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Back when Evanston allowed dogs on restaurant and bar patios, Parker and I visited Tommy Nevin's Pub a lot. Sometimes there wouldn't be room on the patio per se, so I'd sit just inside. He, of course, had to stay just outside. Like this, mostly (1 July 2007):

See that turquoise blanket he's on? I've only just thrown it out. I'm not even going to describe its condition after 13 years of a dog sleeping on it. (18 February 2007)

Getting my bête noir to pose for photos always challenged my patience and photography skills. This is his 3rd birthday portrait, 16 June 2009:

An outtake from Parker's 6th birthday photo shoot, 16 June 2012:

Watching the lead runners in the Chicago Marathon, 12 October 2008:

I'm David Braverman, this is my blog, and Parker is my 14-year-old mutt. I last updated this About... page in May 2019, and the world has changed. So here's the update. The Daily Parker is about: Parker, my dog, whom I adopted on 1 September 2006. Politics. I'm a moderate-lefty by international standards, which makes me a radical left-winger in today's United States. The weather. I've operated a weather website for more than 20 years. That site deals with raw data and objective observations. Many...

I'm David Braverman, this is my blog, and Parker is my 13-year-old mutt. I last updated this About... page in May 2017, and a couple have things have changed. So here's the update. The Daily Parker is about: Parker, my dog, whom I adopted on 1 September 2006. Politics. I'm a moderate-lefty by international standards, which makes me a radical left-winger in today's United States. The weather. I've operated a weather website for more than 16 years. That site deals with raw data and objective observations....

I'm David Braverman, this is my blog, and Parker is my 10-year-old mutt. I last updated this About... page in April 2016, and a couple have things have changed (not least of which, all the internal links changed when the blog moved to BlogEngine 3 last October). So here's the update. The Daily Parker is about: Parker, my dog, whom I adopted on 1 September 2006. Politics. I'm a moderate-lefty by international standards, which makes me a radical left-winger in today's United States. The weather. I've...

I'm David Braverman, this is my blog, and Parker is my 7½-year-old mutt. I last updated this About... page in September 2011, more than 1,300 posts back, so it's time for a refresh. The Daily Parker is about: Parker, my dog, whom I adopted on 1 September 2006. Politics. I'm a moderate-lefty by international standards, which makes me a radical left-winger in today's United States. The weather. I've operated a weather website for more than 13 years. That site deals with raw data and objective...

Sometimes things just work. Last weekend, I wrote about moving my last four web applications out of my living room the Inner Drive Technology International Data Center and into the cloud via a Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine. Well, if you're reading this blog entry, then I've succeeded in moving The Daily Parker. Except for transferring files (the blog comprises 302 megabytes over 13,700 files), which happened in the background while I did other things, it only took me about 45 minutes to configure the...

I'm David Braverman, this is my blog, and Parker is my 5-year-old mutt. I last updated this About... page in February, but some things have changed. In the interest of enlightened laziness I'm starting with the most powerful keystroke combination in the universe: Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V. Twice. Thus, the "point one" in the title. The Daily Parker is about: Parker, my dog, whom I adopted on 1 September 2006. Politics. I'm a moderate-lefty by international standards, which makes me a radical left-winger in today's...

There is no reason for this post beyond the obvious:

I had hoped, as I hoped about Post #1,000, to write something lengthy and truly self-indulgent. This will disappoint many readers, but I don't have time to do that. Instead, just a quick update: even though Inner Drive Technology still exists (as does all of its software and ongoing maintenance), I'm now working for Avanade, a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture. And, in the spirit of the season, on my way to Avanade's Chicago office yesterday, I noticed something...odd...about the Daley...

Last photo from Ponder Cove, Parker happy enough to levitate: I also forgot to mention the sign on the door that suggested the B & B's proprietors were our kind of people:

Each day that we spend getting Parker to exist peacefully with the cats brings us closer to the goal of peace and harmony. This, I think, is what Parker fears (and the cats want): (Hat tip DK.) Yesterday, for example, one of the cats (Lily, the boldest) let Parker sniff her. Of course, I had my hand on his collar the whole time, but still, progress. Then, later that day, another cat (Nick, the ball of orange spite that makes Bucky look like a model citizen) tried to hit him for no reason. Oy.

Diane and her sister made Parker a bed for Xmas. I think he likes it: Three guesses what he's staring at.

