Having grown up with dogs in my life from the very beginning, I often find myself feeling uneasy about my current lack of a four-legged companion. As I write this I have 297 full days left in the military, and along with some of the other things I’ve been mulling over (which college to attend, where to live, how on Earth I’m moving all my stuff back to the Midwest), I’ve wondered how long it’ll take before I can get another dog of my own.

The two breeds I’ve had the most experience with are Dachshunds and Siberian Huskies. I’ve never owned a dachsie (though through my maternal grandparents I’ve come to love them unconditionally); I’ve actually only ever had one dog that was specifically mine. Tascha, my beautiful Husky, was a fixture of my life from 1987 - 2002, when I finally had to put her down because of arthritis and other nagging issues which were completely destroying her quality of life. Even though she was 15 (an ancient age for such a big dog), it was extremely hard to let her go.

It’s very likely I’ll be moving into some sort of apartment or small house, which means any thoughts of getting a large dog are probably pretty foolish. And as much as I’d love to get a Pharaoh hound or another Husky, I’m not certain I’ll be making the necessary cash to keep such a big dog in Kibbles for a few years.

So, I’ve turned my search to the smaller end of the scale. I’ve long considered Manchester Terriers to be an interesting and very beautiful option. I’m not certain if I’d be more interested in the toy or standard-sized variety, though I’d be more likely to choose a standard, simply because I don’t especially trust the longevity of extremely petite dogs.

Another on the list is a Jack Russell, based on the intelligence of the breed and their relatively modern development. I’m not interested in showing the dogs, mind you, but Jack Russells seem to be mired in a bit of controversy. The one thing that holds me back is that Superman’s dog, Krypto, appears to have been a Jack Russell. I’m hardly a fan of Superman.

The breed that’s interested me most recently, however, is the Jagdterrier. Not only does it seem to be about the perfect compromise between a smaller dog and a full-size model (13-16″, 16.5-18.7 lbs for a female), but they’re very smart, adaptable, and are relatively rare.

Whatever I do decide to get, it’s important that the dog is good with children (there’s the strong likelihood that at some point during the dog’s life I’ll have children of my own) and other animals, including cats (Jo - I’m guessing Sammy would adjust, but would Effie?). And I’ll have to trust the dog enough to be able to leave for classes and whatnot, coming home at lunch or in between class and work to let her out and stretch her legs.

My friend K, who, thorough his blog, was one of the principal inspirations for my own purchase of digital acreage, made a few remarks last month on the birthday of Minnesota Public Radio’s 89.3 FM - The Current which made me think about my own radio listening experience.

As a kid I can remember listening to a ton of radio. By that I mean I listened to radio at least 15 times more than I watched television. Part of that was a function of my parents not having cable TV (WKBT from LaCrosse has never had stimulating programming), and part of that was due to my insatiable appetite for Twins baseball, which I either pulled in on 1230 AM KWNO in Winona or 830 AM WCCO (the “Good Neighbor to the North”).

KWNO in the Eighties and early Nineties was a shadow of the station it was in the Seventies (I have this on the authority of my dad), so I didn’t listen to much of the music Kay-Dub offered. Most of the time, I flipped over to 102.7 FM “The Eagle” out of LaCrosse for music. The Eagle carried your normal Fifties-Sixties-Seventies playlist, which was semi-decent commercial radio.

When I got to high school I started listening to 97.5 FM KNXR in Rochester. My musical tastes had shifted to include a lot of jazz. I particularly loved listening to John Doremus’ program “Patterns in Music” and the show immediately after it, “Music in the Night.” KNXR was definitely not the kind of radio station a “cool” kid would have listened to in high school. It was more the kind of thing you’d expect to hear in an old two-chair barber shop or in the lobby of your dentist’s office. Very easy listening, lots of old standards, very personable (and actually entertaining) announcers.

