Ang's Journal

So last week we got rid of Oscar the bright green Mustang & replaced him with a new-to-us 2002 Saab 93 turbo named Saabastian. So as far as the Texas assimilation process goes, that's probably a step backwards.

But yesterday we got a puppy:





Here's the story: last Saturday hotpantsgalore & I went hiking in Austin's Greenbelt, & while talking about our upcoming schedules, we realized that we both have a lot of free time this summer. So why not get a dog?

When we got home that night, I got a text from my Hopedale co-worker Nick. While leaving the work site on Saturday night, he found seven puppies on the side of the road. He took them home to Alabama & posted photos of them on Facebook. HPG & I saw the photos & asked about one of the puppies. On Monday, I got another text from Nick: "The puppy is in Austin". Turns out his neighbor from back home was moving to Austin & wanted a puppy. Nick said: "Take two, & call Angela when you get to Austin." Puppy delivery!

So we have named her Shadeaux - the spelling is a nod to her Louisiana origins. She is VERY young - so young I'm not sure that she had even been properly weaned. We're taking her to the vet today to start her vaccinations & get her checked out. We are working on crate training & housebreaking, & looking around for puppy socialization/obedience classes.

SHE'S SO CUTE!!!

I've been reading up on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, trying to get a feel for what the Gulf Coast might be in for in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. This morning I found this interesting little tidbit on Wikipedia:

"In the case of Baker v. Exxon, an Anchorage jury awarded $287 million for actual damages and $5 billion for punitive damages. The punitive damages amount was equal to a single year's profit by Exxon at that time. To protect itself in case the judgment was affirmed, Exxon obtained a $4.8 billion credit line from J.P. Morgan & Co. This in turn gave J.P. Morgan the opportunity to create the first modern credit default swap in 1994, so that J.P. Morgan would not have to hold so much money in reserve (8% of the loan under Basel I) against the risk of Exxon's default."