Parker got a chance to explore Oakwood Park today, the first sunny day we've had since we got here a week ago. The park is huge—I would guess about 75 hectares—and Parker (with help) ran around the whole thing: He also did exceptionally well on come-sit drills, leading me to the conclusion that he knows when I have treats. Of course, so does everyone else, like this beautiful Rhodesian ridgeback who kept sticking her nose into my treat pocket: Parker is now sleeping, which I hope lasts through the first...

The bed is just a suggestion, apparently:

Field trip to Noethling Park (a.k.a. Wiggly Field) today, with a ball and a Chuck-It: Everyone had a blast until Sadie, a beagle, got tired of waiting for Parker to give her his ball. After some snarling and snapping, both humans decided the dogs were done with the park for the day. Here's Parker saying "nyah nyah" to both Sadie and me:

You think he's cute now? This is Parker at 12 weeks, just a couple days after I adopted him:

Parker and I had a great two-hour walk this afternoon, punctuated by essays on Botswana and economic institutions (Duke reading). We stopped to admire the view at North Avenue, though I think Parker was more interested in the speedboat than the skyline: Here's the rest of the view:

The fuzzy dude is 3 years old today. Obligatory baby picture: That's his Petfinder mugshot from when he was about 8 weeks old. Here he is today: For his birthday he got extra soft food with breakfast, two Newman's dog treats, and some fresh ground parmesan on his lunchtime kibble. And an extra belly-rub.

1:15 pm, Chicago:

We didn't hit the record for warmest November 5th today, but it did get within 1°C, to 22°C. After the euphoria (and, frankly, Champagne) of last night, I couldn't prevail against the weather, so Parker and I went to Wiggly Field with a Chuck-It: Parker has—I am not making this up—learned to dribble. He drops the ball from his mouth and catches it on the bounce, repeatedly: Mostly he just wants to chase the ball and keep it away from me once he's got it:

Yes, even Parker thinks this is cheesy:

I'm kicking myself for not riding Bike the Drive this morning. That's the annual, Memorial Day weekend closing of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, all 30 km of it, for any bicyclist who ponies up the fee. I'm kicking myself because it's 19°C and sunny with a good breeze out of the South. Good biking weather. Along the way we both took a look at the skyline from Fullerton Ave., one of the best vantage points on the North Side: Even Parker wanted a look: And we wrapped up our short walk with some...

'Nuff said.

After a several-week absence, the ParkerCam is back up.

One week at overnight camp (Parker's day care provider also boards dogs, so he got to hang with his friends every day) has exhausted my dog. This is a common behavior in dogs, apparently. He was overjoyed to see me again in a way I've never seen in a human older than four, but as soon as we got home he climbed into his crate and passed out. (Actually he ate two entire bowls of kibble first.) Action shot:

When we woke up this morning the temperature was -16°C. Did Parker care? He did not:

This leash used to be longer. I wonder what could have happened: Another $30 bitten in half by the Destrcuto-Beast.

Another one from Ninth Street, Durham: This was, of course, from Wednesday, not today. Wednesday it was warm; this morning it was below freezing. Apparently it does get cold in Durham, though "cold" here isn't "cold" back home. Jamie mentioned several times that the weather in Durham is much preferable to the weather in Chicago, because apparently she has forgotten last August. I guess it depends whether you prefer warm or cold weather. Tomorrow we're heading back to Chicago. Straight through. Twelve...

The amazing thing about this isn't that he's a handsome, happy dog, enjoying a beautiful autumn afternoon; it's that he's ignoring the squirrel directly behind him: All that training paid off, I guess.

From September:

My friend Sean visited over the weekend and brought with him a stuffed toy his wife made for Parker. The results were predictable, though Parker dispatched this one much faster than the vet toy he got for his birthday: Half an hour later: The next morning: Thank you anyway, Val. Parker said the toy was delicious. (Just don't ask me about his walk that evening.)

From this past weekend, in Lincoln Park, Chicago: Incidentally, the building behind him is the Parker School.

For the first time in eight months, my dog has no odor. None. It turns out Petsmart has hypo-allergenic shampoo. (Last time they used stinky shampoo.) That is all. Photo to follow.

Note from the dog walking service yesterday: "He was great, as always. He looks real good in red. Went #2." (There were no hyperlinks in his note, of course.)

He loves the open office window. Not too many days of that left, though.

