Sunday, January 12, 2014

Day 1489

According to my Jawbone UP band, I got a full eight hours sleep last night for the first time in months. It's nice to sleep in late and even nicer to have nothing to do once you finally do get up. The only things on the agenda today were a leisurely breakfast, a trip to the dog park, and a visit to the gym. There was a time when I would have been restless without a big personal project to sink my teeth in on weekends. The office is still filled with the tools I used to create these projects, along with remnants of the projects themselves. The desire just isn't there anymore, however. Sleeping in late seems much more fulfilling at this point. It's only a matter of time before this creeping sense of ennui invades my work world as well. I still do my best to accommodate everyone, but secretly I wish they would all just go away.

I amuse myself these days by taking pictures of impossibly long shadows, just before the sun goes down. This is as close to a selfie as you'll ever get from me. I think pictures like these pretty much say it all. I've done a lot over the years and some say I've managed to cast a long shadow. Nevertheless, it's hard to deny that the sun is setting on just about everything. In a very young profession, I've become one of those dinosaurs who talks back to the television and is convinced that the current generation of children are a sign of the apocalypse.

There's no need to be morose when you've got Dalmatians though. Dot and Dash never fail to make me smile. They are my constant companions and always keep me pointed in the right direction. Almost half of my clients are veterinarians, largely as a result my desire to provide these dogs with the best possible care. I know far more veterinarians than I do human doctors and that's as it should be. My own health leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm positive that it would be a lot worse if I didn't walk Dot and Dash five miles each and every day. I walk them because I know Dalmatians need lots of exercise, not because I need the exercise myself. Hey, I still get the benefit of all this activity though. That's the beauty of dogs.

It was certainly pleasant to take the dogs to the dog park today. The sun was shining, the weather was warm, and all the other dogs were all friendly. Dot was strong and steady today, with few signs of the tremor in her rear leg that has become a telling sign of tiredness and advancing age. When we returned home, the house was filled with the aroma of a roast that Janet had started in the slow cooker early this morning. It was a nice day. If nothing happens tomorrow, Monday might be a nice day as well.

Suzie is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day