The Daily Parker - Parker

It's Parker Day!

David Braverman — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:11:51 GMT

I adopted Parker four years ago today. I'll snap his annual portrait this weekend (I'm a little overloaded today).

It's back

David Braverman — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:39:50 GMT

The ParkerCam has returned:

It may be up infrequently, and I have no idea where I'm going to point it all the time, but at least it's on again.

Welcome cold front

David Braverman — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:33:02 GMT

A strong cold front and impressive thunderstorms came through last night. After an entire month of high temperatures above 26°C, it got down to 18°C last night. I've got my windows open, only one fan running (to pull air through the house), and a dog who needs a good, 8 km walk.

And then, later on today, a much-missed Daily Parker feature will return.

My, what big ears you have

David Braverman — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:15:38 GMT

My friend DC's puppy Rex:

Full size at The Daily Parker.

Where has all the time gone?

David Braverman — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:39:05 GMT

In the past seven calendar days[1], I have worked 40.3 hours[2], traveled 39.8 hours through four countries and six states, and, so far as I can tell, slept for about 40 hours. I am not sure what happened in the remaining few minutes, though part of it included walking Parker and part of it included staring into space dazedly. Fortunately traveling wasn't entirely wasted time, including as it did four episodes of This American Life and two complete novels.

This is all a long way of saying I apologize for the reduced velocity of The Daily Parker, and I expect to resume my usual average of 1½ posts per day in short order.

N.B.: Don't ask how I know all this. I will say only that sitting in a car, train, bus, or airplane for more than 40 hours in one week gives one a lot of time to think about irrelevant crap.

[1] Since 17:30 CDT last Sunday.

[2] Plus another 4.4 hours commuting to and from my client site.

Happy dog on his birthday

David Braverman — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:47:50 GMT

Yesterday was Parker's 4th birthday, but being in a different city I couldn't immediately get a photo of him. Fortunately we have the Intertubes, and Diane was able to provide one:

Full size after the jump.

Every dog has his day

David Braverman — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:37:40 GMT

Today is Parker's: it's his 4th birthday.

Happy birthday puppy!

Random round-up

David Braverman — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:13:26 GMT

So, with a project running somewhere around 105%, an old and patient client that predates my current employment waiting for some updates, Global Financial Management requiring that I figure out the combined beta of two companies about to merge, Foundations of Strategy expecting a transaction cost analysis Saturday morning, and an overwhelming anticipation of seeing Diane and Parker tomorrow after almost two weeks, I find myself completely out of creativity. Heaven bless my winter office (probably, now that the pizzeria around the corner has left, simply "my remote office").

Fortunately, other people on the Intertubes have plenty of it. Creativity, I mean. Here is a quorum, mostly pinched from Sullivan:

The Washington Post has a list of twelve things to toss out this spring, as written by Elizabeth Warren, Karl Rove, and Onion editor Joe Randazzo. (The last is an indictment of Internet memes.) There's also a bit on virginity.
Writer Andrea Donderi posits a dichotomy between Asker and Guesser cultures. In Cultures, Civilization, and Leadership (one of the CCMBA's core classes) we'd look at this in terms of ICE profiles, which I would explain if I could find the link. (See above re: being overloaded.) This comes via The Guardian, who have the distinction this week of having endorsed for prime minister the guy who became deputy PM. By the way, this kind of embarassment (two guys running against each other only to have to work together as #1 and #2) hasn't happened in the US since 1800. But that's not important right now.
While on the subject, it's a little daunting that we haven't had our midterms yet and I've made no progress on the video, but there are only 50 days until our next residency starts. (See above re: being really overloaded.)
Finally, Sam Harris has a new demolition of the Catholic Church Good line near the top: "This scandal was one of the most spectacular 'own goals' in the history of religion, and there seems to be no need to deride faith at its most vulnerable and self-abased." (I would explain that my views are probably more moderate than Harris's, and yet I enjoy his writing, but see above re: being really monster raving loony overloaded.)

Shannon has brought my last drink and my check, my teammate KW is busy compiling all of our notes for Strategy, and Parker, I expect, is getting a relaxing belly-scratch from Diane 1,000 km away. I think we're all OK with this, but Parker has the best deal.

Also, for those of you watching in real time, yes: I posted this blasted entry five times in quick succession, because I kept finding typos. This should come as great news to the people currently engaged in Scrabble games with me on Facebook.