More from Saturday's Wright Way Rescue reunion: Schona, a 7-year-old Lab that Parker met:

Old rug, old sock, sunbeam. Dog is happy: Also, yesterday's note from the dog walking service made me feel almost as warm and fuzzy as Parker is: He met a puppy and he was very gentle and patient. Very nice. (No #2) That's my boy.

I'm not alone in the office today, but I may as well be: Parker is so tired he's not even getting up when I leave the room. Day camp works, I tell you. I should also point out one of the not-so-hidden costs of having an office puppy. Or, rather, a black office puppy on a white cotton rug. Yes, the rug in the photo above used to be blue and white. Now it's blue-grey and grey. And he's chewed it so much it can't be cleaned any more. But I discovered a possible solution: A couple of my friends have two...

Parker and Goldie have started playing together mornings. Goldie, until recently, never had anything nice to say to Parker, so this surprised everyone: As a special bonus, I have some video of Parker (AVI, 10.3 MB) at my office. He has a new behavior: at the end of the day, when I pack everything in an get up to leave, he rushes forward with his paws stretched out front and slides across the terazzo floor. I have no idea why he does this, except perhaps because it's fun.

I recently started introducing Parker to some new foods that the dog walkers recommended, and what do you know? Parker cleans his bowl of every last kibble. There seems to be a side-effect, however: he's put on more than a kilo since his last weighing on July 4th, up to 26 kg. Back to a strict feeding schedule, dude. Sorry. Oh, and the ParkerCam is live today.

Paws for a moment. Also, I devoured Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this weekend. I don't think I'm giving anything away when I tell you: Soylent Green is people! (I'll wait a discrete interval before writing more about the Potter book. You're on your own about Soylent Green.)

The stuffed vet that Danielle gave Parker a couple weeks ago still lives on—though empty of stuffing and looking a bit haggard: And Parker is live today. Astute viewers will notice a patch of something on his right hip. That's mud from this morning in the park. So tonight, he gets his quarterly bath.

Playing ball at sunset:

It's hot. Damn hot. Real hot. So yesterday afternoon I only spent about an hour at Tommy's, and made sure Parker had water: Why did I schlepp a bowl from home? Because while Nevin's staff very happily provide him with an aluminum take-out container full of water, Parker tends to dump the water out and then shred the container. Using the Fiesta bowl he's used to prevents the shredding part.

Happy dog with tennis ball: I'm starting a new project on Monday that will consume tons o' time. The good news is that Parker will be with me in the office probably four days a week. The bad news is that "Today's Daily Parker" will become "The Daily Parker Roundup" starting next week. In other words, The Daily Parker may not have daily Parker for a while. Somehow, I think we'll all survive.

6:09 am:

Parker will destroy just about anything he discovers in the back yard. Like this welcome mat, for example: Or this flower pot: Yesterday I also spent several entertaining moments removing children's bath toys from his mouth. I would take the boat, or scuba diver, or whatever, put it beyond his reach in the play house, and then go back to him and repeat the process until the kiddie pool was totally empty. He thought this was a fun game.

Yeah, you the dog: No ParkerCam tomorrow, so tune in now while he's there.

Warm morning, park, big stick. Parker is happy: And because everyone is back home, the ParkerCam is on today.

Yes, it's a holiday, but when you own a small business sometimes you work seven days a week. Yesterday, for example, Parker came in to help with my filing: I don't think I'll staff the job out to him just yet, however, given his propensity to eat the files. I'm still looking for cicadas, though none seems to have emerged near me. Yesterday riding my bike I heard one in Highland Park and one in Winnetka, but so far I haven't heard any, nor seen any nymphs or shells in Evanston. If Parker only knew they...

Parker's brand-new friend Harper showed up at the dog park this morning: Harper (named after author Lee and therefore destined to become friends with Boo) was the runt of 13 puppies born 15 weeks ago. Her owner reports that Harper has nearly doubled in weight over the past three weeks—a phenomenon I know all too well. And despite my inherent bias towards my own handsome pooch, I have to say Harper is the cutest thing to hit the park since Paris left for Milwaukee in March.

From our visit to the park Saturday Morning: Parker sees an old friend. I just missed catching him in his "no one can see me" crouch, in which he, a black dog with a wagging tail on short green grass, completely fails to surprise anything he thinks he's stalking. Late correction, 12:45 CT: "Old" was exactly the wrong word for two reasons, now that I remember who was there. A 10-week-old golden retiever moved to the neighborhood recently; Parker met her for the first time moments after I took this photo....

