Day 2955

I bet I could determine my mood fairly exactly if I just took a light meter outside in the morning and measured the ambient light. The higher the number of foot-candles, the better my mood. Today was so dark and grey that I doubt the meter would have registered much. I was a little surprised that we didn't get rained on when we took our morning walk. Typically, when the sky is this dark, Dash and I get wet.

I thought going out for breakfast might improve my mood, but I picked the wrong restaurant. I ordered a couple of breakfast tacos and as soon as my order arrived, I realized that I should have stayed home and fixed a bowl of oatmeal. I had a table facing a busy street, so I watched people going to work while I ate. There were more pickups on the road than cars and most of the cars were SUV's. There were very few pretty cars. I would have preferred to see more British cars, but Japanese cars were winning the popularity contest. Three out of four cars passing my window were Japanese. My tacos weren't all that great, but I'm easily amused. My impromptu restaurant window survey was probably a better use of my time than sitting at home scrolling through my Facebook page.

When I returned from breakfast I washed the car. I didn't let the fact that it is going to rain tonight stop me. Hey, I have no plans to go anywhere tomorrow anyway. It seems like I'm always thinking about water. When I took a shower, I realized it was time to get out the wet-dry vacuum and remove the water that had accumulated under the tile shower floor. I wonder where this water would go if I never removed it? Every three or four days I'm able to extract over a quart of water using the vacuum. I wish I had a machine that could see through the tiles. There has to be a leak somewhere, but I still have no idea where this water is coming from.

On slow days I spend a lot of time updating computers and programming electronic devices. I seldom watch movies, but I clearly want to be ready if I ever get the urge. I frequently fiddle with Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Netflix trying to build the perfect user profile. The Roku stick works well, but Apple TV is always a problem. For something that was four times more expensive than Roku, Apple TV is very unreliable. I still haven't been able to watch something from start to finish without losing the WiFi signal. Apple TV crashed on me three times today. Eventually I just gave up because it was time for Dash's dinner anyway.

The mail carrier left someone else's mail in our box again today. This happens frequently. It makes me wonder how much of my own mail is getting lost the same way. I'll probably never know. I always write "wrong address" on the envelope and stick the letter back in the box. The misplaced mail is gone the next day but I have no idea if it ever gets to its destination.

The garbage truck with the robotic arm knocked over my trash can this morning. This probably isn't as bad as misplaced mail, but clearly people aren't paying attention. I had to repeat my breakfast order three times because the guy at the counter kept think I'd ordered something different. That one was probably my fault. People say I mumble.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2775

I went back to the gym today. It's amazing how quickly your body begins to deteriorate if you don't use it. With only a single month of reduced activity, my regular workout was really hard to complete. It wasn't like my leg was hurting or anything. I just didn't have the same amount of energy. When I started throwing the basketball, my shots didn't connect anymore. It was interesting. I thought I was shooting free throws exactly like I've always done, but the ball was landing just a little short. The hand eye coordination was the same, but the muscles had atrophied a bit more. It was like they were delivering 10% less power. I'm going to really have to work on regaining muscle mass. Things have been slowly going downhill for a long time. I'm going to have to start adding more protein to my diet and working out with weights. I've always liked the idea of being thin, but I can't afford to lose any more muscle. It's time for a change.

I was going to watch a few more episodes of The Expanse today and I thought I would watch them on the big TV instead of my computer. Bad idea. I quickly discovered that there's a problem with my Apple TV box. My network connection keeps dropping out even though the box is directly connected to the router with an Ethernet cable. Like many Apple problems, my sporadic connection problems were well documented by other users on Apple forums. A number of people seem to be experiencing the same type of problem I was seeing. No solution from Apple though. There seldom is these days.  I went back to watching my show on the computer.

There was a nice breeze when we took our sunrise walk with Dash this morning. unfortunately, that was the last walk Dash got today. Janet had to go to a meeting this evening and Dash wouldn't leave the house without her. He has become really attached to Janet while she has been home and follows her around all day. When she leaves the house now, he freaks out. I don't know if he is scared or lonely, or a little bit of both. It's going to be a problem when Janet goes back to work. I hope he can adjust. I know he feels more comfortable when Dot and Janet are around, but that isn't an option now. Dot is gone and Janet has a job.

Today went quickly. It's surprising how easy it is to fill a day with almost nothing. The simple act of trying to watch a movie sent me on an extended Google search where I learned some new things about modern technology. Evidently, many of the new devices you plug into your TV are able to control the TV. Your TV is also able to control these external devices. The whole idea is to let you do everything using one remote control. The problems start when two devices are trying to control each other and get confused. I think that's what happened with me today. I probably don't need a Roku stick, Chromecast, and Apple TV all hooked up to the same television. No wonder Janet prefers to watch TV using her iPad.

