Update

It's been a little over 3 months since I posted the things Jack likes to eat, and there really isn't a whole lot to update you on.  I did think it might be interesting to contrast my last post a little by listing the things I know of that Jack doesn't like to eat:

1. Swiss chard

Moving on, here's what's going on in my little life:

Work
I'm really enjoying my job.  In late March 2011, I made what was going to be a temporary switch to a different set of job duties, switching from customer service to the collection of medical records needed for review of pending claims.  The few of us who started helping out were there to help overcome a backlog in outstanding requests for records, and the thought, I think, was that once we helped the clerks get caught up we would go back to customer service.  As it turned out, the need for more staff in medical records grew, requiring that more customer service people take on medical records.  After a few months management decided to permanently move those of us who wanted to to the medical records position.  We had to apply and be re-interviewed, even though we would be staying in the same department with the same supervisor.  It was mostly a formality, but I was still excited to make the switch. 

We eventually rearranged our work space a bit, so I got to move to a better desk where I wasn't right in the immediate view of anyone who walked down the hallway.  Later on in the year there was another change in our department and three supervisors became two, so I switched to a new supervisor.  This has turned out to be a pleasant surprise; I really like my new supervisor.

I love the work, and I love, love, LOVE becoming an expert in any given subject.  I'm not an expert yet, but I've been doing it long enough now that I've been able to take on some special projects and have become an unofficial resource when people have questions.  This may sound pompous, though I hope it doesn't.  I mention it because it was such a familiar feeling when I was at my last job, and though things became too much there, my perfectionist nature loves to master things and help other people to master them as well.  It's been such a blessing for me to have that kind of fulfillment again but in a much more nurturing and functional environment.  Rachel would say it's the "4" in me.  Click here if you want to know what I'm talking about. 

Prospects for this year are likely to include more projects and greater refinement of our processes.  Of more importance to me is the likelihood of transitioning to a work-from-home situation towards the end of the year.  It's a company-wide initiative that has already started in other Regence-states, and will settle the vast majority of employees in home offices within the next year or so.  A lot of people like the social aspect of going to work, and the focus that you can have there as opposed to when you're at home surrounded by "home" stuff like noise, people, laundry to do, etc.  Its less expensive for the company though, and any decrease in operating expense for the company (at least this one) results in lower insurance premiums for members.  And since I personally really want to work from home (and not have to leave Jack everyday), I can't think of very many negatives.

Church
I'm still teaching the 12-13 year-old Sunday School class in our ward, with this year's manual focusing on preparing for exaltation.  I've been excited to switch to a new manual because this one is firmly rooted in actual doctrine, and encompasses issues that these kids actually have questions about.  Last year's manual was about the modern-day presidents of the church, which was interesting and worthwhile, but not as exciting or as easy for the kids to relate to.  I teach every other week, and I really enjoy the kids in my class.  Some of them are a bit of a handful, but nothing too difficult.

Personal
Ummmm....nothing new, really.  I suppose I'm a little more depressed currently than I have been in the last year or so, but these things ebb and flow, so no big news there.

Jack
Jack is doing great!  He's such a smart dog, and can learn basic tricks in no time at all.  Recently Daniel, who was working on getting his remaining merit badges prior to earning his Eagle, needed to teach a pet 3 different tricks.  As he was down to the last week or two before the deadline of his 18th birthday, it was lucky that he had Jack to teach tricks to instead of Molly.  Bless her dear little heart, she's so highly food-motivated that she doesn't even know what she's doing to earn the treat; she certainly can't do it again on command except by accident.  The old myth that you can't teach old dogs new tricks is in fact a myth, but it's true that some breeds can be taught easier than others and old dogs are more set in their ways than most.  Daniel, with a little coaching, taught Jack to roll over, stand on his hind legs and turn around in a circle, and I can't remember what the last trick was.  In the meantime, I taught him to give me five in a matter of about 5 minutes or less.  We haven't even really practiced much since that night, but he still responds correctly most of the time.

I've been poring over a couple of books recently dealing with the intelligence and language of dogs.  They're so fascinating!  One of the books even includes a sort of canine IQ test you can administer that tests the dog's propensity for problem-solving, comprehension, and other things, and has a scoring system so you can see where your dog falls.  It's actually a series of 12 different tests; one of these days I think I'll try it on Jack and Molly to see how they each do.  This same book also has a list of 100+ dog breeds, ranked by their "working" intelligence, meaning their ability to be trained by and to work for humans.  From 1 being the most intelligent in this way to 79 being the least, golden retrievers fall at number 4 and silky terriers at number 37.  It's funny to see their little personality differences, and the traits that make each more or less easily guided by humans.

Jack is still mildly prone to injury, with his high-energy zest for life and fun.  A couple of weeks ago at the dog park he got a blister on one of the pads on his right front paw which he continued to run and play on without complaint.  By the time I noticed it, the blister had already burst and been rubbed away, leaving a very sore paw for my little guy.  We keep ourselves stocked with neosporin, gauze and that self-adhering bandage stuff that vets use, and he does okay.

Well, this is far more than I intended to write when I sat down, but as long as I haven't put anyone to sleep, I'm okay with that.  I'll be back later, maybe much later...but I always check for comments!