Day 2613

Good grief Firefox. Quit telling me that Google is a suspicious site and refusing to let me log into my Blogger account. You're confused buddy. Sometimes I get so sick of SSL Server Certificates, encrypted websites, anti-virus software, and e-mail spam that I want to scream. Developers have made things so complicated in their ongoing efforts to thwart the hackers and spammers that my browser doesn't even work half the time. I really miss the old days when only a few geeks with dial up modems used the Internet and security was totally unnecessary. I was eventually able to access my Blogger account or you wouldn't be reading this, but why does it always have to be such a hassle?

It's hard to tell whether the world has become more complicated or if I have just become less tolerant. All I know is that even easy things seem hard these days. Traffic is horrendous. You can never reach anyone the phone anymore. Cable TV is an expensive joke. My U-verse service is always freezing or crashing. All my voicemail is from telemarketers. I don't think I can make it through a single day without rebooting something to bring it back to life. Right now my phone says "No SIM card installed" when I know perfectly well that there is a working SIM card inside. One more thing to reboot.

Maybe if the rest of the world worked smoothly, it would be easier for me to deal with the dogs. I'm continually stepping in dog poop in the back yard and cleaning it up indoors after Dot has made a mess. The washing machine seems to be running continuously now. I've gotten used to helping Dot walk, but now I've got to worry that Dash will fall as well. He's recovering from the massive cluster of seizures he experienced recently, but he's still pretty shaky. Often, when he lifts his leg to pee outdoors, it will throw him off balance and he will stumble. Dash's energy is returning a lot faster than his sense of balance. I have to be real careful when I take him on walks. The doctor says he should be back to normal in about three weeks, but it is going to be a long three weeks.

I've gotten Dash to eat dry food again. That's a good sign. Dot's urinary incontinence has stabilized a bit as well. If I take her outside every three hours, she seldom pees in the house anymore. I hate to wake her up when she's sleeping, but I hate for her to sleep in a puddle of pee either. Dash still tries to climb on the bed even though he's not ready yet. I'm trying to train him to sleep on the floor, but that's a work in progress. Basically, life is still a three ring circus.

I've been caring for sick dogs for so long now that I've almost completely forgotten what a normal life is like. I'm not complaining, but the combination of extended isolation, stress, and sleep deprivation can't be good for me. I'm actually getting pretty good at this, but I would definitely not pick nursing as a career choice. If you're a nurse, you have my admiration. It's much easier to be a writer.

I had a few small website updates to complete today, but it was just as well that I wasn't busy. Dot was restless all afternoon and it was hard to concentrate. I think I'm coming down with a cold too. I was taking Dot outside to clean her off this afternoon when I really had to sneeze. I wanted to reach for a Kleenex in my pocket, but realized that I still had poop on my hands. Such is life.

I wish it was Friday tomorrow. No, scratch that. I just remembered that I have to do a run through for this weekend's baffling photo shoot on Friday. I'd rather just have a nice breakfast and go back to bed.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day