Day 2253

I wasted most of the morning getting my tire fixed. I can't complain though, because I didn't have an appointment and the dealership was nice enough to work me in on a busy day. There was plenty of time to drink too much coffee and look at cars on the showroom floor that I can no longer afford. I probably could have left the nail in my tire for quite a while, since it wasn't leaking. I didn't want to take a chance though. I have to take Dot to two different vet appointments tomorrow and a flat tire along the way would really make a mess of things. I guess it was worth the wait. I wasn't charged for the repair and they filled my tire with nitrogen, which no garage in the neighborhood would have been able to do. The unfortunate thing is that I could run over another nail tomorrow. Dallas streets are full of nails and sharp debris.

Some days I get lucky with Dot. Other days, not so much. I did a lot of laundry today. I took Dot outside again and again, but it was only after I brought her back inside and got her settled in her bed that she decided to poop. This happened several times. It takes a lot of patience to deal with an incontinent dog. Dash is testing my patience as well. He is eating something in the yard that is giving him diarrhea. I saw him eating bark the other day and he's been known to eat cat poop. I've got to find what he's been getting into soon. It won't be easy to find since his disgusting treasure is probably hidden under a huge pile of leaves.

I was hoping that I could stream the Grammy's tonight on my computer while I was writing the blog, but it was just too much trouble. I found a live stream of the red carpet before the show which I wasn't interested in. I found backstage interviews during the show. I found selected clips from the show. I found everything except the broadcast itself. Never mind that the show was already playing on a TV in another room. With all the time I wasted trying to find a free streaming broadcast, I could have just walked across the house and watched the show on TV. I did see bits and pieces of the show. I had looked forward to Lady Gaga's tribute to Davie Bowie, but the whole thing seemed overproduced and a bit weird. Adele seemed to hit a few flat notes during her performance. How could that happen? I forgot that Don Henley played drums with the Eagles. Hey, it's been a long time. Why did I think he played guitar? I did like the tribute to BB King. Bonnie Raitt was fabulous. I guess I liked most of what I saw except for Justin Bieber. Alice Cooper probably should have stayed in retirement too.

We ordered takeout from Chili's tonight because neither of us felt like cooking. This is becoming increasingly common. I think that the older you get, the less appealing cooking becomes. It just isn't worth the trouble on a regular basis. Truthfully, a lot of things aren't worth the trouble on a regular basis. I try not to let that stop me though. If I only did what was appealing, I wouldn't do much at all.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1809

We decided to wash the dogs this morning, but it didn't exactly work out as planned. When we arrived at our regular dog washing place, we discovered that it was closed for the holidays. We eventually managed to find an alternate facility that was open, but they were so slow that seemed to take forever to walk away with two clean Dalmatians. At least this chore is over with for a while. Dot and Dash managed to stay clean for the rest of the day and all is well.

I forgot to take the garbage out to the street last night, but when I rushed out early this morning to try and beat the approaching trash truck, I noticed that everyone else on the street had forgotten it was trash day as well. My trash container was the only one on the street. This only goes to prove that eating too much affects everyone the same way. Your mind goes blank and all you want to do is watch television.

Forgetting the trash wasn't our only forgetful moment today. Janet left her jacket at the dog washing place, so I had to go back and retrieve it later in the day. While I was out, I got gas, since I forgot to fill the tank on Wednesday. We even forgot to go to the grocery store and ended up getting take-out dinners at Chili's instead. I think this is perfectly normal for the day after Thanksgiving. I'm sure I'll get back to remembering things tomorrow.

I thought about going to the gym today, but decided to finish my writing assignments instead. While I was writing, Janet decided to clean or wash everything the dogs slept on, which ended being just about everything we own. Now, in addition to clean dogs, we have clean throw pillows, clean sheets, a clean bedspread, and tons of clean dog blankets. This won't last long. As soon as it rains, everything will be dirty again.

Since it was Black Friday, I was expecting lots of traffic when we were running our errands today. Surprisingly, the roads seemed kind of empty. We didn't venture within five miles of a Walmart, Target, or Shopping Mall however. I would just as soon go to Chernobyl as a Walmart on a day like this. When you can't tell the difference between TV coverage of a Black Friday sale and unrest in the Middle East, it's probably better to just stay away.

It seems like Sunday night, but we've still got two more vacation days left. I probably should follow Janet's example and do some cleaning myself. I'm sure that house cleaning would burn up just as much energy as going to the gym, but at least going to the gym is over in an hour or so. House cleaning is like opening a Pandora's Box. Once you start, it seems impossible to finish.

