Westminster!

Hey, how are ya??

Just got done watching the Westminster Dog Show on Universal HD... really nice. Better than being there, probably. Amazing.

In our favorite, the Toy Group, a Toy Poodle was your best in class... nice. Fritz is proud.

Prior to the running of the Toy Group, though, they had a great little feature about Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier who was found in a foxhole in the Pacific Theater. He stayed with Bill, his new owner, surviving several attacks and performing heroic deeds, and after the war, was a well known service dog, visiting vets in hospitals.



His most famous picture, shortly after his discovery... sitting in a helmet, sharing rations with the soldiers...



So you think little Yorkies can't be war heroes?? Sure they can. This was at an airport, being bombed daily. They needed a telephone line across a runway. It would have been suicide to tear up the runway and run the line, as it would have grounded all the airplanes.

They discovered this small culvert pipe, running under the runway. Look closely at that picture, that's Smoky, in the mouth of the pipe, with a line tied to him. Bill called him from the other end of the pipe, and he ran seventy feet through the pipe, with the line, emerging muddy and dusty at the other end, but otherwise in fine shape. Obviously, no person could get in a pipe this small. Mission Successful!

(I will admit I have mixed feelings about this... if he gets stuck in the pipe, and dies, it's cruelty... but because he made it, its heroism.... but at the very least, he was a very brave little dog to try it...)



This is a "hairamic" replica of Smoky... a cermaic body, carefully covered with Yorkshire Terrier hair clippings gathered from dozens of show dogs... This replica is on permanent display at a veterinary college.

During the special that ran during Westminster, apparently there is also a new memorial to Smoky and all War Dogs, featuring a bronze sculpture of Smoky, in the helmet... very nice.

You can find out lots more at smokywardog.com, or do a search, there are many links to his history, and to the many memorials there are in his (and all service dogs)honor around the country...

The Beatings Continue...

Hey, good day.

Yes, Winter continues to beat down on the small doggie.... brutal. It is so wrong to kick a dog, period.... so, kicking him when he's down is doubly wrong.

So, old man winter.... You can stop now.

Went to the Mitchell Park Domes, they had their Garden Scale G-Scale model railroad set up. Really nice.

Saw a movie, "The Brave One", with Jodie Foster. Very nice, I liked it. Slightly different take on the whole "Death Wish" revenge movie genre... but very well done.

The premise is lifted straight out of the Charles Bronson Classics "Death Wish" and "Death Wish 2", but Jodie Foster brings a strong presence, and really turns in a great performance, as usual. More of an emotional component in this film... I liked it. Definitely worth your time.

Not much else going on.... Just working my crazy job, and trying to hang tough until spring....

In Memoriam....

Fritz, AKA Fritzie, The Fritz
1989 - February 4, 2005

There's not much to say... If there's a Dog Hall of Fame, he's in it.

Nobody who knew him will ever forget him...

February is the Cruelest Month...

Or is it April?? I keep forgetting.... With apologies to TS Eliott... and if you don't get the TS Eliott reference, what can I tell ya???





Yes, Lara Croft is back!!

Well, okay, there is a newer game yet....

But right now, this one can be picked up used in game stores everywhere for under $20... and it is a great value at that.

Very nice game. Visually stunning. Very watchable, like a movie almost.

The controls are actually do-able, even for a small doggie like me.

Now, I will also direct you to a pretty decent walk-thru, done by ipino, which is available on gamespot.com, and gamefaqs.com... nice job. It has some holes in it, but overall, it will get you going. Since it's been years since I played the old Tomb Raider games on PC, I had no clue... so this at least got me started.

Like I say, in the doldrums of February, when we just hide out in our houses and wait for spring, this game will be a great diversion for you.

Lush tropical environments?? Check.

Nice weapons? Check. The combat actually isn't the worst. Obviously it's simpler than your first person shooters like Halo... This game is more about puzzles, and manuevering around, and solving problems. After working thru Halo 3 a couple times, I was ready for a break. The legendary pistols are nice, and the "RC650" is basically an M4, or CAR-15 variant, the collapsible AR-15/M-4 variant. The RC650 is slick.

Dialogue and voice overs? Check. Pretty good voice work.

Cutscenes? Decent. Well done. Generally lend some atmosphere to the story. Generally plausible and well written. There are also some "interactive" cutscenes that are kind of fun, and refreshing, so stay alert if it starts to indicate a button press, or some action...

Vehicles? Yeah, there are some decent vehicles you get to play with. Notably the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Edition, and the Ducati sportbikes that were both featured in the second movie, IIRC.

So, check that out. Well worth your $20. and enjoy. Just because it's an old game, don't let that stop you.

Also, go into "calibration" in the extras section, and make sure the brightness on your tv is set correctly. It's hard to see some of the stuff if you are too dim on your epic big screen....

And if you don't have an epic big screen.... well, what are you waiting for?? Super Bowl is tomorrow!!!

And now, for a bacon cheeseburger.... running around shooting bad guys and pillaging treasure is hard work.... tuckers a doggie out....