I also listened to MPR quite a bit in high school. My taste for classical music had finally blossomed, and I was also listening to their morning programming quite a bit. I called into (and was on-air) “Midmorning” back when Katherine Lanpher hosted the program. Of course, I also called into (and was on-air with) Rush Limbaugh, back when I was a Republican.

Public radio’s always been a two-edged sword for me. On one hand, I love programming like “Car Talk,” “The Splendid Table,” and (with reservations about Keillor’s sell-outness) “A Prairie Home Companion.” But I’ve always found something about traditional public radio slightly unctuous and smug, so I remain on the fringes.

These days I pretty much don’t listen to traditional commercial radio anymore. I’ve grown tired of the standardized formats, the innane gimmicks, and the unimaginative playlists. I’ve moved beyond anything Clear Channel can offer me.

I’m nearing an anniversary of my own. At the end of the month I’ll have been a subscriber to Sirius for a year. Just as public radio revolutionized certain parts of audio media, so, I think, has satellite radio. Already a last frontier for operators like Howard Stern, who dance beyond control of the FCC like cattle rustlers congregating just out of reach of US Marshals in the western territories 150 years ago, satellite radio has far better (more varied, more thoughtful, more entertaining) programming than anything available over standard airwaves. And because it’s subscriber-based, hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy excellence in broadcasting (sorry, Rush) for a long time to come.

As much as I do love Sirius, it’s still not my ideal. Sirius is a vast hegemony of media, with so many different stations that it would be impossible to pool them all into one. If I had the disposable cash, I suppose I could look into neighborhood public radio or podcasting, both of which intrigue me. I’d love to have some sort of program, but I’m most certainly not at a stage in my life where I can do much to pursue a dream like that. But that would only whet my appetite to expand, because there are a number of people I know who would also make excellent radio hosts.

If I were to win the lottery (slim chances there, since I don’t buy the tickets), here are the top five things I would do, in no particular order:

1) buy a Volvo for every day of the week (I’m perfectly serious)
2) build a vacation home in the Northwoods, or perhaps Maine
3) donate to several charitable organizations
4) take care of my school debt/invest for my future/put siblings through college
5) start a radio station

There are quite a few things to consider when starting a radio station. I can’t decide if I’d go AM, FM, or HF (shortwave). I don’t think I’d have a set format, but allow myself some flexibility. Ideally, I wouldn’t have listeners that listened to my station all the time unless their musical taste is as diverse as mine.

I’ve got specific people in mind for hosts, including, but not limited to, my dad, my girlfriend, Jo, Uncle Kootch, uncles Bro and Mo (a much more entertaining duo than Hannity and Colmes, I think), and my friends Tim and Sean. I’d also recruit my uncle Sam, who actually has radio experience (with MPR and a radio station he worked at in Liberia), for a program. I’d allow them as much artistic freedom as they’d need, because already their interests are so diverse that I’d probably muck things up with suggestions. Besides, all are very creative folks and would do extremely well on their own.

It’ll never happen, but how often do we come across an ideal situation? I’m persuaded that we run across so little that is ideal that instead of wishing for improvement from the flawed things in life, we should accept those flaws, enjoy them for what they are, and just be thankful for those things we already have which are wrought so perfectly. If I’m wrong, blame it on my youth.

My friend Tim will often mention how much he likes the personalized Google page. I didn’t personally jump on the bandwagon until about a month ago, but it’s become one of my core Mozilla tabs.

Today’s edition of the Quotes of the Day featured three of my favorite quotable gentlemen, Hunter S. Thompson, George Carlin, and Groucho Marx.

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” -HST

“Honesty may be the best policy, but it’s important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.” - GC

“I don’t have a photograph, but you can have my footprints. They’re upstairs in my socks.” - Groucho

Although reading them brightens my day considerably, I can’t help but feel a pang of regret that only one of them is still alive and producing new quotable material.

Although armed with good intentions when I created it, I’ve long neglected this site.

A short explanation for this would involve lack of initiative, other projects, and a general absence of enthusiasm from mid-November through mid-December which derailed any development I might have otherwise undertaken.

