Belly Button Window

How to Mix and Pour Concrete Floors by Hand in Nepal

2010-06-25T13:57:59Z

Hand-built concrete home

How do you pour concrete to build a new second floor on a house in Kathmandu, Nepal? By hand. Yes, every single ounce of cement is mixed, moved, and set by hand.

First, the concrete ingredients are put into the mixing hopper. Gravel, sand, water and cement mix are all shoveled in with hand labour - not even wheelbarrows are used! Gravel is shoveled by two people (one working the shovel, the other using rope to help) into a basket strapped to the body of a third laborer who walks it to the hopper.

Then, the only mechanical device in the whole operation - the concrete mixer - combines the ingredients into the wet concrete slurry. This is dumped into a bucket, from which its scooped onto platters. The piles of wet concrete slurry are then passed, hand over hand, up the two-story ladder to the concrete form on the second floor of the house.

At the second floor, the slurry is put into the only wheelbarrow, and then rolled to the leading edge of the pour. Its dumped out and then hand-floated to form the future smooth second floor. Just watch this video to see how its done:

Now back in my youth, I did all this work with my father. Form Builders, Inc built the wood forms and steel frames in which concrete was poured to make beams, arches, floors and the like. But we used modern mechanical and pneumatic tools, so it's amazing for me to see how Nepali construction work is so labour based.

Again, the only machinery in the entire pour was the concrete mixed, and the only wheeled device, a single wheelbarrow. I can't even imagine trying the same activity in the USA.

Kathmandu Traffic Jam Taxicab Driving

2010-06-23T14:09:58Z

Motorcycles read to zip-zoom

Nepalese learn how to drive on small country roads that have no defined lanes, shoulders, or rules. And when they get to Kathmandu's mix of narrow side roads and few four-lane boulevards, they continue their lawless driving with great flair.

Here's a video of my taxi ride from Patan to Kathmandu, through one of the many epic Maoist-inspired traffic snarls:

Notice how many mopeds and motorcycles zip in between cars and across lanes, with even less regard for road rules than the cars. Also, did you see the hour long traffic jam in the other direction?

I could never fathom where all those people, much less cars, came from. Kathmandu isn't that big - Nepal isn't that populous.

Apple iPhone Boarding Pass: United Airlines Innovation

2010-06-22T14:07:33Z

Boarding pass scanner code

iPhone boarding in action

It's not often that you can use the words "innovation" and "United Airlines" in the same sentence, without a "lack of" first - but with the new iPhone boarding pass, you can, and you will!

Last week, I was headed to Inveneo's offices in San Francisco for my bi-monthly check-in with the team. Before I ran out the door, I skipped one step that we're all familiar with - the boarding pass printing.

Instead, I just make sure my iPhone was charged up as I jump into the taxicab. While we sped down Rock Creek Parkway and onto 66, I pulled up the United.com mobile site and checked-in using my iPhone, and when done, requested the boarding pass be emailed to me.

Zap! Seconds later, I had an email with a special scan code. I showed this to the TSA at the Diamond Lane Checkpoint, who was a little confused at first, but then swiped my phone on his scanner and waved me on.

Then, at the United Airlines flight gate, I did the same - I waved my phone over the check-in desk scanner and with a beep of confirmation, I walked onto the plane. How nice!

Now it'd be nice if I could check-in online and have a mobile phone boarding pass emailed to me directly, but United has a convoluted process. You need to check-in online via your smartphone, which then emails you a link back to another webpage with your boarding pass. Annoying but worth it.

Never having to worry about printing out a boarding pass is just one small step towards United Airlines being a joy to fly again.

Endless Vodafone India Mobile Phone Spam

2010-06-21T14:48:30Z

I'm not your target market

On my second day in Delhi, India, I bought a local SIM card from Vodafone India. Before the line activated to make an outgoing call, I got an inbound call. Picking it up, the caller surprised me - it was an automatic telemarketer call. Phone spam less than an hour after activation.

And the phone spam never stopped.

My entire time in India, I would get spam text messages and spam calls - 3-4 per day - in Hindi and in English promoting third party services and products. So it wasn't even Vodafone spamming me through my mobile phone, but India's version of late-night telemarketers.

But that's the odd point - they were robo-calls. Not a single phone call came with a human voice, nor did they seem to switch from computer to human when a pick-up was detected. In the land of cheap labour, I was surprised by this.

But I was even more surprised by the last robo-call I got. Just watch this video to see why:

Yes, my Vodafone India SIM card even allowed international spam calls!

