Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Family Fun

Whether it’s been my Butler family or my immediate human family, it just seems that this spring has been filled with family fun for me.

Of course, this past weekend was the celebration of the Christian holiday, Easter, so I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one getting in some quality time with the family. My parents and I loaded up and headed to Wabash, Ind. to see both sets of grandparents.

Of course, my young cousins (read nieces and nephews to my parents) were in attendance at these family gatherings so their playtime was also my playtime. That also means that I got to share in their Easter egg hunts, romps in the yard, rough-housing sessions and even a little dance-off. The videos are below and all featured on BlueTube. Enjoy!

















I've also made a new friend to add to my extended family. His full name is Wilberforce, but we just call him Wilber for short. He's a 10-week-old English Bulldog puppy adopted by fellow Butler grads, Noelle and Daniel Pulliam.

I got to go over to Wilber's house last week, meet him and have a fun play date. I showed him the ropes a bit, taught him how to be a man and gave him some tips as to what to watch for growing up. He's a great little dude and I look forward to future get-togethers with him. Below is a video of our time together...



Even though the basketball seasons have come and gone, I’ve still been very active on campus. My Butler family has been requesting my presence quite frequently as well. From greeting prospective students and their families at early registration events to making class visits, I’ve been a busy bulldog.

Like I do every semester, I made my visits to Dr. Steven Vibbert’s public relations classes. I absolutely love Dr. Vibbert and visiting his classes so this is always a highlight for me. So much so that when my dad says his name, my ears go back and when he gives the command, I drag him through Jordan Hall, out the door, to the Fairbanks Building and directly to Dr. V’s classroom.

Dr. Vibbert is the only professor that habitually invites me to his classes so he and I have a special bond. Here’s a pic of me with some of his class members…


We also had some first graders on campus this week from IPS School No. 91. They were visiting some of our faculty and students from the College of Education. So I stopped by to see them just in time to get a look at their great bulldog drawings.

Here’s a shot of me with those kids, some of their mentors and their great bulldog drawings.

In other news, I got a promotion the other week. It’s true! Well, sort of anyway. I’m no longer just the official mascot of Butler University, but now I’m also an official building supervisor for the HRC! Yep, since I’m at the HRC so much, hanging out behind the control desk while my dad works out or teaches a fitness class, the HRC staff got me a belated birthday gift which made me a building supervisor.

It’s my very own HRC building supervisor bandana to wear around the joint. I sort of had an all-access pass anyway, but not it’s official. Special thanks to my friends at the HRC for the great gift!

Finally, the big buzz on campus recently has been a new contest featured in the campus newspaper, The Butler Collegian. It’s a photo caption contest that the Collegian staff started last week and the picture they chose to kick things off is of me laying a big smooch on my dad at a football game.

I didn’t think anything of it, but my dad just can’t seem to live it down. I’ve included a picture below, but this is a full color, half page spread of me planting a big wet kiss on my dad’s face. Consider it sweet revenge on my dad for making me do things that I don’t want to do. Ha ha ha ha! Good stuff.

Well, that’s about all from me at the moment. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to keep up with me on a daily basis via Twitter (www.twitter.com/butlerblue2) and on Blue2TV.

Woof!

Blue II

Friday, April 3, 2009

Extreme Makeover: Blue II Edition

Just a quick post today to show off a little video that my good buddies at CMC Media Group put together of myself and P.I.C., Hink, at the ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition video shoot held at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

Many thanks to the kind fellas at CMC Media Group for doing this! You guys are good in my book!

Anyway, the video is below. I think it will give you a bit of a glimpse of the atmosphere on Wednesday night in Hinkle, and set the scene a little bit better than my poor story telling and weak photography. Enjoy...



A quick mention of congratulations to Butler men's head basketball coach, Brad Stevens, who was deservedly awarded a contract extension this week. He's scheduled to be at Butler now until 2014-15. In his first two years as head coach of the Bulldogs, he boasts an impressive 56-10 record. To put that into perspective, only North Carolina's Bill Guthridge (58-14 from 1997-99), had more victories in his first two years. (The credit to David Woods of The Indianapolis Star for that stat.)

This weekend is the opening weekend of the IndyCar Series 2009 season with a race in St. Petersburg, Fla. Why does that concern me? Well, my dad is there for one, but also because fellow Bulldog and 2003 Butler grad Ed Carpenter will once again be in the field behind the wheel of the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing machine. Check him out on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS!

As for me this weekend, I'll be heading back up to Wabash, Ind. with my mom to visit the grandparents. I'm seeing a four-wheeler or tractor ride in my future!

I hope you enjoy the spring weekend as well!

Blue II

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Welcoming an 'Extreme Makeover' after Mourning the Loss of a Friend

If you live in Indianapolis, then surely by now that you’ve heard that ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition is in town helping the McFarland family by partnering with Estridge to build them a new home and by constructing a community center on Indy’s east side.

Well, Butler University got involved with the project yesterday as we hosted the show’s design team, production crew and several adoring fans inside Hinkle Fieldhouse for a special video shoot to let the McFarland family know that not only do they get a new house, but their mortgage is paid in full!

Myself and my P.I.C. (partner-in-crime), Hink, were on hand to welcome the crowd, meet the designers and production crew and just have a good time. Here are some shots from the evening featuring me with designers Ty Pennington, Michael Moloney, Paige Hemmis and Paul DiMeo.

For the rest of the photos, check out http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=72132&id=23981937738&l=de697d51d2

The show airs weekly on Sundays on your local ABC affiliate at 8/7 central. This specific episode will air on May 17th, but don’t look for me as I don’t think that I actually made it into any of the filming.

The ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition was a good distraction for me this week as I’ve been mourning the passing of my first canine friend, Gabe, an Golden Retriever.

Gabe was the childhood dog of my dad’s good buddy and colleague, Uncle Kyle. I came home as a puppy on May 20, 2004. That next weekend was the Indianapolis 500 and so, Gabe and his parents took me in for the day so my parents could go enjoy the race. I was just a pup at the time and Gabe was a season veteran. He showed me the ropes and we were buddies ever since.

Gabe experienced a pinched nerve on Monday and was unable to use his back legs after that. That meant he could get up, walk, or do anything that a normal dog could do, so after 13 great years, Gabe went to doggy heaven on Tuesday morning. Rest in peace, Gabe! I’ll miss you!

Blue II