Jeez, it's almost August and I still don't have a plan for the summer. I've accomplished a few things, but there have been a lot of setbacks as well. There's so much to do that I hardly know where to start. Maybe a nice early walk tomorrow morning, followed by some strong coffee and a fruit smoothie will give me some ideas.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2772

After an early walk with Janet and Dash, I returned to the Passport Acceptance Facility this morning and renewed my passport. This time everything went perfectly. I was the first in line. I had my D-11 form already filled out in black ink. And most importantly, I had my checkbook with me. The whole process only took me about fifteen minutes. I don't know why I chose the more expensive expedited option, because I definitely have no place to go. I guess I just hate waiting on things.

I knew it would take me forever to make my morning smoothie, so I stopped and got a breakfast taco on the way home. It was still so early when I returned that I didn't know what to do with myself. If I got up this early every morning, I would have a lot more time, but I'm not sure I need more time anymore. Often, I feel like I've got too much time on my hands.

Since I had a lot of free time today, I thought I'd watch a movie on Apple TV. Much to my surprise, Apple TV didn't work. It worked fine two days ago when I was explaining what it could do to Janet. This time I got a message saying that Apple TV wasn't connected to the internet, even though I could clearly see a cat5 cable connecting the box directly the router. I tried the time honored turn everything off and back on again routine and that didn't work. I tried entering the WiFi password again and that didn't work either. Everything else on the network was working fine, so this was a weird little problem. I found an item on the menu called "troubleshooting" and clicked on that. This brought up another menu where I could enter all the network information manually. I didn't want to do that, so I found another little button that said "find network information automatically." I still don't really know what I did, but eventually Apple TV started working again. By this time I didn't even feel like watching a movie. I turned the TV off and ate a piece of cheese I found in the refrigerator.

The orthopedic specialist called to remind me of my appointment tomorrow. I'm glad he did, because I probably would have forgotten. I'm not even sure what I'm going to see the orthopedic guy for. My wrist is almost back to normal again and since I'm still not interested in surgery for my Carpal Tunnel problems, I doubt that anything can be done. Maybe I'll ask the doctor about my shoulder. My shoulder is actually in much worse shape than my wrist.

When I was working on the computer this afternoon, A message from Apple appeared on my screen, saying that a virus had been discovered that needed to be removed immediately. The message definitely looked like an official Apple communication, but Apple doesn't normally do this sort of thing. I quickly forced Safari to quit even though there was a little countdown clock saying I had two minutes before my computer destroyed itself. I opened Firefox and quickly did a Google search describing what I had just seen.

It was a scam. If I wasn't so familiar with Apple, I might have fallen for it. A few more Google searches showed me how to clear the Safari cache files and delete the cookies that were causing this alarming message to appear. It's amazing how much time you have to spend protecting yourself from scams these tays. They're everywhere.

Janet's recovery is going remarkably well and she will be returning to work soon. I've enjoyed having her home, but she loves her job and is eager to get out of the house again. I guess there are only so many Netflix movies you can watch in a single summer. Dash will be lonely for a while. He loves having everybody home and follows Janet around like a shadow during the day. It's a good thing that dogs live in the moment. They can usually adjust to changes quicker than people can.

It's going to take me a while to adjust. Without Dot to take care of or business to keep me busy, I've got to come up with a Plan B.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2665

I didn't accomplish much today. I used the dog's sleepy period to go pick up our tax preparation materials from the accountant. They used to just mail this stuff back to me after they filed the tax returns, but for some reason they insist on using FedEx now and charging for overnight delivery. It's much easier to just go retrieve the files myself. I think in the early days the accountant would just store all this stuff at their office, but they probably ran out of space years ago.

On the way home, I stopped at a shoe store to look for some slip on sandals for taking the dogs out at night. Flip flops are easy to find, but durable slip on shoes without the annoying flip flop loop you put your toe through are almost impossible to find. There are plenty of these shoes for women, but the shoe gods have apparently decided that men don't need them. I needed a new pair, because the shoes I'm using now are basically cheap house slippers that have been ruined by too many trips out in the muddy yard. I was surprised to find exactly what I needed and even more surprised to arrive home and find both dogs still sleeping.

