Antlerz is a natural deer antler that is a chew toy for dogs. I purchased one from Highland Pet Supply since they have become one of my favorite places to go for anything Bella related. They are just simply knowledgeable and kind. They also have a training program that I will be enrolling her in shortly. The antler itself is a cut from a deer antler that was naturally shed. These are great for tough chewers like Bella and hopefully will last a decent time. From the moment I brought it out of the bag and placed it in front of her, she has taken interest like no previous toy. I am hoping that this keeps up, as my furniture, rug, socks, jeans and shoes could all take a break…

If you can’t find them at your local pet supply store, you can also find them online.

Visit Highland Pet Supply in Atlanta, GA
Purchase Antlerz by QT Dog

Puppies are constantly going through a teething process, and while I have a number of chew bones, and other teething specific toys, Bella seems to enjoy softer materials for sure. My socks and shirts are on the top of her list, so when I can replace my clothing with another toy that is meant for her to gnaw on, I am reaching for whatever is closest. The 3 squirrels that come with the toy are great. They all squeak, and all are soft and plush. But what really what she seems to enjoy the most is the tree stump that the squirrels hide in. Despite the fact that she is only slightly larger than the stump, she grips it with her teeth and shakes it all around, getting out her energy, and having fun doing so.

Now I understand that all dogs are a little different, but the combination of items that come with this toy seem to be a good value, and Bella sure seems to enjoy them quite a bit. Certainly has been a great buy for me.

Purchase Hide-A-Squirrel Pet Toy by Kyjen

I started out with I’m sure a point and shoot, some more “prosumer” models, and finally graduated to a DSLR. All the while, as they say, the best camera you have is the one you have on you. This brings me “full circle” so to say, back to a very compact device, but one that packs just a huge amount of power, the Canon S100.

I had become more and more reliant in the last 6 months or so on my iPhone 4S. The camera on that phone is like night and day compared to it’s predecessors, and as a result, I found myself carrying a camera less and less. Even on short trips, I would neglect to bring a true digital camera along, due to the inconvenience of the charger, cables, etc. It was just one more thing to carry with me, and I was using a Canon Powershot G10. While it’s no DSLR, it wasn’t exactly the camera that slides into your pocket without notice.

The S100 seems to bring back my fascination with true digital cameras. The form factor is tiny, but it certainly doesn’t skimp in features. While the G10 has a lot of dials conveniently located on the body, the S100 I think will serve my needs just fine. I found myself using the G10 mainly in Aperture (Av) mode. I used the exposure compensation dial, the adjustable aperture setting, and ISO to dial in the shots I wanted. The S100 has the familiar Av mode that I had become so accustomed to, but just served in a slightly different manner. The “control ring” on the front serves as my exposure compensation, while the small dial on the back of the camera serves as my aperture control. ISO is auto selected based on the conditions, and that just about takes care of my needs. Not too shabby for something that is noticeably smaller in my pocket.

The other reasons I chose the S100 were the faster lens, built in GPS, and 1080 video. At f2.0, the lens is definitely faster than that of the G10… Always a welcome addition, especially with my strong desires to shoot in low-light situations. The GPS is convenient to track photo locations, especially when travelling in foreign countries, while the 1080 video is just a welcome upgrade.

While it’s just been a short time that I have used this new toy, I am very excited to further explore its features and benefits. One thing I know for certain is that with every year, Canon seems to be doing wonders with it’s processing chips, allowing for shooting at higher ISOs with less grain… Always welcome in my book as I prefer to shoot without the help of a flash.

Purchase the Canon PowerShot S100

Originally I had purchased this for camping purposes. The headlamp is an essential tool when camping due to the fact that unlike a flashlight, it frees up both hands to take care of whatever task you may have at hand. I would argue that this small tool helps to make my “middle of the night” runs outside to let Bella relieve herself useful well beyond the campsite.

Bella, at 8 weeks, is still small enough for me to hold her and carry her outside as she has trouble navigating stairs, though at times she can be quite squirmy. So as you can imagine, as I am half asleep, trying to carry this pup outside, I could use all the help I can get. The headlamp allows me to keep my hands on her as I carry her outside, in my pockets to keep them warm, and allows me to easily pick up any “presents” she may have left for me.

What really helps to set this headlamp apart from the others however, is that it has an ambient light cover too. This is helpful for when you don’t want to spotlight an area, rather just have a soft diffused light around you… Granted I haven’t used this for the night runs as of late, but it is quite handy when you’re camping.

No matter what I use this headlamp for, it seems to do quite a good job at it, and I’m quite impressed with how easily it has become a tool that I couldn’t live without at night this past week.

Purchase the TR1 Headlamp + Ambient light Set by Mammut

Bella is a blue Great Dane. I have chosen to create a Tumblr account online to track her pictures/growth. Feel free to follow along as I am sure to take many pictures and videos of her. I have also decided to create a section on my blog to track the many items I purchase for her under the tag of “Great Dane Gear” to help aid other Great Dane owners in their purchasing behaviors.

I look forward to bringing Bella into my life, and hope you follow along for the adventure as well.

Follow Bella on Tumblr.

Bélon, or “Bella” for short, comes from a breeder here in Conyers, GA. She is a blue Great Dane puppy, that will grow to become ~150 lbs. large. I am very excited at the opportunity to raise my first dog from such a young age. I understand it’s a lot of work, but well worth the effort. I have been researching the necessities like mad, and have been reading a book to prepare myself for this adventure.

