That was a thoroughly satisfactory start to the day! It began with Boone and me taking a quick trip into Durham for coffee. I brought the laptop with me in hopes of finding a stray wifi signal – and I did. So, we relaxed at a table for a bit; I drank my java and web surfed and Boone shmoozed up the passers-by.

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Two recommendations from the breakfast surf (from the same thought provoking blog – Crooked Timber) :

• The Bugs Bunny/Saki connection for any Edwardians out there (I have someone in mind). Mmm, Filboid Studge!
• A good entry point into the Gorman/Encyclopedia Brittanica dustup (I’m still reading the posts) aka Neo-Luddite Quasi-Mandarins vs. Creationist Global-warming-denying Maoist Hive-mind-wannabe Dirty Haight-Ashbury Hippies in Some Sinister Borg-like Collective. On the same topic, Clay Shirky’s post on Keen’s Cult of the Amateur is worth a read.

The tone of Gorman’s remedial lecture implies that educators now devote the better part of their day to teaching students to shove pencils up their nose while Googling for pornography. I do not believe this to be the case. (It would be bad, of course, if it were.) *

When we got back to the house, Boone relaxed in his crate in the truck while I took Janey for a run. A note on dog juggling – I have realized that I just can’t let Boone come on runs. He has tendonitis/arthritis/something screwed up in one of his hind hocks and the only way to keep it from bothering him (and to keep him from worrying it) is to limit his crashing around. This is a dog who has paid his dues – I am not interested in making things hard on him either physically or mentally. Crating him up and taking Janey out would not be a good thing, but taking him out for coffee and then leaving him where he can’t see the girl and I heading out – that works. I’m not sure what I’m going to do this fall when it’s bird hunting time – he’ll need to come along – I guess I’ll cross that bridge…

Janey had a good jaunt – she’s old enough (7) that I can’t run her into shape in the fall, so I’m paying attention to keeping her in decent condition over the summer. We got back to the house, dogs went on their tie-out in the yard while I got the Red Tail out to weather and watered some plants. We (canines and I) are now back in – dogs are sleeping, I’m finishing up this post – it’s 9:45 and I’m off to work on some projects!