Finally, I Speak

I know, it's been a while. I'm Puppy Dog Blue and this is my blog.

So I've been a little busy. I've taken lots of pictures and posted almost all of them. I know that I need to take some more, or I didn't take any during the Cowboy's playoff loss, but that's okay.

So many times during the day I find myself completely without organization and not knowing what to do. In fact, I regularly spend a day just putting out fires, which is the antithesis of being productive or getting things done. I really love to be organized during the day, and now I've found, via Lifehacker, David Seah's daily organizer. Save this sucker to your hard-drive and print one every day before you start the day. Fill in your appointments and think of 3 or four big tasks you want to accomplish that day and fill those in too. As the day goes on, start filling in the blanks of where your time goes, a phone call here, answering email, surfing the internet, whatever. You'll be shocked and surprised by the time you spend.

I also find it amazing, that he's broken down the day at minimum of 15 minute increments, and usually, it takes at least 15 minutes for me to complete a task, whether it be something simple like reading an email.

For instance, I read the email, check the bill to make sure that the other attorney didn't already receipt for this email, reply to the email, print the email, find the file, acco the email in the file, and finally, send a message to my assistant or senior attorney about the email. Anyway, I think this is a great tool for those of you who seem to think that your time slips away, if you keep it up, this will let you know where your time goes.

Since each one of you are on a computer, when was the last time that you cleaned up your hard drive, defragged stuff in your computer, and stuff (via Lifehacker). Everyone knows by now that you don't have to pay for anti-virus, that most of this stuff is free and really well done. Email me if you have questions.

This is for those of you who have CD's who don't need them anymore SwapaCD (via Lifehacker, again).

We are no longer doing our taxes, but if you are, here's a good place to start (via GRS).

13 photographs that changed the world (via Kottke).

I'll try to be a little more personal next time around.

New Year's Eve 2006

Ashley T. organized a wonderful dinner out for New Year's Eve at Four Winds Steakhouse, just down the road from Terrell in Wills Point. I had heard about this place and I was very excited to go (as an aside, I should go ahead and state here the following: Duk, we will go here when you come back around to Terrell).

The wine was flowing.



Photo from the loft.



Our group.



At the bar before the feast.



The smoldering Hetty.



Ashley F. and Miranda.



Nick and Leslie.



Hetty and Landy.



The exquisite Greggo and Courtney.



The steamy Stephen and Ashley T.



The delectable me.



This is the remnant of the on-bone rib-eye that Justin F. and Ashley F. had.



Ashley F., Ashley T. and Miranda.

Christmas 2006

I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures of the whole family this year and I didn't take any pictures at the , but took a couple pictures of the dogs.

Olive.



My wife and her mother believe that dogs love these stuffed animals that squeak or honk. I know it's a little gory, but here's what's left of a rooster, legs and a head. I know, it's graphic, but it's the truth.



Blue and Zoey, enjoying their Christmas prey.



Other remnants of said turkey, avert your eyes.



Christmas was wonderful and too short. This time of year always seems like the holiday season is too quick and I'm reminded that I haven't had any significant time off since the Colorado vacation.

I know that PDB has lacked for content recently and I blame Double T Nation. It's gotten to the point where the only television that I watch is sports. I've even stopped watching some of my favorite programs: The Office, Scrubs, My Name Is Earl, Heroes, etc. I don't know if that's good or bad, it's good from the standpoint that I'm not spending my time in front of the television, but it's bad because I spend all of my time in front of the computer. Pretty soon, I will lose any and all references to pop culture phenomenons or quirky sayings on hit television shows.

I think that eventually, I'll find a happy medium, as Duk said last weekend, I'm all jazzed up about the Double T stuff that it will eventually lose it's luster. Not to mention, it's the football offseason, and once basketball is over, I'll be left to write about college baseball? How will I fill the time, how will I keep my readers interested? So many questions and so few answers.

Nevertheless, I'll keep plugging on forward, realizing that this may become more of a photo blog than anything else. I will always continue to take pictures, I can promise that.

Which reminds me that we should all start encouraging my beautiful and wonderful wife to allow me to purchase a new sweet and totally awesome digital SLR camera. A subtle email to her wouldn't hurt.

2006 Christmas Party

The 2006 annual Christmas party was controversial and fun all at the same time. Richie was boycotting the gift exchange because someone thought it best not to celebrate baby Jesus' birth with sexual gag gifts. Despite Richie's vocal protest, we managed. We were in the Hetmer's new home, along with high a definition Maverick game in the background. I ended up with a Wheel of Fortune video game bought by Stephen. Ryan H. was not too fond of this gift, however, I knew that someday it would be complete gold. Miranda received a Starbucks coffee mug, some toffee cookies and a new Starbucks mug. Enough with my banter, onto the pictures.

