Doug Goodman

A week and a half ago, I bought a new dog, a white German Shepherd.  After everything that happened with Voodoo, I took this dog almost immediately to the vet.  The fecal turned up with no hookworms, but it is possible the worms just aren't producing eggs, so it is normal to put a puppy on hookworm anyway.  Again, I wouldn't argue with it! 

We have had her for a full week, and we have been going through names.  I had a ton (like Zilla and Cerbie) that we went through, but this time we were voting on the name, with me having the final say.   We had a lot of 2-way ties, but only one three-way.  By vote, here are the names:

Banshee - 2

Cthulhu - 2

Voodoo - 2

Rider - 3

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!  The name shall be Rider.  My daughter liked it for naming the puppy after Ghost Rider.  I liked it for Pale Rider, and my wife liked the sound.  Like Mojo, I like the various "sources" of the name.  I can already see people asking if she is named for the actress or for a Harley.  I am also going to say cool things like "C'mon, Rider.  Let's roll."  Plus, there is the kind of irony only a person in my field can appreciate (essentially, a cadaver dog named death - this is like when I wanted to name the previous dog "Murder," as in "a murder of crows.")  I'm weird.  I know that.  Now it's time to fill out the registration forms...

We are going to remove clutter from a blended family's LA bungalow...and then we're going to add to the house an 18-foot guillotine!

Animal investigators finally get to deal with a loose tiger or other wild animal, which seemed to be an every-other-month occurence up until Animal Cops Houston debuted...

Chainsaws, bats, and mad men...

Immunity challenge:  Syrup of Ipecac.  Last one to vomit wins immunity.  Also, the person who vomits the most wins a second vote.

Today on John and Kate Plus Eight, Kate comes down with a severe case of laryngitis and completely loses her voice.  Meanwhile, the kids help John build an 18-foot guillotine.

I was reading a Foxtrot comic strip earlier today (from a collection).  Foxtrot is great for my kids, who are still kids and not young adults.  They are in the Foxtrot and Garfield stage, and are nto quite ready for Calvin and Hobbes, which I am sure is the last stage before they are looking for their own reading entertainment. 

In one of the comic strips, the young boy is watching television.  "Today on New Yankee Workshop," he hears, "We are going to show you how to build an 18-foot guillotine."  I felt inspired.  This week I am going to post "Today" notes, about what the kind of dream television we could have if we really pushed the boundaries.

So...

Today on The Amazing Race, the last team to reach the finish line will not be elminiated.  However, in a new twist to the Race, instead of moving on to Sweden like the other teams, they will spend the entire next leg of the race in Afghanistan and Iraq."