Unlike a cat, this puppy will I’m sure consume my life for a duration as I attempt to train and raise her. Of course for me, that begins the search for all the items that I’ll need in doing so. I have been scouring the internet for crates, beds, collars, leashes, toys, etc. I have started ordering all these things with great anticipation for when I bring her to her new home in a week and a half.

I have decided, much like the Travel Gear selections of my site, to share with you the items I have purchased to help other potential Great Dane owners in their item selections. I’ll begin with the essential dog crate.

This crate by MidWest Homes For Pets is gigantic. It’s 54″(l)x37″(w)x45″(h)… More than enough room for me to fit in it for sure. Unfortunately it doesn’t come standard with a divider to allow “room for growth”. Thank goodness for Google. In searching for a divder, I ran across the following item:

This item will help section the enormous crate into a space that Bella can be confined to, and I can shift it to give her more room as she grows.

Crate training a dog is a good method in terms of giving her a “den” that is all her own. It also prevents her from having “accidents” and leaving surprises for you around the house. I certainly hope that this mansion of a crate does the trick and that she finds it comfortable. Naturally I will be outfitting it with a pad and blankets for her to get comfortable in so that she too can have a “bed” to sleep on at night, and during the day when I am at work.

Purchase the MidWest Solutions 2 Door Large Dog Crate
Purchase the Divider Panel
Purchase Imagine Life with a Well-Behaved Dog: A 3-Step Positive Dog-Training Program

The kit consists of 3 short (4 inch) cables that take up very little room, and when you couple that with the laptop that I am inevitably going to carry with me (currently a MacBook Air 11″), this makes for a nice little setup.

I was originally introduced to short cables with the iStubz, a shortened iPhone 30-pin connector. It was a nice little cable to throw into the bag along with my laptop to ensure that I would be able to sync, charge, and connect my phone at any given time. What was missing from the mix however was a way to charge my Kindle, which uses the micro-USB connection, as well as my digital camera, which uses mini-USB. When I found this solution, I figured I would give it a go.

The cables themselves seem very sturdy. The USB cable that comes with the iPhone after time will wear and the sleeve will crack. The rubber on the Griffin USB mini cables seem to be very sturdy and thick, giving me little reason to believe that they will be wearing out anytime soon. I am looking forward to using these and seeing if they stand the test of time.

Purchase the Griffin USB Mini Cable Kit

AT&T launched a store in Arlington Heights, where Never Without was asked to create the UI and content for their first ever “app wall”. This 92″ multi-touch display allows users to interact with it using their hands to navigate through content which showcases new smartphone apps. QR Codes are also embedded so that users can download software to their phones immediately.

View more of Never Without’s work here.

I often will travel to various places using different luggage. I have a couple of wheeled suitcases, I have a couple of backpacks, and I have a few messenger bags. No matter what the vessel, these cubes are what organize the contents within. That is what I enjoy about them the most. They are versatile and help to organize your life on the road. I started out with a couple sets of the 3-packs and have been so thankful for purchasing them. They’re lightweight so you don’t even know that they’re there, until you need to start access all your belongings. Whether it’s the start of your trip and they’re there to separate your clothing (socks and underwear from pants), or at the middle of the trip to separate clean from dirty, they’re a great tool to organize your travel closet/dresser.

Now I am sure there are a number of these things out there, but I bought my first set from eBags, and was excited about the price, the size variety, and the reviews that they received. Granted, I’m sure they all work fairly similarly, I think the main intent is to get your life on the go organized as much as you can so you can enjoy your trip, and stop worrying about the little things.

Purchase the eBags Slim Packing Cubes

As my career progressed, I soon found myself trying to straddle the lines of design and development. It isn’t always the easiest line to walk. I felt compelled to continue my learnings on both sides, but it was evident that I was falling more into the design camp. Years later, I am now a creative director, helping to shape the work of my peers to fit the solutions my company has established for our client’s needs. I am not as hands on as I once was, neither in the design, or development process.

The other day I was reading a blog, and they mentioned a site called Codecademy. There has been a surge to try and reignite the passion for coding here in the States. There has always been this outsourcing of development overseas. I for one am not a fan of that approach since it lacks the direct communication with a peer. What I enjoy about this startup’s approach to coding is that it seems more community based rather than individual. I would have to say that during my coding days, that is what seemed to drive me to learn more… The fact that I was learning this stuff with my co-workers was great. I was pushing them, and they were pushing me. It was a great environment to learn in, but since those days, I feel like I have been isolated to learn more and more on my own, resulting in this current stagnant state of pushing myself. Until now that is…

I had read a book the other day called “My Exile Lifestyle” while I was on a plane ride from Atlanta to my hometown San Francisco. It was written by a guy named Colin Wright, and intrigued me with his approach to life. I have always been fascinated by other cultures and travelling, and this guy was doing it and continuing to grow his businesses at the same time. What a way to live! I shortly thereafter liked him on Facebook and started to read his other books. Just the other day, he had written to announce that he was looking to fulfill a promise that he had made to himself to learn a new language. Python. He had invited others to join him in learning something new. I immediately was interested. What better way to reignite that desire to learn more than doing so with some other people. I was in.

Since I have Never Without, we subscribe to a lynda.com account so our co-workers (and myself) can learn new things. I have started the tutorial on Python 3, and have gotten my feet wet. It feels good to broaden my horizons and learn something new. It’s been a while…