This little piggy went to hell: Parker disembowels yet another toy, decapitating it in the process. So sad. This was one of his very first toys: a little squeaky pig that I got at the adoption event back in September.

Parker and I are hard at work at Inner Drive Technology World HQ: I don't know how long we'll stay, because it's ridiculously nice outside. That is all.

There has to be a caption here. Thoughts? No ParkerCam today; back tomorrow.

Having a ball in the yard: I noticed I missed Wendesday's Daily Parker. Expect a bonus weekend edition tomorrow or Sunday, then.

Just for giggles I took a few photos of Parker as he complained about me going to work this morning. It's easy, by the way, to get him to stop complaining: a frozen, peanut-butter filled Kong works fine. Photo #1 shows him as he realized that I was getting ready to leave: Photo #2 shows his dissatisfaction with this turn of events: And yes, Virginia, there is a ParkerCam today (and tomorrow).

One more from yesterday: only this time, I think a caption is in order. Thoughts? How about, "Um...could you give me a push?" No ParkerCam today or tomorrow. He's at day camp, so I have more time to finish my current project in West Kishinev.

Parker didn't seem to mind much when Ron picked him up: A moment later, though, I think he wanted to get down: Poor guy, doesn't get any respect. Parker, I mean.

Emboldened, perhaps, by his recent successes with tennis balls, yesterday afternoon Parker decided to hunt bigger game. Alas, his spatial-reasoning abilities have not yet fully developed: We still had a great time playing catch. Being crated most of the day along with continued treatment for his embarrassing problem left him with a lot more energy than usual: He's not quite World Cup material, but he's still only a puppy. Also, I'm experimenting with the ParkerCam a little. Instead of just wondering...

Parker had a terrific time at day camp yesterday. The over-tired energy you sometimes see in puppies and children conquered his fatigue, so he spent an hour playing with my neighbor's toddlers, and then half an hour with this tennis ball: Notice two things. First, he's not so much running as staring at the ball willing it to move. He did run at full-speed around the yard a few times, but perhaps because he was so tired, he seemed to have trouble with the concept of "ball." Second, though it's hard to...

The ParkerCam will not have anything interesting (i.e., Parker) to show today, since Parker has gone to day camp. Also, I don't have any new photos. So, once again, I present a Classic TDP, never before seen here, from the day after I met him: Yes, he once was that tiny.

While I'm working out here in Kyiv (actually Oak Brook, Ill.), Parker has to stay for hours on end in his crate. I feel bad about him being alone for so long (even though he gets walked around 1pm), but let's review why he's in a crate: Tomorrow, though, the ParkerCam will be dark, because Parker gets to go to day care with his friends—and, more for my peace of mind, with the trainer who got him to understand the difference betwen me and the rest of his litter mates. Also of note, a friend touring...

P-Dogg and I had a ball yesterday: Chicago weather is truly wonderful. Yesterday Parker and I tossed this tennis ball around for half an hour, and yet only four days earlier it snowed. Parker, of course, does not care about the weather: Nor does he consider, for a moment, where that tennis ball has been:

I'm still schlepping out to Kishinev (near Kyiv) every morning, so again all I have to offer is the dog walker's message from yesterday: "No business, but he's back to his usual self. #2: No. Treat." Simple, concise, nicely encapsulating my dog's afternoon. Also, I've made a minor configuration change to the ParkerCam. A problem with the upload process had caused it to blank out occasionally; I've now fixed that. Enjoy.

In lieu of a photo, just a note from the dog walking service: "Wow, what a crappy day. Parker didn't mind a bit. #2: No."

All right, I admit, sometimes I really hate Chicago's weather. Parker, who has never experienced a really hot Chicago summer (though he probably experienced some serious heat on the farm near his birthplace in Carbondale, Ill.), seems to enjoy it: Yes, folks, it's snowing in April. And because it's just above freezing, the snow is heavy, wet, and slushy. Parker took one look out the door this morning and bounded into the yard like...well, like a puppy. Bad news, P-dogg: no play group tonight. It will be...

