Day 2211

It was an enjoyable day. For the first time in a long time we didn't use our holiday time to clean the house or do chores. Instead, we went to a nice restaurant for lunch and spent the afternoon visiting a museum. We weren't gone a long time, because you can't really leave Dot a long time, but it was nice to get out of the house for a while.

Dallas has quite a few interesting museums. I've visited the Sixth Floor Museum in Dealey Plaza several times. It's a great place to take visiting relatives. If you have any interest in history at all, you will find this museum fascinating. The same can be said for the new Presidential Library on the SMU campus. That's where we went today. You can see the controversial Florida ballot made famous by "hanging chads" and the confusing placement of candidates. After looking at this strange ballot, it seems pretty plausible to me that Al Gore really did win the election. There is an interactive theater where the audience can listen to opposing viewpoints on a variety of issues like removing Saddam Hussein from power or providing aid to Katrina victims and then decide what you would have done yourself. Everyone in the theater has a touch screen where they can select what issues they want to explore and what questions whey want answered. All the responses are tied together using a computer and the entire theater decides what to do in real time. Very interesting. As a visual person, the coolest thing was the huge multimedia display in the ceiling of the main lobby. The photography was amazing and very beautiful. If you haven't seen this, you ought to.

I remember going to the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field for a Christmas party once. Another memorable Christmas party during my ad agency days was held at The Dallas Museum of Art when the Pompeii Exhibit first came through Dallas. Apparently renting big museums for Christmas parties is a thing in Dallas. I'd still like to see the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. It may take a while though. My desire to do things is very low.

I don't think I was the only one who had a good day today. Dot seemed very perky. It was probably because of the weather. If light deprivation causes depression in people, it probably does in dogs as well. Today was bright and sunny. The combination of cool, brisk temperatures and bright sunlight is something almost all Dalmatians enjoy. Dot actually started to run when she saw a squirrel on one of our walks. Well, she wasn't really running, because Janet was holding up her rear legs with the harness, but you could tell that the desire was still there. Even on bad days, there is something about Dot's attitude that says "don't count me out yet." I just hope I can maintain Dot's steely resolve when my own body starts to fall apart.

Tomorrow, it's back to early pre-dawn walks and banana smoothies for breakfast. Dot has an appointment to visit her oncologist for another of her periodic cancer re-checks. It's time to take the Christmas tree down and put the decorations away for another year as well. It's going to be a busy week.

Hunter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day