Sounds of Takeoff and Landing in Lufthansa Business Class on Boeing 747-400

2010-05-03T16:23:14Z

The sounds of in-flight privilege

The tastes are different too

Traveling in business class is different in many ways from travel in economy class - especially in the sounds of takeoff and landing in a Boeing 747-400.

Business class in Lufthansa's 747 jet airplanes is right up front, the forward portion of seating curving inward to form the nose of the aircraft. The forward business class seating, where I write this from is also just below the pilot cabin and above the forward landing gear.

Sounds during airport taxi

As forward business class is just above the nose gear, you can hear when the plane's wheels roll dangerously close to the edge of the tarmac. Like the shoulder of a highway, the tarmac edge is grooved, and you can hear the hum when the wheels roll across it.

Takeoff sounds

As the pilot centers the aircraft on the runway, you can hear the wheel striking the runway lights - the bumps quickly increasing in pace as the plane accelerates towards flight. Once airborne, you hear the nose gear retract, and in this 747-400, it makes quite a racket, shacking the island in the middle of the forward business class seating space.

Accent sounds

If the jet aircraft passes through rain during takeoff or initial accent, you can actually hear raindrops pelting the nose. For someone usually in economy class, I was surprised by the noise. I would've thought the soundproofing required for cabin pressure maintenance would muffle mere raindrops, even if hit at several hundred miles an hour.

Landing Sounds

Like in takeoff, the landing gear coming down makes quite a racket, and then the wind noise covers all sound until the landing gear is fully extended. Then it subsides to a loud whoosh - like if your window was open when you're driving a car.

Surprisingly, when the nose gear touches down, you don't really hear it. Only the tarmac noise if the pilot hits bumps or edges.

Delhi Metro Rail Mass Transit System: a Modern Taj Mahal

2010-05-01T20:58:01Z

Just as modern as WMATA

Beauty in metro construction

Steel spanning superstructure

The New Delhi mass transit system "Metro" is a modern Taj Mahal in its beauty, scale, and achievement for the nation of India. This I have come to believe after riding it through the city center and visiting its newest stations, still under construction.

First the act of riding the New Delhi Metro system

Unlike so much in India, the New Delhi metro system is amazingly efficient. You can buy a ticket from the automated kiosk or from a station attendant. Prices are dirt cheap - maybe $0.30 per ride, anywhere along the system. And well worth the money.

Each station I visited was modern and clean, with smart kiosks' on the main level selling every item subway rider could need. Then the trains themselves were sleek and fast, whisking me to my destinations in less time that it took to haggle with a taxi driver.

Now there were odd moments - like the mandatory pat down by security officers (with separate lines for men and women) and the often maddening lack of signage to lead you to a metro station to start your journey.

Next, the accomplishment of construction

The New Delhi subway and elevated track system is not being built in a rural area - this is one of the most densely populated location on earth, and the construction process is on a grand scale. Each station is a city into itself - either underground or in the sky.

To create the mass transit system, there is as much destruction - of homes, communities, society, and construction of new rail lines, stations, and supporting infrastructure. And yet even here there is beauty.

I look at the intricate latticework of the scaffolding and I am reminded of the marble screens in the Taj Mahal. I see the elevated track lifted into place by giant steel insects and I imagine the same ingenuity to align each tower and dome of the Taj Mahal complex.

Finally, the benefit to India herself

Few tourists are transit foamers like I am, so I doubt that the New Delhi mass transit system will be worthy of a pilgrimage like the Taj. Yet there still will be queues to get in, a reverence for its presence, and few in New Delhi will feel they could live without it once its in heavy usage.

For while mass transit in itself isn't sexy, its very practical. And when I can cross New Delhi in 20 minutes, in air conditioned comfort far removed from traffic jams and sprawl, I am in awe as much as the Taj Mahal.

I see Lenin! Soviet Socialist Iconography in Nepal's Maoist Protests Posters

2010-04-30T20:38:12Z

Maoist poster in the wild

Original PDF sent by ANFTU

I love Soviet-era propaganda imagery. It's so bold and striking, simple in its style yet effective in its message. So it was with great joy that I saw this Maoist poster in Nepal, calling people to action on the May 1st protests.

Let us break down the imagery that All Nepal Federation Trade Union (ANFTU) uses, and link it to Soviet expression of socialism now long past.

