Needy (the lost posting)

Day Four. (I promise this will not go on for a year).

Grayson seems to be settling in well. He is still a bit unsure about his new home, but he is getting used to us (as we are to him) and doing good. Every day a little bit more of his personality is showing, but we are still in the dark over his history. I am pretty sure he was an outside dog for most of his life. He acts almost guilty being inside with us and, when I open the door to let him in or out, he is hesitant to cross the threshold. It's almost like I have to invite him to go outside. Given his ruff background, I might be worried about him inside the house, but it has been quite the opposite. He is extremely well-behaved inside and has not caused any problems or concerns. He is completely housebroken and shown no interest in jumping up on the furniture. I think he is uncertain of what he is supposed to do inside, so has picked a spot on the bathroom carpet to sleep on (I think it is because the room is smaller and more den-like). He has been great on leash. He takes the lead well and does not drag you down the block. He is what I would label as a "crusier" when he walks. Head up and alert to his surroundings and trots along at a pretty good pace (~9 minute mile). I tried to jog with him to see how it would go and that turned into a mistake - it just encouraged him to go faster. One of his quirks is that he is very affectionate. He does not really jump on people but, if you sit in front of him and rub his head/ears, he will paw you to keep going (Don't stop). One thing that is blowing my mind is that, in spite of his skinny frame (weighs in at 47 lbs) he is not extremely hungry. Eats well, but just not ravenous. On top of that, he has NO interest in human food. No begging at all. I shouldn't complain, but, somehow, in all of my dog years, that just doesn't seem right.

Work is about as much fun as watching paint dry. Still testing the new computer system. We go live the end of July so that means we will be doing this for a long while. Since I am considered a guru in the system, my job is to test/evaluate the entire system to find any problems or bugs. Basically, that means I am supposed to break it, if I can. Sounds like fun, but it can be harder than you imagine. I have to find ways to make it fail and then diagnose the problem for the software guys to fix. I am on line with a woman in Chicago who is fixing my bar code system and every other day I am e-mailing her with another "it no workee" message. She is a terrific programmer and I am glad she has a good sense of humor (and a lot of patience). As I said earlier, it is gonna be a long summer. On top of this task, we are moving our offices down one floor to some temporary cubicals while they rennovate our old area. A lot of the engineers are whining about their new temporary digs, but, I figured it was a break from the routine. Besides, I have lived out of a tent for two weeks with the scouts, spent the summer in a barracks with 35 other guys in training camp, and even spent a month living out of a tank in Germany, so shacking up in a cube farm is a walk in the park. If only I wasn't stationed next door to my boss for the next 4 weeks....

Flower child