Butler University Homecoming 2009: A Dog's Eye View

It’s finally here, it’s homecoming 2009! Much like Christmas day, a birthday, first day of summer vacation, or any other highly anticipated day or event, homecoming week is one of the highlights of my job as mascot. I just love how the campus always comes alive with energy amongst a beautiful fall backdrop. And just as there are great events, activities and offerings, there’s even better reunions, renewed relationships and just people connecting with each other, their alma mater and/or this great university. Homecoming certainly is a special time.

As you could imagine, as mascot, I’m quite busy come homecoming week, although, I’ve spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday doing a lot of resting up by emphasizing a routine of lounging around the office and sleeping in anticipation for the hustle and bustle that is Thursday, Friday and Saturday of homecoming. Butler President, Dr. Bobby Fong only thinks he’s busy this weekend…he should see my social calendar!

On Thursday I have just a couple of appearances including my annual photograph with the Butler University Board of Trustees…nothing like getting a little face time with the “Top Dawgs!” And while they may have the reins to this place, I think they know who really calls the shots…why else would they put me front and center in their picture?

Thursday is a fairly light day, all things considered, but in addition to the trustee photograph, I’ve got an interview about the annual Bulldog Beauty Contest and an appearance at the dedication ceremony and grand opening of the new College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences building on campus.

Before I get started on my homecoming responsibilities on Friday, I’ve got a little personal business to tend to with the annual “Blessing of the Animals” service put on by our neighbor, the Christian Theological Seminary. The ceremony is held in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures and its officially celebrated on Oct. 4th, but CTS holds their service a couple of days early so that it’s during the week. That’s Friday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. in the CTS courtyard if you are interested in attending. I rather enjoy the event and frankly, I’ll take a good blessing anytime I can get it!

After that, it’s back to campus and back to work. There’s a women’s soccer match at 4:30 p.m. versus defending Horizon League champions Milwaukee in the Butler Bowl that’s also an opportunity to support a very special cause…Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Come out and support the Butler women's soccer team as it hosts its Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

All fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness and the first 150 students in attendance will be able to attend a halftime tailgate, with each student getting a free hot dog, chips and a drink.

Friday's women’s soccer festivities will begin with a ceremonial pregame coin flip featuring Butler women's basketball coach Beth Couture, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last spring. Couture, who has won 363 games in her career - including 105 at Butler - is set to have her cancer treatments completed in time to lead the Bulldog basketball team this season. The women's soccer team will also be wearing pink warm-ups. Also at halftime, the Bulldogs will honor Joy (Aschenbrener) Sweeney (1995-98), who was inducted into the Butler University Athletic Hall of Fame last spring.

I might just have to trade in my blue jersey for a pink shirt on Friday afternoon. I’m not one for pink, my name is “Blue” after all, but I am one for a good cause so I’ll see what I can do.

Back across campus at 5 p.m. I have an open house to attend in the Fairbanks Building for the School of Journalism and then it’s off campus I go to the home of our resident IndyCar driver and 2003 Butler grad, Ed Carpenter, as I’ve been contracted to do an appearance for his daughter’s birthday party. I don’t normally do that sort of thing, but it’s a special friend and a special request, so I make exceptions.

After the birthday party, I’m headed home to host my grandparents who are coming into town and staying at my place. I’ll also use that time at home to rest up and get ready for a big Saturday on campus. Meanwhile, I’ll send my dad back to Butler in my stead to attend the President’s Dinner…formal dinners aren’t really my thing…that whole begging for food at the side of the table is considered faux pas, I guess.

On Saturday I can be found all over campus, whether riding in a Corvette for the parade, running the undefeated football team on to the field for their match against San Diego, showing my face at the young alumni Barktoberfest event, cruising the Butler Bowl parking lot for some handouts/table scraps at the tailgates or attending the volleyball game in the evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse. It’s sure to be a busy, but fun day.

And while all of that is well and good, perhaps there’s one event that I’m most looking forward to…an event that makes Butler’s homecoming different than any other homecoming. That event of course would be the annual Bulldog Beauty Contest!


You saw my post last month about the contest and it appears that my predictions were true as once again this year we are set to have our best competition to date! We have 74 dogs pre-registered for the event as of 9 a.m. on Oct. 1st and that’s a new record. Last year we had a total of 75 dogs show up, including walk-ups, so we are certain to exceed that come this Saturday, Oct. 3rd at 10 a.m. !

Keep in mind this event is free and open to the public, so whether you have a bulldog to compete with or not, you definitely want to attend…and bring a camera! Who knew a bulldog beauty contest would be such the spectator sport?! We’ll have increased seating this year (five sets of bleachers) for your viewing pleasure as well.

Held on the main mall, just south of Norris Plaza, these 74+ dogs (mostly bulldogs) will parade on a stage and catwalk and compete for the honor of being named the top dog in one of the following categories.

-Cutest Bulldog
-Meanest-Looking Bulldog
-Best Dressed Bulldog
-Best Dog Trick*
-Most Butler Spirit*
-Best Wannabe Bulldog*
-Oldest Bulldog
-Youngest Bulldog

-Best in Show*

Categories ending with an asterisk are the only categories open for non-bulldogs.

