Opening lines

We're a decade into the twenty-first century, and I thought perhaps I should catch up with the times. The purpose of this blog is more to save thoughts and anecdotes in one place than to share them, but if anyone finds them interesting or entertaining, I'm happy to share, too!

I was asked to compose a short bio yesterday, and realized that I wasn't sure how to define myself.  Or even how to declare myself.  So much depends on context.  Sometimes I'm an editor, sometimes a hiker.  Some weekends I donate blood.  I read, and write, and ride, when I can.  And of course I have a job, providing administrative support to a research group in Chemical Engineering at UT Austin.  Many of these pursuits overlap.  The one thing that doesn't change is that I have a canine sidekick pretty much all the time.  Since 2002 I've raised puppies for Canine Companions for Independence (www.cci.org), and I just got my seventh puppy.  Jerick was born on June 17, so he's just three months old.  And weighs thirty pounds. 

Jerick with Thea, my assistant PR

He's adorable, of course.  What 12-week-old puppy isn't adorable, especially one dressed in an official vest?  It's hard to take him seriously as a working dog at this age, but if all goes well he will grow up to be an assistance dog.

The idea is that I will post notes, thoughts, stories, and pictures of Jerick as he grows.   And probably stories about Thea (Althea, my fourth CCI puppy, released) and Ginny (feline assistant).  Previous household canines will doubtless make occasional appearances as well.  Who knows?  I might even enjoy this technological venture!