Owning Zoe and Charlie has been my first true experience being a dog owner. I've wanted a dog of my own since I was a little kid. I'd had these images of me throwing a tennis ball playing fetch, or hiking down a trail with a full backpack, hiking boots and a hiking stick with my dog at my side (never mind the fact that I've never gone hiking before), or on a road trip just the dog and me, like I was Han Solo and dog would be my Chewbacca. Of all the dogs I had dreamed would be my companion a Chihuahua was never one them.

I wanted a more macho kind of dog, one that was wolf-like in appearance, like a German Shepherd or an Alaskan Husky, one that would be a reflection of my masculinity. Funny, huh?

So instead of a big, rugged dog I ended up with two Chihuahuas that have a combined weight of no more than 13 pounds. And while neither one will ever fulfill my dreams of playing frisbee or will make me look like a tough guy walking down the street they have still fulfilled me in a way I hadn't expected.

I used to think that people that did things like taking their dogs with them everywhere they went, or had portraits taken with them, lavishing them with money and attention were absolutely nuts. What's wrong with these people? I understand you love your dog, but for Christ's sake they're DOGS, not people. You must have a mental condition. But now I think I understand.

I have learned so much from my dogs. Zoe and Charlie show me unconditional love. When I come home from work every day they are the ones that welcome me home, tails wagging, jumping up trying to lick my face. They live in the moment, not dwelling on past. They don't hold grudges. If they get mad, they don't stay mad. They forgive almost instantly. They give so much and ask for so little in return. Now I understand why people spoil their dogs. They're just trying to reciprocate.

I have also earned a greater appreciation of not just dogs, but of all animals. They have opened my eyes to rights of animals. I make sure that whenever I see a news item about animal abuse I make a point to put it on Digg and add a comment or two. I now have a greater sympathy for shelter animals and the situations that led them to being there. I have always felt that Pit Bulls have been victimized by ignorance and discrimination, but now the subject enrages me. Isn't that funny? Who would ever think that a Chihuahua could serve as a goodwill ambassador for a Pit Bull?

Without having Zoe and Charlie in my life I doubt I would have ever read Cesar Millan's "Be the Pack Leader". From that book I have learned how not only does the "pack leader" mindset help you with dogs, but how it can help you become a better human being. The calm assertiveness needed by an effective pack leader can also be applied in one's own person-to-person interactions as well. Learning to communicate calmly with your dog is great practice for communicating calmly with people. The principles and mental states are no different.

My dogs have had a powerful affect over me. They may look tiny, but they are strong in ways I never could have imagined.

Folks, I am struggling with that Keep It Simple Stupid concept. This is actually my third attempt at making this blog entry. What I've been wanting to share with you is how to back up your data and reinstall Windows. Those two things would probably result in fairly long entries and lately I haven't found the time. So today there's a couple of other things I'd like to tell you about instead.

GRAND CENTRAL

As an AT&T employee I speak to many people who move and are faced with having to start over with a new phone number. For many of them this is quite distressing. It's a real pain having to notify people. And of course, there's always people you end up missing. My stepdad also mentioned to me that as a minimal cell phone user he'd like for there to be a way to have he and my mom have one number that rings both of their cells. The way cell phone service is set up this simply isn't possible. But now, the 900-lb. gorilla of the internet, Google, has a solution that should make everyone happy.

GrandCentral.com is a brand new service owned by Google. This service will provide you with the last phone number you will ever need to give out. Forever. As in the rest of your life. Once you're registered you'll have a new phone number that will forward your calls to your cell phone, home phone, office, or wherever you tell it to. And it won't matter where you live. The service will forward calls to that number to wherever your land line is located. So now people can call me on the local Oakland phone number that I got from GrandCentral (which, by the way, is 510-992-6304 [Change country code ...] ) and it'll ring my home phone in Martinez and it also rings my cell phone. You'll never need to know what my home phone number or cell number is. I can take whatever number my phone company and/or cell provider gives me and link it to my GrandCentral number. This solves the problem of the person that moves and is forced to take a new home phone number. This is also the solution to my stepdad's problem.

The service offers a wealth of user options including voice mail, call screening, customized ring tones, call recording, and even not to ring certain numbers during certain hours (like not ringing the home phone during work hours, for example). It's a terrific solution for people on the go the need to stay connected. Best of all, it's free.

But there is one drawback. It's in beta right now, so there's a waiting list. I probably waited a good two months before I was allowed to register and start using it but I have good news for you. I have been given a limited number of invitations. If you'd like to sign up just shoot me an e-mail. The invitation will get you in right away.

MINT

Another great new online service is Mint. Mint is a personal finance manager. It monitors your bank accounts and credit cards, will analyze your purchases and bills, and make suggestions on how to save money. It will show your how you're spending. Sometimes the results can quite eye-opening. For example, I had no idea I was spending so much at 7-11. I guess I need to lay off those Big Gulps more than I thought. They lay out a nice little pie chart that displays where all your money is going. I'd love to show you but part of the member agreement is that I can't publish a screen shot.

One suggestion it made for me is that it analyzed how much I spend at Blockbuster video and suggested I enroll in their online rental program and that it would save me $210 over the course of a year and provided me with a link to Blockbuster's website. That's a good start, but it isn't always accurate. It's analysis of my cell phone expenses led it to suggest I not only switch carriers to Verizon, but to sign up for their telephone and internet as well. That ain't gonna happen, folks, even if I wanted to I couldn't. I don't live in an area serviced by Verizon telecom.

This is another site that had me on a waiting list, but the