I've got a tough choice to make now.  I like to let Dot sleep as long as she wants because she has more energy during her active periods if she's rested. Also, the only time I can get anything done is while Dot is sleeping. Unfortunately, if Dot goes more than two hours without going outside, she pees immediately as soon as she wakes up. A peaceful house usually ends up being a wet mess. If I take her outside regularly and keep things dry, it's difficult to get her to go back to sleep. Also, whenever Dot is up, Dash thinks it's time to eat and starts barking in the kitchen. There just isn't a good solution.

I tried to show Janet how to use the new Apple TV remote but she wasn't very interested. This is why we still have cable. I'll probably eventually download a few science fiction movies, but I don't even watch TV that much. The only reason I wanted to try this is that I think it's outrageous how much U-verse is costing us now. It's frustrating to go back and forth between the different services too. It's super easy and convenient to use the Apple TV remote. Returning to the cable box when you're done is another matter entirely. To switch back from Apple TV to U-verse requires three different remote controls. You've got to use the Apple remote to turn off Apple TV. Then you've got to use the Sony remote to switch to a different HDMI port. Finally you have to use the U-verse remote to turn on the cable box. There's got to be an easier way. People keep trying to invent a universal remote control. I've bought as few. The problem is that companies are always inventing new stuff that the universal remote doesn't recognize. It was much easier when I just read books.

The horse nettle is starting to bloom in the park. I see the plants everywhere now. The small purple flowers are pretty, but the plants are poisonous to horses and livestock. I assume they are poisonous for dogs as well. Luckily Dot and Dash don't seem interested in the many poisonous plants that make their home in the park. Jimson weed is even more hazardous than horse nettle, but it hasn't appeared yet. I'm mostly worried about the poison ivy and poison oak, which seem to be the most common plants in the park. It's rare that I can get through an entire Summer without at least one case of poison ivy.

The dogs have worn me out today. I hope everyone sleeps soundly tonight because I need the rest. At least there's no longer any rain in the forecast. Maybe the yard will finally dry out. I have no plans for tomorrow at all, but I'm sure I'll be busy. Just taking care of the bare necessities keeps me very busy these days.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2664

Another long rainy day. It was basically a typical Monday except it was wet. Luckily, we were able to get the dogs walked this morning before the rain started, but after that all bets were off. I can just feel my energy draining away when it rains. Everything takes longer and nothing goes smoothly. I'm not even sure that Dot even knows that its raining anymore. When I take her outside to pee, she still wanders around aimlessly, just like she does on a sunny day. I keep towels by the door on days like this because we get wet a lot. Dot eventually does pee on a rainy day, but Dash still refuses to go outside. He'll scratch at the back door and then stick his head out while he waits for me to stop the rain. I've tried to explain to him that I have no control over the weather but I don't think he gets the concept yet.

Both dogs were very needy today. Every time I tried to take a shower, go to the bathroom, or eat my dinner, one of them would start barking and demanding attention. When Dot finally did go to sleep, I let her sleep too long and she peed in her bed when she eventually woke up. I really need to remember to take her outside every two hours rain or shine. It's hard to clean Dot's paws on days like this because she can't stand up on her own. Often I just give up and let her track mud in the house. I can always clean the rugs later.

Since it was absolutely dismal outside, it was a good day for a project. I decided to hook up Apple TV to the network. Amazingly, there was still an available HDMI port on the TV and and an Ethernet port on the router. I was surprised at how easy it was to configure everything. Basically, my phone did all the work. I was prepared to learn new passwords and grow frustrated when the firewall blocked the new device, but everything worked like a charm. Apple has its faults, but they definitely know how to make installation easy.

The plan is to see what's available on Apple TV and then eventually cut the cord on cable. Cable bills are outrageous. We left Time Warner because they kept raising our rates year after year. Now AT&T is doing the same thing. You'd think that the cable companies would become more competitive now that more and more people are unbundling their services. What people really want is the ability to just buy the channels they actually watch. Who needs hundreds of channels you'll never look at?

I'm skeptical that this experiment will work, but it's worth a try. From what I saw today, it looks like there's a huge variety of things to watch on Apple TV. I guess the real question is whether buying shows on iTunes is any less expensive than paying for a cable bundle.

Wouldn't you know that the roofer would call me on a rainy day. He said that he'd gotten my messages and that I was on his list. That's never very reassuring on a rainy day. The roofer said he had to finish dealing with active leaks before he started on preventative maintenance. I told him to hurry up, or I was going to be one of those active leaks soon.

I'm still waiting for Dot to poop. It's been a while, so she'll probably get the urge while I'm brushing my teeth or getting ready for bed. I've cleaned up enough messes today, but I'm expecting one more. The weather report says the rain is going to stop tomorrow. Of course, it's supposed to start again on Wednesday. Hey, it's April in Texas. I'll take what I can get.

Apollo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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