The 2012 Jeep Compass in the Garage

Last month, I took an at-bat for the home team and made my first American car purchase - a 2012 Jeep Compass! My Midwest-born wife approves. I LOVE this car. It looks great, it sounds great, it rides great. It's a badass little Jeep. It looks a lot like a mini Grand Cherokee, which is why we call it the Mini Grand or the "Fivehundro."

I won't get into all the details.The Detroit News does a good job.

I've had a long affair with Mazda. Amanda and I (well, more Amanda) have enjoyed our 2007 Mazda 3 -- my third Mazda purchase. It's got all the specs, and it's a great commuter. However, my Mazdas have lacked the coveted 4WD or AWD. We've also been a single-car household to save some money for the past year, and I have been feeling ready for a little independence from public transit.

Our options for cars were immediately restricted by my desire for 4WD or AWD. It's barely mandatory in the Pacific NW with our moderate climate, but the occasional snow and any inkling of going into the Cascades makes it hard to be without. I've gladly put myself at the mercy of the Chaffees these past years to get up to Crystal Mountain, but we've added wives to our flock and simply need more tires on the road to get people up the hill.

Of course, I can't avoid Scott's opinion about cars when considering buying one. He's obsessed with finding car deals and isn't afraid to fly out of state to get a car at the price he wants (having flight benefits through marriage helps achieve this purchasing tactic). He was hellbent on recommending the Jeep Compass. Jeep redesigned the Compass in 2011, I believe, and made huge strides to make the Compass look less like its previous self -- with rounded and goofy front-end -- and more like the stalwart Grand Cherokee.

Scott, Amanda and I all went out to test-drive the Compass on a rainy Sunday at a dealership in Renton that had good prices. I was considering an automatic and Scott was looking at a manual to replace his wife's Xterra. We both test-drove the same black, manual Jeep Compass and loved it. The ride was fun and the car just looked badass in black. I liked the ride and control of the manual. Because we were just planning to test drive, we walked away after the fun.

Scott and I both took the online shopping seriously when we got back to the Chaffee Estate. Our wives also participated: Amanda found a deal at the Tacoma dealership and Courtney cursed at the idea of she and I driving the same vehicle. The Tacoma deal ended up becoming unavailable, but we went out to the Tacoma dealership later in the week so that I could test drive another automatic, which wasn't nearly as fun. We also realized then that the Compass we test drove at Renton was the only one available in the country that was the combination of black, manual and 4WD. You could find other combinations of color, transmission and drive, but you couldn't find that exact combo anywhere.

I called Scott later in the week to see if he was really still interested in the Compass we drove and he said he wasn't in a rush, so I went back to the Renton dealer to make an offer. This proved more difficult than I expected, but I walked away with the car after two days of negotiating. You would have thought I was facilitating a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine at Martha's Vineyard, but we got it done. I glad because I have a new, part-time commute up to Mt. Rainier with the new job.

Picture me rollin' in the Jeep Compass!

Growly Class Finale: Ladies Finish the Show

So I missed the final Growly Classes, but I had a good excuse -- exploring New Zealand! Amanda was left with Gianna to finish classes while I was out, and she did splendid! I mean Amanda did splendid, not the dog. Here are Amanda's accounts:

Growly Class IV: We started outside in a circle, and the dogs were supposed to walk by each other. Gianna was reactive and bit me once. It didn't help that it was Valentine's Day and Paolo left earlier that day for New Zealand. When we went inside, she did great in the "outer circle" where we practiced looking at other dogs in the eyes for treat rewards.

Growly Class V: Paolo's mom Vicki came with me. We started off inside, and Gianna was the only dog out in the hallway because she acted like a freak. Vicki was almost in tears because she couldn't believe Gianna behaved that way. Of course, she sees Gianna all the time at her house and with her dog, Simon. To no surprise, we were in the outer circle again. I think we peaked during the second class, but at least I didn't get bit this time.  

We were supposed to attend a final class when I got back, but Gianna broke a toenail that day. We didn't want to put her in class with an injury. She's reactive enough when she's happy and healthy.

The whole toenail injury was odd. I don't know how she did it. We were playing fetch up at the elementary school like we always do, and she came back from a run with a bloody paw. I figure she landed on a small rock or something like that. She got to cleaning the wound right away, and I saw the toenail hanging with the nerve sticking out. Eww. I ran her up to the vet hospital, and the girl at the front desk said the injury wasn't worth the extra cost of ER admittance when there was an open appointment 90 minutes later, so we waited out the time back at home and returned to get the toenail cleaned up.

All I have to say is Thank the Lord for Trupanion and the very concept of pet insurance.