More confirmation about dog origins

David Braverman — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:53:45 GMT

NPR reported this morning that dogs likely descended from Israeli wolves:

To come up with their results, [UCLA researcher Robert] Wayne and his colleagues studied DNA from more than 200 wild gray wolves. "We looked at wolf populations in Europe, the Middle East and East Asia and from China," he says. In each case, they sought out and found genetic markers that were unique to these different wolf populations. So, for example, there were some markers that were only found in Chinese wolves, and others only found in Middle Eastern wolves.
Then they analyzed DNA from more than 900 dogs from 85 breeds, and looked to see which of the wolf markers dogs most closely resembled. It turns out that most dogs shared markers unique to Middle Eastern wolves, although there were some dog breeds that were closer to other wolf populations.
"Many wolf populations may have contributed to the genomic diversity of dogs, but the dominant signal comes from the Middle East," says Wayne. The new research appears in the journal Nature.

Finally: a solid explanation of why Parker wears a yarmulke.

Ponder Cove

David Braverman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:04:41 GMT

As promised, some photos of our trip to dog heaven, the B&B at Ponder Cove up in Mars Hill, N.C.:

More after the jump...

Great moments in canine focus

David Braverman — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:16:23 GMT

It's amazing what you can do with a well-focused dog:

Unfortunately, he was focused on a cat. Baby steps.

Parkergate

David Braverman — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:43:56 GMT

Have you ever tried to introduce a dog into a house full of cats? We've had more fun in the past three weeks doing this than seems fair. We're finally at the point where we think Parker will leave the cats alone just long enough for them to flee. The terrier and beagle bits take over on occasion and he has gotten uncomfortably close to the cats more than once—which explains why we've kept him tethered to the desk where I can get to him immediately.

Being untethered has huge benefits, though. For example, Parker can find a sunbeam and relax:

Dogs rule

David Braverman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:00:12 GMT

Via the Freakonomics blog, the New Scientist has examined the science behind the eternal question, dogs or cats?

Utility

Dogs can hunt, herd and guard. They can sniff out drugs and bombs and even whale faeces; they guide blind and deaf people, race for sport, pull sleds, find someone buried by an avalanche, help children learn and possibly even predict earthquakes. Cats are good if you have an infestation of rodents.
Perhaps that assessment is unfair, though. After all, we love our pets for other reasons. Cats are beautiful and soft, and stroking them has been shown to reduce stress. Then again, dogs are also good stress-busters: owning one can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. What's more, Fido has other health benefits. Daily dog walks may be a chore, but they repay the effort, not just in terms of regular exercise, but also by providing immune-boosting opportunities for social contact with other dog walkers. That's why in a head-to-head contest of health benefits, it's dogs all the way

Having spent the last 9 days watching the two species interact, I have seen evidence of the magazine's conclusions. The cats Parker has suffered (and who have suffered him) haven't demonstrated stellar problem-solving skills, but they have learned that moving quickly across the living room causes lots of noise (the dog barks, the human corrects the dog), while slinking on their bellies slowly sometimes causes nothing more than a growl and a small correction. One of the cats (Nick, the orange pile of...cat pictured right) has the IQ of a philodendron, and still has not figured out that moving away from the dog cuts down on the noise. (Nick is just ornery, hissing at people even while getting brushed and purring. Yes, he hisses while purring. But that's a different post.)

Anyway, I vote for dogs. Cats are fine as accent pillows and occasionally if you have a granary you need protected from rodents. Dogs are actually happy to see you when you get home, even if you don't have any food in your hand.

Time to walk Parker.

The drive

David Braverman — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:03:13 GMT

I tried to get out ahead of the weather on Tuesday, but it found me. The trip started out at just past 7am with the car in this condition:

Raleigh long drive

David Braverman — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:37:42 GMT

We got to Raleigh in one piece through a billion liters of rain, it seemed. Then this morning we got right back in the car to rescue one of our hosts after her radiator blew a hose:

More...

Today's Daily Parker

David Braverman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:49:33 GMT

You should see him after I've been gone a week. This is Parker after three days of boarding:

Happy Parker Day!

David Braverman — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:07:34 GMT

I adopted the fuzzy dude three years ago today. And you can see why:

Canine parasitism

David Braverman — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:43:34 GMT

Journalist Robert Wright weighs in on the (ridiculous, I think) question of whether dogs are parasites:

I suspect the historical relationship between dogs and humans has been mutualistic, not parasitic; humans have probably been pragmatic in choosing what kinds of dogs to associate with during dog-human co-evolution, thus keeping wantonly exploitative tendencies out of the canine gene pool. (If anything, the parasitism has probably worked in the other direction.)

