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Ever wonder what it’s like to have a newborn baby? Take home a new puppy; it’s cheaper, but you’ll experience the same lack of sleep, bathroom breaks on the hour, and somehow, whenever you want to sleep, she’ll know (and want to play). Penny has been nothing but a great girl, and we can’t wait until this weekend, when we move into our new place over in Saint Paul. We’ll be saying adios to our beloved Little Canada, but more importantly, farewell to the shady operation of our former über-apartment (no names… if you want to know- ask).

I’ll be sure to load videos to Vimeo and pictures to my MobileMe gallery during the move process.

For now, I’m going to head back to KARE 11 to watch some quick news coverage, and more of the XXIX Olympiad. Go USA! Go Michael Phelps!

Leslie and I will be moving to our new apartment in two weeks, and the most important factor was whether or not our new place had a “pet friendly” policy. We had been wanting a dog since our move to our place in Little Canada, but we had to wait. Until now. This past week, Leslie was doing some serious searching for pugs in the Star Tribune and PetFinder to get a pug from a reputable breeder in the area. We found two such places, both around an hour from Saint Cloud, well into farm country.

We found ourselves stopping at the first location in Eden Valley, a place where soybeans and corn were all I could see for miles. (Okay, there were barns, tractors, and silos.) We stopped at a breeder who had two litters: a Boston terrier purebred group of four, and a mix of a pug mother / Boston father, or a “bug.”

I really wanted a brindle-colored dog, whether or not it was a pure pug, I didn’t care. To be honest, purebred dogs don’t rate too well in my book. I’ve always had a mutt dog, (my parents have two purebreds now: a yellow lab and a Cardigan Welsh Corgi), so “hybrid vigor” is something I really believe in. We fell in love right away with a little girl who is a Boston / pug cross. She was the runt of both litters, but she was obviously the one with the most spunk. We decided we would name her “Penny” because (1) it is not a common human name, (2) it is easily yelled due to the final vowel sound, and (3) her brindle color looks like a tarnished copper penny. Her full name is Penelope May Wigglesworth. She was born on May 24th, so we made May her middle name. We wanted a fun name, so we chose her surname based on her character.

I have posted pictures and a video on my MobileMe Gallery. You can view them by clicking on the “Elsewhere on the Web” tab (above) and click on the multimedia gallery. For a few select photos, check out the gallery below.

I am currently sitting at the breakfast table on the third floor having a cheese danish and an English breakfast tea at PodCamp Boston. Harvard Medical School has been a great venue, and I am very certain this building looks a lot like Boylston Street’s Apple store.

I have learned a lot about podcasting, new social media, and after this great conference, I will follow up with an awesome post. Flikr and Twitter are abound with content (hopefully, some I can link to and share).

I have been out of school for just shy of two months, and I can’t help but think about the journey I have ahead of me. So many decisions to make, both in the short term and for the long term. I just can’t get over the fact that my undergraduate career is over, and I feel like I was thrust out into the world like a bird getting pushed out of the nest. I do know I want to enjoy life, yet that seems to be the problem. So many of my friends, also recent graduates, are out and about, trying to become members of the workforce. I fully admit that there is not a job I can specifically define as an “ideal” job. I know I want to find a job I can be passionate about, excited to work each and every day. My parents come from the school of thought where work is not something of passion, but something to provide for your family.

I came across a post by Rob Goodlatte entitled “Passionless Pre-Professionals.” I cannot agree more with his post. Everyone should be passionate about work; it is after all something you are probably going to be doing for the good majority of your working life.

I want to work for a company that is open-minded about the future, and is focused more than just financial growth. Sure, it’s in a company’s interest to have sound finances, but what about not forgetting the people who work to fulfill that mission every day? I want to work for a company where I have the opportunity to travel, and utilize my language skills in Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic. I want to be able to work for a company that values an employee’s personal development, and time away from work. It’s not as important that I have immense amounts of paid time off, as the opportunity to have more than just two weeks a year off, even if it’s not paid vacation leave. Three-day weekends here and there, especially around the holidays, add up fast.

I’m very happy working for Apple, and I intend to stay as a part-time employee. I just hope that I can continue to find jobs where passion is a prerequisite at the workplace.

Sadly, I will be working most of the day today at Apple in the Mall of America. Leslie is with her family at her cabin in McGregor. This is my first time away from the largest of my family get-togethers. My uncle Tab is a minister in Duluth, and for the traditional holiday gatherings, he and his family are in Duluth. So the Fourth of July weekend is a time for everyone to migrate back home, to celebrate our nation’s independence, but most importantly, enjoy family.

This day is a chance for my extremely large, Iron Ranger, Italian extended family to enjoy one another’s company, catch up on the gossip of recent happenings, but most of all, to show other newcomers to our family what “family” really means. From Florida to Oregon, Wisconsin to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, my family has trekked back to Eveleth to watch the annual Eveleth Fourth of July parade since I can remember. We stake out that certain street corner on Grant Avenue in front of the bank, and plop down our folding chairs, park the strollers, and get ready for one of the best parades I’ve ever known.

My favorite of any summer activity (yes, even more than my recent disc golf hobby) is the annual bocce ball tournament at Bootsie and Louie’s cabin on Saint Mary’s Lake. It’s the most official-yet-relaxed sporting event ever. Wimbledon and the like: take note. Yes, we pay a friendly entrance fee, but the money goes to the winning pair and the runner up pair. Ever since I was little, I wanted to win that tournament.

I’ve had several moments in the past few years where I was worried about making an appearance. I worked in the Boundary Waters at Charles L. Sommers - Northern Tier National High Adventure Base during the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school. Yet, I was able to make the trip down, and I even brought a co-worker away from his family in Illinois. Four summers ago, Leslie and I made the trek from northwestern Wisconsin from Tomahawk Scout Reservation, our first summer “dating” (even though as co-workers we couldn’t really say that). In the summer of 2006, she and I drove up from the Twin Cities to play in the bocce tournament, Leslie a returning newcomer the family was expecting. Last summer, I was scheduled to work at 4pm back in Hibbing on the 4th, so although I made it to the parade, the Elk’s Club after-party, and a good portion of the bocce tournament, I had to jet early, and I even made it to the final pairing, albeit playing as a stand-in for my cousin Jillian’s boyfriend (who I heard never actually showed up).

I think that growing up makes a person want to move away from his hometown, but to an extent, there are always those memories you want to rekindle and re-live. No matter how far from the Iron Range I move, I promise my family that I will make it back for them- to be with them- every 4th of July from this day on.

I hope all of you have a great Fourth of July weekend with your family and friends. I never wanted to admit it, but sitting here alone at my desk in my apartment in Little Canada, absence does make the heart grow fonder of the ones you love.

Today, I will be in the company of co-workers who are also far from home. I will share with them my stories of family at the Fourth. Tonight, we shall create history of our own: Downtown Minneapolis on the Fourth of July. I will post pictures and videos as soon as possible.

I love you and miss you all! I will be calling to talk to you several times today. A call to everyone: don’t let Richie rig the tournament brackets and somehow manage to get to the finals AGAIN.