Day 3685

I changed all my reservations this morning. The Solar Orbiter launch has been postponed. I was kind of expecting that this might happen, but I hope it doesn't happen again. Just because you managed to make reservations for one date doesn't guarantee you can make them for another. Luckily, I was successful this time although hotels seem unusually full for this time of year. At any rate, I hope this new date sticks. Last minute changes are a lot of trouble.

It was an uphill battle to get my 20,000 steps today. I did my usual workout at the gym but it felt like someone had changed all the settings on the machines. I looked and nothing had changed. The only thing that had changed was me. I was terrible on the basketball court as well. Oh, well. We all have good days and bad days. At least I finished everything.

The sluggish feeling continued when I began my walk a few hours later. I blamed this on the wind. It was warmer today, but it was very windy. It looked like a good day for sailing. Not so good for picnics though. By the time I returned home I was finally starting to feel normal. It was odd that I felt sluggish today because I actually got a good night's sleep.

I thought about putting some more silicon on the roof, since it was so warm today. Then I remembered how windy it was and decided to wait until the weather was calmer. This stuff is messy on a windless day. I'd probably end up with liquid silicon all over myself on a day like today. I'm not even sure there is a point to continuing these repairs. I still don't know where the leak is.

I guess I missed my chance to go up to the little observatory north of town. There just weren't enough clear nights in January. Now the moon is back and nights will be getting brighter for the next several weeks. I read that tonight was a good night to see Mercury just below a very thin crescent moon right after sunset. There were clouds on the horizon though and I'd have to walk quite a ways to find an unobstructed view anyway.  It wasn't worth the trouble.

It's easy to talk me out of going outside at night, but it would be difficult to talk me out of visiting the Dalmatians. I'm already looking forward to our weekly trip to the kennel tomorrow. I hope everyone is doing well. We will continue our efforts to socialize the dogs and spoil them with treats. I haven't heard anything recently, but it would be nice to learn that a few more are on their way to their forever homes.

I listened to a little bit of the Grammy Awards this evening. Once again I didn't know who most of the artists were. I did know who Usher was, but was he really the right guy for a Prince tribute? Who am I to say? I'm still listening to Hotel California in the elevator.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3335

I was watching the Grammy's while I was eating dinner tonight and once again I hardly recognized anybody. Who are these people? When I watch award shows these days the only stars that seem familiar are the ones featured in the annual "in memoriam" montage. I hear my music in elevators now. I find those Time Life Presents the 60's infomercials strangely compelling. Maybe Richard Marx said it best when he Tweeted "Went to the dentist today. My teeth are fine. Just wanted to hear some of my songs."

We got quite a bit of rain last night and the roof still hasn't leaked. Will wonders ever cease? One of the pumps didn't seem to be working, so I went up to investigate after I got back from the gym this afternoon. Sure enough, the pump had tipped over again. There was so much standing water on the roof that I felt compelled to remove it, even though I'd already had a pretty good workout. I probably should have waited. There is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow.

Dash woke me up several times last night, but he must have gotten more sleep than I did. Even though it was a nasty, cold day, he still wanted a walk this morning. It must have been the Metronidazole pills that caused all the problems with mobility. Dash was probably weak from the severe diarrhea too. At any rate, now that the pills are out of his system, we are back to what we now consider normal. Dash is still shaky and tends to fall when unsupported, but he can move again and loves to take a slow meandering walk every day. It helps that he has accepted the Help 'Em Up Harness. He even wears it to bed now.

Maybe I have a mild cold instead of allergies. When I was at the gym today, I noticed that my heart rate was more elevated than usual. I was also sweating more while doing exactly the same routines that I've always done. Was I just tired and working harder to accomplish the same results, or were the antihistamines messing with me? Who knows. I've had seasonal allergies as long as I can remember, but they've never started this early or lasted this long. I'm getting tired of this.

I was going to vacuum today but I ran out of energy. Enough is enough. I'm sure the dust will wait. I decided to take a nap with Dash after I removed the water from the roof. Unfortunately, the nap wasn't enough. I wonder if I'll ever get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep again. Probably not. Maybe I should just settle for four hours and night and four hours during the day?

The rain is supposed to continue tomorrow. So far, we've been able to squeeze in a morning walk before things get too wet but our luck may have run out. The forecast says that the rain will resume tonight and continue through the morning. Rain or shine, life goes on. I've got a new supply of fresh berries for my morning smoothie. I've got a new box of puppy pads to catch Dash's poop. I've got plenty of antihistamines. I think I'm ready for a new week.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2957

Time flies. Three years ago I was out at Vandenberg Air Force Base as a guest of NASA to watch the SMAP launch. I didn't realize that this would be my last trip for a long, long time. Six years ago, Entrecard disappeared. Again, I didn't realize that this was the end of something. Blogging was never the same again. Things keep changing, but as always, I never realize the implications until much later. If there are changes or surprises in store for me in 2018, I hope they are good ones.

The gym seems to have lost a few members. Maybe some people quit when the price went up. Since I don't know any of these people, there is no way to know for sure. I'm doing my workouts earlier now. It leaves more time later in the day to do other things I don't like to do. If Saturday is a day for errands, Sunday has become a day for exercise. When I returned home today, I vacuumed. Vacuuming is more work than it seems because I always have to move so much clutter, just so I can clean the carpets. It would be tempting to just vacuum around all the junk on the floor, but it would defeat the whole purpose of cleaning. Dust hides under clutter.

It was beautiful outside today, but the nice weather made it difficult to walk Dash. On pretty, warm days the park is filled with joggers, cyclists, and people walking their dogs. It is impossible for Dash to walk in a straight line. He is always zig-zagging around, following his nose. If we are on a road or trail, I have to keep an eye out for bicycles. The cyclists are silent and never slow down for dogs. I have to keep an eye out for loose dogs too. Way too many people think it is perfectly OK to let their dog off leash in the park. There are signs all over the place saying that all dogs must be on a leash, but apparently nobody reads signs. I have seen these loose dogs get into fights with other dogs, but the owners never think it is their fault. I prefer days like yesterday when it is cold and misty with nobody in sight.

I was thinking of starting to watch Black Mirror on Netflix today, but there wasn't enough time. My simple Sunday routine eats up the entire day. There's an early dog walk, followed by breakfast and a trip to the gym. Sometime I go to the grocery store on the way home from the gym, but I didn't today. Afternoons always include some chore that I can't put off any longer. Today it was vacuuming. Often it is getting the water off the roof. To get Dash to eat properly, I have to split his dinner into two parts, with a walk in the middle. This ritual take longer than you might think. With the time I had left, I repaired my walking shoes while Janet was fixing dinner and that was about it.

The Grammy Awards are on TV now in another part of the house. I don't know who any of these people are. Where are the new bands like Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, and King Crimson? For that matter, where are the singers like Percy Sledge, Marvin Gaye, and Janis Joplin? I don't know if I'm old school or just old, but I still prefer "Dark Side of the Moon," to "XXX,"

January is almost over. Dash has another appointment for an echocardiogram this coming Thursday. Then there's Groundhog Day. It always feels like Groundhog Day to me.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

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

Watch of the Day

Day 1881

I discovered today that I can use the physical therapy room at the gym on Sunday because the physical therapy staff doesn't work on weekends. I wish I'd thought of this earlier, because now I can do all the rehab exercises properly, instead of trying to improvise something at home. I completed every exercise the therapist taught me and went home with a somewhat flexible but very sore shoulder. I wonder how long this is going to take? Probably a lot longer than I've got patience for.

Yes, it's still February, but it was warm enough to wear shorts today. I enjoyed the unseasonable weather, but even though the temperature was a mild 75 degrees, Dot appeared to be uncomfortable. She just can't handle the heat anymore. She likes the really cold days when the rest of us are freezing, but the warmer it gets, the slower she walks. We had to cut our evening walk a bit short, because she was panting and wanted to go home. I don't think all old dogs are this way, but Dot is definitely going to want the air conditioner cranked up this Summer.

Janet and I went out for dinner this evening. This is a rarity for us, but we found another unused gift card lying around the house and decided tonight might be a good time to use it. Every time I go out to a nice restaurant, I remember how much I like bread. I've almost eliminated bread from my diet since it converts to sugar so readily, but I sure do enjoy the stuff. Now that my liver is functioning properly and my blood work looks good, there isn't as much reason to cut out bread. Nevertheless, I tried not to eat a whole loaf this evening, while I waited but my pork chop to arrive. Cutting down on my wheat consumption was one of the main reasons I lost weight last year. I need to remember that, every time a get near a tasty loaf of bread just out of the oven.

The Grammys are on in another room, but I'm not really watching. Occasionally I hear something good and wander into the bedroom to see who is singing on TV. The best thing I've seen this evening was the duet with Hozier and Anne Lennox. Take me to Church is still one of my favorite songs of the year, and I've liked everything the Eurythmics ever did, so this seemed like an inspired pairing to me. Lady GaGa and Tony Bennett were good, but I thought Hozier and Anne Lennox were even better. Ed Sheeran was pretty good too. I like his voice. That was about it. I skipped most of the rest.

I've gotten hooked on watching rocket launches since I went to Vandenberg Air Force Base to see the SMAP launch. I tuned in this afternoon to watch Space X launch a Falcon 9 carrying the Deep Space Climate Observatory. The launch got scrubbed at the last minute because of a problem with a tracking radar downrange. It's amazing how many things have to go absolutely perfectly to get one of these things off the ground. It would be even more amazing if Elon Musk is able to land the first stage booster of this rocket on a floating barge as he is planning. I'll tune in again when the launch is rescheduled.

I guess tomorrow is Monday. It's getting harder and harder to tell the days apart now that Janet has retired. Without the early morning alarm clock that always used to designate work days, Monday seems just about the same as Sunday. The dogs aren't helping to keep me on schedule either. They've both adapted rather quickly to sleeping in late.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1503

On our walk today, the dogs and I passed two hikers wearing surgical masks, a little further down the trail we saw someone nailing a big cardboard sign to a tree with a magic marker message that simply said FOUND TOOTH. There was no explanation of who lost the tooth in the first place, or why finding it was important. On our way home we passed three Japanese girls creating an elaborate tableau in the woods out of red and white paper lanterns and crepe paper. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Did I mention that it was a very nice day? On a nasty day none of this nonsense would be taking place. In inclement weather, the dogs and I pretty much have the park to ourselves.

We also saw a lot of people in hammocks this afternoon. When did spending the afternoon in a hammock become trendy?  I see people spending forever carefully stringing a hammock between two trees with rope, and then as soon as they are situated inside the hammock, they get out their phones and begin texting someone. Is this today's equivalent of communing with nature. I don't get it.

Admittedly, I don't get much these days. Somewhere in another room of house I hear the Grammy Awards playing on a TV. I used to really like the Grammys but I seldom watch the show anymore. I just don't understand the appeal of performers like Macklemore. Is this even music? About the only thing that will stop me from channel flipping when I hear music on TV lately is when I accidentally encounter one of those Kennedy Center extravaganzas where they are giving a lifetime achievement award to a group like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. Where is this generation's Stairway to Heaven or Welcome to the Machine? I haven't heard it yet.

Dot and Dash had a great time at the dog park today. The temperature got up to 73 degrees and it was warm enough to wear shorts. Shorts in January is almost always preferable to ice storms in January. I did a little yard work when we got home from the dog park, and then I went to the gym. After my regular workout, I shot free-throws for a while. I have no interested in basketball as a game, but I'm fascinated by throwing free-throws. To consistently dunk the ball time-after-time, you have to perfect your hand-eye coordination. The tiniest little deviation will send the ball to the left or the right. I still haven't been able to shoot five "nothing but net" free-throws in a row, but I'm getting closer.

Has anyone noticed that I've passed the 1500 day mark? 1500 posts in a row without missing a single day ever is somewhat of an achievement. It's an odd little achievement, but it would be hard for someone to duplicate. The blog is slowly but surely becoming popular. Most people just read it on Facebook or Google+, but at least they read it somewhere. Probably by the time I reach Day 5000, people will be placing bets in Vegas on what the final day number will be. It won't be tomorrow. That's for sure. Tomorrow is just another day filled with blood tests and boring assignments. Mondays always make Tuesdays look exciting.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1154

I forgot to send in my quarterly estimated taxes again. This wasn't the first time I forgot, and it probably won't be the last. I have gotten so accustomed to e-mail reminders and smartphone messages that I've almost lost the ability to remember anything on my own. You'd think the government would have the resources to send a little reminder to my phone like everybody else, but apparently not. At any rate, I mailed in a check today and I'm up to speed again, but I wouldn't be surprised if I forget again in April.

After I finished my website work for the day, I paid a visit to a nearby exterminator to get some advice about getting rid of bugs. I learned that cockroaches seek out both moisture and heat, which might explain why I see them in the bathroom and near the furnace. If you don't like chasing after them with a paper towel, you can just spray them with rubbing alcohol or a mixture of soapy water. Both elixirs will apparently kill the bugs quickly. After talking with the bug man for about twenty minutes I came home with some stuff that your spray on your exterior walls using a pressure sprayer and some encapsulated powder that you squirt into cracks and crevices inside your house. Poison is surprisingly expensive. I hope this stuff works.

Did you watch the Grammys last night?  Some of the awards were baffling, but the all-star tribute performances were great. The tribute to Bob Marley with Bruno Mars, Sting, Rihanna and several Marleys showed considerable musicianship, but was an odd sort of tribute since they didn't play any Bob Marley songs. Much better was the tribute to Levon Helm. I always liked Helm's "The Weight" and it was fun to listen to Elton John, Mavis Staples, Brittany Howard and members of Mumford & Sons and The Zac Brown Band trade verses. I guess it made sense for Fun to win with We Are Young, but Frank Ocean's odd performance of the odd song Forest Gump made no sense at all. I wish I still had the HD channels on my TV. It would have been fun to watch the Grammys in HD. I learned on Facebook this morning that the now full grown son of one of my Seattle advertising friends produced the Grammy nominated album by the Lumineers. Jeez, how time flies. The kid was a baby when I lived in Seattle.

I keep waiting for a Dalmatian to win the Westminster dog show. At least last year, the Dalmatian won the non-sporting category and got to compete for best of show. This year, the Dalmatian wasn't so lucky. The non-sporting title reverted to one of those little white Bichons that look like a child's stuffed animal. Oh well. I thought the Dalmatian was the best tonight. I changed the channel as soon as the Dalmatian lost.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 790

I'm still thinking about the Grammy's from last night. I didn't even realize that Glen Campbell had Alzheimer's until Taylor Swift announced it on the show. Such a long time. I remember years ago that my ex-wife once played the cello in the string section of his touring band. I briefly met Brian Wilson once at a book signing. At that point in his life, he was a mess. I never dreamed that he would ever be back on stage with the Beach Boys again. I never thought that I'd see a big chunk of the Beatles Abby Road album performed live on TV either. Especially not with Paul McCartney jamming on stage with Bruce Springsteen and Joe Walsh. I don't spend much time watching TV at all, but I love this kind of stuff.

It's bird identification time again. I saw what I think is a large hawk on our evening walk today, but I'm not exactly sure what kind of hawk it is. There are actually quite a few varieties of hawks and falcons in the area. I wish I could have gotten closer to get a better picture, but these birds don't let you get very close unless you happen to be a rabbit or something else that's tasty to eat.

One of my favorite clients is driving me crazy. They love to barter and make deals. I don't know how to tell them that I'm Swedish, not Middle Eastern. The bartering gene just isn't in my DNA. Sometimes I'm amazed that my little company has done as well as it has. I don't like to make deals. I'm not very competitive. And I absolutely hate dog and pony shows. Hey, Just give me some work to do. Pay me fairly. And leave me alone. That's all I ask.

It was still very cold and wet today. That meant I spent a lot of time sweeping standing water off of the roof and cleaning mud off of the dogs every time they came inside. I did manage to get some work done, but it was kind of accidental while I was waiting for wet clothing to dry.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 789

Where is streaming video when you really need it? I've been trying to watch the Grammy's while I write this and I thought it would be easy to just open the show in a separate window and write while I watched. No such luck. Apparently, some folks still want you to watch the show on a regular TV. I've been going back and forth between the office and the nearest large flat screen. I like watching the Grammy's better than the Oscars or other awards shows because some of the live performances are amazingly good. I just finished watching the Beach Boys reunion and the harmonies were still pretty tight. Brian Wilson looked a little out of it, but it was amazing that he was even there with the rest of the band.

I've started noticing that the colder the weather, the larger and more aggressive the dogs are at the dog park. It was only a few degrees above freezing this morning, so the park was filled with huge, very active dogs. Dash totally lost his nerve and wouldn't play with anyone. I couldn't blame him. It was pretty rough and tumble today. We took the dogs Winter coats off, thinking they were cramping their style, but without his coat, Dash just ran away from the other dogs a little faster.

I ended up going to Target this afternoon to get a waterpic to ease my fears of being without a dentist. I hate going to Walmart and Target, but that's where you find these small appliances these days. I don't think I've been inside a Target or Walmart for several years. I prefer to imagine these stores don't even exist. I think I can sum up the discount superstore experience in four words: great deals; weird people. I did get my waterpic though. I'll probably still get a cavity before I find a dentist again.

I won't be doing Valentines pictures for the Dalmatians this year. It's getting harder and harder to find a good venue. We will be doing Easter pictures though. Get your little dogs ready for impossibly cute pictures sitting in an Easter basket, or on an egg, or something like that. Until then, I'll try try to keep myself busy writing about oilfield technology and shooting the inevitable employee pictures for websites you'll probably never see. Oh, in case you didn't notice: Adele was fantastic at the Grammy's tonight.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day