And as for the question of whether, evolutionary history aside, the average dog is now parasitic upon its owner: Well, these days we own dogs mainly for the joy they bring us, not to warn us about wild animals. So the question is simple: Does your dog bring you more joy than pain?

Yes, I can say about my own dog, which I feel even more acutely right at this moment owing to Parker's absence. I'm off to the Land of Uk tomorrow, so Parker is with a friend until I get back. I have to say, coming home to an empty apartment—I even took his bed up to the friend's house—really sucks.

While I was in Kyiv

David Braverman — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:10:47 GMT

...Parker was waiting for me to return. Everyone say "awww:"

Photo: Debbie Kurtz

Not sure what day it is

David Braverman — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:47:05 GMT

That's part of the fun in traveling 8 time zones away. More on that later.

Meanwhile, my poor jet-lagged brain now has to accept that Parker may not actually love me, though he does a really good job convincing me he does.

What to do, what to do

David Braverman — Sat, 02 May 2009 17:44:53 GMT

I had thought about writing a long entry on another technical aspect of the new version of Weather Now, but for the first time in weeks it's sunny and 20°C, and I just finished a final exam in economics. So, off to the dog park.

All y'all waiting for the lengthy technical stuff will just have to wait until it rains again.

Update: In the meantime, why not scratch your head, as I did, over meat business cards? Hmmm....

Can't say I disagree

David Braverman — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:25:52 GMT

Via Sullivan, David Frum thinks of Arlen Specter's defection pretty much what I do—except he's not as happy about it:

Pat Toomey is of course the former president of the Club for Growth who planned to challenge Arlen Specter in the 2010 Pennsylvania Republican primary. Polls showed Toomey well ahead – not because he is so hugely popular in the state, but because the Pennsylvania GOP has shriveled to a small, ideologically intense core. Toomey now looks likely to gain the nomination he has sought – and then to be crushed by Specter or some other Democrat next November.

...I submit it is better for conservatives to have 60% sway within a majority party than to have 100% control of a minority party. And until and unless there is an honored place made in the Republican party for people who think like Arlen Specter, we will remain a minority party.

By the way, I'd rather have an actual opposition party than what we have now. But this sort of thing has to happen about once in a generation. And 40 years from now, after the U.S. has swung farther left than most Americans can tolerate, it'll be our turn again.

Parker's emergency bath, by the way, was successful. He is now allowed back in the house.

Emergency maintenance

David Braverman — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:27:56 GMT

Parker is asleep on my back porch and not allowed in the house because he decided, within 15 seconds of being off-leash at the park, that it would be fun to roll in a pile of gross, green, grass-covered, glistening, goose poop.

We are now on our way to Petco for an emergency bath.

Dogs.

Possible ParkerCam placement?

David Braverman — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:10:05 GMT

After some experimentation, I may have found a setup that works:

It has the added advantage of showing the Inner Drive Technology Worldwide Data Center in the background.

ParkerCam experiments

David Braverman — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:55:45 GMT

As Parker gets older and less likely to shred things, I'm leaving him alone for a few hours at a time without stuffing him in his crate. Of course, when he's crated, it's easy to put a camera on him. Not so much when he has run of the house.

So, I've tried pointing the camera at places I thought he'd be likely to hang out. His crate, for example:

Ah, Chicago in the spring

David Braverman — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:39:22 GMT

This morning, consistent with other early spring mornings I remember from years past, Chicago is having a blizzard. We're on the backside (in so many ways) of a low-pressure center, getting some fresh spring breezes (41 km/h gusts out of the north), delightful spring warmth (0°C with a windchill of -6°C), and a gentle sodden wet heavy snowfall.

In other happy news, the New York Times health blog yesterday reported 86,000 emergency room visits each year by people who tripped over their pets:

That translates into about 240 people who are treated for injuries caused by pets every single day in the United States, [a CDC] study found.

Cats are involved in some of the falls, but dogs — man's best friend — are the real culprits, responsible for seven times as many injuries as cats, often while they’re being walked, the report found.

I can attest that dogs bolt sometimes, surprising both dog and owner when the dog's increased kinetic energy encounters the owner's dug-in heels.