Keep in mind the “Best in Show” this year walks away with the grand prize of one year’s supply of dog food provided by Eagle Pack Holistic Select Pet Food, WellPet, and City Dogs Grocery! That’s a more than $600 value! Other category winners will take home prizes from City Dogs Grocery and all participants will receive a pack of Holistic Select Treats from Eagle Pack, WellPet and City Dogs Grocery. (a full list of sponsors is listed on the image below)

Oh, and we’ve increased our panel of judges this year from five to seven to include a couple of celebrities and our good friends at Indianapolis’ ABC affiliate WRTV-6…morning weatherman and traffic reporter, Paul Poteet and Tom Davis.

Why Paul and Tom? Well, we thought they might be able to help us on the weather and traffic Saturday morning, but even more than that, we know these guys like to have a good time. Just visit http://www.paulpoteet.com/ and their “Off the Cuff” videos for proof.

I hope to see you on Saturday morning for our Bulldog Beauty Contest…trust me, you don’t want to miss this event! If you can’t make it, then hop online as I’m going to try and do a live twitter-cast of the event either at www.twitter.com/butlerblue2 and/or www.twitter.com/butleru.

So that’s what my Homecoming weekend looks like, but of course, that’s just a highlight of events during Butler’s homecoming weekend…at least the ones that I’m involved with anyway. So for a complete listing, visit www.butler.edu/homecoming and take a look at the complete schedule of activities this weekend.

And if you can’t make it back, I’ll be tweeting my homecoming adventures at www.twitter.com/ButlerBlue2, so feel free to log on often for status reports and pictures!

Here’s to a great homecoming weekend, filled with victories, reunions, good times and great weather!

Go Dawgs!

Blue II

What I Did Last Summer - The Summer Essay

(This blog post contains no images…for photos and video, please visit the following websites: http://www.twitpic.com/photos/butlerblue2 and www.youtube.com/butlerblue2.)

It’s late August (the last day in fact) and while, in my opinion, we should all still all be out hitting up bodies of water, golf course, outdoor amphitheatres, race tracks, or rolling on two wheels, enjoying a round of catch in the front yard, enjoying an afternoon nap in front of a fan and/or all of the other fruits of summer, instead we’re all hustling back to the halls and walls that hold us over the cold, dry winter months. We’re back to the rooms that hold as much knowledge and learning as they do daydreams and germs, but it’s the obligatory rite of passage in our lives as we know it, yes, it’s back to school time.

For my elementary, middle and high school counterparts, you’ve most likely done your settling in and by now there’s a good chance that your desk is already a mess, your locker stinks and you and classmates have worn the fresh wax of those hard terrazzo floors. We collegiate types like to put the return to campus off a bit more, like it should be (and much like I did my blog to this summer); and so the Butler Bulldogs returned to campus for the first day of class, last Wednesday, Aug. 26th.

At Butler, like most college campuses I would assume, the return to school is less dreaded than say at the secondary level. I wouldn’t know, I didn’t go to high school as I was a bit of a prodigy…going straight to college and all. But my parents went and they usually just groan when it’s referenced. But college on the other hand, now that’s some of the best days of your life and so why wouldn’t 18-23 year-olds want to leave their parents behind each summer to start a new season of fraternization and studies?

Combine that anticipated return to campus with a faculty and staff at Butler that’s a-buzz with the news that we’ve moved up in the U.S. News & World Report rankings AND our freshman class looks to be one of the best to ever step foot on campus!

Butler received its highest ranking ever of second in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Colleges. It is also Butler’s 21st consecutive year being among the top 10 in this category. For all of the scoop, head here: http://www.butler.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=1256&z=22

And as for the freshman, well, we welcomed 958 freshmen when school began last Wednesday with a class slightly larger than the enrollment target of 915. The students making up Butler’s class of 2013 boast strong high school academic achievements and an average GPA of 3.74 (on a 4.0 scale). Eight are National Merit Scholars (up from 4 last year); one student is a National Achievement Scholar. Fifty-six of them were valedictorians; 19 were salutatorians. Twenty-nine are Lilly Scholars. More stats here: http://www.butler.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=1252&z=22

So anyway, about my blog…um, yeah, well, you see, once I found out this past spring that Butler’s president, Dr. Bobby Fong was taking something called a “sabbatical” for the next three months, which involved him not coming to campus, leaving the country and putting someone else in charge, I said to heck with it. I figured that while Dr. Fong may run the campus, I own this place so if he can take some time off, then I can too.

Unfortunately, the guy I come to work with everyday, my dad, yeah well he doesn’t get these so-called “sabbaticals,” (I called him a fool for not working that one out in his contract.) so we still had to report to campus every day. That being the case I had to find at least something I could take a sabbatical from and so I chose the blog (and the web cam and Facebook).

I still came to work every day, I still tweeted on my Twitter.com account regularly (@ButlerBlue2) and posted a couple videos to my BlueTube (YouTube.com) channel, but that was about it. Otherwise, I laid low when it came to the new media and self promotion. However, while I may have not been on the computer much (and neither should you have been…it’s summer after all!) it wasn’t like I was leading a completely sedentary lifestyle. In fact, I did some pretty cool things and so to tell you all about it, I’m going to write a little back to school summer essay. I’m sure you know what I’m referencing and maybe have even had to write one or two of them in your lifetime.

