Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, another birthday has come and gone and after four years, I’m now 28 years old. It’s true. Do the math. This is the one time that my dad and I will be the same age. In just a month or two, I’ll surpass him.

I must say that this has been the best birthday I’ve ever had since this was the first time that a university-wide party has been thrown in my honor. For my first birthday, we had a staff party down in the basement of Jordan Hall amongst the University Advancement staff and some friends, but since then, nothing formal has really been done until now. That first birthday part was fun…maybe a little too much fun….hence the video on www.youtube.com/butlerblue2 of me throwing up part of the cake I got. Oops. Too much of a good thing, I guess.

Thanks to the Butler University Student Foundation (BUSF) with some assistance from the Student Government Association (SGA), the first-ever Blue II Birthday Party was held on campus for all students, faculty and staff to join in. I’m biased, but I think it was a raving success! I didn’t even regurgitate anything this year either!

The party was from 11-1 and setup in Starbuck’s just off the bookstore in the one and only, Atherton Union. By 10:55 a.m. there was a line and I had not even made a grand entrance yet. By 12:30 p.m., all 480 cookies and 240 cupcakes were consumed. Luckily, SGA came in with back up supplying soda and other giveaways.

Congratulations to Nolan Yeakley for winning the “Guess Blue II’s Weight” contest. Nolan’s name was drawn from all the entries that correctly guessed my weight at 60 lbs. If you had your picture taken with me on the staff’s digital camera, please email jmjones@butler.edu to obtain a copy of that file.

I think there was a line the entire time for guests to get their picture with me. Many of them found out the hard way that if they are holding a cookie while trying to get their picture with me, I’m going to try and eat it. I am a dog, who acts on instinct, after all.

As advertised, there was a oversized card for guests to sign and there was the “pin the tail on the dawg” game as well. Here’s a little video for reference of all of the aforementioned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svezCbvhonw

I also want to thank Stephanie Smith who brought me several gifts the other day, my best friend Kirby who brought me a basketball, Olivia who got me a bone, Anabelle who made me a card, everyone else that stopped by the party and/or got me a gift, and BUSF, SGA, and the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs for throwing me a party. You’ve all kept me very spoiled!

It means a lot to be appreciated like that. Everyone should be so lucky, at least once in their life. As far as dogs go, I’m one of the luckiest and it’s something I don’t take for granted, so I thanks to everyone for making a big to-do over my date of birth.

Also, I want to give a big shout-out to my Shih Tzu cousin, Murphy, in Columbus, Ohio who shares the same birthday with me…happy birthday Prince Murphy Alouicious!

In other news, the University of Tennessee Volunteers lost to the Louisville Cardinals last night in the NCAA tournament. You may remember the Volunteers knocked out the Bulldogs last Sunday in overtime. The Cards destroyed the Vols 79-60! Dude, they lost by 19 points…I want another shot at the title. Way to represent. (That’s sarcasm.)

Granted, the Cards are good, but are they that much better than Tennessee? I wouldn’t think so. I sure would like to see how the Bulldogs would fair against them. Oh well, it’s a moot point now.

What can I say? I’m still a bitter Bulldog after last Sunday’s defeat.

Thanks again to everyone for the great birthday! Let’s do it again next year. Have a great weekend, watch the IndyCar Series race on ESPN2 on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. (EST) and be sure to stop and smell the roses…I always do!

Blue II

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

The weather forecasters in Indianapolis finally got a snow prediction correct this winter! And while it wasn't much, it was more than we've seen in a while, so I decided to make the most of the fresh snow.

On my way into the office (read Jordan Hall) my dad let me off the leash and I enjoyed a little frolic on the campus mall.

Below is a picture a and a video of the adventure...

As you can see in the video, I'm really into just eating the snow and rubbing my face in it. It's like one giant sno-cone. Just imagine if you could get a big jug of that flavoring syrup and coat all of that snow and then plop down and just eat it. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks of these things, but that would be soooooo gooooood! Granted, it would probably give you a pretty big stomach ache, but it would be worth it.

How do I know about sno-cones you ask? I go to Butler games...I get in on that action! Although, I think they call it a "shaved ice" in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Anyway, my morning snow adventures only left me craving more time outside so I met up with some students on the mall this afternoon for a snow ball fight. Unfortunately, some of the snow had evaporated by that point, but we still had fun. Below are some pictures by Brad Ward of the Office of Admission. Good shots, Brad!

Can you tell that I like the snow?! For more of Brad's pictures from today, click here: http://flickr.com/photos/bradjward/sets/72157603949018228/

Also, here's a video from our little snow ball fight...

That pretty much sums up my day, and the good news is, supposedly more snow is on the way! According to the our local weather forecasters more snow is expected after 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon in Indianapolis. Although, that is supposed to change to freezing rain at some point. That's been the case that last couple of storms and we haven't got but a dusting of snow, so I'm not holding my breath.

If it does snow and and we get a fresh layer on the ground, you can bet I'll be out eating my fair share of it!

Okay, well, I've got a Butler game to watch right now on the Horizon League Network so I'm going to sign off for now.

If you've yet to vote for me this week in the Bissell MVP contest, please take a second and vote... You can vote here: http://www.bissell.com/redirect.asp?page_id=47088&Pet=7217.jpg

Blue II

A Day in the Life

As promised, here's a run-down of my typical day...

7:00-7:15 a.m. – My parents get up and out of bed…I don’t move.


8:00-8:20 a.m. – My dad literally picks me up out of bed and sets me on the floor. I then do my best to try and wake up and open my eyes. From there, I groggily make my way through the house, (usually I try to detour towards my bed in the living room) to the garage and in the car. There’s lots of eye blinking and blank stares during this process.



