Little to say today, but being the dedicated blogger I am I persevere and post even though said post may be uninteresting. I'll do the old snippets bit, but avoid using the bullet points so it doesn't look like a snippets post. Cagey, no?

I have been woefully derelict in not hitherto noting that there's a new blog linked over in the Links O' Blogs section to the right. Welcome to the blogging world, Hibby!. I stumbled across his blog quite by accident - as many of you probably already know, if you click on the "view my complete profile" link on a Blogspot page you're taken to a page where (if the blogger's filled in his/her personal information) there's a list of the blogger's favorite books/music/movies/etc. The listed items are links, and if you click on one you're presented with a list of everyone else who's listed the same thing. I clicked on "Central Standard Time" on my profile a couple of weeks ago to see if anyone else had listed us as "Favorite Music" and Matt's profile popped up, along with mine and a grand total of one other person (two, now - hi, Carrie!). Apparently CST isn't huge in the blogosphere, but at least we're plenty fond of ourselves. Anyway, Matt's blog is quite interesting reading and now that he's no longer a secret blogger by all means add him to your daily readin' blogs.

Here's a little free summertime advice from me to you - if you find yourself needing surgery or other significant medical care, try like heck to avoid having your hospital stay be in July. May and June are far away the best months for hospitalization, but even August is far far better than July. Why? Because July 1 is New Residents Day - the day every year when first year residents become second year residents and second year residents become third year residents and - this is the scary bit - med students become first year residents. After a lifetime as students, the paralyzing responsibility of holding a patient's life in their hands is thrust upon new residents, as well as one of the most punishing work schedules in any field of employment. Often they acquit themselves very nicely, but nonetheless in my experience the beginning of July at a hospital tends to look like an episode of The Keystone Cops. Entertaining, to be sure, but not the sort of "Yes, I do know how best to keep you alive" care most people prefer from their hospital experience.

On Sunday I leave for a week at camp - Jesse and I are off to be Camp Grandpas at EWALU for a week. I have mixed feelings about it; on the one hand I'm beside myself with excitement at the thought of being back in the midst of the summer camp experience, but at the same time I'm terrified that I'm about to be the weird staff alumnus (and "grandpa" is an apt term - there are counselors on staff who were campers of counselors who were campers of mine. In a society of colleg students, 30 is really old) who can't stay away but doesn't fit in, either. I have so many strong, defining positive memories of EWALU - it would be horrible to have my most recent experience be a negative one.

Overall, though, I'm mostly excited. I think a little anxiety about the week being a horrible experience might be a good thing - not only will it help keep me from being too exuberant about being there (and therefore annoying), but lowered expectations, as Calvin teaches us, make it that much more likely that they'll be exceeded. Besides, one way or another I'm committed so I might as well enjoy myself. Jesse and I leave Sunday morning (in separate cars - Jesse's not a carpooler, for reasons that have never been completely clear to me) for camp. And if any of you are in the Strawberry Point area on Friday, CST will be playing a "We Just Can't Leave" concert at 7:30 in - or possibly out in front of; we haven't decided - Cedar Lodge.

It'll be interesting to see how I adjust to being cut off from the world for a week. It never used to bother me when I was there for a whole summer, but that was before e-mail and discussion boards and blogs and it was back when I was gone for the whole summer instead of just a week. On the upside, I won't have to hear about how the Cubs are doing. Here's hoping the forecasts are wrong and it'll be 80 degrees all next week! Happy mid-early July, everyone!

I have no experience with this. In my entire life I've bonded with exactly one pet, and this morning she had to be put down. I can't get my head around the idea that she'll never again announce someone at the door, or put her head on my leg and beg to be petted, or sit at the top of the stairs and wait for the garage door to open so she'll know her people are home and her day can begin. I'm completely blindsided by how much this hurts.

I have clearer pictures, but none that show her smiling like this one does so I'm prepared to put up with the grainy quality and poor exposure. Rest in peace, girl. I wish I'd gotten to tell you one last time you were a good dog.

"Just a dog" my ass. The angels in heaven will forevermore know when their clothes are finished drying.