I haven’t posted in a while, so I’ll have to enact the shotgun approach to blogging: killing all of my readers with a shotgun. Hang on, my editor is telling me that, in fact, the shotgun approach means shooting off lots of smaller updates in lieu of a single, cohesive entry. Pity, that. I was both locked and loaded.
I met John Chambers, the CEO of Cisco, in an elevator. For those of you in the biz (whatever that means) you should be familiar with the term “elevator speech.” It means a short pitch that shouldn’t last any longer than the short time you may suddenly find yourself sharing in an elevator with Mr. Important. I always thought about it as a metaphor, but there I was with Mr. Chambers. I’m not looking for a job, venture capital, nor really… anything. So I didn’t make a pitch, but I introduced myself and joked, “Quick, what’s my elevator speech? Hit [the button for] 5! I need more time!” John and his entourage got a real kick out of this, apparently, because they continued laughing until I left the elevator. Jacob, who witnessed the exchange, suggests that I had primed him to listen to whatever I may have wanted to pitch. Which, unfortunately, was nothing.
Jane has been helping me get my recommended monthly allowance of culture, inviting me for group voyages to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the local opera to see Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. The museum had an exhibit of 18th century artists from Kyoto. I have long been fascinated by Japanese culture, an intrigue that was only strengthened by my trip to Japan last summer and my persistent consumption of anime. It was wonderful to see the artists’ renditions of a China they knew only from the descriptions and drawings of exiled Chinese monks who had fled to the isolationist Japan. I was also very proud of myself for being able to point out in the artwork temples that I had visited while in Kyoto. The opera was enjoyable but plot-wise ridiculous, which might be a tautology. Nearly everyone is dead or miserable at the end, which might also be a redundant comment.
My trips to Greece and England are planned, meaning I have plane tickets. I spend the last week of April at a conference on the Isle of Rhodes in Greece and then fly back through London to spend a week at Oxford with Yong-Hwa, who goes to the opera with the kind of frequency that I watch anime. While we’re on the subject of conferences, I had a paper rejected recently, which is always disheartening. One of the reviewers (who are “blind” and therefore cannot see the author names) pronounced that the analysis we used was reminiscent of work Larry Rudolph had been doing for 20 years, and that he would be surprised if it hadn’t been applied to this problem before. Larry was a coauthor. It hadn’t been done before. I got a kick out of that, as did Larry. We are reworking the paper for submission to a conference in Australia (ICS 06)! One door closes, one opens, and all that.
I’ve been investigating the possibility of getting a dog. I wouldn’t be able to do that unless I moved into a pet-friendly apartment in the fall. As a first-time dog owner, I probably won’t be getting a troublesome breed like an Akita or Husky. A Labrador or Golden would be most appropriate. But, man, if I can find a Siberian Husky with the mannerisms of a Lab (or, far less likely, a Lab with the appearance of a Siberian Husky), I would be all over that like a fat kid on a cupcake. There are a number of issues I need to consider, including what to do with the dog when I go on trips, how I can afford it, whether I can bring it to the office, and so on. Will I really be OK with dog hair on my stuff? What about allergies? Would it prevent me from finding affordable housing? Am I fine with picking up its poop for the next… decade?
I’m sure half of you have success stories owning pets and the other half have tales of horror. So, what do you think? What advice would you give a guy who’s considering canine companionship?
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February 20th, 2006 at 9:38 am
excellent elevator speech story.
February 20th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
A small short haired dog will be much more manageable than a large long hair dog. Either way both are less trouble than a woman.
February 20th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
GET A DOG! If you;re looking for a kick-ass dog that would probably be very easy to handle, does (surprisingly) very well with lazy, indoor, apartment-style living, has a nice temperament, but isn’t a prissy little foofy thing like a to poodle, you might want to consider adopting a greyhound. I’ve always wanted to; they actually behave a lot like cats in home environments and, while you would think that they need a lot of exercise (what with being able to run almost 40 mph and all) most oweners actually don’t let them run around freely at all because they don’t reall have a fetching insinct and once they take off they can very easily get lost and just be gone. They actually prefer sitting on the couch and watching anime, interestingly enough.
They’re also relatively CHEAP to adopt (because rescue organizations are desperate to give them good homes.. basically you pay for the cost of having your dog cleaned up at the vet and spayed or neutered) and come to you already fixed, leash-trained, and housebroken.
February 20th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Exactly, good luck finding a woman who is already fixed, leash-trained, and housebroken.
February 20th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
Heather: Thanks for the info. I would kinda like a dog I could play fetch with, though. I’d like to not have to keep it leashed and whatnot. But a dog that’s a fan of anime… that’s something.
Dave: And have you ever tried to find a woman who doesn’t get upset when you refer to her as a bitch? Good luck!
