Day 2650

There were tons of blueberries at the store today. I need to train myself to do grocery shopping on weekday mornings. The stores are empty and the shelves are well stocked. This is exactly opposite of the way it is on weekends. Since I had such good luck with the blueberries, I stopped by the REI store on the way home. The thing I wanted was out of stock, so I left without buying anything at all. By the time I got home, I'd completely forgotten why I needed anything at REI in the first place. The excursion wasn't a total loss though. I'll have fresh blueberries in my smoothie tomorrow morning.

Dash has been licking his butt again, so I made an appointment to go to the vet and get his anal glands expressed. Dot can go years without anal gland problems, but Dash seems to need his expressed every two weeks. I should learn to do this myself, but I'm tired of doing disgusting things. It's easy and convenient to just go to the vet. Dot is almost impossible to transport now and Dash is getting more difficult as well. He can no longer hop up in the car like he used to, but doesn't want me to lift him either. I got tired of having him try to squirm out of my arms, or hit the back bumper when he couldn't jump high enough to reach the open tailgate. Now, I let him get a running start and then grab the handle on the back of his Ruffwear Web Master Harness as he starts to become airborne and give him a boost. This probably wasn't what this durable search and rescue dog harness was designed for, but it works great. Dash thinks he's jumping, but I'm really just tossing him in the car like a sack of potatoes.

I wish I'd get an interesting project to work on so I'd lose the desire to go buy a bunch of stuff I don't need. Whenever nothing is happening at work, I tend to read catalogs obsessively and daydream about new gear that I think I need. I've convinced myself that I need a new telephoto lens, even though I have several long lenses already. I'm sure I'd use the lens and equally sure that I don't really need it. It's too bad that I don't enjoy going to a movie or reading books like a normal person. Life would be a lot less expensive if I just fought boredom with a good book. There is something strangely satisfying about gear though. I love to accumulate gear.

I've decided that Dot is like a 90 year old who still wants to get that hip replacement so they can start training for a marathon. She is so weak, but she just doesn't want to give up. I've never seen a dog with so much determination. I don't think Dash and I have Dot's inner resolve. Dash is moody and I have a tendency to be lazy. We both could learn a lot from Dot.

I guess I show a certain amount of determination by continuing to write this blog day after day, but I could do so much more. I've noticed that people's priorities change as they age. Some people, like my Mom, find a calling late in life. Other people, like my Dad, seem to flounder. I wonder where I'll wind up. I've remained curious, but I've also turned inward. This is probably a good combination for a philosopher. Not so good for an ad man. Maybe my life in advertising has reached its logical conclusion.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day