Puppy!

The puppy is finally here! August was a terribly busy month with work, but I got to do some neat analyses and even brought in my first client to the company. The month ended at least with a lovely 10-day vacation to Pittsburgh/Ohio, where I got to see many of my favorite people. While I was there I went and looked at some puppies, and decided to get one.

This is the little guy I picked. He's a German Shepherd, and after a long debate his name is Ronan (an Irish name). It just suits him once you get to know him. My sister Kelly flew him out last weekend, and she stayed most of the week. Overall he's very sweet, but as he's a puppy he also has a very mischievous side. He's a good mix of cautious and brave, person-oriented and independent. We've been lots of places, practiced going in the car (a lot), and met lots of people and lots of other dogs. We went to work Friday afternoon, and it went pretty well. And I get to move into my new office tomorrow, which will work much better for entrapping the beast when he isn't sleeping. It was great having Kelly here, too. We got to catch up, and she got to see where I live, where I work, and spend some time around Laramie. I took her to some of Laramie's one-of-a-kind restaurants, some of the local shops, and the former Wyoming Territorial Prison. She didn't get to see any of the landscape, though, as it rained all day, every day, while she was here. That's unheard of for Laramie. We didn't have quite the flooding that Denver got, but we got all the rain. Sometimes it's better to be closer to the top of the mountain than where all the water runs off. If Kelly's flight had been any later I don't think she would have made it out. Here's some more pictures and videos - the one with the ice cube is my favorite.

Ronan's first ice cube:

Ronan just loved chasing my nephew Kyan all over the house...