It's really Spring after all!

David Braverman — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:48:11 GMT

Sunny and 13°C in Chicago today. Result: Parker got almost two hours of walks. Other result: Pithy, pointless blog entry. Everyone wins!

About this blog

David Braverman — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:41:59 GMT

I'm David Braverman, this is my blog, and Parker is my 3-year-old mutt. I last updated this About... page two years ago, so I thought it's time for a quick review.

Mini-Spring

David Braverman — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:42:32 GMT

The official score won't be in until past midnight, but it looks like the temperature at O'Hare today topped 13°C—about 33°C warmer than Thursday morning's -20°C. It's quite a relief. And almost all the snow is gone.

In celebration, Parker and I will now take our second long walk of the day.

Feels like winter

David Braverman — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:17:24 GMT

Ah, Chicago in December: gray, sleet, snow, wind, rain. Builds character:

The snow has begun falling in Chicago, and more is on the way.

There are flurries downtown, though nothing is sticking. Matt Smith of the city's Department of Streets & Sanitation said in an e-mail that no trucks have been sent out, noting that "We have good air and ground temps and that could continue to be the case for quite some time."

Snow has started to accumulate on the ground and roads in the south suburbs around the intersection of Interstate Highways 57 and 80, according to observers.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Boone, DeKalb, Kane, Lake, Livingston, and McHenry counties and a winter weather advisory for Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, Kendall and Will counties.

Yesterday Parker and I walked about 8 miles altogether. Today he'll be lucky to go twice around the block.

At the zoo

David Braverman — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:54:35 GMT

Parker and I walked past the Lincoln Park Zoo a few minutes ago, just as an ambulance passed by. The wolves in the zoo answered the ambulance. We had to stop and listen. Very cool.

Dog phobias

David Braverman — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 03:44:57 GMT

First, Parker got an aversion to box fans. Then ceiling fans. Now he's afraid of anything attached to a ceiling, like light fixtures. Seriously: he keeps looking up at the track lights or ceiling fans in whatever room he's in. Oddly, when a ceilng fan rotates fast enough, he can't see it, and then isn't afraid of it. But light fixtures? They don't do anything, and no amount of demonstrating that I have the power of light and dark over these things seems to ameliorate his anxiety.

Has anyone else seen this kind of thing with dogs? I swear the poor guy can't deal with anything other than clear skies right now.

Parker Day: oops

David Braverman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:47:12 GMT

Sad day! I just realized Monday was Parker Day, the anniversary of when I adopted him. All he got was a heartworm pill. No wonder he's looking at me ruefully this morning.

Home

David Braverman — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:17:38 GMT

The four-park sprint (and seeing some really great—and really patient—friends along the way) has ended. I'm off in a few minutes to restock my fridge and, at 4pm on the nose, to pick up Parker.

What to do in perfect weather...

David Braverman — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:51:29 GMT

We get about 30 days a year like this in Chicago: 24°C, perfectly clear, light breeze. As much as I'd have preferred this weather yesterday (I had a flight scheduled but had to cancel because of low ceilings), today Parker and I took advantage of it and walked to Whole Foods. Round trip: 5 ½ km.

Actually, it's all about work. See, I've got a ton of work to do tomorrow, so this way, Parker is all pooped out and sleeps all day. So it's not about goofing off on a summer day, it's about hard work, which in turn is all about preparation.

Not the entry I started

David Braverman — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:04:49 GMT

I had just started to write about the despicable ICE raid in Postville, Iowa, last May, when my only dog puked a volume of food so large I didn't know his stomach could hold that amount, right onto a 19th-century Persian rug.

In situations like these, you can't get mad at the dog, but oh my goodness you really want to.

Update: Nature's Miracle seems to be working, but that can't be good for the rug.

Must remember to bring camera

David Braverman — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:27:44 GMT

Parker and I went for an 8 km walk this afternoon, including a swing past the Belmont Harbor dog beach. I didn't think Parker would go into the water but he did, surprising himself almost as much as he surprised me. He came straight back out, however, and wouldn't go near the water after that, but he seemed to have fun.

I only had my mobile phone with me, so this is the best I got:

Yes, he's 14 in dog years

David Braverman — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:31:17 GMT

Parker is two years old today. As is tradition, we all say: "awwww!"

