Parker got a chance to stick his nose out the window of a moving car both days this weekend:

After some trial and error, and even though he's still unclear on the concept, Parker finally got down and dirty with the tug toy yesterday:

Oh, dear. I can't wait until they start building this, just one block from my office:

Developers went public Thursday with their plan for another race to the sky, this one in downtown Evanston: A proposed condominium tower that would crack the 500-foot barrier and become the tallest building in Chicago's suburbs.

Sure to incite heated debate in a suburb already in the throes of a high-rise building boom, the plan calls for tearing down a two-story retail building on a triangular block bounded by Church Street, Orrington and Sherman Avenues, and replacing it with a sliver-thin, 49-story condominium tower sheathed in glass and metal.

Pity, because the building they're tearing down is actually quite charming. It gets "better:"

The plan also envisions tearing down a 1940s mid-rise office building at the block's south end and replacing it with a low-rise restaurant building whose footprint would be half as large. The developers still have to purchase that property.

I'm torn. I think Evanston has to grow taller, but the old buildings in its downtown are part of its charm.

Another one bites the dust.

(Via Talking Points Memo.) The Senate Judiciary Committee would like Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to return within a week:

We believe the Committee would benefit from you searching and refreshing your recollection and your supplementing your testimony by next Friday to provide the answers to the questions you could not recall last Thursday.

Ouch.

I'm just now listening to the podcast of last Saturday's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Host Peter Sagal had this to say about entertainer Don Ho, who died last week:

Sagal: He also did his patriotic part to populate his home state. He is survived by 10 children, 15 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

Adam Felber: Ho, Ho, Ho!

Sagal: I'm sorry, I was just thinking: He had all these babies...in diapers...that means dozens of nappy-bottomed Hos.

Oy.

OK, it's really time for new photos. I've been too lazy busy to take new ones lately, so it's time for another classic, this one from early October:

People have asked me how big Parker is. Just knowing he weighs 23kg doesn't help much. So, by way of illustration, here is Parker and his crate with a helpful yard (90 cm) stick in the shot:

Hmm. Problems with the new ParkerCam angle have become apparent in short order. Dogs naturally sleep with their backs to the wall. So putting the ParkerCam against the back wall of the room means we get six hours of Parker's butt today:

Back to one, I guess.

Emboldened, perhaps, by his recent successes with tennis balls, yesterday afternoon Parker decided to hunt bigger game. Alas, his spatial-reasoning abilities have not yet fully developed:

Parker had a terrific time at day camp yesterday. The over-tired energy you sometimes see in puppies and children conquered his fatigue, so he spent an hour playing with my neighbor's toddlers, and then half an hour with this tennis ball:

Sterling has reached $2. Last time I was in the UK, a Pound cost $1.52. Our economic policies have paid off, I see. (Only 642 days and 23 hours, at most, remain for those policies.)

The ParkerCam will not have anything interesting (i.e., Parker) to show today. So, today, a classic photo:

Heavy sigh.

Parker and I just got back from the vet, where we picked up a six-pack of prescription dog food and another vial of dog-odium. The dog-walker's note says it all:

All right, today I feel really bad for Parker. I left the window open just above his crate, and so instead of spending the day sleeping, the poor guy has stared out the window. I wish I could take him for a very long walk today but, alas, my client requires my presence 40 km away.

While I'm working out here in Kyiv (actually Oak Brook, Ill.), Parker has to stay for hours on end in his crate. I feel bad about him being alone for so long (even though he gets walked around 1pm), but let's review why he's in a crate:

P-Dogg and I had a ball yesterday:

Share and enjoy:

• "Get Fuzzy" with a timely strip. (The record this season is 4-6, which puts them in last place.)
• From reader MB, a look at what your desktop icons do at night.
• Why "Everybody Hates Don Imus" (sub.req.) from New York Times columnist Frank Rich.

