told by a really good looking woman (my wife) that I look good on this bike. This will probably be one of the last bikes I buy for a very long time. Like my truck, I hope to keep it clean and pristine looking. I get sick of those people who are always making fun of me and how I keep my stuff looking new. My feeling on this is that if you are spending a lot of money on something nice, then why not keep it looking that way for as long as possible? My feeling is that if your belongings and home are well ordered and well kept, then your life must be so too. What do you think? (Other than I am anal rententive.... )

later!

A new member of the Family

Say hello and welcome to the soon to be newest member of our family! (No, not the boy holding the puppy. He is already a card carrying member of my clan) The cute little ball of fur that you see will soon be a part of our family. He is (currently) an 8 week old German Shepard pup with lots of energy and (hopefully) intelligence! He will be the first puppy we have had in our home in many, many years and I am sure that it will be a real experience for us once again!

He is a full blooded German Shepard with a good pedigree with 5 champions on his sire's (father's) side of the family tree. I do not think we will be planning on showing him, but I am thinking of putting him in the Schutzhund program. That is the "guard dog" program used by many show competitors and police units. He was given an aptitude test for his litter and he ranked #2 out of seven! He could have potential! Alot depends on time, location and cost of the program. It is a good program and really fits the intelligence and personality of Shepards really well.

We have not settled on a name yet, but right now, I am considering calling him Gunnar. A good strong two syllable name that is easy to pronounce. I had also thought of Conan, or Rommel but think Gunnar is my favorite. The other names have a lot of history and meaning to me and carry kind of a big responsibility to live up to them. We have to decide. We don't even have him yet.

I am really looking forward to bringing him home and getting to know him. I will try to update his progress as time goes on!

Later!