8:20-8:30 a.m. – On the 7-10 minute drive to work, I typically just sit in the front passenger seat of the car and just stare out the front window and shut my eyes a lot. If I’m really tired, I’ll just climb back to the back seat and put off the reality of having to wake up and face the world. (Note: On weekends, I can be asleep by 9 p.m. and still have to be woken up by 11:30 a.m. the next day. I’m that good.)

8:30 a.m. – Time to make my way into to work. This is where I take care of business, if you know what I mean. From there, it’s on into Jordan Hall and down to the office.

8:35-9:00 a.m. – I get my work day started by making my rounds through the office. I go visit people, look for some good rub-downs, massages, and any handouts. Once I see who has reported for duty, etc., I head back to the office I share with my dad and I see if dad has put out my food and water. Sometimes I dig in right away and sometimes I save it for later…depends on what time I ate the night before and how I’m feeling.



9:00 -11:30 a.m. – This timeframe can involve a number of things, most likely of which includes napping. I also like to bark at my co-workers until they are forced to play with me, shred boxes, go “potty,” show off for visitors and students, etc. By lunch time I’m usually starting to wake up.

11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – My dad takes his lunch hour sometime within this two hour period so whatever he does usually dictates what I do. Sometimes I just hang out in the office with him as he eats at his desk. If he goes to workout at the HRC, sometimes I join him there or I might stay back, and there are times when we get to go run errands like visit the bank and such.

1:30-5 p.m. – More sleeping, barking, playing, visits from students, faculty & staff, and at least one more potty break. Also, more meetings with colleagues as you can see by Kyle Smith and I discussing some paperwork below. It’s a dog’s life!



5 p.m. – 7 p.m. – HRC time. Most days my dad heads back over to the HRC for another workout. I’m cool with the HRC. They have a cage behind the control desk for me to hang out at, and I have toys and a water bowl stashed there as well. Depending how much I slept that afternoon determines my mood there. My favorite part about the HRC is getting to go on laundry runs with the student workers. I love that elevator! It’s like magic. To have legs like mine and be able to skip the stairs is pure bliss.

7-8 p.m. – Dinner time at the Kaltenmark residence. If it’s a tough day, then I crash on the living room floor or on my bed. If I’m hungry, I’ll see if anything falls on the kitchen floor while they cook.

8-9 p.m. – I try to squeeze one last play time from my parents. Lots of barking, dragging my blanket and toys around the living room, etc.


9:00 p.m. til bedtime – I am sound asleep in the living room, either on the couch, my bed or on the floor. My parents have to turn up the TV to drown out my snoring. Just before bed, they’ll do their best to wake me and get me to go potty one last time. It’s a chore for them and me. After that, my dad lifts me up on the bed and the rest is history…another day in the books.


I guess that pretty much sums it all up. It might sound kind of boring, but remember, I’m a dog. Not bad, huh?

Working Like a Dog

I get asked a lot about what I do all day, how much I come to campus, etc.

Well, like a lot of you, I’m a working stiff too. That’s right, I show up to work 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., nearly every day. Granted, I take a lot of naps and walks during that time, but I’m still in the office, so that counts for something, right?



First I’ll tell you the story and the setup, then I’ll take you through a typical daily routine in my next post.

So my dad, he’s the Director of Annual Giving at Butler. That’s a section of Development which falls under the University Advancement umbrella. In a nut shell, he hits alumni and other university constituents up for money. So break yo’ self and send him a gift already!

Our office is in the basement (those glass half full types call it the “Garden Level”) of historic Jordan Hall where other Development and Advancement offices are located as well.

I pretty much have the run of the place down there, but I call my dad’s office home base. Below is a picture of me and my closest office colleagues from the Office of Annual Giving.

Pictured:

Kyle Smith - Assistant Director of Annual Giving (left)
Michael Kaltenmark - Director of Annual Giving (right)
Shelby Roscoe - Sr. Secretary - Annual Giving (back left)
Leslie Renner - Assistant Director of Annual Giving (back right)

Anyway, my predecessor, Butler Blue I, (also a member of the Advancement team, but resided in the Office of Alumni & Parent Programs in Robertson Hall) used to only come in on Friday’s. I think they were affectionately called “Bulldog Fridays.”

Well, I was headed down that same path, only coming in on Fridays, but luckily everybody became too attached and too used to the idea of having me around.

My first day on campus was May 20, 2004, also the day (that's me, first day on the job, down below) my dad picked my up from the breeder (Kong King Kennel of Lizton, Ind.). I weighed 7-10 lbs. and was only about 7 weeks old. If you read up on English Bulldogs, you’ll find that we aren’t the most sociable breed. In fact, we can be quite skittish and scared of the most mundane, inanimate objects.

So to ensure that I would be tolerant of all things and all people, my pops thought it would be a good idea to bring me in to the office early and often. As a puppy I was introduced to many different situations in an effort to over stimulate me and to get me as socialized as possible.

All of that pretty much meant that I came into work everyday and I guess I never really stopped. I think I got too used to coming in and everybody else just got too attached. Makes for a pretty cool work environment, that’s for sure!

It blew my mind when my dad told me that most dogs have to stay at home all day, many of them in cages. Can you believe that?! And I thought I was bored. (That's me as a puppy in my cage...for effect.)

If you are out and about on campus, come on down and say hello. Don't be surprised if I'm sleeping or out doing something else, but chances are, I'll be around. Hope to see you sometime soon!