Frame of faces and flags

First, the upper half of the poster is framed by imagery of missing Maoist members, reinforcing the message of sacrifice and martyrdom for a greater cause. Flags showing different manual labour tools frame the lower half. I am not sure if these represent different unions, but they're a direct copy of Soviet posters that use the flags of all the Soviet states.

Upper half poster imagery

Next the upper portion of the poster contains a Soviet and a socialism reference. In the upper left, the hammer and star flag over the world is a direct descendant of earlier USSR flags over the world produce by the Soviet Union.

In the upper right, are busts of Marx, Trosky, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao, giving the direct impression that the central figure on this poster is drawing from these earlier socialist leaders and has there approval. I am only disappointed that Castro isn't also represented.

Central figure representation

The man pictured in a larger size, assumed to be the central speaker at the upcoming rally is not done in an overt Soviet style - this is the Nepali influence. The image is a photograph, not a drawing, and he is pictured with a microphone. Neither is common to Soviet posters.

Lower half poster imagery

Here in the foreground of the poster bottom half are representations of angry, protesting labourers. While their mannerism are Soviet, the facial coloration - with the forehead white - is not Soviet. Yet there is a visual link to past protests, manifested by the raised arms leading back from the foreground and up towards the central figure, and from him, to the socialist busts.

Note that in the extreme foreground, the protesting workers are breaking through chains of oppressions, a final beautiful homage to Soviet imagery of the past.

Obtaining a poster

I was so enthralled by the poster's attempt to use Soviet iconography to link the present Maoist movement with past socialist leaders and activities, that I spent the whole week trying to find a poster I could take with me. Defeated at finding one that I could remove in one piece, I then employed modern technology to secure a sample. I emailed the ANFTU and they quickly sent me the original PDF.

On the Worship and Value of Red Bricks in Kathmandu, Nepal

2010-04-29T20:28:45Z

Praying to red brick gods

Nepali red brick guardians

Bricks are of great value in Nepal. You know this even before you arrive, as brick kilns sprout like grass across the Kathmandu valley, conspicuous in their number as you approach KTM airport. They populate the countryside - more than houses or roads - producing millions of red bricks.

Do not be fooled into thinking that this means red bricks are common. No, even though you see them piled everywhere from street corners to back yards, they are very valuable.

Each single brick is hand carried, usually one at a time, from a truck to a brick pile. There they are stacked reverently, to await their destiny in Nepali construction. Bricks are not left unattended in these piles. They are jealously guarded.

Prayers and proximity to temples protect some bricks, while others have more earthy, canine protectors. Others seem to be so valuable that people place bricks in their homes, awaiting eventual usage.

No matter where they are stored, each brick has a place, and a value. Upon inquiry, I found I could not purchase a single brick - they are too treasured to be sold one-by-one. No, I would need to buy many, preferably a truck full or a $100 worth at a time. Unable to provide for so many bricks, I failed to procure a single one.

This may be for the better, as I did not want to rob Kathmandu of its bricks when they are so worshiped, or in such acute shortage. If people were so worried about brick availability that they bought bricks months, if not years in advance of construction, I would be doing the people, the country a disservice by taking even just one.

So I must now only covet the beautiful red bricks of Kathmandu from afar - in my memories and my photographs of brick usage in Nepal.

Look Ma, Mount Everest is right there!

2010-04-28T13:57:20Z

Pointing out Mt. Everest

Good morning, your majesty

At dawn this morning, Bryan Berry, Tony Anderson and I climbed aboard Buddha Air Flight 102 from Kathmandu (KTM) to Mt. Everest. It was a little twin-engine turbo prop with just one seat on each side of the aircraft, so everyone had a window and isle seat.

And here's why that mattered: we flew along the Himalayan range from Borile Lakpa to Makalu, including Mount Everest herself. Accedning through the Kathmandu clouds, the first peaks to come to view were Shisha Pangma, Dorje Lakpa, Phurbi Ghyachu, and the unconquered Choba Bhamare - all part of the Rolwaling range.

Wow!

I was in awe of the sight of these peaks - fingers of rock into the sky - all snow capped and majestic. As we approached Mt. Everest, the pilots brought me forward into the cabin so I could see their view. All I could say was "Nice office" as the peaks before us were humbling.

Right about then I thought to myself "Top of the world, Ma!" and started to cry. I am so lucky, honored, and as another business traveler said once, privileged, to live this life of travel and adventure.

For all the screams in frustration, all the cold bucket baths and nights of barking dogs, swarming mosquitoes, and outright misery of developing world travel - I live dreams. And I get paid to do it. Better yet, I get paid to travel how I want to, with the people, not removed from them.