I've started a new project that is consuming almost every waking moment, so unfortunately I have no new Parker photo today. Instead, I'll re-post a classic, from last September:

I feel bad for Parker, even though I just spent the last hour and a quarter cleaning up. Remember the "bad butt" incident? Apparently his butt is still bad, because when I got home this evening I realized what had happened as soon as I stuck my nose into my apartment. I won't go into details, except to say that one of the most effective techniques I've found for cleaning paw-sized stains from carpets is to fill a small bowl with warm water and dish detergent, then use a tablespoon to scrape the stain in...

Trust me, you're better off without a photo today. My dog-walking service leaves notes every day. Today's: "Looks like he ate something he shouldn't have. He had some real bad butt. #2, treat." Poor little guy. He woke up around 2 in the morning and had to go outside, too. Right now, though, he's rolling on the floor pleading, in his doggy way, that I now take him to the play group. I will bring extra bags.

I meant to put this photo up earlier. A week ago Monday, just three days after he had a nice bath, the warmer weather gave Parker a field of mud to play in: You should have seen the other guy. At least Parker has black fur; some of his friends showed the dirt a lot better on their white coats.

After only five minutes of tug-of-war with Parker, I had to throw in the towel. Or, what was left of it, anyway: After the first loud ripping noise (15 seconds into the game), I figured, in for a penny, in for a dime.

My idea of a down-stay: Parker's idea:

Parker is jumping for joy at the weather: Today's temperature has already hit 21°C and it's still rising. Also of note, last night was the first night since January 12th that Chicago's temperature did not go below freezing. Happy spring! In related news, Ravinia Festival has decided to reconfigure its schedule because of the 17-year cicadas that start singing at the end of May this year. The Daily Parker anxiously awaits Parker's reaction to the bugs.

Quick: who's cuter? OK, no real contest here. He's also better looking than I am:

Parker had a well-needed bath today, complete with an unfortunately sweet-smelling shampoo and a bandanna that even Parker thinks looks silly: Now he's pooped. The first spot he chose to lie in happened to be the spot I was just about to vacuum, so his day just keeps getting worse. He might not even get to play with his friends tonight; last night, the park was so muddy we had to move across the street. Poor Parker. It's a dog's...well, you know.

One of the side-effects of obedience training I didn't know ahead of time is that Parker is now crate-trained. Since he's also more than double the size he was when I first met him, the crate I had for him was a little tight. So I bought him a new crate, with more than double the footprint of his old one, and with a lot more light and air. Enough light and air, in fact, that I can point the ParkerCam at him when he's in it: Check for Parker during the day. If I remember to bring the camera to my office...

Parker went to the vet yesterday because I noticed this lovely thing growing in his lip: The diagnosis? Dogwarts, also known as canine oral papilloma. Seriously. He has the doggy equivalent of HPV, in that it's pretty much the same virus and it's also just about as common (most dogs have it). It's spread through saliva, so most dogs get it when they play with lots of other dogs. It's the doggy "social disease." There's no pain, but there's no cure either, so it will just go away on its own—after he...

Heel, heel, heel, sit, down, stay...it's all so tiring: Also: good news to ParkerCam fans. The ParkerCam will return Thursday.

You will notice that the ParkerCam isn't being updated today. Parker is in his crate, which I had hoped not to use, but circumstances required it: Parker and I watched the Oscars last night: He got bored during the middle part, so he began repositioning furniture (in this case, my pillow): But most of the time he just half-watched and half-slept:

I don't know what Parker was saying to Dexter, but it does look like Dexter is taking the kid under his wing, so to speak: Also, I'd like to point out that neither of them cared about the -26°C wind chill, but Dexter's dad and I sure did. Pretty sunrise, though:

It's amazing how long the hand puppet has survived, despite Parker's best efforts: Yes, it's still around, but completely emptied of Hollofil and turned inside-out. This has the interesting side-effect of exposing the squeaky part. Maybe "interesting" isn't the right word, as I didn't feel "interested" in it after Parker spent ten minutes wandering the apartment chomping on it (squeak squeak squeak). Parker still has some anxiety about the new place, which manifests in an inability to be alone for more...

It seemed like the perfect toy: a hand-puppet with extra padding and a squeaky, so that Parker could play with our hands and (a) not really compute that hands are involved and (b) not bite our hands to shreds. When finished with the toy, we put it back in Parker's toy basket. Well, last night, Parker decided to play with the toy, and as is his wont, he disemboweled it: Maybe if it had a Kevlar coating it might have lasted longer...

