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My friends, both Pixie and I appreciated all the well-wishes you passed along this week. She’s doing much better, as this video illustrates. I couldn’t just leave all you geeks hanging.

Last Sunday, I woke up to see that Pixie had discharge coming out of her eyes and they were swollen badly. I took her to the pet emergency room. She was initially diagnosed with Conjunctivits, which turned out to not be the case.

On the third trip to the ER with her in the middle of the night Tuesday night, we were referred to a specialist. She was taken to the Animal Eye Clinic in Seattle. I can’t thank them enough for helping my puppy. The care she received was fantastic.

Pixie was diagnosed and I was reassured that there’s no permanent damage. Pixie has an amazing disposition. Kat will tell you she’s a big cuddle bug.

There were times I felt it tough to remain composed. I felt so helpless. Wicket and Pixie are my family, and I love them as unconditionally as they love me.

Thanks much to my good friend Betsy Weber for sending baked noms to the pups. Thank you to ALL OF YOU for your support and well-wishes.

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Pixie’s Puppy Dog Eyes

Pixie’s still wearing her “cone of shame” today, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to see if she could boost my iPhone 4 antenna signal. Indeed, I’m now getting 5 bars where I usually only get 1!

All kidding aside, the antenna issue is a real doozy. All over the Internet, you’ll find stories of people who are losing signal and calls when holding the iPhone 4 in certain ways. While I have yet to experience this phenomena myself, I have no doubt of its validity. Hundreds of people – independent of each other – have thoroughly tested this device. The problem has been replicated over and over. What remains to be seen is what Apple intends to do about it.

What would you do if faced with this issue concerning a device you recently bought? Would you feel it’s a huge problem and demand your money back? Or are you more likely the type of person who finds a way to correct the trouble and continue on with your life? Duct tape may not be the correct answer, but there is one out there. You can buy a case for your phone – BAM! Problem solved. How many of you plan to run around with nothing covering/protecting that beautiful glass back, anyway? I have a feeling the vast majority of you will be using a case. Why, then, is it such an issue if something *might* happen to your phone’s signal when not using the case?

I’m definitely not making light of the issue. Apple messed up. I’m not debating that fact. The important thing is how they handle it. With their offering of Bumpers, I feel that the Cupertino company has more than redeemed themselves.

What are your thoughts? If a company such as Apple releases a product with real issues – large or small – easily corrected or not – should they recall the devices? Should they offer up other solutions, such as Apple has done with the Bumper?

This is a hot topic right now – online and off. It will be interesting to see how this plays out… not only in the press and blogs but also the stock market. Could something such as antenna issues cut off a company at the knees?

How to Fix iPhone 4 Antenna Problems

Pixie is home now, and is doing so much better. Wicket and I are both relieved, of course, but I think Wicket is just happy to know she’s home.

Pixie is resting comfortably, as you can see. She’ll be as good as new in no time. Thank you to all of you for your concern and well-wishes.

Wicket is Happy to See Pixie Home

As you likely already know, my doggie Pixie is extremely sick. She’s made three trips to the animal hospital this week, and had to spend the night with them on Tuesday. I’ve been really upset – these dogs are my family. As most pet owners know, your dog or cat is literally like one of your children. While I may not have kids, the pups definitely make up for it. I noticed a thread on Lockergnome earlier, though, that brought a smile to my face.

The community is worried about Pixie, too. They decided to post photos of their own pets to support MY pet’s treatment and recovery. How cool is that? Once again, I’m reminded of the power of bringing people together.

Thank you, everyone.

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Hopefully you’ve taken time to stop by our software center lately.

Community Makes Everything Better

When I woke up today, Pixie’s left eye looked out of whack – like it was lazy. That prompted me to take her in without hesitation (a mere two days after first noticing an issue with her eyes).

She’s apparently got a very small ulcer in her right eye at this point, and her left eye is swollen. She’s on antibiotics and pain killers now. The cone, however, is making it impossible to get the new ointment into her eyes (which was difficult to do in the first place); I’m asking Imei for a bit of help.

She’s resting on my bed right now. I’ve closed all the blinds in the bedroom, too; her eyes are a bit more sensitive to bright light – and anything I can do to ease her suffering, I’ll do.

I’ve got an appointment set up with the vet again on Thursday morning at 8am, but the emergency vet offered to see her free-of-charge tomorrow at some point (just for a quick look-see). In a couple of weeks, they’re scheduling a full blood panel (although an initial pancreatitis screening has already come back negative).

You have no idea how relieved I am to know that I had signed up for Trupanion just weeks ago; the bills are already close to $500, but I set my deductable at $0 so very little (if any at all) should be out-of-pocket when the incident is reported.