The trip to the vet reminded me why we started Growly Classes in the first place. That's where we first saw Gianna's growly behavior. Unsurprisingly, Gianna was in full growl mode again, but the vet's tone was more pleasant this time. It wasn't about how Gianna reacted, it was how I did.

Last time, Amanda and I were upset about how aggressively our new dog behaved. This time, I was fairly calm or at least unsurprised, and that's probably why the vet was easier on me and the dog with her tone.

Perhaps due to Growly Class, perhaps due to time and experience, I was better prepared.

Back on Track and Joining Whittaker Mountaineering

Long time, no blog -- I know.

It's been one of those long, quiet periods because things have shifted behind-the-scenes. After a brief affair with healthcare, I'm excited to get back on the track of consumer marketing and retail. I'm joining Whittaker Mountaineering as Director of Marketing & Ecommerce later this month. (The Whittaker family has an incredible history in American mountaineering and Pacific NW development that's worth reading.)

No more work attire, just mountain wear. Fewer hallways, more trails.

I'll be splitting work hours between Tacoma and Ashford, just outside Mt. Rainier National Park, where the physical Whittaker Mountaineering store and RMI (partner company) are located. The work, travel and perks will be sweet, and I need to get my ass in shape to climb a mountain!

I'm already feeling motivated by the opportunity to put new and experienced mountaineers in the best gear to enable their climbing goals with as much safety and comfort as possible. As always, I'll be learning as I go. Fortunately, I'll have a great boss and coworkers on my rope team.

I don't have much more to say but am sure I'll document many adventures soon and leave you with this quote:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” - Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement, June 2005

Growly Class III: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Our Growly Class trainer Deborah likes to say we should all be "cautiously positive" in how we handle the dogs. That should also apply to our expectations for their performance. Gianna behaved "OK" in class last night. She was better than the first class, but not as good as the second class. She didn't bite us (though she got Deborah), but she was more reactive to other dogs, even small dogs, than we hoped. As a result, she was demoted back to the "outer circle."

Amanda took the reins for the first time during this class, and she was great. It's a lot of work constantly watching your dog, hearing the trainer's instructions, staying positive (happy voice!), keeping treats at ready to reward positive responses and being ready to pull your dog back to stop negative responses (lunging, barking, growling).

We were a little more frustrated and tired than we hoped by the end of class. Gianna slept like a rock. I think she's still sleeping.

Amanda was upset because another dog owner in class was surprised to hear us say that Gianna is actually really great at doggy daycare, dog parks, at home and really any situation when she's not hooked on a leash. (You make small talk with the other dog owners when you're in these situations to calm the mood, if anything.) Of course, the other dog owners have only seen her act like a spazz in class, so that's to be expected. We just don't like the idea that other people don't trust Gianna like we do. But trust is earned, and Gianna has work ahead before she displays consistent, good behavior on a leash that earns trust from our acquaintances. That's why we're in Growly Class.

I keep telling Amanda (and myself) that we all have bad days and wake up the wrong side of the bed occasionally. We happened to snap at each other earlier that morning over some spilled coffee (spilled milk would have made for an awesome, real-life cliché). Gianna had a bad day, too. I'm optimistic because we're getting better at anticipating bad reactions and avoiding them. That goes for our dog and each other!

Amanda will be taking the lead for the next couple classes as I'm headed to New Zealand(!!!) with Sergio for a photography gig. I know, huge deal. Watch for photos toward the end of the month along with some obnoxious amount of gushing.

I originally purchased Growly Classes as an admittedly odd birthday present for Amanda because I know it's important that she be able and confident to hold her own with our 50-pound furball without relying on my brute strength. She already can, and she'll do great in these upcoming weeks. My wife is a rock like that, and that's why she rocks!

Growly Class II: The Storm Settles

After a disappointing first Growly Class, we rebounded with tangible progress in our second class. Gianna was able to move from the "outer circle" of misbehaving dogs, to the "inner circle" of on-track dogs! It's like we got called up to the varsity team! We were deflated after that first lesson (and I was sore from getting my shins nipped at), but we put in the work last week with Gianna to improve her behavior. She only bit me once in the thigh early in class out of reaction to a dog she was scared of, but after that her "freak outs" subsided. We got paired up with a couple small dogs as she reacts more to dogs her size or larger, and she behaved reasonably well.

I think overall she's a happier dog because through practice for class we are giving her more "jobs" day-to-day. We're keeping up the practice and not getting too comfortable with progress because the dogs are continuously faced with new challenges in class, such as meeting other dogs or experiencing new environments. I don't expect Gianna will react perfectly in every situation, but we're learning more about what she reacts to and how to anticipate those scenarios so that we minimize her response. Let's hope for more progress in class #3 this week!