Yep, it’s the “Here’s What I Did Last Summer” essay, by Butler Blue II. Have fun grading, errr, reading it.

June

The month of June was rather uneventful, and perhaps the most noteworthy item of the month was settling in to an empty campus. Late May and June always bring the promise of a fun summer and the harsh reality that it’s going to be a lonely campus. I like the summertime and I also enjoy the peaceful collegiate atmosphere that only summer can bring to a college campus, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I preferred the hustle and bustle of the students shuffling to class.

Otherwise, my month of June was filled with appearances for the Office of Admission, photo opportunities with young campers on campus for everything from sports camps, music camps and even writing workshops. I also had a couple of extended stays at my grandparents’ houses which were pretty fun too.


July

The seventh month of the year might have been one of the best for me so far this year and most certainly marked the highlights of my summer.

I’ll start with the pinnacle of my summer which was a fine purchase by my parents known as the Tail Wagon by Burley. The best way to explain this thing is like having my own chariot to ride in which my parents can either hook up to their bicycles and tow or push like a stroller. And trust me, when you’re a heavy bulldog with little short legs and a general difficulty breathing, this is the best way to go for a “walk.”

In fact, there’s only two things wrong with the Burley Tail Wagon…1.) I don’t get to ride it near enough and; 2.) my parents didn’t buy it for me sooner. Now, I’m not sponsored by Burley or anything, but that’s a gig I wouldn’t mind either. Hint, hint. Hey Burley people, if you need a spokesdog or even just some happy pooch to grace your product packaging, then hit me up!

The month of July was cool too. And by cool, I mean as in temperature. In fact, it was something like the second coolest July on record in Indianapolis and while that didn’t sit well with some, it was certainly quite welcome by me. Think about it, I’m stuck wearing this fur coat no matter the weather conditions!

So with the cool weather and a new toy in the Burley Tail Wagon, you would have thought that would have been beating the pavement at every opportunity. Well, I did get out quite bit, but only when I could pull my dad away from watching Lance Armstrong peddle the Tour de France on VERSUS-TV or put down a book he picked up called “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” by Garth Stein. It’s a book about dogs, and auto racing, two of my dad’s favorite things, and top that off with the fact that the book is written from a dog’s perspective, much like my blog, and he was hooked on every word.

On top of that, July 20 marked the 40th anniversary that famed astronaut Neil Armstrong and colleagues Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins crewed the first mission (Apollo 11) involving a lunar landing. My dad is a big space geek as well, so of course he was all about commemorating that event by watching and reading the media coverage.

So I spent a lot of time on the couch with my dad watching rockets, bicycles and reading about racecars which was all just fuel on my own burning fire of desire to test the limits of my Burley Tail Wagon.

I suppose that with all of the good that July brought there’s bound to be a little bad as well. The bad came in the form of broken glass. Long story short, my mom was driving our family’s new Honda Ridgeline and I was on the backseats, chilling out in my seat cover/hammock. And by “chilling out,” I mean I was fast asleep. While cruising along the highway, suddenly, and with no warning, our sunroof just exploded. No, it did not crack, we did not hit a bump, it just exploded. Shards of glass were everywhere as it covered me, my mom, and both the interior and exterior of the truck. Thankfully everyone was fine and after I was able to get vacuumed off later that evening, I was good to go. Unfortunately the folks at American Honda did not deem the failure of the glass to be a warrantable occurrence (I find that to be leaning on the side of unethical.) so they didn’t pick up the tab for the damage. The didn’t even spilt the bill, so my parents were truckless and a little lighter in the pocketbook for much of July, but that’s life I suppose.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Honda makes a wonderful product, but I pinned them as one to stand by their product just a bit more than they actually did. After all, while there are known cases of sunroofs exploding in their vehicles, it does appear to be rare and often times caused by a manufacturer defect. But I’m just a dog, so what do I know?

July also saw a couple of our Butler Bulldog student athletes bring home some new hardware in the form of gold medals! Yep, our own men’s basketball players, Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack won gold medals on behalf of the USA in the FIBA U19 World Championship in July. Not only that, but the pair were the talk of the team and represented Butler quite well. Read all about it: http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=967621


August

I was worried that with all the highlights brought about by July would leave August an absolute bore. But the “dog days of summer” did not disappoint either. In fact, August got started with a bang as 2003 Butler University grad and Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter put on an impressive display of driving in the IndyCar Series’ race at Kentucky Speedway on August 1st.

Ed put on the drive of his young career by charging from a 14th starting spot all the way up to lead the race for 34 laps and eventually battle with Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske in an exciting ten lap duel which ended in Ed taking second by just 0.0162 of a second! It was Ed’s best finish and most laps led in an IndyCar event. Of course, my dad works part-time for the team so I have a vested interest in all of it, even outside of Ed being a Butler Bulldog. I was proud of all involved.

Summer Etcetera

The promise of another academic year and the students returning to campus is definitely something that I look forward to in August. The return of the students brings a buzz back to campus that even I can sense and pick up on; adding a pep to my step. My social calendar picks up immediately and my desire and need for attention is met by students who adore me, and/or miss their own doggie that they left at home.

Of course, there were other noteworthy summer highlights as well and include the usual activities like swimming in my kiddie pool, trips to my grandparents’ houses, frequent visits to local ice cream shops and outdoor dining facilities like Boogie Burger, Greek’s Pizzeria and Yats, which are all in the Broadripple area.

Summertime is also the anniversary of my annual health checkup and vaccinations. So I went to visit my pal and Butler grad, Dr. Kurt Phillips of Woodland Animal Hospital in Carmel, Ind. Dr. Phillips gave me a clean bill of health, but was a bit concerned about my propensity to walk gingerly from time to time, specially as I tend to stiffen up after a hard play or romp. While I’m only five years old, I am now considered to be middle-aged and VERY active for a bulldog, so he thought it might be wise to put me on some arthritis medication as a preventative measure.

Not only do I like taking the arthritis medication each day as my parents cover it with peanut butter to get me to swallow it, but it actually works too. A month or so after taking the stuff, I’m feeling like a young pup again! So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.

So that was my summer, or at least that was my summer as summarized in essay form. I hope you enjoyed it.

Stay tuned to the blog as now that school is back in session, I’ll be more diligent about updating it early and often. Also, don’t forget to follow my Twitter feed as well: www.Twitter.com/ButlerBlue2 as I’m updating that on a regular basis and including photos as well.

Here’s to summer days gone by and now a great 2009-10 academic and athletic year on the campus of Butler University. So far so good!

Blue II

P.S. For pictures and video of my summer adventures, head to http://www.twitpic.com/photos/butlerblue2 and www.youtube.com/butlerblue2. Sorry, this post was already long enough without the imagery, so I just decided you can go check it out on your own.

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

March is My Month!

Why is March my month? Well, it's my birth month and if that's not good enough for you, then because Butler University says so!

According to today's Butler University "NewsFlash," our e-newsletter for alumni and friends, the Butler University Student Foundation (BUSF) will be helping me celebrate my fifth birthday on March 27th .

To view the newsletter, follow this link: http://editor.ne16.com/he/vo.aspx?FileID=917d9802-76dd-451e-9931-4c2709cc03d7&MemberID=286244402&MailID=8626727

In addition to a student, faculty and staff campus birthday party on my big day, they are also allowing everyone to celebrate my "born-on date." BUSF is supplying a special Blue II coloring card with wich you can send me your special birthday wishes. So have at it and let me know what you think!

In other news, the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team closed out February as the regular season Horizon League Champions as they defeated Cleveland State at Hinkle Fieldhouse on IndyCar Series Day.

That means Butler gets to host the Horizon League post-season tournament and I get to go to more home basketball games! So I'm excited about that! Not bad for being picked fifth in the League to start the season! Go Dawgs!

Since yesterday was IndyCar Series Day at Butler, I got to hang out with IndyCar drivers Ed Carpenter (2003 Butler grad) and Sarah Fisher (pictured/former Butler student).

Ed and Sarah signed autographs, presented special Butler branded IndyCar race helmets to Butler athletic director Barry Collier and Hink, as well as raced tricycles. Yes, they are so desperate to race something this off-season, they went head to head on trikes. Here's some footage of that...



IndyCar Day also gave me an opportunity to pose next to Ed Carpenter's No. 20 Menards Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine, operated by Vision Racing.

It's a nice looking car, but I'm not sure where the family dog is supposed to ride.

In like a lion, out like a lamb,

Blue II

My First Trip to Tennessee

For maybe just the third or fourth time in my life, I got to leave the state of Indiana last weekend! I’ve been to Ohio a couple of times to visit family and friends, but that’s it, until this past weekend when my parents took me down to Tennessee!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get over to Knoxville, Tenn. so that I could call on Smokey, but we did make it all the way down to Nashville/Nolensville, Tenn. to stay with my good friend, Reese (Peanut Butter Cup) the miniature daschund and her parents Jason and Betsy Weatherly.

It was also the first time that I got to go along with my parents for a race weekend as my dad was going there with Vision Racing to work the Firestone Indy 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.
I didn’t end up getting to go to the track with him, but I probably could have. I had my credential (Its true. See picture below) and Ed Carpenter (2003 Butler grad) had his motor coach there with the A/C running. It could have worked!

Instead I stayed back at the Weatherly residence and tired myself out playing with Reese. Her and I are like a regular “Milo and Otis,” so to speak. I enjoy stealing her toys, she enjoys stealing my food and we both like to chase each other around the furniture as displayed in the video below. Ahh, good times.

It was a good weekend and fun for me to get away with my parents for once. I had such a good time and wore myself out so much that I slept the entire way home.

Yep, for the 5+ hour ride home, instead of sleeping on the back seat, I laid down on the floorboard in the back and sawed logs all the way home. I only got up once when we stopped for a quick potty break.

