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Still crazy busy

Still really busy at work, and I haven't written a T13 in TWO weeks. But anyway, here is something very cool I found recently, check it out! Who's Amung Us

13 Tech books I actually use

This is a very busy work week, and I'm buried in DOM and databases, so here's a tech-heavy list....sorry to all the non-techies out there, but you techies, send me your suggestions!

1) CF-WACK by Ben Forta. Also know as the ColdFusion Web Application Construction Kit, but those in the know just call it the "cee-efff-wack".
2) Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 minutes , by Ben Forta. Ben's the MAN.
3) The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web (Voices That Matter) by Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzschlag
4) Learning Unix for Mac OS X Tiger by Dave Taylor Because my MacBookPro rocks. And yes, it does Windows.
5) The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks by Rachel Andrew Rachel's a great author, try anything by her and you will learn a lot.
6) ColdFusion Lists, Arrays, and Structures by Jeff Peters. My copy is falling apart I use it that much.
7) SQL for Smarties by Joe Celko Way better title than "* for dummies".
8) HTML Utopia: Designing Without Tables Using CSS by Rachel Andrew
9) Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual by David Pogue, Adam Goldstein
10) Head First Design Patterns Elisabeth Freeman, Eric Freeman, Bert Bates, Kathy Sierra
11) Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
12) DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model by Jeremy Keith
13) Head First Java by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates

TT#6!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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13 Uses for Dog Fur

1) No further need for bookmarks,you can easily identify where in your book you left off by presence of fur and sometimes pawprints.
2) Helps identify corners in the house that need dusting
3) When found in food, decreases guests' appetite, thereby saving grocery bill
4) Worms it way into all electronics, giving owner an excuse to buy new stuff all the time
5) Encourages selecting clothes that match the dog, so no one at work sees the dog fur. Much simpler when you only want "dog colors" at Nordstrom. And they actually know what you mean when you say that, they must have an excellent training program.
6) Warns CATS to stay AWAY. And by "CATS" we mean anything non-Lab that is in the backyard. That especially means you, SQUIRREL!
7) Gives that Dyson a reason for its expensive existence.
8) When planning home decor, it's best to plan around dog fur color. Fur makes decorating a little simpler, as only dog colors are allowed.
9) Makes all the money spent on expensive air filtration system seem like a wise investment, despite evidence to the contrary.
10) Makes for a good joke when at a tense work meeting and can't think of anything more innocuous to say.
11) Chasing fur bunnies the size of Godzilla out from under the bed is really fun on a Sunday afternoon. Really.
12) Makes the vacuum repair shop so happy when the Dyson that no longer has suction shows up for yet another cleaning.
13) Makes a house a home sweet home.

TT#5!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

13 Things that bug me

I'll be more positive next week, but this week I am presenting my pet peeves from twenty years in the competition dog world, as a competitor, instructor, and club member. (#1 is the one most likely to get me to walk up to the offender)

1) You are standing around talking with your dog on a leash. You finish talking and start to walk away. Nope, you don't give your poor dog any warning, he just gets his neck yanked on. Because you are mean.
2) Dogs that are perfect at home are rarely so in class. Do NOT tell me "he sits perfectly at home". You are not at home.
3) People who want me to train their dog, so he can be a perfectly behaved like mine. First, mine aren't perfect. Second, I train my dog. For about 10 minutes a day. Got ten minutes? I bet I am actually busier than you....and I have 10 minutes.
4) People who come to class with out-of-control dogs AND out-of-control kids. Look, you've already proven you can't train a child, what do you think I can do with you?
5) People who don't want to train with treats "because my dog will just come to expect them". I wish your employer would say they can no longer give you a paycheck for the same reason.
6) Folks new to dogs who are past the "everyone knows more than I do" stage and have moved into the "I know more than everyone else" stage. Guess what, there is always more to learn. And you might learn it from anyone, so quiet down and listen up.
7) Anyone who "evangelizes" their training method. This especially includes P+ trainers...lighten up...use some P+ methods on people instead of tearing into them because they haven't seen your light yet. Maybe you can teach them something. Maybe they can teach you something.
8) Perfection level obedience people. You know, I have never once been asked what my scores were. Only if we got the title. (for you non-obedience folks, that's like asking your kids "did you graduate" vs "what was your GPA". Come to think of it, I've never been asked what my GPA was, only my degree - a Master's.)
9) People who can't let their dog just be a dog.
10) People who are too serious to have fun with their dog.
11) People who won't let their dog in the house because he is dirty. Ever hear of a bathtub? Great invention. BTW, your kids are pretty dirty too, can I put them in the run when you bring them over?
12) People who get two puppies at the same time, from the same litter, "so they can be each other's buddies during the day", then complain to me that they are more bonded to each other than to humans. Gosh, wonder why.
13) People who get a new puppy, then go on vacation. Without the puppy. I have never understood this. A puppy is not like a purse, it's a commitment. Cancel the vacation. You can teach a dog every skill he will need to survive in a humans world in the first 8 weeks. Go on vacation, well, you have missed out on that magic window. And you wonder why your dog is the slow learner in the obedience class.

TT#4

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants