A Dedication to the Golden Puppy

I know I haven’t written a blog in quite a while, but I have been busy with work and school. At work, we just launched a new program to provide a better shopping experience for customers. I’m not allowed to reveal too many details, let’s just say I spent over 4 weeks training for it. As for school, this is my first 18 hour semester, and it’s pretty rough. I’m doing okay right now, but I really need to focus on what’s ahead. I’m sure you’re tired of reading my complaints, because this is not a “complaint” blog. It is an “I miss you” blog. This blog is dedicated to my curly-q companion, the blonde butt shaker, and the cute cuddler, Chase.

Chase was born January 5th, 2010. My older sister got his as a surprise for the family, but the time wasn’t right for a new puppy in the family. So, I talked my girlfriend into owning the precious pup. The first weekend of March, he followed me back to Blacksburg. Actually, he whined in the front seat all the way to Blacksburg. From playing with Riley to swimming in the pool, he grew up pretty fast.

They say puppies have the face of God, because they are always happy to see you. Chase lives that every moment, especially in the morning. When he wakes us up, it’s always hilarious to see him squirming, rolling, and rubbing his head against the bed. What makes it even more hilarious is when one of us whistles to get his attention, Chase freaks out and starts examining where the high pitched sound came from.

I sure do miss him and his golden essence chasing light around the room. And there is nothing better than to watch him bound across the backyard as his ears flop, almost completely covering his eyes. But I must keep my head up and not pout, I will see Chase again soon enough.

Thanks for reading my marbles,
Daniel

My Droid X

To my readers, I apologize for the radio silence, but I have a valid excuse! I present to you, my official review of the Droid X from Verizon Wireless. I purchased my Droid X in store on launch date of July 15^th, 2010. After un-boxing, I spent many hours fixated to the wonders of this powerful Smartphone. Of course, I have done my fair share of moseying the Android Marketplace. I have played multiple games, downloaded a significant amount of apps—whether they be helpful or useless—but that is to be told in another blog. For now, I will describe what you should expect from your Droid X.

After activation at the Verizon Wireless store, I quickly returned to my abode and began to personalize my new Smartphone. First things first, I had to integrate my Gmail account. Upon doing so, all my contacts I synced earlier (from my Blackberry Curve 8330 with Google Sync) easily transferred over. I also synced my contacts with my Facebook account, thus receiving pictures for my contacts. I did find some duplicates between my original contacts and Facebook friends, but thankfully Android allows easy contact linking between contacts.

After I set everything up, I quickly became accustomed to the four physical keys on the front of the phone. These include:

The Menu Key: Functional at almost any screen or application. If you are stuck, don’t know what, or don’t know what you can do, just hit this button and your options are listed quickly before your eyes.

The Home Key: Simple. It quickly takes you back to the Android Dashboard. There are seven home screens users can customize with widgets galore, but the Home button takes you straight to the middle one, usually where the time and date is displayed.

The Back Key: Going from a Blackberry Curve to the Droid X, this button brings back memories. Literally, it goes back one page when pressed. One thing I love about this key is when I’m in one app, and I get a notification for something else, once I finished with the latter, I just continuously press the back key until I arrive at my first app.

The Search Key: With its magnifying glass image, it does what the title says—searches. Convenient if you are doing something and someone asks a simple question. You can press this key, type what you need in the search bar, and it will not only search the web, but also the contents of your phone.

One may notice on the home screen, a bar pop up with dots and an image of a home in the middle. This is for quick access to another screen. For example, I may be on my media screen, launching some tunes. Instead of flipping through six pages just to get to my games, I change one screen so the bar pops up, and press my destination screen’s icon.

When you get your Droid X, don’t be alarmed by the tiny box. Included of course is the Smartphone, a USB cable, an adapter for your USB cable to become a wall charger, and the manual.

That’s all I have for now. Stay tuned for my next blog about useful apps. Once again, thanks for reading my marbles. 

T's Corner

If any of my readers happen to travel on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, near the Chincoteague and Assateague islands, be sure to make this family owned and operated convenience store a stop on your list. T’s Corner of Oak Hall, Virginia. T’s Corner was founded in 1936 by Mr. T Mears (“Mr. T” for short). No, it’s not “I pity the fool!” Mr. T for those who were wondering. The store was passed down to Mr. T’s son, Rodney Mears, but everyone calls him Mr. Rodney.