Other than that the past couple of weeks have been fairly uneventful. I’ve just passed the time by taking naps and tearing up my toys around the office. Below is a picture and evidence of the destruction. The victim in those pictures was an alligator of mine, which has actually been in my stash of office toys for probably two years. I finally decided it was time to cause havoc on the poor gator. I was particularly proud of myself that day.

On Wednesday morning I had to go visit the vet b/c my mom found a chipped tooth underneath all my defining flabs and wrinkles. My parents are kind of sensitive about my teeth because well, I don’t have that many, and because one time I broke a molar in half and had to have it removed before it caused infection. What can I say, I’m a British bulldog…I naturally have bad teeth.

Anyway, a tip of one of my fangs has been chipped and the tooth is starting to die (don’t worry, you can’t see it…my flab covers it). Dr. Kurt Phillips (a Butler grad) at Woodland Animal Hospital in Carmel, Ind. said that it looked fine and as long as it wasn’t causing me any pain, then my health was not in jeopardy. He said a doggy dentist would want to do a root canal and cap it, which he said at this stage was excessive.

I was happy to oblige with the no-treatment route and be on my merry way. (In the picture it might be hard to tell that my fang is chipped, but you can start to see the discoloration caused by the slow death of the tooth.)


Speaking of the vet, I think I may have failed to mention that I was there a while back for my annual check-up…shots/vaccinations, ears, eyes, etc. I weighed 62 lbs. and received a clean bill of health. I also got a new jangle to my jingle with my updated rabies vacc. tag (pictured).

This weekend my parents are headed off to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for another race and a bit of camping. I love to camp and you’d think that this would be one of the races that I’d get to go to as it’s probably the most conducive venue on the circuit to having dogs around. But, the owners of the place must not like dogs or something because pets aren’t allowed at Mid-Ohio.

So, that means I’ll be headed north again (read: Wabash, Ind.) to spend some time with both the Kaltenmark and Richards grandparents. I’m so lucky to have such a loving place to go. I’m looking forward to the attention, sleeping-in and special treats!

To get ready I spent a lot of quality time with my parents last night. I got a bath and was thoroughly furminated. Then we went outside on the back deck where we all got on the swing and enjoyed listening to the locusts and just hanging out.

Today I have another piano camp photo-op and that’s about it. So I’ll probably just nap, eat, bark at inanimate objects, shred some toys or boxes, sleep some more and just hang out. It’s hard being me. Luckily I’m up for the task.


I hope your summer is going as well as mine is. The weatherman says that it’s only supposed to warm up over the next few days so crank up that A/C, keep cool and apply sunscreen liberally.

Blue II

Ed Carpenter & Friends

First, a congratulations is in order for fellow Butler Bulldog, 2003 grad and IndyCar Series driver, Ed Carpenter for his fifth place finish in the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 driving for Vision Racing!

Ed had a great month after starting 10th (a best for him at Indy) and finishing fifth (also a best at Indy and matches his best IndyCar Series finish). He also picked up his first lead laps in an Indy car during the race. Ed also earned the AAA Safe Driver Award for his safe and clean driving all month long in the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine.

Ed showed great determination during the race. After starting 10th, he dropped to 12th and then began his charge to the lead pack. He was running steadily between 4th and 6th when on his next to last pit stop, the car failed to engage into neutral and he stalled the engine coming into the pits. Ed’s crew ran a routine stop, got the car restarted and back into the race. However, he was relegated to 23rd.

Thanks to Ed’s grace under pressure, his perseverance, a great race strategy and some divine intervention, Ed was able to get back with the lead pack again and take fifth place on the day. It truly was a remarkable run for Ed and Vision Racing. Way to be a Bulldog out there, Ed!

Ed represented Butler well and we should be proud. His performance was the essence of The Butler Way.

Of course, I was cheering from Grandma and Grandpa Kaltenmark’s house in Wabash, Ind. where I will again cheer for him this weekend when he heads to The Milwaukee Mile (4 p.m. ET on ABC).

Yep, I’m headed north for the weekend again…my mom gets to join my dad for this race so that leaves me the odd dog out, thus, I needed a place to go and once again, my grandparents come to my aid.

I hope grandpa takes me to the hardware store again! That was fun.

Speaking of fun, I had the opportunity to make some new friends yesterday. Louis, a nearly two year-old basset hound came to campus to visit me and we went outside and had a great time. We were joined by Hoops, a year and a half year-old pit bull owned by former Butler guard, Mike Green (pictured).

Louis and Hoops did most of the running around while I observed, barked orders and guarded my bone, but it was still fun. Here’s a video of the adventure and a couple more can be found at BlueTube as well.

Running around on the campus mall with Louis and Hoops reminded me of the good old days with my best bud, Kirby. You may remember Kirby moved away to Minnesota with his mom, Jessica Butler, after she graduated earlier this month.

Well, Kirby’s aunt had taken some pictures of us playing before he left and I had received them the night before I met Louis. So I was glad to see Louis and Hoops because by that point I was really missing Kirby.

Below are the pictures that Kirby’s aunt took of us...

Well, I think that's about all I know for the time being. I've been loving this great spring weather and lush green grass. It's a great time to be a dog in Indiana!

