Day 2945

The only thing on my mind today was staying warm. Not only was it the coldest day of the year, it was colder than any day last year. Even Dash knew it was too cold for comfort. As soon as he did his business in the yard this morning, he came running back inside. I kept the little ceramic heater running in the office today and it warmed the place up a bit. The office is still the coldest room in the house though. It's just too far away from the furnace.

It's hard to avoid cabin fever on days like this. I paid some bills, answered a couple of messages from clients, and picked up a new supply of phenobarbital for Dash at the vet. That was about it. I wish Dash didn't have to take the phenobarbital, but it's pretty effective at preventing epileptic seizures. We can't afford to have another seizure at this point. Dash is far too fragile.

It was still well below freezing by mid-afternoon, but I could tell that Dash wanted a walk. Although it was clear, there was a stiff wind that made it feel like we were headed toward the South Pole. I was freezing, but Dash seemed to be enjoying himself. Along the way, I spotted a large hawk being pestered by three crows. It seemed to be a metaphor for something. The hawk ignored the crows and appeared to regard them with total distain. I'd like to think that animals live in a peaceful, bucolic world, but from what I've observed, they are just as mean and nasty as we are.

Just about everything I was going to do today got postponed until tomorrow. I didn't make a vet appointment and I didn't get a haircut either. It would have been a perfect day to watch Netflix movies, but I couldn't even bring myself to turn on the television. Two long walks, a writing assignment, and a couple of website updates fill up a day pretty well. Without these things, I just flounder around.

It's weird that South Texas got a lot of snow and ice and we didn't. The weather doesn't make sense anymore, but of course nothing else does either. While I was fixing lunch, I watched a press conference where the president's doctor was describing the results of his latest physical. The assembled press corps seemed visibly disappointed that the president was in good health. It was painfully obvious that most of them just wanted him to die. This may seem normal to you, but it seemed very weird to me. I've watched enough old Perry Mason shows to know that this kind of hatred doesn't usually end well.

When I was going to pick up Dash's phenobarbital at the vet, I was listening to a program on NPR where the guy being interviewed thought that it was easier to reach goals when there was a lot of emotion, positive reinforcement, and empathy involved. It all sounded like bullshit to me. I don't rely on any of these things. To me, you've just got to keep moving. If you have the discipline to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter how you feel, you will look back occasionally and realize that you've traveled much further than you ever thought possible.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day