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.

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