Richie, Ashley F. and Chris, enjoying HD goodness.



Holly, her brother (I forgot his name) and Landy gathered by the Christmas tree.



Brandon and Janelle.



Miranda and Leslie R.



Tony R. relaxing and, despite his potential misgivings, his first appearance on Puppy Dog Blue.



Max and Cash, I always forget which ones are which, but that's them.



Courtney, Greggy, Tony (remember, he was in the chair), Holly's brother, and Ryan H.



Ashley T., Ashley F., Richie, Chris and Courtney.



Ashley F., Courtney, and Greggo.



We begin the gift exchange and Ryan is hugely disappointed by the infamous Wheel of Fortune video game. Little does he know, he'll be giving up the best gift.



Landy, Caylie and Matthew. Matthew seems unimpressed with some sort of liquor and glasses to boot.



Ashley F., overly excited about a Starbuck's gift card.



Wow, I can't believe Ashley F.'s luck, of all the presents she could have picked, she picked the one she wanted. What are the odds?



Miranda properly choosing her gift, from the floor.



Courtney and Greggo enjoying something that I can't remember right now.



The most beautiful woman in the room.



Tony R. discusses some sort of gift exchange with Ryan and Holly.

Ryan's Day

Last Friday night Ryan helped open the new restaurant, Veuve, where he is the head pastry chef. I must say, it was a proud and memorable night. Cousins Tim and Mark came down from Oklahoma. It was a cold night but a really great night for Ryan. Ryan doesn't get to relish in good things, and this year has been particularly rough on him, but last Friday night, was a special night. For us, his family members, it was all about him. We are proud of you. Keep it going, don't rest on your laurels.

Marilea, Ryan, Saralyn and myself.


Marilea, Ryan and Saralyn.


Ryan, Mom and Dad.


Christmas is quickly approaching and believe it or not, it's been over a year since I started this little project. As all things do, this has morphed into something a little bit different and lately I have been spending more time with Double T Nation, and it's meant a drop-off in my writing here. I haven't heard any complaints, so I assume that it's okay with everyone, or at the very least you understand.

I have become obsessed with personal finance and saving. I have probably written 9 or 10 blurbs about personal finance in the last 2 months and prior to that I had written none. To be honest, I'm not just obsessed with personal finance, but inspired by it. For those of you who knew me, I have always been obsessed with saving money or being more frugal than not, but now that there are websites dedicated to personal finance, well that's just too good to be true.

So in the Christmas spirit, I'll try to give as many people as possible online Christmas gifts or links that hopefully will make your lives better. The first one is for Terry Joe. Since he's getting out of school soon, I ran across this article about jump-starting your life with a financial plan (thanks to Get Rich Slowly).

It's Been A Long Time

It's been a really long time since I've been here. I've been staying very busy at the other website, but it's something that I really enjoy, it really makes me happy.

I got to see my grandmother this past weekend. That's such a joy for me. She came to visit her 4 of her grandchildren (TJ is in Austin) and see our homes and our lives. She came to see her son's farm and his cows and there is nothing better than the proud glow of your mother (or grandmother) seeing all that you've accomplished. Our visit was wonderful and too short, we got to see her again on Sunday. I have some pictures of Grandma, Miranda and myself, but I haven't had the time to download them. I am so proud of my wife and my house, as modest as it is. The place is really coming together slowly but surely.

Given my new hobby, I've am still fascinated by websites and articles that help streamline our lives. I know that few of you have the opportunity to go through as many websites as I do, but Lifehacker is an incredible resource and they're publishing an online book about making your life more simple. Here is Chapter 3: Automate Repetitive Tasks and Chapter 4: Streamline Common Tasks.

I was part of a much greater conversation about the life and kids and money after my last post about Tuition Coach. So now I give you the Five Gifts That Will Make Your Kids Rich. Just think, they'll pay for themselves.

Have you ever wanted to make something but didn't know how to do it? Check out Curbly, for lots of good ideas, everything from making your own photo wall to wallpapering switch-plates to fixing a toilet. I know that Miranda loves the idea of me learning how to fix and create things.

I will post this weekend, I will have pictures.

The new restaurant that Ryan is working for is opening tomorrow night, The Veuve, and Saturday night. It's a proud moment for Ryan. By the way, Ryan, we are all proud of you. Take a minute and soak it all in. Be happy.

Opening The Gate

Actually, I don't think I have too much to talk about. After trying to move offices last week and Thanksgiving all wrapped into one week, I'm still a little exhausted. Despite me being tired, what is keeping me going right now is being able to write at Double T Nation and this makes me happy. I love thinking about sports, sports quandaries, sports problems, sports issues. Anything to do with sports has been a relief simply because it provides an escape that I normally don't get to take in real life. Actually, I used to take those breaks, but it would be in front of the television. I've almost all but given up on the television, sans a couple of shows, and that suits me just fine.