I also couldn’t quite decide what direction I wanted to take with the site, but I think I’ve found a viable solution.

Unless you’re my wonderful host you’re likely here because at some point I mentioned that I actually own a little web acreage. Some of you are familiar with writing I’ve done in other forum, and I don’t intend to stop posting there. I’ve simply decided that this particular site is a much better place to express thoughts not directly pertaining to my personal life. That doesn’t mean I won’t make mention of what I’m up to from time to time, just that there are other venues already featuring such content.

Lastly, you’ll notice that this isn’t the first post of the day. The previous post is a rough approximation of some of the content I’ll be featuring here. Off-the-cuff Op/Ed thoughts, some cultural commentary (movies, music, books, etc), and maybe a little baseball sprinkled in here and there. If you’re not much a fan of my writing style, I hope to at least keep you entertained by variety. Remember, variety can be a wonderful thing - Ernest Tilley found God at the Smörgåsbord.

I’ll be working on this daily (with the exception of “business trips”); I’ve got a lot of lost ground to cover. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated, and I with luck I’ll keep things fresh around here and make this site actually worth visiting regularly.

If not, blame it on my youth.

In a nice bookend to my post yesterday which touched on Bill Gates being one of TIME’s “Persons (sic) of the Year,” Wired News has featured a pair of commentaries on the philanthropic actions of Gates and his eternal adversary, Steve Jobs.

Leander Kahney column last week takes Steve Jobs to task for not publicly making contributions to any charitable organization or movement, stating “Gates … gives vast sums away [and]… speaks up in support of the organizations and institutions he believes in.”

He continues. “This is not the case for Jobs. To the best of my knowledge, in the last decade or more, Jobs has not spoken up on any social or political issue he believes in … rather, he uses social issues to support his own selfish business goals. [He] can’t even get behind causes that would seem to carry deep personal meaning, let alone lasting social importance. Like Lance Armstrong, he is a cancer survivor. But unlike Armstrong, Jobs has so far done little publicly to raise money or awareness for the disease.”

Kahney closes by claiming Gates is far more worthy of adulation than Jobs, Bono over Mick Jagger, and John Lennon over Elvis, as they pushed beyond their celebrity to champion causes which they believed in.

Unfortunately, at no point does it even occur to Kahney that perhaps behind his public persona a very private Steve Jobs may be a large anonymous contributor to any number of causes. I’m not saying that I’m certain this is the case, but it seems rather small to me to criticise someone for not tooting his own horn about the size or nature of his donations.

Luckily, Tony Long is much more realistic than Kahney.

A tasty excerpt:

“What I want to know is why guys who manufacture computers or make software are worthy of being elevated to near-deity status by you techno-utopians. Technology, this manna from heaven that was supposed to free us from our chains, has done nothing of the sort. On the contrary, while computer technology may increase personal productivity, it’s only complicated the nature of class struggle by eliminating jobs, weakening labor unions and dispersing workers. Meanwhile, the few still reap enormous wealth from the labor of the many. To a large degree, we have Gates and Jobs to thank for that … The point is, while you might believe that Apple or Microsoft or some other company produces things that make your life worth living, worshipping at the feet of their captains is misplaced. In the end, who cares whether Gates gives away millions or that Jobs does or doesn’t? It’s easy to have billions and give away millions, because you’re not really sacrificing a thing. Besides, noblesse oblige is to be expected, not admired.”

But where Long really hits his home run is how he closes his commentary:

“I’ll save my admiration for the guy making minimum wage who still finds the time and a few bucks to help someone less fortunate than he is. Or the schoolmarm who teaches your children how to read. Or the doctor who provides affordable medical care to a needy community instead of setting up a lucrative practice in Beverly Hills. “Hero” is a word that’s bandied about a little too casually these days, but there are still real heroes out there. Almost without exception, though, you’ve never heard of them.”