Akshay: Thanks. I shared it with PHW, but he didn’t respond.
February 20th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Actually, I lie. Greyhound ARE fetchers. They’re just chasers moreso, so the issue is that if they see a bunny or a squirrel and you don’t have a leash on them you’ll have a problem. Basically it’s just recommended that you have a solidly fenced-in area accessible to you if you want to fetch with a greyhound. Seriously, you should be intersted in adopting one if you want a blend between something interesting like a husky and a “typical” breed like a lab or a golden. NONE of that silly puppy nonsense, and since they don’t have an undercoat, they don’t really shed and are actually considered “hypoallergenic” dogs. (Can you tell I’ve always wanted one?) http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org has lots of good info, so does wikipedia
February 20th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
I must say, they are gorgeous dogs. The affectionate nature, hypoallergenicness, low shedding factor, and ability to be a happy indoor dog are big bonuses. Given all those, I might be OK with only playing fetch under the right conditions. I would just be so nervous about it running away…
http://www.greycanine.com/greycanine/Peanut.htm
http://www.greycanine.com/greycanine/Inky.htm
February 20th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
Hey Adam: Dogs are great, but they’re only slightly less limiting than kids (which are also great, when you’re ready) — you don’t really want to leave dogs alone for long periods of time and you’d have to put it in a kennel or pawn it off on a friend if you’re traveling. Also, don’t forget your doggy insurance — wouldn’t want to pay for those unexpected medicines or surgeries (e.g. my parent’s dog got pins when it broke its leg). On the other hand, they’re great companions — you’ll always feel loved — especially since Colin told me he hates you. Did I mention picking up its poop for the next decade? Kelly’s uncle has a small apartment in NYC and has wanted a dog for 25 years — finally got one and wishes he had done it a long time ago — its a small Westie who loves to run around town and play fetch. I think that’s all I got on love-oozing poop machines.
February 20th, 2006 at 10:18 pm
Did I meet this uncle and his dog? Is the uncle a photographer named David? Were we in the city with Schaefer? I have vague memories, probably a base of truth with a sprinkle of lies… set my memory straight! (no pun intended, if you get me)
There will certainly be all sorts of added expenses and restrictions from having a dog. My friends Joel and Lindsay were hoping to get one as well, but were waiting until there would be someone who could care for the dog when they went on trips. They would do the same for me. It has yet to be established whether I can bring the dog to the office. Anywho, you’re completely right, and I’m considering all these things between now and the fall, when I could actually adopt.
February 21st, 2006 at 4:14 pm
Hey Ad,
We’ve talked at length about the doggie subject — but I do have to say that Greyhounds are awesome. They have wonderful personalities, the great majority that are rescued are sweet and very adaptable. If you want a lower maintenance Husky, though, I do suggest rescuing an adult or contacting a breeder for the possibility of a retired show dog. Large dogs, true, are big and, if they have fur, shed… a lot. But, their characters tend to be more mellow and friendly than small dogs. Small dogs tend to bark more, be more destructive, and are, generally, tenacious to make up for their lack in size.
Much luck and love!
Al
P.S. I loved the elevator speech quip.
P.P.S. Shouldn’t they rereview that paper if Randolph was a coauthor?!!? Yeesh.
February 21st, 2006 at 4:21 pm
The reviewers had a number of legitimate concerns, as well. Most of them said the paper was well-written and technically sound, but from their comments it was obvious that I did a poor job of properly framing it among the previous works and clarifying why our contributions were unique and important. We fixed those problems in the new paper, and I believe it turned into a much better piece of work. All the better.
February 21st, 2006 at 11:08 pm
I wouldn’t be TO concerned about your greyhound running away; they counter the chasing instinct by being VERY intelligent and therefore very obedient once they’re trained (another bonus: rescue shelters will get training of to a good start FOR you… the dog probably won’t know “sit” or any other fun tricks, but they will know their name, coming when called, and a few basic commands, probably walking on a leash and heeling also).
Admitted drawback: Because they’re so susceptible to cold, you’ll have to buy him a doffy doggy sweater for going out in the cold or the rain. (Not as big of a concern in a mild climate like Palo Alot, but probably still necessary.)
And if you got one I’d freakin’ fly to California to take care of your greyhound for you :o)
February 23rd, 2006 at 4:01 am
I will be sooooo jealous if you get a dog Adam. So while my vote is officially “yay”, you’re wise to consider the “nay” factors. Incidentally, today’s nytimes has a relevant article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/23/fashion/thursdaystyles/23dogs.html?_r=1&8hpib&oref=slogin
By the way, have a great time when you go to Greece…one of those places I’m dying to see. Wish I’d built it into this Israel trip. Oh well. Can’t wait to see pics.