I took this when I took another walk along a different part of the creek yesterday.

In Pflugerville

This list of mostly anonymous quotes from college admissions officers is pretty depressing. For instance:

“All in all, we’re less selective than some of the elite schools or the Ivy League. But there are still some factors out of an applicant’s hands. One night, I got food poisoning at a restaurant in Buffalo. The next day, I rejected all the Buffalo applications. I couldn’t stomach reading them.”

(via Rafe Colburn)

Another shot from my walk along Shoal Creek last week. In this shot, the close-up tree adds depth and has the added benefit of obscuring the office buildings on the horizon.

Apparently, Internet dating site eHarmony monitors the text that its users input and filters out terms such as “get[ting] laid”. Unfortunately, for this user, the filter wasn’t smart enough to understand his answer to the prompt “What are you thankful for?” His answer, “Having a job, given the way I watch a friend get laid off nearly every week lately,” earned him a terms of service violation notice.
(via Consumerist)

No, I didn’t catch her mid-lick. Her tongue no longer stays in her mouth.

This is the gigantic American flag that flies in my office complex, filmed on a sunny day with a stiff wind. I was able to get fairly close to the flag and almost the same height on one of the upper floors of the parking garage.

A pool in Bull Creek, taken while on a walk from my office.

Last week, I wrote about the stray Golden Retriever that came up to us on Christmas day.
Well, Katie took him to the vet today. As soon as he heard Rufus’ story, the vet guessed that Rufus had heartworms¹. Apparently, a lot of people abandon their dogs when they test positive for heartworms: either the owners think the dog is a goner, or they don’t want/can’t pay for treatment, which can be quite expensive. In either case, just dumping the dog is a poor choice (don’t get me started!).
A heartworm test was one of the reasons we took Rufus in to the vet. Sure enough, he tested positive. Fortunately, our country vet only charges $300² for treatment, and he thinks that little enough damage has been done to Rufus’ heart that he’ll have a full recovery.
¹ Heartworms are very common in this part of the country, and all dogs should be given preventive medicine.
² He said that other vets charge up to $1000.