Pet Insurance Pays Off

UncleJohn was able to capture some Wicket and Pixie antics the other day when his new Macbook. Who knew Wicket could climb like that? I certainly never thought he would know to save himself from certain death by strangling me with his front paws.

My dogs are weird – so what? They’re also the coolest dogs on the planet.

Magic Pet Tricks

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Pixie is a lot of fun to watch when she’s sleeping. She seems to have extremely vivid dreams. I can’t help but wonder at times what’s running through her mind when she’s asleep and reacting to her dreams this way.

Maybe she’s dreaming of more tasty treats? Perhaps she’s thinking about a nice, fresh lawn (since the grass in the backyard was just replaced with new sod). I bet she’s tossing around a new toy, though. Just look at those hind legs move!

What dreams do you think are in Pixie’s head?

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What is My Dog Dreaming Of?

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Yes, this video will get a million views. Why? I don’t know! Pixie isn’t sure exactly what’s going on, but that’s ok. She’s often clueless when it comes to funny sounds emanating from my office.

Hey – it’s not my fault that she tends to nose around my desk when she shouldn’t!

[awsbullet:funny pet tricks]

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This Video Will Get 1,000,000 Views on YouTube

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I love my dogs, as most of you already know. Pixie and Wicket are my babies, even though they’re a few years old now. I spoil these dogs, and treat them like they’re my children. Heck, they ARE my children.

When Pixie fell asleep in my arms, I couldn’t resist taking a video capture of her. She looks so peaceful, doesn’t she?

Life is good at times.

Pixie Puppy Sleeping in my Arms

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Do you have pets? If so, what kind? Have you ever taught them any tricks? I love my dogs Wicket and Pixie – they’re my kids. They are usually quite smart… almost too smart at times. They pick up on new little tricks pretty easily, unless they’re just in one of those moods where they think they’re the boss.

This treat I was holding was going to make Pixie huge in a matter of seconds. I was serious – and proved it! I gave her the treat… and she magically grew to about five times her normal size.

Maybe I should’ve been a Chemist!

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New Dog Trick!

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You all know I adore Wicket and Pixie. They are my children! And, I have to admit… they are spoiled rotten. Watch what happens when they get tormented just a tiny bit with their favorite type of doggie treat!

Dog Tricks

Ponzi and I are the proud parents of Wicket and Pixie. They are a mixed breed: Lhasa Apso, Sh1tzu, and Poodle (Lhasash1tzapoo). They are essentially our kids, as we don’t have any human children at this point in time. Yes, they are quite spoiled. Ask any dog lover, and they’ll loudly tell you that their canine friends are a member of the family, just like our two are.

What’s your favorite type of dog?

What is Your Favorite Type of Dog?

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I have an imaginary gun… with imaginary bullets… and I tried them out on Pixie and Wicket. Such good little doggies…

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Playing Dead

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I caught Wicket looking at doggie websites he shouldn’t be. He doesn’t know I’m on to him… so let’s sneak in there and see what he’s up to!

Oh man, I can’t believe this. We caught him red handed! Wicket is sitting in front of the Mac… surfing the Lassie websites. I just can’t believe he would do that! Pixie is so disgusted with him, she’s licking herself. I don’t know what to do with these dogs anymore… I really don’t.

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Dog Pictures

That’s it! Wicket and Pixie are officially online, though I wouldn’t expect to hear much from them. They each have separate Dogster profiles: Puppy 1 and Puppy 2. I was prompted to set ‘em up after Ted Rheingold (himself) commented on a recent photo of Wicket. I don’t know what to say, so I’ll let Wicket speak for himself:

Arf woof, woof woof bark woof. Growl, growl, arf arf arf woof bark woof. Woof! Woof bark woof woof woof bark woof woof. Arf, arf! Warf! Ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-woo-woo! Graw, woof woof woof woof woof. Arf, woof woof arf arf woof woof woof. Grow-wow-wow, woof woof woof arf bark bark bark bark FARK bark woof woof woof arf arf, arf arf arf arf arf. Woof! Woof! Woof! Bark bark bark bark bark bark woof woof woof arf woof bark bark woof arf – arf arf arf, bark woof.

Please, no sudden movements or he’ll run away and pee on the rug. Oh jeez, now Pixie wants to say something, too:

…

Yeah – she’s a bit shy. Are you going to say anything, Pixie? I thought you wanted to say something. Now’s the time, because I’m in the middle of editing the post. Fine, but don’t say I didn’t at least give you the opportunity.

A Dog’s Social Network