Ordinarily I would not be happy to wake up at 5:15am. Today, however, I was overjoyed, because except for a brief moment around 1:30 when I had to shove Parker's fuzzy butt out of my space (he was laying across the bed almost completely), we both slept through the night. My hypothesis from yesterday confirmed, I will now spend at least an hour a night running him ragged. It probably helped also that everyone—and I mean, everyone—was at last night's play group: Boo, Scotchie, Hannah, Dexter, Buck...

I love Parker. Who wouldn't? I mean, look at him, sleeping so peacefully: But last night around 2:30am he was neither peaceful nor adorable. In fact, from 2:30 until about 4:30, he whined, chewed my comforter, squeaked a toy repeatedly, barked at random intervals, and went outside twice—without actually descending the stairs into the yard. By the way, this is the second night in a row that Parker has confused 2:30 with 6:00. If he does it again tonight, I don't know what I'll do, since killing him seems...

My caption: "October 23. Parker helps with the laundry." I can only imagine his caption, but I'd bet it would mention a huge pile of chew-toys.

Imagine the consequences of having a black puppy on a white duvet. Then again, why imagine?

I don't always understand Parker, but here, I believe he's saying "Victory!" Requiescat in pacem, Sofa (1998-2007):

I mean, come on, is he not the cutest dog? ...And as a special bonus, here's a look at spiders on drugs, via a long-time blog reader: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1734043.

We got back from Miami late Friday. Parker, happy to have us home, wanted to keep us as close as possible Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday, for example, he kept close to Anne even while Anne was off doing other things: Also, my project start got pushed to either Thursday or next Monday (I'll find out later today). That means Parker came to the office with me this morning, and will probably come back again on Wednesday. He loves coming to the office. Of course, he seems to love just about everything in...

Anne and I are someplace warm (see second photo), but Parker is never far from our thoughts. Here he is New Year's Eve in what we must assume is doggy heaven: At the moment, we are in people heaven, so I can't guarantee any more postings until Saturday. I hope everyone else is, if not as warm as we are (25°C, 77°F on the beach), at least as happy.

I'm an hour late getting in TDP, for which I'm sorry. Today was the last business day of 2006, and possibly Parker's last day in the office for a while (I'll be working downtown starting next month). Fittingly, here's Parker, doing what he does best: being a good office puppy. The ParkerCam will return! (Possibly tomorrow...)

The couch is dead. We're going to take it to the street tonight or tomorrow, because Parker has quite literally beaten the stuffing out of it. He even knows he's being bad, running away from it the moment I take a step toward him. But just seconds after I turn away, there he is again, performing dog-o-suction on the cushions: I'm going to bet that no one takes it before the trash haulers find it. I might even bet that they will leave it behind, too.

Parker made it all the way to St. Louis and back without yakking. How did he do it? He slept the whole way:

Even when he's not being bad, he still looks guilty: Probably no Daily Parker until Tuesday. Have a wonderful holiday, and don't eat the sofa. (I mean you, Mr. "Who Me?".)

Parker, being an angel at Inner Drive Technology World Headquarters, with one of his favorite things in the world: a bully stick. If only he knew what they really were. I only found out just now as I researched this post. Ew.

I know, I've been a little delinquent with TDP posts. And today I'm actually phoning it in. First, Danielle's question, "Where is Parker?" As far as I know, Parker is at home asleep on our bed. The ParkerCam shows nothing but a chewie because that's the last image from when he was here yesterday. Despite the caption, he's not in the office today, so there isn't a new ParkerCam image. Check back tomorrow morning. Second, the couch destruction continues apace. Here is our dear looking innocent: And not so...

I have to take more photos of Parker when he's not asleep. Today, however, you get another sleeping puppy shot: No ParkerCam today, because of a lunch meeting. He's at home waiting for the dog walker to stop by.

I went to take a quick snapshot of Parker in his give-me-a-belly-rub pose, when he caught sight of the camera strap. The outcome was, I suppose, predictable: If you're interested, here's the pose in question:

Our little puppy isn't so little any more. Here's a before-and-after in which you can actually see the difference. The "before" shot is from September 8th, when he weighed 8 kg (18 lbs): The "after" shot is from about five minutes ago: He now weighs 17.7 kg (39 lbs), fully 10 kg (22 lbs) more than when we got him. So he's still growing a full kilo (2.2 lbs) every nine days: We're now revising our original prediction of 22 kg (50 lbs). I think he may come close to 30 kg (66 lbs), but Anne thinks he's not...