Spots is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1787

It was nice to see the sun again. The skies were clear this morning and the temperature was a brisk 65 degrees. The dogs love this kind of weather, so we started the day with a long meandering walk. After a leisurely breakfast on our return, I reluctantly acknowledged that it was still a work day and turned on the computer.

It wasn't a terribly busy day, but there was enough to keep me busy until it was time to take Dot downtown for her weekly physical therapy appointment. I've grown to look forward to these vet appointments because they're about the only time I chat with people anymore. Janet frequently leaves for work before I get up and by the time she returns, it's time for bed again. I'll talk to the dogs during the day, but they don't listen unless they hear the words dinner or treat. It's not much of a conversation.

It's time for my annual physical again, but I keep postponing making the appointment. I guess I've just grown tired of doctors and blood tests. I suppose I'll need to go soon though, since the renewals for all my prescriptions are linked to these yearly visits. My doctors always say that they'll never prescribe something for more than a year at a time because it is important for to review your meds periodically. I'm sure there is some truth to this, but I've always suspected that withholding prescription renewals is just a clever way to make sure you return for a visit. I'm probably like most people. Even though I believe that preventative medicine is a good thing, I don't even think about going to the doctor unless I feel sick.

Dot seemed to feel a little sick this morning. She kept acting like she was going to throw up, and then when I took her outside, she just sniffed the air and did nothing. We repeated this routine several times and then she calmed down and went to sleep on her dog bed. The rest of the day, she was fine. Maybe she just had a mild case of heartburn or an upset stomach. When I asked the vet about this odd behavior, she said it probably meant nothing. She did say that if Dot started experiencing reflux or heartburn frequently, I should probably take her back to the cancer center for another re-check. So far, so good though. Dot did very well on the underwater treadmill today and seemed to have plenty of energy on her evening walk.

I never got around to going to the grocery store today, so I just went to Chili's on the way home from mailing some letters at the post office and picked up a cheeseburger to go. I very rarely do this, but the burger was certainly good. Another forbidden pleasure. I would probably be ten pounds heavier if I ate like this frequently.

I have several writing jobs waiting for me tomorrow and I need to remember to make reservations for Thanksgiving dinner as well. Those things can wait though. As always, the first thing I'm going to do is enjoy a great breakfast at my favorite restaurant.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1128

I spent most of the day doing my bookkeeping and paying a bunch of bills. This took a long time, mostly because I'd been postponing the loathsome task for so long. The older I get, the more depressing dealing with financial matters becomes. When I was younger, it was easy to pay my bills. I didn't have many bills in the first place and I was lucky enough to work in an industry that was obsessed with youth. Bright, young people can do exceptionally well in advertising. It wasn't until much later that I realized in that quintessential race between the tortoise and the hare, I was the hare. All the tortoises eventually caught up with me and now they appear to be in the lead. I can no longer glibly tell people that the answer to all spending problems is simply to get a job that pays better. I must embrace frugality. And I hate being frugal.

The bills still get paid. Some months I make a little more than I spend. Other months I spend a little more than I make. It all seems to even out by the end of the year. I know I should be happy with this. In many ways I have what the working world wants. I don't have a boss. I don't have any debts. I don't have many responsibilities. Life is good. I walk my dogs. I write a little. I enjoy my bacon. Why do I even care that there's not going to be a Lamborghini in my future?

Klout sent me a gift card to Chili's today. I wonder if Chili's serves breakfast? That would be cool if Klout started sending me gift cards to breakfast restaurants. This gift card was certainly a better perk than the package of Zatarain's pasta I got last month. I still haven't figured Klout out. I enjoy getting little surprises in the mail, so the whole perks concept works for me. I just don't know what the companies sending me stuff get out of the deal.

It was too warm to cancel dog training class tonight. But it was too cold to actually enjoy it. I was surprised at how well Dash did this evening, considering how much he hates the cold. He still barked a lot and irritated some of the older people, but he did all his exercises perfectly. I was proud of my boy tonight.

I think I'm going to call that company that does sprayed on foam roofs and have them give me an estimate. It's been a wet Winter and I'm really getting tired of sweeping the water off the roof on an almost daily basis. There was still ice on the roof this morning and I had to break it into little chunks with my broom handle. When I slipped on the ice, I thought it might be a good idea to call the roofing company.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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