Since I normally don't have a post until the weekend, here are some things to get you through the week.

• TuitionCoach is birth control. Ever wanted to know the costs of your kids college tuition? If you have kids, then you might not (via Techcrunch).
• I am in the process of reading a really great online article called the Bootstrappers Bible. This is essential reading for all people who ever wanted to run their own company or start their own business. Actually, I take that back, it's required reading for anyone who wants to be inspired to do something on your own. I always find it amazing how the written word can inspire people. (thanks to Lifehacker)
  
• Need more inspiration about doing what you love, the read What Do You Want To Be When You Grown Up, from Get Rich Slowly. Make sure and read the comments too, they can be awfully inspiring. I've had two career and that seems to be the minority in today's society.
  

Catching Up Again

Here are some pictures from Stephens most recent birthday party:


Stephen and Ashley T.


Courtney and Greggo


Tony and Leslie


Landy and Chris


Michael and Erika (spelling?)


Richie and Ashley


Justin and Ashley F.


Miranda and me.

I finally have an office of my own. For the past 3 years, I have operated in a cubicle, and there is nothing wrong with that, and now our firm has moved offices, just down the hall, and I have an office of my own. I know that I am very lucky to be in the situation that I'm in and to be completely honest, I'm very thankful for the opportunity.

Given the time of year, and as cliche as it is, I should shout from the rooftops that I am very thankful for my wife. She means so stinking much to me that it's a little ridiculous, but it's always important to tell people how much you appreciate them. Thank you Miranda. So as not to rub anyone the wrong way I have a couple of more thank-yous to pass out:

• I am thankful for my families, my parents, my in-laws, my siblings, my sibling in-laws, my extended family, etc. I am thankful for all of you.
• I am thankful for my friends, as dysfunctional as we can be at times, I appreciate every one of you.
• I am thankful for my puppy dogs.
  
• I am thankful for the opportunity to write about something that I love.
  

For those of you who are regular readers, I have been a little obsessed with personal finance recently, and thankfully for you, the trend continues. I found an enlightening article from Get Rich Slowly about young people and money (yes, I still consider myself young). Let's take this quote from the article:

"Mindy Fetterman and Barbara Hansen of USA Today have written a piece exploring the debt problems facing young adults. This article is the first in a six-part series exploring these issues. Despite some alarmist reporting, there’s interesting stuff here. For example, the authors report that:

* Nearly two-thirds of twentysomethings carry debt. Those who do have debt have taken on more in the past five years.
* Nearly half of twentysomethings have stopped paying on a debt. (This stat shocks me — when did this become acceptable?)
* Sixty percent of twentysomethings believe they face tougher financial pressures than previous generations."

How many of you fit into these categories, and I hope that none of you fit into the second point. It's a really good article, I hope you all enjoy.

I also ran across an article from Techcrunch about whether or not Yahoo can save local papers. Which got me thinking, how many of you actually have a newspaper delivered to your home? I think that of my friends, only Stephen/Ashley and Tony/Leslie have a paper delivered to their home, but I know of few young people who do have the paper delivered. Don't get me wrong, if I see a paper, I'll read it, but it is no longer a necessity.

Gordon Keith, linked the fake Drew Bledsoe's website, Tony Homo. It's actually well written and very funny.

Miranda and I watch too much television, but we have discovered two new television shows. Bear Grylls has a show called Man v. Wild on the Discovery Channel. The premise of the show is that he's dropped out in the middle of nowhere with a canteen and a knife. Bear then has to find his way out of whatever wilderness he is located. Along the way, you begin to realize that the guy will literally eat anything. The second show is called Rob and Big on MTV. Both of these guys are really funny, it's not your typical MTV show, there's something to this.

We're Up and Running

This is a opening for a cow's head for a cattle shoot at my parent's home.

Finally, after about a month of exchanging emails and being patient, Double T Nation is up and running. Although I seriously doubt that I have any Texas Tech fans out there other than Tony R. and Justin F. I encourage each and every one of you to pass along this website. It will mean so much to me if this little venture is successful.

Earlier this week, Lifehacker linked a great article titlted, "10 Reasons You Should Never Get A Job." Being the type of person who can't seem to function without a job (I like structure) I was really intrigued with the idea. As some of the commentors in the Lifehacker post stated, it's not that easy to start a $40,000/month website that earns money as you sleep. I am not advocating that we all get creative and start our own companies or websites, or somesuch, but do we owe it to ourselves to figure out if we are equipped to do something other than a 9 to 5? Last time I remarked about how my new website was going to allow me to do something that I've wanted to do for a really long time.