Parker is at home this afternoon. Due to a mix-up with the dog walker, he got two walks today because I was home all morning dealing with people in the house, but he got no walks yesterday. This explains why he bounced off walls for three hours last night instead of his usual two. Today's photo has nothing to do with any of that. It's just an average shot from two weeks ago, showing the eternal cuteness of Parker and the anything-but-eternal good weather that we had over Thanksgiving: If you live in the...

Parker stayed home today, which is why today's Daily Parker includes perhaps more personal information than I generally share. I have a spare laptop, so I was able to set up the ParkerCam in our bedroom today. So here he is, in his Safe Place, proving that he's cuter than all get-up even when he doesn't know anyone is watching: This shot is from earlier today. I didn't use a more recent shot because the little darling found a pair of my boxers, and that is simply too personal for this blog. Finally, for...

As promised, I brought both the dog and a camera to the Dawes Park dog beach this afternoon. (I forgot bags though. Oops.) It's a freaky-warm 16°C (61°F) today, so while Parker and I both found it a little too chilly for a dip, we both had fun with the other dogs (including his friend Louie from his morning play group). Here he is conteplating the vastness of Lake Michigan: A little later, after some heavy wrestling with an American bulldog-boxer mix named Quincy, Parker seemed pretty happy (and...

Parker still hates the Halti: But within 90 seconds of getting it taken off, he forgets about it:

OK, I think I've got the ParkerCam figured out. Here's the current arrangement: And here's what the ParkerCam sees: It's impossible to keep up with him sometimes, so very often you'll just see an empty rug. Or, after Parker has done some redecorating, a scrunched-up rug: Now we're going for a walk, so I can get lunch before Whole Foods turns into a zoo.

I remembered my camera today, but alas, Parker is at home (so no ParkerCam). Here he is Sunday struggling (as any rational being would do) to get out from under a Cardinals blanket:

Duh. Today I forgot not only my camera, but also the memory card inside the camera with the photos that I wanted to post. We'll just have to make do with the ParkerCam:

Oh, poor puppy. Today is the Big Operation. But even as the vet was leading him away, he had no idea what she was about to do to him. There are just too many interesting smells at the animal hospital. And he was probably hoping someone would feed him, since we "forgot" this morning: The worst part: No dog park for a week! Poor little guy.

I'm trying an experiment: the ParkerCam. It may not be around long, and it's only going to be on when Parker is in my office. Still, if it's running, it will update every 60 seconds. Sometimes you'll just see my office floor; other times, such as this writing, you'll see a sleeping puppy.

Parker appeared to have a good time at yesterday's (Wednesday's) play group. He's found two friends, Boo and Guster, who not only put up with him but appear to like having him around. Of course, they're both slightly larger than Parker: For some reason, except for Boo and Erin, almost every dog in the group has a name ending in "-er." And they're overwhelmingly male; Erin is the only regular female attendee. I wonder why this is. On that theme, tomorrow I'll look at the limited color palette of the play...

This is not how he's acting right now. (Excuse me while I extract teeth from my arm.) Also, my previous post reflects a certain "duh!" factor, since I actually had off-loaded this photo already. So, duh. He's still adorable.

Here's the deal: I forgot to download the photos for today's DP from my camera. I won't get to do it before midnight UTC (6 pm Central Time). So this isn't really a TDP. It's just an explanation of why there's no DP today. On the other hand, I didn't figure to have a TDP tomorrow. So tomorrow's DP will be today's. Follow? In other shocking news, Britney Spears filed for divorce today. Speaking of silly puppies.

Post-bath nap on Saturday. He has trained us to rub his belly whenever he does this; can't think how.

It's cold this morning (-6°C, 21°F), but not cold enough to keep Parker from running himself ragged at the dog park. I love this, because today is an Office Puppy day. As is our custom, we left from the park, stopped at my office to pick up my coffee mug, and then made our ritual pilgimage to Peet's. There Parker and I met Georgiana Penelope ("my husband called me Georgiana but my family called me Penny"), a local resident, who said Parker had beautiful markings and was the sweetest puppy she'd met....

As my major infrastructure project continues apace, Parker is keeping me company. I know I've posted lots of photos of him sleeping in my office, but I'm so happy about it, and he's so adorable, why not post another? He occasionally rouses himself, too: This is a marked improvement over yesterday when he attacked every cloth item in the place.