Rare personal post

David Braverman — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:41:32 GMT

You may have noticed the slowdown in TDP entries over the last month or so. By way of explanation, today I'm finishing everything with my mom's house, and tomorrow I'm formally winding up her estate. She would have enjoyed that the Cubs have the best record in baseball as of this morning (44-25), and tomorrow Parker turns 2.

I hope to return to daily entries in a week or so.

Ribfest Chicago

David Braverman — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:48:51 GMT

Ah, ribs. Possibly my favorite food. Living in Chicago, there are options. And every year, I get to sample as many of those options as my stomach lets me at the annual Ribfest up at Lincoln and Damen.

Why Parker won't swim in the Pacific this summer

David Braverman — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:39:31 GMT

(I mean, other than because he loathes water.)

No, it's about gasoline.

I'm taking a summer vacation this year for the first time since 1992, and I had planned to load Parker and his smelly blanket into my Volkswagen and drive to San Francisco with him. Only, I just filled up my car this morning, and for the first time ever I crested $50. For gasoline. In my bleeding Volkswagen. Which caused me to whip out a spreadsheet and determine conclusively whether driving with Parker out to California makes any sense at all.

It does not. Sorry, P-Dogg.

Brilliant lifestyle tool

David Braverman — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:10:12 GMT

Devotees of the ParkerCam will have noticed it has shown a lot of Parker's empty crate lately. This happens because I have discovered the miracle of the dog bus, whereby Urban Out Sitters delivers Parker right to his crate (complete with peeb-stuffed Kong) on days when it's iffy I'll be able to pick him up before 7pm.

The bus usually gets him home around 4pm, in case you're a slave to the ParkerCam.

Parker needs one

David Braverman — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:44:31 GMT

From reader TLC, I don't know where I'd put it in my apartment, but I think Parker would dig this:

Today's Daily Parker

David Braverman — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:37:59 GMT

After a several-week absence, the ParkerCam is back up.

The only bad thing about moving...

David Braverman — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:29:47 GMT

I mean, other than the process of moving, which isn't at all fun, is that I'm giving up access to a yard. The guy painting my new apartment pointed out to me that there are 46 steps from the alley to the third floor, and said this made getting the tarps and things into the place that much less fun. I pointed out to him that I will have to traverse all 46 steps, in every weather, in every state of health, every day, three times a day, because I can't train my dog to use a toilet. As far as Parker will notice, I'll walk him a lot more than I do now, which for him is good.

I will miss the yard, even if Parker won't care.

New day camp

David Braverman — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:42:51 GMT

This morning I dropped Parker off at his new day camp, Urban Outsitters. Everyone was wagging when I left, though Parker seemed a little overwhelmed by the onrush of dogs. I was a little apprehensive, but I think he'll be fine. Do parents feel this way after dropping their kids off at a new school?

RIP Cali

David Braverman — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:23:51 GMT

A very old friend of mine put her dog down this evening. I know how hard that was. Cali had a good life, and was loved. And she knew it.

Every dog owner has to face this eventually: dogs only live a few years. That doesn't make it easier.

In the Jewish tradition—in which I was raised, despite both my parents and me being devout atheists—we always acknowledge the sadness lurking behind joy. It's a Jewish curse to find the cloud behind every silver lining. We dip an egg in salt water at Passover to remind ourselves of this. Not to mention the not-so-far-from-truth Jewish joke about the widow at the funeral shouting "how could you do this to me?" So maybe it's inappropriately personalizing someone else's pain, but a friend going through this reminds me of how short Parker's life will be, and how important it is to cherish what he brings to me, which is absolutely no less than how much Cali's life brought to my friend.

So, Tink, I know what you're feeling. And I know Cali was a happy dog, and loved you unconditionally, and lived as long as she could. Nothing else really matters.

Obama event

David Braverman — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 04:49:11 GMT

I just got back from an event in Chicago which convinced me that Obama will win the White House. 375 days, 12 hours to go.

In a completely unrelated vein, I am watching Parker try to destroy a Tyvek FedEx envelope. I think I've finally found a substance he can't destroy.

Update: Nope. He can destroy it just fine. I'll be seeing that Tyvek tomorrow morning.

Going the extra mile

David Braverman — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:16:19 GMT

Note from the dog-walking service: "He owes me one. I pulled a 6-inch string out of his ass."

LMAO

Good butt

David Braverman — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:51:32 GMT

I just got very good news for Parker: for the first time in his entire doggy life, he is free from all intestinal parasites. No more bad butt.