This morning I saw Mt. Everest

Now, hours later I am still crying every time I think of it. I am crying right now as I type this.

Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me the bravery and motivation to travel anywhere, anytime, thank you Amy for giving me permission to leave you and our family for these adventures, and thank you Inveneo, infoDev, IESC Geekcorps, Mercy Corps, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Peace Corps for paying my way.

I am such a lucky man.

Qatar Airways Review: Business Class and Economy Seats

2010-04-19T17:07:22Z

First run movies playing

Walking a hot tarmac at DOH

Do you see the massage button?

The following is my review of Qatar Airways two services - Economy Class and Business Class after flying from Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) to Doha, Qatar (DOH), to New Delhi, India (DEL).

With the Eyjafjallajokull volcano ash covering Europe and canceling my Lufthansa Business Class flight to New Delhi, India via Munich, I had to switch to Qatar Airlines to make the Educational Technology Debate.

I'd never flown the airline before and there were few trip descriptions to guide me - but others gave Qatar Airways good reviews, so I decided to give them a shot. With the closure of most European airports, I didn't have much choice.

Economy Class

Arriving early at Dulles International Airport to try and finagle my way into Business Class, I was denied the upgrade but at least got exit row seating in Economy Class. At first I was disappointed, for I really wanted a Business Class experience.

Luckily, the exit row seats were damn fine - comparable to most US airlines' Business Class offerings. The seats were plush with amenities like a footrest, deep recline, and as it was the first row, plenty of legroom.

In addition, on take off I was not asked to remove my headphones, so I lifted off on this adventure listening to Fela Kuti.

Once airborne, I looked at the in-flight entertainment system, which I usually don't do on US carriers. Wow! I was impressed. Qatar Airways has real first-run movies in their queue, from Avatar to Sherlock Holmes, and over 150 other movies to choose from. I watched a few on the big LCD screen before I fell asleep.

Waking to one of the two meals they served on the way to Doha, I enjoyed good food, nice French red wine, and ice cream for desert. I can still remember the first time I got ice cream on a flight - KLM from Moscow (SVO) to Amsterdam (AMS) - that made me cry in delight. With two containers of Ben & Jerry's I was almost that happy on this flight.

Doha Airport

On landing at Doha Airport, the romance of Qatar Airways wore off a bit when we had to exit the plane onto the tarmac. I was not so impressed with the indoor facilities either - they were nice mind you, but not amazing. Compared to the usual African airports I transfer through, it was a marked upgrade. But few airports can match Schiphol or Chek Lap Kok.

On the positive, Doha has free, albeit slow, WiFi throughout the airport and a decent food court and shopping zone, though I didn't try either. I'm not much of an airport shopper and I was not tempted to change in Doha.

Business Class

Getting on the flight to New Delhi was a change. While it took over an hour for us to get from the gate to the plane, once on board, my compatriot in this flight traded seats with me. I got his Business Class seat while he took my place in Economy.

Now I don't get to fly Business Class much, but I am in cattle class enough to know what luxury is on an airplane, and Qatar Airways lay flat seats - and I mean 100% flat, horizontal, 180 degrees from standing flat beds are a-may-zing! I was spread out and eyes closed moments after the jet plane wheels left the Doha tarmac.

I slept so soundly, on my back and my side that I dreamed I was dreaming about sleeping in Business Class. Yes, I had an out-of-body experience!

I awoke to find the steward had tucked me in under a blanket and there was a rich chocolate at my armrest. As we came into land at New Delhi's airport, I also found that the seat has two levels of vibration massage, perfect for sore butts that sat for too long in airline seats.

Overall Impression of Qatar Airways

I have to recommend the airline if you need to go where it flies. I personally prefer going through Europe instead of Doha - you can't beat a beer in Frankfurt or Amsterdam - but if I can't transfer through the Continent, I'm definitely gonna put Qatar Airways on the short list for the backup airline. And you should too.

Petworth Poop Patrol Featured in Washington Post

2010-04-13T18:38:08Z

Petworth Poop Patrol

A regular poop patrol haul

Pooper scooper's example doesn't go to waste
John Kelly's Washington

Picture the loveliest, most inviting thing you can imagine: the cool crispness of a bed made with freshly laundered sheets, the warm peach fuzz on a baby's head, the clink of ice cubes in a cocktail glass as you watch the sun set over the beach. Sadly, this column will not be about any of those things. No. I'm afraid it's time to talk about dog poop again.

