Day 1000

1000 days ago, I became a blogger. I didn’t really have much to say, but I was determined to say it anyway. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was convinced that if you looked at the ordinary closely enough, it would become extraordinary.

Day after day, I recorded the trivial and the absurd in my life. Even in the beginning I knew that a blog needed pictures. Each evening I showed you a different Dalmatian. They all had spots and looked very similar, but I understood they were completely unique. I knew these dogs. I had photographed each of them and had helped to find them homes.

The watches were different. I didn’t find homes for the watches. They found a home with me. I collected them all. The reason you see a new Dalmatian and a new watch every day is quite simple. I have lots and lots of pictures of both. Since I’m a visual person, I instinctively knew that every watch and dog I showed you told a story. I wasn’t so sure about my days.

On the surface, my life is extremely boring. If you were a fly on the wall, watching my daily routine would be like watching paint dry. At least that’s what I thought at first. I wondered why anyone would even bother to read this blog. Lets face it. Not much happens.

People did begin to read however, and I began to discover that even the most uneventful existence is full of mystery and nuance. The simple act of writing things down has allowed me to see things I normally never noticed. Maybe it wasn’t such a boring life after all. I had built a little business that had survived for almost 25 years without going bankrupt. I had learned to understand what goes on inside the heads of dogs. Perhaps most surprisingly of all, I was still alive.

Without the trail of breadcrumbs the blog now provides me, I probably would have already forgotten that I’ve been interviewed twice by the local news during the past 1000 days. I’ve been featured in ads for Paypal and was even flown out to San Francisco for a big photo shoot featuring two Dalmatians and me. Honeybees built a huge hive in our roof one Summer and threatened to invade the house. Another Summer I shot a video about a goat that became friends with a Great Dane for the National Geographic Channel. You may have seen it. There have been cancer scares, tornado alerts, sick dogs and much more. Through all this, I never missed a day. I posted on the same day I had surgery. I kept posting through power outages and computer failures. Hell, I had a story to tell. It was a good story too. You could even make a good case that I’d been leading a pretty interesting life after all.

The blog has taught me that almost everything you do has implications. The Dalmatian pictures have made people more aware of Dalmatian Rescue and the importance of saving these wonderful dogs. Dot and Dash now have dozens of new friends from all around the world.

Amazingly, the pictures of watches on the blog have actually made me a little money. As a result of my daily watch pictures, I am now considered a watch expert in certain circles and have written more than 300 articles and press releases for major brands like Fortis, Eterna and Versace. Who would have thought?

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. On September 10, 2001 I had no idea of what was going to happen the next day. If the blog has taught me one thing, it is this. Even after 1000 consecutive days of posting, I still can’t tell you what is going to happen tomorrow. You’re going to have to just keep reading.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 999

I think Fall has finally arrived. Maybe it's just a passing cold front, but it certainly felt like Fall this morning. The dog park was packed with pooches and their people, all taking advantage of the cooler temperatures. Dot and Dash had a great time catching up on new smells and old acquaintances. It's been a while since we've been to the park. We've either been out of town or dealing with sick dogs. I thing both the dogs and I are relieved that everything is back to normal again.

When we got home, I set about building web pages for the three new Dalmatians I had photographed yesterday. I also did some minor website revisions for other clients, but it didn't really feel like work. With the crisp Fall temperatures, nothing was going to spoil the feeling of a lazy afternoon.

We tried out a new iPad GPS mapping app this weekend. The thing only cost 99 cents to download from iTunes and it was much more sophisticated than in-dash GPS systems that cost thousands of dollars. Not only did the app have a pleasant voice that told you where to turn and a map that showed the direction to your destination, it also showed you the speed limit on every single street and told you whether you were going faster or slower than you should be. It's probably only a matter of time before apps like this send a secret message to the DMV when you are speeding and then you wind up getting a speeding ticket added to your next Mastercard bill. It's a brave new world out there. It makes you wonder how much your phone really knows about you.

It's hard to believe that I'm on the eve of the much anticipated Day 1000. I don't have the world's longest attention span, so doing anything for 1000 days in a row is a rare accomplishment. More about Day 1000 tomorrow. Today was just a nice, relaxed Fall day. Probably the best thing about today is that Dot is completely better. After a trip to the dog park, several long walks, and lots of activity, I didn't hear her cough once.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day