Blue II

P.S. Do you know what Ed Carpenter and I have in common? We'll both be featured on a DVD from Butler that could be coming to a mailbox near you sometime very soon. If you receive the Butler Magazine or Butler materials, then chances are you'll bet getting this DVD. Be sure to pop it open and throw it in the DVD player and give it a view. I think you are really going to like it. I'll have more about this little project in the near future.

Checking in with the Parents

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am spending the weekend with my Grandma and Grandpa Kaltenmark in Wabash, Ind. You see, my parents get into this Indy 500 thing...in addition to working at Butler University, my dad also works on a part-time basis for Vision Racing, so he's really busy on race day and my mom, well, she's busy tailgating and watching the race, so that kind of leaves me out. That's okay, grandma and grandpa have come to my rescue once again.

I skipped town with the grandparents on Friday so I decided to check in yesterday and send my parents an email to let them know what I had been up to while in Wabash. My grandpa helped me get the message below all typed up and sent...


Dear Mom & Dad,

I just want you to know that things are fine here at Grandma’s house. These old folks don’t play with me as much as I would like, but they try to make me happy from time to time. I am not confined to the living room, but I spend most of my time there.

Grandpa took me to the hardware store this morning so I could meet Chris Kramer’s (Purdue University) grandpa. People there were really impressed with me. One lady walked in and said, “That’s the dog I see on TV all the time.” She called me a movie star. A teenaged girl who works there said I was so ugly that I was cute. I don’t know where she got the ugly part.

Grandma & Papa went to some senior open houses this afternoon. One of his football players asked Papa if he had baby-sat for me recently. Papa said that I was at his house at that very moment. I wonder if some of those football guys will come see me later. I liked going to their practices with grandpa back in the fall.

I have a new trick I like to pull on Grandpa. I acted like I need to go potty. When we get outside I head straight for his car. Grandma thinks I’m homesick and miss my Mommy.

By the way my barking gets an immediate response from people around here. It is easy to get their attention and get what ever I want.

Hope you’re enjoying your time at the track. I’ll be watching the race tomorrow in hopes I can see you.

I’ll be home Monday morning.

Love,

Blue

So as you can see, staying with the grandparents is definitely all it's cracked up to be...treats, attention, car rides and getting really spoiled. It's a nice break from the normal routine.

I hope you will join me in watching the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 today. It airs live on ABC at 1 p.m. (ET) and it should be a great show. Remember to cheer on our driver, Ed Carpenter, driver of the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing car...it's bright yellow and easy to spot. He'll start 10th in his 5th Indy 500. Ed is a 2003 Butler grad and a good friend. Go Bulldog (Ed)!

Ladies and Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!

Blue II

Remembering my First Day on the Job

So today is a special day...May 20, 2004 was the first day that I got to go to Butler Unviersity and my new home. Thus, four years ago today I spent my first day on the job as official mascot.

I remember it well...

My dad came out to Frank and Jeane King's house in Lizton, Ind., also the site of Kong King Kennel, to pick me up. But before we left, Frank glued my ears back and in place, which is as much about aesthetics as it is about keeping dire and dust mites from making my ears a permanent residence. I wimpered through much of that process, even though it didn't hurt at all.
After that, my dad loaded me into a crate in the car and I cried and carried on all the way from Lizton to Indianapolis. However, I'm ashamed to say that the first campus I stopped at wasn't Butler's, but the University of Indianapolis'! Can you believe that?! I thought for a little while that they were going to try and make a Greyhound out of me! In reality, we stopped at UIndy to see my new, adopted mother who was a graduate student in the physical therapy program there. She couldn't wait to see me!

After we stopped to see mom and her classmates, it was off to God's Country, also known as 46th and Sunset, or the beautiful campus of Butler University. Once at BU, I got to check out my new office and colleagues, but at that age (around 7 weeks), I mostly slept and tried to bite just about everything due to teething. Here's a picture of me on that day...


After spending the afternoon on campus at Butler, I headed to my new home to check out my new digs. By this point, my seat in the car had gone from crate to dad's lap. This trend of "working the system" would continue.

At my new home, I immediately began potty training, testing the limits, eating, playing trying out my crate, and of course, more sleeping.

Here's a picture of my mom and I on that first night home and a shot of my enjoying my crate.

I was pretty much just one big wrinkle back then! Thankfully, I didn't grow into all of them!

Come bedtime, my dad vowed that I would not sleep in the bed. so he put me in a my crate, by the bed, and on the floor. That lasted all of maybe one hour thanks to my persistence and crying, barking and whatnot. Needless to say, I've been sleeping in the bed ever since.

Fast forward to today and I'm still coming to campus nearly every day, riding shot gun in the car and sleeping in the bed. Life is good.

Speaking of today, I got things started with my dad and Kyle down in Greenwood, Ind. at Westwood Elementary School. Kyle's nephews, Hunter and Kaylor and neice Autumn go there and they invited us to come by and read a book to the school and hand out my book marks.

Yesterday I got to take part in a video shoot for the Office of Admission which was being shot by YOUniversity.tv Here are a couple of my own videos from that shoot...

