Day 614

Last night's Casino Party went well. We were able to raise some money to help the Dalmatians and everybody had a good time. The most surprising thing about the evening was that the restaurant seemed to completely change character as the evening progressed. When we arrived, the place was a nice family oriented sports bar where you might go to watch a baseball game with friends. With each passing hour, the music got a notch louder, and the customers got a bit younger. By the time we were ready to leave, the restaurant had transformed itself into a dance club with a deafening sound system, bouncers at the door, police checking ID's, and tons of kids looking for a good time. I was curious about the strange popularity of this seemingly average sports bar and then I discovered that the place still allowed smoking. The kids loved to smoke.

Today was much quieter. The theme for the day was washing. We washed the bedspread to get rid of all the dog hair. Then we washed the dogs, so they wouldn't immediately get the bedspread dirty again. The dogs looked so clean and pretty that it inspired me to go and get the car washed as well. I haven't washed the Defender all Summer because it was hard to see the point of doing anything unnecessary in this heat. Janet finally convinced me to spend $15 and let the attendants at one of those drive through car wash places clean it for me. This was a good suggestion. The car looks better now than it ever did when I washed it myself. Even the muddy wheels were sparkling.

I'm ready for another week. The Dalmatian Rescue event banners and signs are back at the storage warehouse again. The house is clean. The website updates seem under control. I'm wondering if the events in Libya today will make the market go up or down tomorrow. On one hand, the end of another dictator is positive news that should make the market go up. On the other hand, uncertainty about oil might make it go down. Maybe nothing will happen. Uncertainly seems to be baked into the cake these days.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 613

Well, we got everything set up at the BlackFinn Saloon for tonight's Dalmatian Rescue Casino Party. Now, it's time to get the rest of the weekend errands finished before it's time to go back to the restaurant for the fundraiser later this evening. I've got a load of laundry in the washing machine, the grass is being watered and I'm making a grocery list. I've also got to fix one of the posters for the silent auction tonight, because some of the information was wrong. Needless to say, it's going to be a busy afternoon. We'll probably go eat dinner at the restaurant before the party starts, because the food smelled pretty good while we were setting up. I hope this turns out to be a good fundraiser for the Dalmatians. We usually do real well at these type of events, but occasionally nobody shows up. Like everything else in life, you just never know.

Every day I seem to get another open sell order from my broker in the mail. I got two more today. In this volatile market it would be silly not to have stop loss orders and downside protection, but nevertheless, it is sad to see all the panic and uncertainty obliterate a good portfolio. I've learned my lesson though. When the market is going down, you can always buy everything back again later when prices are even lower.

Someone Retweeted one of my Instagram pictures the other day. Maybe Instagram actually is a good way to communicate. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I do know that it is definitely easier to upload a picture than it is to write a thousand words. I guess I'll keep writing though. I enjoy writing. It would be nice if there were a way to seamlessly integrate all these online extensions of yourself in a single place. I have a feeling that I already do that on Facebook, but I seldom visit Facebook anymore since Google+ appeared.

I'm going to need to post today's entry earlier than usual, since I still need to go to the grocery store and give the dogs their evening walk before the Casino Party starts. Wish us luck this evening...

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day