Dogs + Armor = Fun

I didn't think I liked dogs, but then I realized I just had never seen one dressed up in armor. Pitbull Armory makes armor for humans and animals.

Fortunately I don't know many pit bulls, but one lives in our building. His name is pronounced "Cane". I don't know how his teenage owner spells it, but I know how his owner came up with the name.

One day Kelley was riding the elevator up with the dog and his owner. The following conversation actually took place (including Kelley's awesome late-80s rap reference):

Kelley: What's your pit bull's name.
Owner (with obvious pride): Cane!
Kelley: Cane? Like "candy cane" or "Big Daddy Kane"?
Owner: No! Like cocaine!
Kelley (with rolling eyes): Come on...

Shredding in Times Square?

December 28 is Good Riddance Day in Times Square. From the website:

We’re inviting New Yorkers and visitors from around the world to join us in mashing a year’s worth of bad hairstyles, loathed music, fashion disasters and ill-fated romances into an unrecognizable pulp of bad karma and negative vibes – which will then be carted off, never to be seen again.

While they are not specifically mentioned, I think it is reasonable to expect shredders might be available!

Back in New York (but nobody cares)

What are you looking at?

My return to New York from Calgary was an all-day affair. I was glad to be home, but Taffeta didn't seem to care in the least.

Shredder a Go-Go

I must reconsider my decision to not be a trucker.

This morning (in Calgary) I noticed this mobile shredding station. When my career in technology ends I think I want to be a shredding-truck driver.

Calgary, what have you done to my shirt??!!

After a ridiculous 14 hour trip to Calgary, I am here for a couple of days. I understand that winter brings travel delays, but I really need to remember to try my best to avoid Chicago airports.

This... on fire?

I am staying at the Hyatt Regency, which is in the shadow of the Calgary Tower. According to the Tower's website:

Throughout the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, a flame burned at the top of the Tower, making the Calgary Tower the World's Largest Olympic Torch.

I imagine the Calgary Tower set ablaze was a horrifying sight.

It is cold here (-9 C/15 F), but according to the Calgarians I've met the city is experiencing a heat wave. The last couple of weeks have been -20 C/-5 F. In any case, it is cold enough that the roads are icy and slippery. As I was returning to my hotel after work a saw a man fall down in a puddle of dirty, slushy water. His entire leg was drenched. At least it was the end of the day.

I took his misfortune as a reminder that I need to slow down. It was very slippery, and my shoes do not have good traction as it is. While I feel sorry for the man, perhaps he can take comfort in knowing that his fall might have prevented my own.

I walked to dinner very deliberately and managed not to fall. I even resisted the temptation to jaywalk despite an utter absence of cars at a couple of intersections. But as I waited for the walk sign, a lonesome car came driving by me. The next thing I know I feel two small chunks of snow land in my neck.

The streets of Calgary spit on me.

While I am annoyed that one of my favorite shirts might be ruined (I tried to wash my shirt in the sink in my hotel room, but I couldn't get the dirt out.) I have to admire the precision with which the snow hit me. It landed in a tiny crack of flesh exposed between the button of my jacket - I mean coat. It was the winter version of a hole-in-one. The man walking next to me was probably thinking, "At least it's the end of the day."