Once the official video is up on YOUniversity.tv, I'll be sure to pass along a link.

Well, I'm looking forward to this weekend, and not just because of the holiday, but also because I get to spend it with my Grandma and Grandpa Kaltenmark up in Wabash, Ind. I'm sure it will be a great time...grandma will spoil me with attention, grandpa will take me on errands around town and I'll get to sleep in! I can't wait!

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend. Be sure to tune into the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday to cheer on 2003 Butler graduate, Ed Carpenter, in the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing machine.

Blue II

Graduation 2008

As I mentioned in my last post, I got to be a part of this year’s graduation ceremony…and I don’t mean just showing up because it’s a university event. No, thanks to Dr. Steven Vibbert, this year’s selected faculty speaker, I was actually an integral part of the program.

Dr. Vibbert is a professor in the Eugene Pulliam School of Journalism and specifically teaches undergraduate courses related to public relations. You may remember his name from my blog as Dr. Vibbert is the only professor that invites me to pay a visit to each one of his classes, every semester.

He’s also my dad’s favorite professor from his undergraduate days and it’s easy to see why, especially after I had the pleasure of hearing him “profess” to the graduating class of 2008 on Saturday.

Dr. Vibbert started his speech off with a very valid point. He said to the graduates, “Look around you right now and soak in the feeling that fills this field house. You know what that feeling is? It’s accomplishment. And now look at those around you—at your friends and family and at this proud faculty in their own very spiffy hats behind me, look at all the people who supported you—and who share your sense of accomplishment. Here’s the good part about accomplishment. It is a renewable resource. You’ve earned the good feeling—I’d say the good vibe—of this accomplishment, but you know that having done it once, you can do it again and again. You can achieve this feeling over and over, by doing things as you’ve done here at Butler—the Butler Way--and by sharing in the accomplishments of others as parents and friends in future years.”

I found that to be some great perspective, even from my point-of-view, which is affixed on four legs and about a foot and a half off the ground. However, the crux of his message was based on an acronym…an old trick he uses a lot in his classes.

He told the graduates to use the acronym BLUE to guide them. B for "be flexible," because "change is going to happen to you"; L for "let someone know they made a difference to you; U for "use the front-page test – if you're doing something you wouldn't want everyone to read about on the front page of your hometown newspaper, then don't do it"; and E for "enthusiasm," which they'll need to succeed.

He ended it with, “As I look back on the four points I’ve written: Be flexible; Let someone know they made a difference; Use the front page test; Enthusiasm matters…B.L.U.E. I see that they spell BLUE. I want you to remember BLUE, Butler Blue, to do things the right way—what is sometimes called the Butler Way.

Are these four points really part of what it means to be Butler Blue? Can they in some way connect you all, today and in the future? Are they worth remembering, as I think they are? How could I prove such a statement? How could I make your last class at Butler stay with you?

I have an idea—a friend of yours and mine whom I’ve asked to come to commencement just to make this call.”

This is the part where I made my grand entrance and found my spot on stage next to Dr. Vibbert and the podium, amid the cheers, laughter and clapping. It was quite fun.

Really, I was probably on display for a minute, but like Dr. Vibbert, I think it drove home the point and maybe made that one of the most memorable speeches in all of Butler’s 152 commencement exercises.

In all, the University conferred degrees on 877 students – 275 from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 196 from the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 185 from the College of Business Administration, 120 from the Jordan College of Fine Arts and 101 from the College of Education.

Dr. Susan Solomon, a senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was the keynote speaker. She was part of the group that won the 2007 Nobel Prize for their efforts "to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

I don’t really know anything about that, nor will I pretend to. When it comes to climates, I just know that I’m the sort of breed that pretty much has to live in a temperature controlled environment, thus, I need a very mild climate…i.e. indoors.

Anyway, Dr. Solomon got an Honorary Degree during the ceremony. I did not, however get an Honorary Degree. That’s okay, I’m probably only deserving of an “Ornery Degree.” I know…bad joke.

In other news, fellow Butler Bulldog and IndyCar Series driver, Ed Carpenter, did make the field for the Indianapolis 500 on the first day of qualifying this past Saturday. He will start the 92nd running from the 10th position. Go Ed!

Before I sign off on this post, I want to wish my good friend Kirby the best of luck in Minnesota. His mom graduated on Saturday so I have to bid farewell to my good friend. Thanks for leaving me your purple wading pool too, Kirby! I’ll put it to good use like I did my blue one last year.

Bye Kirby…I’ll never forget the great times we had together!

Blue II

The Hook Up!

This week has been pretty fruitful for me. For whatever reason, I’ve been getting the hook up! It all started on Monday when the department secretary for Political Science, Linda Cooley, brought me a bunch of new toys and a ton gourmet treats from Three Dog Bakery. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I don’t know what I did, but it was awesome! Linda’s a big fan. Thanks Linda!

One of the toys Linda brought me was a stuffed polar bear. It was by far my favorite toy of the lot. I pretty much destroyed it all week. Check out the pictures and video…

Then on Wednesday, my good friend Arni Sribhen of IndyCar Series fame, hooked me up with some IndyCar swag, including a leash and a jersey. They’re perfect for this time of year…May in Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500.