How many of you could exist doing something creative, or creating your own niche so that you are working for yourself? Personally, I think that I would always have to rely on a steady income of a normal job, but what if the niche you create becomes normal in the sense that you begin to receive regular income? How many of you would actually quit their job to do what you love?

I have been fascinated with debt management and saving and stuff like that and I ran across two well written articles, both by Get Rich Slowly. I've preached before about the need to make this website a regular of yours and I hope that you are. The first is about taking control of your life and being your own CFO. I love the idea because so many of us just drift through life without any sort of financial plan, or rather our financial plan is predicated upon what your employment provides. I'll probably drive my wife crazy, but I think that I'm going to ask for Quicken or Microsoft Money for Christmas. The second article is about how to get out of debt. I know that some debt is impossible to get out from under, and I think everyone knows the danger of credit card debt, but this is really solid advice if you really want to be proactive in reducing the debt that you have.

Because I've been bad about posting here, I'll give you a number of links. You are to only click on one a day in the off chance that I don't post again for a couple of days. FYI, all of these are from Lifehacker:

• Traveling to Europe, Rick Steves tells you how to stay somewhere cheaply.
• Eyeglasses for $85? That's what I'm talking about. Who wants to spend $300 or $400 on something that's really not that expensive. Eyeglasses has to be the biggest racket going.
• Litsum, online cliff-notes (Leslie R., this is for you.)
• What's the best way to explore a new city?
• Find a national park.
  

Finding the Right Moment

This photo is taken from my parents' front porch, Sunday morning, last week.

When I was in 6th grade, a Dallas Morning News sports columnist, Kevin Blackistone, came to our school and gave a talk about what his job was like. At that moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to write about sports. It was the perfect job, it allowed me to do two of the things that I thought I loved to do. Write. Watch sports. As high school continued I became increasingly aware that I was a horrible writer. I remember my first paper my freshman year and it was covered in red ink. My ego was completely shot and, of course, since I was in a honors class, I really couldn't believe how poorly I had performed. The idea of me writing for a living was quickly forgotten as my current grasp of English grammar was something not to be desired. As I progressed through high school I was never one who could really figure things out on my own, no one really sat down with me and taught me why my grammar was poor. Teachers simply graded papers and sent them back and I was an average student when it came to English.

When I went off to college I had no idea what I wanted to do. Literally, I was without a major for the first two and one-half years of my college career. This was not including the two weeks that I thought I wanted to major in landscape architecture. That dream was forgotten when I had to build a three foot bridge out of toothpicks, which would have to support a bowling ball. No thanks.

When I transferred to Texas Tech I decided, along with the help of my father, that I wanted to major in English, and teach. I knew that the pay wasn't very good, but I seemed to have a knack for reading something and recognizing the underlying theme of the book and then writing an essay about it. To me it was very easy, so I would capitalize on one of my three completely useless talents (the other two is washer playing and memorizing professional basketball player's colleges and heights). To me I was still accomplishing the thing that I really wanted to do, which was write. I quickly learned that teaching was incredibly gratifying, but did not pay the bills. And as many as you well know, I moved onward to law school.

My legal profession was a means to an end, an end that might mean a better life for myself and my wife (although I was not married at the time, this was my thought). I picked up writing again almost a year ago, December 9, 2005 to be completely accurate. This is how I wanted to write. No editor, just write what I feel. Although I have taught grammar, grammar was never my strong suit, and I always felt that my downfall was that the way that I communicated, in a written form was more conversational, and less formal. This was great if I really wanted to discuss how I felt about someone or something, but less advantageous if writing a letter to a client.

September 3rd of this year I started a Texas Tech blog. I noticed that there was a complete lack of information about Texas Tech sports. I thought that there was no reason why couldn't do this. Recently I joined a sports blogging network called SBNation, and although my website is not up and running quite yet, it is something that I am very excited about doing. The long and short of it, is that this is a network of individuals who are passionate about their teams and they write about them.

This is what I've wanted to do since the 6th grade. I've never thought about life coming full circle for me, but at this point it certainly feels that way. I guess to be quite frank, I don't think I've lived long enough for my life to come full circle. Anyway, I was inspired, twenty-something years ago and now I'm getting to do what I've always wanted to do. The internet has provided an outlet for folks like myself, the opportunity to write and be passionate about something, without having to really pay your dues. I get to write about Texas Tech sports. I don't have an editor or anyone to censor what I want to write about and that's a great thing. The name of the site as already been secured and it will be called DoubleTNation. It is not quite finished, but I hope that it's done sometime before the end of the year. I am not the type of person who is proud about something, never too high, never too low. I think I have realistic expectations about this venture and I don't think this will ever replace my "means to and end", but it's a nice distraction and it is the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do.