And also from reader MB, some bumper stickers we'd like to see:

• Even Nixon Resigned
• We Need a President Who's Fluent In At Least One Language
• The Republican Party: Our Bridge to the 11th Century

The U.S. Olympic Committee has announced that Chicago will represent the U.S. in the competition to host the Olympic Games in 2016. Since the entire world universally loves the U.S. right now, I am certain today's announcement means Chicago is hosting the Olympics. Just not in 2016.

The vet just called: Since Parker's condition has, um, firmed up, he can now go back day care again.

Sometimes I catch Parker looking straight at the ParkerCam, and I wonder: what does he see?

I'm still schlepping out to Kishinev (near Kyiv) every morning, so again all I have to offer is the dog walker's message from yesterday: "No business, but he's back to his usual self. #2: No. Treat." Simple, concise, nicely encapsulating my dog's afternoon.

Also, I've made a minor configuration change to the ParkerCam. A problem with the upload process had caused it to blank out occasionally; I've now fixed that. Enjoy.

In lieu of a photo, just a note from the dog walking service: "Wow, what a crappy day. Parker didn't mind a bit. #2: No."

I suppose this route would get me from Chicago to London. It just seems inconvenient. (Thanks to reader RB.)

I was about to open a bag of peanuts, but I hesitated. Apparently (assuming the warning message on the bag is credible), the "product was manufactured in a facility where peanuts...are used..."

Well, blow me down, Popeye. Forget those nuts. I'll just have to stay hungry.

All right, I admit, sometimes I really hate Chicago's weather. Parker, who has never experienced a really hot Chicago summer (though he probably experienced some serious heat on the farm near his birthplace in Carbondale, Ill.), seems to enjoy it:

I've started a new project that is consuming almost every waking moment, so unfortunately I have no new Parker photo today. Instead, I'll re-post a classic, from last September:

My vet just called: Parker's digestive issues come from a hookworm infection. Eww. Fortunately, I'd already picked up his heartworm pills, so he's had his first treatment.

And whence come these parasites? I'll leave that for you to Google.

John Lennon once remarked that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus," explaining later that more people had bought Beatles albums than went to church.

It turns out, we atheists are less popular than the GEICO Cave Man. At least, more people would vote for the GEICO Cave Man, than would vote for an atheist.

The sad fact is, most of the first U.S. presidents—including Jefferson and Washington—were, famously, as close to atheists as the 18th Century allowed.

Who said voters were irrational?

I'm developing a hypothesis about Parker's digestive issues. Perhaps it has something to do with eating sticks:

I'm living a geek dream: I've found a confirmed bug in Microsoft Visual Studio 2005.

I've detailed my findings over at the Inner Drive Software blog.

I've finally reviewed the ParkerCam archives from yesterday. Curse my metal body, I wasn't fast enough: he popped less than 15 minutes before I got home. Though, poor guy, I think this photo says everything that needs saying about how he felt right before it happened:

I feel bad for Parker, even though I just spent the last hour and a quarter cleaning up. Remember the "bad butt" incident? Apparently his butt is still bad, because when I got home this evening I realized what had happened as soon as I stuck my nose into my apartment.

I won't go into details, except to say that one of the most effective techniques I've found for cleaning paw-sized stains from carpets is to fill a small bowl with warm water and dish detergent, then use a tablespoon to scrape the stain in all four cardinal directions. The ironic effect of this is that there are now several spots in my bedroom and living room that are visibly cleaner than the rest of the carpet. Another ironic effect: his bed is soon to be cleaner than it's been in months.

Also, I should mention, it's literally freezing outside, so my apartment is now down to 10°C and I'm wearing a jacket. (All the windows are wide open.)

Parker has a vet appointment for Friday afternoon, if his, um, condition doesn't improve before then. Plus, he's on rice and cottage cheese until then (see photo), which he seems to like. Also, I'll be able to stop home and let him out every four hours or less for the rest of the week (in addition to his regular walks at 1pm).

Poor little guy. What a pain in the...yeah.

People who live outside Chicago may not believe this: Yesterday's high temperature was 21°C; right now, it's -1°C. Who knows what tomorrow will look like.

I meant to mention one other great thing about San Francisco: Kennedy's Irish Pub and Curry House, at 1040 Columbus Ave.