Naturally, I’m rooting for 2003 Butler graduate, Ed Carpenter…driver of the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Go Bulldogs!

On Thursday I went to the ground breaking ceremony for the new pharmacy building on campus. We were under a tent for the event, but it rained steadily all day and during the event so I got a little wet on that venture.

Later in the day I got to visit with the senior class at their champagne toast and class picture. That was a lot of fun and I enjoyed being in their class picture, primarilly because this is the first class that I've seen all the way through at Butler. In other words, they were freshmen when I was a freshman, so it was sentimental for me.

Unfortunately, graduation means that one of my best friends, Kirby, is going to be leaving. His mom, Jessica Butler, graduates tomorrow and she is moving back home to Minnesota, so that means Kirby won't be around anymore. That makes me very sad!

I guess that's kind of what graduation is all about...picking up and moving on. (Someone should have told my dad that because he graduated from Butler in 2002 and he's still there!) Sometimes graduation means leaving family and friends and going out in the world to practice what you've learned, but knowing that still doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to my friend Kirby.

Tomorrow I get to go to commencement exercises at Hinkle Fieldhouse to see the class of 2008 graduate. I actually will play a special role in tomorrow's graduation ceremony, but I don't want to give away the surprise just yet, so I'll have to post sometime after with a recap of the events.

For now, I'm going to rest up and get ready for the big day.


Blue II

Friends in High Places

Retired General and former Secretary of State, Colin Powell once said, "Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard."

Sounds like a good plan to me, after all, as the old saying goes, "you are the comapny you keep."

So, I did just that, I spent my Monday with some pretty significant and successful people...the type "who take their work seriously, but not themselves."

Maybe you will recognize some of the people I spent my day with yesterday...

That's right, I got to spend the day with THE Colin Powell; Butler head men's basketball coach, Brad Stevens; 2003 Butler graduate and IndyCar Series driver for Vision Racing, Ed Carpenter; the entire Butler men's basketball team; and Indianapolis mayor, Greg Ballard. That's just how I roll!

It started out as a typical Monday...lots of sleeping in the cage that's in m dad's office, a lunch time appearance at the HRC, and more sleeping for the afternoon. Settling into the work week after a busy weekend has never been one of my strengths.

Then, come late afternoon things started to get interesting. My dad and I headed to the car and made our way to my favorite building, historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Once there, we met up with Ed Carpenter and headed into the arena to watch the men's basketball practice.

You see, last May Ed gave A.J. Graves and the coaching staff a tour of the Vision Racing garages at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when A.J. waved the green flag to start practice for the Indianapolis 500 . This time the Bulldogs returned the favor by inviting Ed to come watch practice, tour the locker room and basketball offices, etc. I was fortunate to get to tag along.

Here's a picture of Ed and Coach Stevens discussing the intricacies of Butler's motion offense and which Horizon League member institution has the best cafeteria food. No, not really, but those would be things I would like to talk about with the coach.

After that it was over to Clowes Memorial Hall where General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) was scheduled to enjoy dinner with some VIPs and speak to a capacity crowd as a part of the Diversity Lecture Series.

That's where I ran into General Powell and Mayor Ballard, as well as some other Butler and community big whigs like university president, Dr. Bobby Fong, and the Butler Board of Trustees.

I even got to take a picture with General Powell! Unfortunately, I do not have the picture to post right now, but I will do so in a future blog. It was sweet. All of these important folks got to meet General Powell and get a picture with him. I'm pretty important, so yes, I got a picture with him as well.

When I arrived, he smiled, kneeled down, clapped his hands once and said, "come here boy!" So I quickly ran over (when a General calls, you come) and he proceeded to pet me and love on me a little. He then stayed in a kneeled position and we took a picture together. It was cool.

Here I am, just an English Bulldog from Indiana who ended up mascot of Butler University posing for a picture with the one-time military leader of the free world. Eat your heart out "Spike," the Drake University bulldog!

Yeah, we've got a big game against No. 16 Drake on Saturday at Hinkle, so I am starting to prepared for that. It airs on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. (EST) and has been billed the best ESPN "Bracketbuster" matchup ever...of course it is, after all, both teams are represented by the English Bulldog! By the way, the Bulldogs of Butler are ranked a school-high No. 8 this week in both polls. That's pretty impressive! Go Dawgs!

Today, wasn't quite as exciting, but that's not to say I didn't get to have a little more fun. Each semester, my dad's favorite professor while in school, Dr. Steven Vibbert, invites me to come visit his public relations classes. He usually asks me to come mid to late semester when the students are starting to get restless. So today I stopped by class, did my tricks, and got a little love from the students. Below is a picture of that...

Note that class size. That's a student to teacher ratio of 16:1. Nice. Gotta love a Butler eduation! Although, it's not quite as good as my puppy class, but still, it's pretty good.

Okay, my bed time is quickly approaching so I've got to get going. Thanks for reading and before you leave, please vote for me again this week for the Bissell MVP contest! You can vote here: http://www.bissell.com/redirect.asp?page_id=47088&Pet=7217.jpg

Blue II