Day 2882

I was locked out of a shopping website this morning because I had too many unsuccessful login attempts. I was confused. I was pretty sure that I remembered my password. I kept entering it again and again to no avail. Eventually, I called customer service and explained my problem. "Did you really mean to append your e-mail address with .con," the representative asked me. Oops. I'd made a typo when I filled out my application. I meant to say .com of course. This is what happens when you get old. Ten seconds of sloppy typing equates to forty-five minutes on the phone with customer service. Now I know why I haven't been receiving an avalanche of spammy e-mails from these folks. They've been sending everything to my .con address.

It took me much longer than expected to write my article today. For starters, I forgot about the assignment and began gluing rubber patches on another pair of Dash's protective boots. I used to be able to finish these assignments in a couple of hours, but this one took most of the afternoon. One problem now is that I have to spend more time proofreading. My Bluetooth keyboard is getting old and occasionally skips letters unless I remember to press the keys very firmly. I've got to figure out how to turn adaptive spelling off too. The computer is always trying to turn the words I intended into something else. Sometimes I have to read a piece three times to catch these mistakes. It's insidious. I never realized how spoiled I was during my early ad agency years. I would just hand a draft to a copy secretary and they would clean everything up for me. How times have changed.

A really large hawk swooped down and landed in the back yard this afternoon. I was outside at the time and the bird startled me. There are lots of raptors in the area, but this was the first time I've seen one in the yard. I wish I'd had my camera handy. The hawk only stayed a few seconds and then it flew away. I'm usually not quick enough to capture these chance wildlife encounters. The only thing I can reliably photograph are squirrels. Our trees are like high rise condominiums for squirrels. They're everywhere.

I called my new doctor about a mistake I saw on the prescriptions they'd renewed for me. A nurse told me that there was a glitch in their practice management software and that the pharmacist would just ignore the mistake when he refilled the prescription. This never would have happened with my old doctor. He still scrawled his prescriptions on a small pad of paper with the indecipherable handwriting that doctor's are famous for. I guess hand written prescriptions are a thing of the past too. My new ones came straight out of the computer. Even the doctor's signature was digitized.

The battery on my Apple Watch is starting to go bad. I'm not surprised. This is a Series 1 watch and Apple is already up to Series 3. Things last just long enough until a newer version becomes available. The problem is I don't want a new watch, I just want a new battery. Some things are easy to repair, but an Apple Watch isn't one of them. I looked up a repair guide on the IFIXIT site and I can assure you that I'll never attempt to change the battery myself. The procedure is very complex and seems certain to fail if you are even slightly clumsy. Maybe I'll just power the watch down and turn it on again. This seems to be the universal repair procedure for all electronic devices.

I wish there wasn't still rain in the forecast. I'm not busy this week and this would have been a good time to finish repairing the roof.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians 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