I love Parker's play group. So does Parker. Here's our dude and his friend Goldie: Erin, a miniature pinscher: Erin's brother, Jester: I completely forgot this guy's name: And of course, Parker's mom:

Parker and Jackson got a good workout yesterday: They played for about three hours, half in the morning and half in the afternoon. Right now he's asleep on my office floor. What a great puppy.

I've managed to stanch the bleeding from today's server crash, but sadly I only have enough brain power left to phone in today's Daily Parker. This "Flying Nun" look is awfully cute, though: At the moment, he's asleep on my office floor, right next to the slightly-chewed part of the carpet. But it's time to go to the dog park, so I think I'll have to wake him up.

Wow, did we have an exhausting weekend. Anne had to go out of town, so Parker and I had a "boys night out" with one of my business partners. Only, when my colleague and I first planned to get together over beer and ribs (our traditional "BNO" activity), he had completely forgotten about the pumpkin-carving party at his home. Change of plans: Parker dutifully got into the car and off we went to my colleague's house, where he and his wife were entertaining seven two-year-olds and their parents. I forgot...

Parker has discovered birds: Also, a definition. I've arbitrarily defined "Daily" to mean "once per weekday," and also (because I'm a total geography nerd) defining "day" as starting at midnight Universal Coordinated Time (which is 7pm Central Daylight Time). Today, being Saturday, is a bonus TDP, you lucky dog. Parker is going to the office later today, too, so there may be yet another bonus TDP if you check back later.

Today Parker is (probably) 18 weeks old, and he's growing fast. We've noticed his ear cartilege firming up a bit, so right now he often has a one-up-one-down look that Anne finds particularly precious: Here's a comparison shot from six weeks ago: Also, he slept more than 7½ hours last night, a new record. Sadly, though, he spent 5½ hours in his crate yesterday, also a new record, the poor dear. But when we discovered an exposed wire on a power cord that (fortunately) wasn't plugged in, we realized his...

It rained a lot yesterday, but Parker doesn't care. In fact, he's not too fond of the toweling-off process that follows a good splash through the dog park. Maybe he'd prefer a blow dry? (Um, no.)

The whole family went to Meramec State Park, near Sullivan, Mo., over the weekend. It was Parker's first long car trip with us. Never before in my life have I cared as much about what goes into and out of another living creature; the car trip only intensified this feeling. Observe Parker as he was for perhaps 98% of the trip: Now observe him as he appeared twice on the way up and twice on the way down: That's not guilt, believe it or not. That's a seriously unhappy puppy preparing to demonstrate the...

Here is the artist and his work, in which he shows he's moved on from textiles to sculpture: That's a $600 armoire. He is so crated from now on. No TDP tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll make up for it on Monday.

Ah, Parker, having fun at the dog park, yelling at the camera. I'm posting this photo so you can imagine the toothy grin, energetic bouncing, and ecstatic barking, but in the dark at 5:45 am. At least he's now slept through the night twice in a row.

We are ecstatic: our ball of fur and teeth finally, after seven weeks, slept through the night. He woke up only when he heard Abby Ryan's traffic report on NPR. Then he danced on our heads until we took him outside. I hope this is the first of many nights we can finally sleep seven straight hours.

Though not rising to the destructive level of a nuclear-armed rogue state, Parker has nonetheless embarked on a radical remodeling of our house: And yet, he's just so adorable. It almost makes up for it:

Parker gets more comfortable at the dog park every day, but he still has a ways to go. Then again, maybe I'd be apprehensive if a 60 kg (130 lb) rottweiller were chasing me. I don't know if I'd hide under a picnic table, though: He recovered nicely (the rottweiller is actually a very sweet dog), and made some new friends.

Two-for-one today. First, yesterday Parker had some play time with our downstairs neighbor's dog Jackson. All of us, including our neighbors, hope they play together more often, because both dogs were tuckered out and slept like angels the rest of the day. This photo shows Parker before he figured out that he outweighs Jackson 3:2: Earlier yesterday Parker visited my office. Does he look guilty to you? He does to me. But maybe that's just wishful thinking. Note how far he had to travel to get something...

He knows he's being bad. He just can't help it.

Anne and I had company last night: my colleague Cameron Beatley, his wife Sarah, and their two-year-old son Jamie. Parker had never gotten the opportunity to play with a small person before. Cameron apparently got in the way: