Day 2611

Dash was released from the hospital today. He's still a little shaky, but he is much better than when we visited him on Saturday. Dash has never traveled well in the car and I definitely shouldn't have agreed to pick him up during the evening rush hour. It was a stressful drive home to say the least. Dash was causing such a commotion that I figured if he didn't have another stroke on the way home, he was cured. I still don't have a clear idea what caused the seizures. Three highly regarded specialists examined him during his stay at the cancer center and each had a slightly different opinion. Does Dash have vestibular disease? Did high blood pressure cause a capillary to burst in his cerebellum? Were these seizures new or have there been subtle signs that this was about to happen for a long, long time? We may never know the answer.

Dash came home with a big bag of meds.  Admittedly, some of these pills were the same ones he was already taking when he was admitted to the hospital, but it was still a bit sobering to see how much medication he needs to take every day. Hopefully, we'll never get these pills mixed up with the ones Dot needs to take, or with my own. Our kitchen is already starting to look like a pharmacy. Dash needs to stay calm for the next couple of weeks. That's a tall order to say the least. I couldn't even keep him calm on the way home from the hospital this evening.

I haven't been asked to do a complicated photo shoot for quite some time, but that's about to change. I was on the phone this afternoon, trying to work out the logistics for a photo session this weekend that involves teenagers, dogs in costumes, and a leftover set from Erykah Badu's latest music video. I kept trying to tell my client that I was getting too old for this sort of thing, but she kept insisting that she had faith in me and wanted me to do the job. Janet says she'll watch the dogs while I'm gone, so I guess the shoot is a go, whether I'm ready or not.

I finally got all the rugs cleaned that Dot peed on the other day. Every time I complete this task I feel a bit like Sisyphus, eternally pushing the rock up the hill. I know that within a day or two, I'll have to repeat the whole process all over again. I'm still trying to figure out how my complicated routine is going to change, now that Dash needs extra attention. If Dash would just stay calm, my job would be a lot easier, but calm is not a word you would normally associate with Dash. For most of his life, he has been high strung and nervous. Along with all his other problems, we discovered today on one of the new scans that Dash has an enlarged heart. I always knew he had a heart murmur, but there was no reason to assume that he automatically had heart disease. We rescued Dash and will never know his entire history, but I'm willing to bet he was a puppy mill dog. He has way too many health issues.

Dash was quite excited and very happy to be home this evening, but he wouldn't eat his dinner. I'll need to call the cancer center in the morning and find out what they were feeding him. Apparently, his appetite was quite good while he was away. Dash has always been a finicky eater. If he's decided he likes something new, it's going to be hell getting him to eat his old food again. Of course, I may be overthinking things. Dash could easily gobble down the same food he rejected tonight when we feed the dogs breakfast tomorrow morning.

I hope we all get a good night's sleep tonight. Dot seems happy that Dash has returned and our high strung boy has finally calmed down and is taking a nap on the bed. I'm more than ready for life to return to some semblance of normality. Picking up poop in the house is no big deal, but having two dogs that might drop dead at any minute is a bit stressful.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2363

I had breakfast in a different part of town this morning. Instead of beards and flip flops, I was surrounded by Mark Cuban wannabes wearing carefully curated Robert Talbot and Ike Behar shirts. The guys nearest me were talking about deals they had made or were about to make. These budding venture capitalists seemed to think that if they couldn't double their six figure investments in less than a year, it wasn't worth the trouble. What a difference a few miles can make. Sometimes I overhear people in the hipster cafe talking about money too, but when it comes time to finance their dream, they're going to be getting a loan from the guys I saw today.

It's weird how fragmented our society has become.You see it in politics. You see it in fashion and music. You even see it in the simple act of eating breakfast. I don't think America is a great melting pot anymore. We have reverted to tribalism. One place I eat breakfast is full of school teachers. Another is full of hipsters. Still another is a favorite of octogenarians. Today's restaurant seems to be where the baby billionaires hang out. Nobody seems to have any desire to venture far from their own tribe. This is not a good thing. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I knew what tribe I belonged to. Observers like myself are seldom joiners, so I doubt that I'll be experiencing a tribal awakening anytime soon. I just watch and wonder as we continue to grow more fragmented.

Dot was definitely out of sync today. She pooped in the house three times during the day and did absolutely nothing on her two walks. There is no rhyme or reason to the incontinence anymore, but it does test my patience. Although cleaning up after Dot kept me busy, there really wasn't much going on today. I almost went up on the roof, but while I was getting ready, it started to rain again. I paid a few early June bills and wondered how I was going to make it through a month where last month's big plumbing and car repair bills were both going to be on my next credit card statement. I think my homeowners insurance is due this month too. I keep hoping that July will be better, but I bet Dot's oncologist is going to want her to start taking the expensive Palladia pills again. It's always something.

I noticed that crews are laying fiber optic cable in our neighborhood. I wonder what that means? It would be nice if it means faster Internet. Maybe the cable has nothing to do with the Internet, but it seems like it should. At least I know why they've been spray painting the location of all the utilities on the streets. I guess they want to make sure that the people putting in the fiber optic cable don't inadvertently cut through a gas or water line.

As I was walking Dash this afternoon, Erykah Badu smiled and waved at us as she was driving home in her Porsche Panamera. The dogs and I have been walking past her house for decades. I wish she'd invite us in sometime. She has a really cool house. With coyotes, pelicans, rock stars, and some of the last native prairie in Texas, it's definitely an interesting neighborhood.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1152

I'm going to have to change my approach to problem solving. My caller ID disappeared earlier this week and my first thought was that there was something wrong with the phones themselves. The phones were fine. Next, I thought it was a problem with the line and called AT&T. The lines were fine too. Finally, a U-verse technical support guy in India asked me if I'd tried re-booting the modem. Apparently, re-booting the modem is the U-verse universal solution for everything. I re-booted the modem, just like I do when the TV goes out, and my caller ID service returned. I keep forgetting that my television, Internet, and phone service are all the same stream of broadband data.

Janet and I got our blood tested at the neighborhood health food store this morning. Traditionally, I treat myself to a huge gut-buster breakfast after fasting for these early morning cholesterol screenings. Not today! Janet and I did go out for breakfast, but I had a veggie omelet filled with red peppers, portabella mushrooms, fresh herbs and goat cheese instead of my usual sausages, bacon, pancakes and maple syrup. The veggie omelet was delicious. Who knew?

It was a gray, misty day. The dogs didn't want to go outside and neither did I. We took our regular walk anyway though, because that's what we always do. Something must have been going on at Erykah's house when we walked by. It looked like babysitters, hairdressers, public relations people, and the rest of the entourage had all gathered for something special. I have no idea what goes on in that house, but it all seems pretty exotic to me. Maybe it's because I used to be a musician myself and still occasionally fantasize about what it would be like to be a rock star. My own days as a bass player weren't glamorous at all. On those nights when I was loading the PA system back into the trailer at 2 AM and realized the entire band had only made $100 for playing a four hour set, advertising definitely seemed the more desirable career choice.

I took another jacket to the tailor this afternoon to get a new zipper sewn in. Zippers all seem to be total crap these days. I can remember when strong metal zippers were made by Talon in Meadville, Pennsylvania. These reliable zippers lasted longer than the jackets they were attached to. Now, it's all cheap plastic made-in-China zippers that don't even last a single season. Sign of the times, I guess.

I hope the weather gets a little warmer tomorrow. Dot and Dash are supposed to be in a Mardi Gras parade. Janet is putting the finishing touches on their costumes right now. If the weather gets any worse, they'll be wearing raincoats instead.

Jazz it today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1135

When the dogs and I returned from our walk this morning, there was a process server waiting for us on the front porch. I was served with a subpoena. WTF? Why would anyone sue me? I am one of the most unlikely people on the planet to get involved with a lawsuit. I don't do much of anything and I rarely even see people. When I read through the legal documents I had been served with, I discovered that I wasn't being sued after all. Instead, I was being asked to give a deposition. It was one of my clients who was being sued and they apparently decided to drag me along for the ride. According to Janet, this probably wasn't a wise decision. She doesn't think I should even be allowed in a courtroom. "You talk too much," she tells me. When I told her about the deposition, she admonished me to just answer the lawyer's questions. "Don't try to regale the court with all your weird long-winded theories," she said. "It won't end well."

I saw some kids painting on the trunk of a dead tree the other day, so this morning I walked over to the tree to get a closer look at their handiwork. It actually looked kind of cool. Especially when framed as a square Instagram photo. This chunk of tree art reminded me of my friend Chuck in Seattle. He used to tell me that anything was art if you put it in a nice frame. To prove his point, he gathered up a bunch of trash he found on the street, flattened it out, and had the debris professionally framed. The resulting "pictures" eventually wound up in a gallery show and ended up getting good reviews.

Erykah Badu drove by in her big black Porsche Panamera while the dogs and I were walking past her house this morning. Sometimes I'd like to be a celebrity driving a big black Porsche. It probably isn't all it's cracked up to be though. I'm probably better off just walking dogs and taking pictures of painted tree trunks. I remember meeting Richard Petty once back in the days when I was doing Pepsi commercials. He was a real nice guy and insisted on eating Kentucky Fried Chicken out of a big bucket with me and the film crew at lunch instead of going off with the clients to a fancy restaurant. The guy seemed so tired though. You had to yell in his ear because he was stone deaf from years of racing. Whenever there was a break in the filming, his business manager put him to work signing autographed posters. All day long he signed these things wearing a special glove so he wouldn't get carpal tunnel. What kind of a life is that? I bet celebrities get sued a lot too.

I've got to go see the doctors at the liver institute tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to that at all.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1100

The dogs and I pass by Erykah Badu's house almost every morning on our walks. For some reason when she initially built the house, Erykah wrote the words LOVE, FORGIVE, EVOLVE on her garage door with colored chalk. I've noticed recently that the word EVOLVE has faded away to near invisibility. Has the singer already evolved, or did she just give up on the matter?  In my limited experience, it is a lot easier to love and forgive than it is to evolve. Most people I know, including myself, are just the same as they've always been. It's easy to pay lip service to the idea of change, but it's incredibly hard to make fundamental changes. With all the talk about needing to change our violent society, I wonder if we have the collective will to do what's necessary. Any student of history will tell you that our country has been a pretty violent place almost since the day it was founded.

I was trying to tell a client that the the work I do for them is boring while simultaneously expressing gratitude for the dull assignments. I hope I threaded this needle properly. I certainly need the work. In truth, most of my work is boring. That's the nature of work. I guess I don't believe the people who tell me their jobs are fun. If working was fun, you'd think I'd have experienced the sensation by now.

When I was at the vet yesterday, Dash sneezed in the exam room. "Does Dash have a cold?" the vet asked me. It certainly was a valid question, since we were trying to determine why Dash was throwing up every night. "Haven't you ever seen this before?" I asked the vet. "All Dalmatians do this when they think they're being ignored or you aren't doing something fast enough." "This isn't a cold," I told the vet, "it's an indignant sneeze." I was right, of course, and every Dalmatian owner would recognize that sneeze as a sign that Dash was tired of being examined and was ready to go home. I only mention this because Dot and Dash both gave me simultaneous indignant sneezes tonight when I was late fixing their dinner.

The temperature is supposed to drop over 40 degrees overnight. A cold front is moving through town as I write this and the weather forecasters say it will be close to freezing in the morning. We saw the front approaching in the distance at dog training class this evening. I thought class would be called off the moment we saw lightning on the Northern horizon. Not a chance. Everyone except Janet and I seemed determined to ignore the approaching storm. I guess they don't have dogs who are terrified of thunder and cars that have been demolished by hailstones. Luckily, we made it home before the deluge started.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 619

It must have been hot today, because Dash decided to turn around and go home when we got to Erykah Badu's house again. He stopped just long enough for an impromptu portrait in front of her iridescent Smart Car. Erykah used to drive a silver Mercedes Geländewagen, but I haven't seen the pricey Jeep around the neighborhood for a while.

Dot could have walked further today, but she is patient with Dash. Maybe it's because of the perfectly shaped heart on her left rear leg. She's the only Dalmatian I've known who has heart shaped spots.

Several weeks ago, I got an e-mail from Klout that said my Klout score qualified me for a free gift. I forgot all about this e-mail until the FedEx man dropped an unexplained box at my front door this morning. It was my free gift: a seemingly lifetime supply of protein powder. This odd gift is probably a much most accurate measure of my true Klout on the Internet than my score on the website. Probably people with real Klout get iPhones and airline tickets as gifts. I get a big jar of protein powder.

Do you ever see a picture that you just can't get out of your mind. I happened to see a very recent picture of Steve Jobs on the Internet today. It was a little frightening and put a lot of things in perspective. It reminded me that all the money in the world can't guarantee that you'll live any longer, and more importantly, that if you still have your health, you really don't have much to complain about. It would be easy to think that Steve got a raw deal, but we all die sometime and death is never pleasant. At least the guy did something with his life and not all of us can say that.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 610

I think the most exciting thing I did all day was a load of laundry. Don't get me wrong. I was as busy as usual doing my website revisions and writing assignments. It just wasn't very exciting. It's ironic to me that once I get proficient enough at something for people to feel comfortable paying me, I've usually lost interest. My office cubicle friends don't have much sympathy for my situation though. They usually just mumble something like "welcome to the work world" and wander off. It would be nice if you could get paid for learning new things. I'd love a job where my job description was "test pilot of ideas" or something equally fanciful. Not very likely though. People are much more comfortable paying you when you're safe and predictable.

My Instagram picture today is Erykah-Badu's house. On hot days, this is usually where the dogs and I turn around on our walks and start heading home again. In cooler weather, we walk a bit further to a place called The Stone Tables. Today was pretty hot, so we turned around here.

Ten hours later, when it was time for obedience class, I don't think the temperature had cooled down a bit. None of the dogs seemed the least bit interested in the proceedings tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if Dash felt exactly the same way about obedience class as I often feel about website design. The recall exercises, the heeling and even the jumps have all become very predictable. I'm sure that Dash would get a lot more excited if we would take him up to this same field and just let him chase rabbits.

Tomorrow's going to be a busy day. I've got an animal rescue meeting where people are sure to tell me that I'm already late with their promotional materials. I've got to get some large prints ready to go to the frame shop that I promised last month. I'd better go do some shopping too. Janet's got a birthday coming up soon.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day