It is an unpleasant fact of life that dogs turn food into waste. Until someone genetically engineers a dog that can poop out diamonds or iPads or Berkshire Hathaway stock, dealing with doo will be one of the least enjoyable things about dog ownership.

Those of us who own dogs and clean up after them can't understand people who own dogs and don't. And if you don't own a dog and regularly find "presents" in your yard, you get even more irate.

Since I started on the dog poo beat last month, I have heard numerous stories about neighborhoods torn asunder by the issue. Some stories end along the lines of: "And then he threw the poop at me." I'm sure this only serves to confuse the dogs.

Some Washingtonians take the matter into their own hands in a more productive way. Wayan Vota lives in Petworth. He enjoys walking his dog, Taxi (a "Muttus Americanus," Wayan said), in Grant Circle. He was alarmed by how much orphan poo they encountered.

"I started picking up other dogs' poo, too," Wayan said. "Finally, I got very annoyed, and on a very cold morning last year decided to pick up as much as I could and see how much it weighed." He told his friends it weighed five to six pounds.

"No one believed me," Wayan said. And since it was only an estimate, he had no absolute proof. So a month or two later, he went on another poop roundup. This time he videotaped the weigh-in. The bulging Safeway bag weighed a staggering 13 pounds.

"I put the poo on my wife's scale," he said. "We had to buy a new scale, but it was worth sacrificing to prove, yes, there were 13 pounds of poo. No one disbelieves me now." (Wayan posted the video on YouTube. Search "picking up dog poo in Petworth.")

Horrific, no? And yet Wayan, who is 37 and works in international development, has seen a marked improvement in his neighborhood's fecal metrics: "I'd like to say there is almost no poo in Grant Circle."

Wayan thinks the main reason is that, by cleansing the area of poop, he has made it less acceptable for others to poop and run. "If you see a lot of poop, you might think, 'I can leave mine.' If you don't see a lot, you think, 'I probably shouldn't do that.' "

Wayan thinks it also helped that the Advisory Neighborhood Commission got behind his anti-poop effort. There are now signs in Grant Circle urging owners to clean up after their dogs.

"I'm a firm believer that if you believe in your neighborhood, you can effect change," Wayan said. "Our neighborhood's called Petworth. I want it to be worthy of pets."

How to Get a Free River Birch Tree in Washington DC

2010-04-06T11:35:50Z

My RiverSmart river birch tree

They even water and mulch it!

I've always wanted a tree in my back yard. While my neighbourhood, Petworth, has beautiful old trees, all I have is a tree stump in my garden. The previous owners of my house cut down the tree that was in my yard, and now my west-facing back yard gets hot! in the summer.

A tree in my yard would provide shade, visual interest, a place for birds, and be one small contribution to cooling the District of Columbia, replacing its tree cover, and reducing rain runoff. That last reason, runoff, is where the District Department of Environment comes in.

Petworth, like much of old Washington, DC, is on a single sewer line system, which means that when it rains, the rain water goes into the sewer system and overwhelms the Blue Plains water treatment plant. In the past, they just dumped raw sewage into the Potomac. Now the city is trying to stop this practice at its source - the hundreds of thousands of downspouts across DC.

Through the RiverSmart Homes program, the DDOE is installing:

Rain barrels to catch roof run off for other purposes (I use mine to water my lawn)
Rain gardens to let the earth soak up rainfall (mine will water my tree)
Trees to absorb rainfall and reduce heat-island effect
Permeable hardscapes to reduce storm drain runoff.

I signed up for three of these, which will work together in a self-watering system that will reduce my roof runoff and power a beautiful back yard. My rain barrel will catch the first 130 gallons of rainfall. After that is full, the rest of my roof runoff will go into the rain garden, which leads to the base of my tree. The tree will be watered by the rain garden - hence the reason I chose a river birch as my tree.

I've actually got a Betula Nigra "Dura Heat" river birch from the city, and the process could not have been easier:

I signed up for the RiverSmart program online and then a DDOE staff came out and looked at my yard, approving me for all three things I wanted
Last summer, they installed my rain barrel - connecting it to my downspout and everything
This spring, they planted my tree - even putting on the top coat of mulch.
Next, I'll get a rain garden - installed by professionals as I watch

Now I do have to be honest - the tree wasn't exactly free. I paid $50 for the tree, $30 for the rain barrel, and $100 for the rain garden. But compared to the retail price of each ($300 for barrel, $500 for tree, $1,000+ for rain garden), its close enough to free for me.