In 1986, Mr. Rodney added his own video rental place, connecting it to his father’s establishment. Corner Videos is one of the very few movie rental business’ that still offer VHS, along with DVD and Blu-Ray. Corner Videos also offers video game rental for the three leading consoles- Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3. After a few expansions, Mr. Rodney added extra services for his customers such as Virginia Lottery, Western Union, VHS Players repair (no longer in service), Tanning Salon, and Prepaid Cell Phone Minutes.

Along with the convenience store attributes, T’s Corner also offers TNT Fireworks, Exxon Fuel, and souvenirs for all ages. Did I mention they are also a cigarette outlet? They offer the best Virginia prices for cigarettes, cigars, and tobaccos. After purchasing your discounted cigarettes, make sure to purchase an old fashion fountain soda. By old fashion, I mean old fashion. They use carbonated water, add in the syrup (Coca-Cola products only), and stir it… With a spoon! Now that’s what I call customer care. If you wanted to, grab a Greyhound bus ticket and take a Greyhound bus to any destination Greyhound offers. Why not? T’s Corner sells bus tickets, ships packages via Greyhound, and is a pick-up/drop-off location.

In July, the neighboring islands have their annual Pony Penning. It takes place on the LAST Wednesday of July, every year. T’s Corner offers every Pony Penning supply you need such as: auction handbooks, stuffed horses, pony shirts, and more information than I can provide.

If you spend enough time in there, you’ll soon come to know the great people that work there. To name a few, there are Mr. Rodney, Mrs. Dee, Druann, and Dawn. When you do visit the corner of Lankford Highway and Chincoteague Road, tell them Daniel says hi.

Quotes of Mr. Rodney:
"If you can lean, you can clean."
"Can't sell on an empty shelf."
"Mr. Mears? That's my father."

Laser Pointer for Dogs

Over the weekend I found a very inexpensive toy for my dogs. Chase loves it especially, and he spends a large amount of time after playing still looking for the red laser.  We call it Red Bug, and it’s the only form of entertainment for them that cannot be consumed. Since Labrador and Golden retrievers can be the mouthiest of puppies, we have gone through a plethora of toys. Whether they be squeaky plastic, squeaky fluffy, rope, or plastic balls, my two dogs have devoured a portion of each one. In our dog toy ranking, Red Bug is number one.

Laser pointers can be found almost anywhere—especially online. If you don’t want to wait for shipping or pay the extra for shipping, head out to a local Petsmart and look for it there. We found ours at a Petsmart, paid about eight dollars after tax, and after simple battery installation, it worked just like a simple laser pointer should.

Red Bug is an easy way for us to wear the dogs out on a rainy day. Chase will pursue it until the end of time. Riley on the other hand, after fifteen minutes she gets tired and begins to watch Chase chase the Red Bug. If you notice the picture, Riley is more interested in the camera flashing while Chase is about to pounce Red Bug.

Overall, the laser pointer was a success. It seems that in moderation, dogs will not become bored with it. It is great to use on rainy days. I do not recommend using it right before bed; with two high energy dogs, they thought their day was beginning as my day was ending. I’m going to test Red Bug against the boundary training I have been focusing on.

As for now,

Thanks for looking at my Marbles,

Daniel

Gentle Leader Dog Collar

Tired of your pup pulling you along? Can’t keep up with your canine companion? I was there, I know how it feels. Embarrassed knowing you don’t have control over your own dog. Don’t you hate being dragged along while others gawked and stared and moved out of your dog’s path? That all changed once I purchased the Premier Gentle Leader Head Dog Collar. With Riley—an energetic, young black Labrador retriever—a choke collar wasn’t enough. She would rather gag herself just to get as close to the squirrel as possible.

I put an end to those embarrassing walks with the Gentle Leader. Although she was hesitant in wearing it, and it wasn’t the norm for her, she grew to love it. Instead of being dragged along, I can actually walk with her now. Since she has been wearing it every time we go out, she now gets more excited at the Gentle Leader than the leash.

After fitting your dog, you should spend at least ten minutes walking in a distraction free area. Praise the dog when he/she doesn’t pull. I have been using the clicker training on Riley for about a month now and I used that to let her know when she was behaving correctly with the gentle leader. The more praise you give them with the gentle leader, the easier the transition will be. It has been nicknamed the “10 Minute Attitude Adjuster.” I agree whole heartedly with this statement, just because I now have full control over a one year old Labrador retriever.

Thanks for looking at my Marbles,
Daniel