i have found a puppy and have sent a deposit but i am a little disappointed. i don't feel like i am a part of the puppy's life and i want to be. i also get the feeling i am going to have little to say about which dog i choose and i will resist that. i did get a contract in the mail but will not sign it until i am sure i am doing the right thing. i did call another breeder who will have pups by the end of this month. i will be in alaska and will make no decision before then.

DOGS

i am going to keep my blog named as Bobisms because that is a good metaphor for how i think and what i think about. i am now going to try to put something down as frequently as i can and cover all the subjects i am interested in.

i have loved dogs my entire life. i have had buster, cricket, rackets, clancey and tucker. these are the 5 dogs i will remember for as long as i live. i have had four cats magnum, little girl, cookie and fatboy. i told fatboy in my own way that after tucker and claney died i would keep the house animal free until fatboy passed on. he made it to 18 so i waited and then decided it was time to find another dog. i loved australian shepherds. they have a purpose, herding, and when they were involved in what they loved doing they were a picture of pure joy. i wanted to experience that again. i have a friend, janet colby, who is has two aussies and is a competitor in obedience and agility. i went to two of her shows and found agility to be real fun. so i thought i have time and not a great deal to do so why not buy a dog and get her into competition. i was introduced to a couple of trainers and breeders. the breeders i spoke to were rather flaky, in that they did not respond to e mail, phone calls or messages. i decided i would take the reins and find a dog on my own. i found a web site that included aussie breeders from all over the country. there were 85 in california so i wrote all of them and told them of my interest. i heard from about half of them and found those that responded to be enthusiastic and extremely helpful.

next blog i will tell you how it worked out, and it did.

Dress: I am currently in Korea. I was invited to speak mainly to younger people about 3D. Several other people were invited as well. To make my wife happy I wore a jacket and tie while giving my presentation. I felt I could do it without the tie but better to be over dressed than under. What I observed was I was the only one wearing a tie. I was not unhappy as it is still a sign of respect. The other observation was what others were wearing. Hawaiian shirts, shorts, filthy looking jeans, shirts with the tails hanging out. If there was one word for what I saw it would have to be sloppy. Do people really care that they look like slobs? OK maybe college students but senior level executives from well known companies?  To me the dress down look has turned into a dress out of the laundry hamper look, dirty, sloppy and totally without any regard for whomever is in their sight. I think we need to get back to a sign of order, neatness and organization. When dressed casually but smartly we can get away with anything but to wear what people wear today to business, classical music concerts even Sunday church services is appalling. I can't wait until a restaurant or theater refuses service to people looking like slobs. Or, they could just offer to feed them out back with the rest of the rodents..

WHY BOBISM'S

The answer to that is simple. For my entire life I have been an observer. As a publisher that is what i did. I would pay attention to everything that went on in the world I was covering and make notes in my head. Then when I was sure I understood what was going on I could publish an issue or article that would most reflect what I had observed. If I saw it as it really was I was doing my job well. That was the goal, understand the market and put what I learned on the page. For my career it seemed to work pretty darn well.

What I learned is that most people are unaware of how they are perceived because they pay little attention to what they are doing or saying from one moment to another. In many ways that is why they can be so easily exploited. Awareness is not a strength I have found in too many people.

I have also enjoyed looking for the common in things. I find most things are simple in their reality and it is that simpleness that I try to find. When I do I often give it a name. So for the foreseeable future I will endeavor to share with whomever is out there the thoughts I have coalesced into Bobisms.

Not all of them have been named but will only be offered as observations with an opinion added.

I hope you enjoy them.