And for you - if you're a homeowner in the District of Columbia, sign up for your RiverSmart home today!

4 Reasons Why RunKeeper is the Best iPhone App for Runners

2010-03-15T11:47:14Z

Running across Petworth

I'm a runner. I love to run. And I run around the world. But I really dislike most of the run tracking tools.

For the longest time, I lived by the Garmin Forerunner 205 but as cool as it is to track my runs with GPS, the watch was a pain to use. It always took forever to get a fix and sometimes it would loose GPS tracking in the middle of a run. Worse, the run tracking software is crap.

Then I found RunKeeper, by the way that its been most influential on my running - a Facebook post. I saw a cool run map on Justin Thorp's profile and clicked through to what is an amazing iPhone application.

Here's the 4 reasons why Runkeeper has bettered my runs:

RunKeeper is quick and easy: As an app on my iPhone, I don't need to track yet another gizmo or its power cord. And its just too simple to use - tap on the app & tap on "Start Activity" - and off you go!
Runkeeper starts up fast: The Garmin always took 3-5 minutes to get a fix - no fun on a cold day or when pressed for time. The RunKeeper app is working before I can decide which way to run
Speed, Distance & Pace shout outs: I cannot stress how motivational this feature is. Every 5 minutes, Runkeeper tells me my progress, which has helped tremendously with keeping up my pace and quickening my overall run. Its empowered my inner coach to keep me going and make me faster.
Facebook integration with maps!: Like I said at the begining, RunKeeper can post cool maps to your to Facebook, which are my most popular Wall posts. Knowing that my friends are watching my workouts is great peer pressure reinforcement to run faster and more often

Now RunKeeper can do even more than this, but these 4 features have me hooked already. And its so much better than Nike+, where I have to remember to put a doodad in my shoe - hard when you run in multiple pairs of shoes.

So enough of me rhapsodizing on how great the iPhone app is - get Runkeeper today!

PS: This is an honest love for Runkeeper - I don't get any benefit from them for writing this post or you clicking on a link. I just want you to run better & more often

Segundo: The Best 37th Birthday Present Ever

2010-02-09T11:15:20Z

What more to ask for?

I turned 37 years old today, which means its only 3 short more years till I'm 40. Or mid-life. Halfway from birth to death. And I couldn't be happier.

Just three years ago, I was a whole different person on my birthday. No wife, no kid, no house, and no dog. I was young and free, sporting a fine Puerto Rico tan. But I was all alone.

Today, I am much different person. I'm blessed with a wonderful, loving wife, an angle child, our own (affordable) home, and the amazing Snow Dog Taxi. Today, I am so much happier than 3 years ago.

Introducing Segundo

What might a happy man want on his 37th birthday? First, it took me a bit to figure out which year this is for me - was I turning 37 or 38? So maybe I could ask for the mental quickness of my youth.

But better than that, in fact the best birthday present ever, is this, the second addition to our family. I have the great honor of introducing Segundo:

Even though Segundo is the masculine form of "second" in Spanish, don't think this is a boy-child. Amy and I are hoping for healthy - everything else is bonus. So keep your blues and pinks at bay till the August birth.

With any luck, we'll be hearing more than heartbeats soon enough.

Snowpocolypse 2010: A Taxi Dog Delight

2010-02-06T02:34:27Z

Snow Dog Taxi

What happens when you mix 30+ inches of snow and one Taxi Dog? You get happiness that can only be expressed with a yelp of delight. That's how "Snow Dog" Taxi greeted the great Snowpocolypse 2010 in Washington DC.

First out the door as the snowflakes started, Snow Dog Taxi is in love with the white fluffy stuff from above. She knows it means extended exploration of the neighbourhood as her owner shovels the sidewalk. She can also cross streets without care, as cars are rare, and when present, slowing to a crawl to keep control.

And she loves to chase snowballs - her most favorite Snowpococlypse pastime, even if she has problems finding them:

But snow also makes Taxi Dog do odd things. Because the snow covers up all scents, Taxi Dog is scent-blind. And like humans push into a dark room, she looses her bearings easily in the snow. She can't figure out where to pee at first, and then just does her business anywhere.

She also forgets where her natural boundaries are, and wanders far and wide as if the whole of Petworth is now her yard. Yet the snow itself does not stop her. She'll tackle any snowdrift, even ones so deep, she's swimming through them.

And lucky for her, this Snowpocolypse seems never-ending!