Day 2245 - Superbowl Sunday

Today had its ups and downs. We woke up to discover that Dot was having difficulty walking. As most of you know, she has had trouble walking ever since her spinal injury last year, but today was worse than most days. She couldn't put any weight on her left rear leg at all. This has happened before, so we let her rest in hopes that she'd just slept on the leg wrong. Occasionally, her leg gets twisted in an awkward position when she attempts to get up and re-position herself during the night. If I wake up I'll check and make sure her legs are straight, but sometimes I sleep through her attempts to move. The only thing you can do is let her rest for a while and hope for the best.

Dash likes the mornings when Dot has to rest, because he gets a long walk by himself. We were out for over an hour this morning, walking along the shoreline, reacquainting ourselves with sections of the park that are too distant for Dot to reach these days. Dash didn't seem the least bit concerned that Dot was having a tough day. He just seemed happy that he was finally getting some individual attention. By the time we returned, Dot was already feeling a little more stable. The next time I took her in the back yard to pee, she was already starting to put a little weight on the rear leg. It's always a judgement call when we have to decide if Dot has had enough. If we quit trying to keep her moving, she would quickly become an invalid. Pushing her too hard is equally bad. You have to find the sweet spot where she remains motivated, without asking her to do anything that might make her condition worse. For Dot, and myself as well, life has become one long physical therapy session.

After breakfast, Janet went to a Dalmatian Rescue event and I went to the gym. I probably should have just taken the day off and rested with Dot, since my bad shoulder was really acting up today. I have a feeling that we both slept awkwardly last night. Dot twisted her leg, while I must have gone to sleep with my arm in the wrong position. It happens. I concentrated on cardio training this morning and didn't do any routines that would aggravate my shoulder further.

On the way home from the gym, I stopped by my favorite barbecue place and picked up two pounds of pork ribs, some fried okra, a pint of potato salad, some barbecue beans, and a couple of Corona beers. This seemed like the kind of food you should eat watching the Superbowl.

I enjoyed the game and was happy that Denver won. I always root for the old guys these days. I was glad to see Payton Manning go out on top, becoming the first NFL quarterback in history to have 200 wins as a starter. Everyone looked good today. Lady Gaga sang the best rendition of the Star Spangled Banner since Whitney Houston's memorable performance twenty five years ago. Lady Gaga seems to have grown up. Hanging out with Tony Bennett has been good for her. Nobody will ever top Michael Jackson's half time performance, but Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars put on a good show.

I'm still laughing at Larry David's take on the Bernie Sanders campaign last night on Saturday Night Live. Larry David is perfect as Bernie. The Iowa Caucus skit where Bernie lost by five votes because he alienated a voter by refusing to shake hands with a her after she coughed in her hand, and then compounded his error by refusing to try to pop another woman's shoulder back in place while he was going out for coffee was hilarious. Sienfeld meets politics, meets reality. This political season is very confusing. Am I watching an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm? Am I watching an episode of Celebrity Apprentice? Who knows.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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