Day 3409

I overthink things. For almost a week I've been debating about whether to go to an afternoon movie. I've looked up theaters on Google. I've read reviews for the film I was planning to see. I've fretted about the traffic. The reviews were mostly bad and I'd just about convinced myself that going out wasn't worth the effort. Unfortunately, I had way too much time on my hands today, so at the last minute I decided to go see the movie anyway. I usually like science fiction, but I should have listened to the reviewer who said that this was basically just a prison movie in space. I wasn't fond of this movie at all.

Evidently 2 PM on a Thursday isn't when people go to the movies. When I entered the theater, I quickly understood why the guy at the ticket counter told me I could sit anywhere I wanted. I was the only one in the theater. It wasn't a huge theater, but it wasn't small either. It was weird to be the only person in the entire theater.

I'm finishing breakfast earlier now. I made my morning coffee, fixed my fruit smoothie, ate breakfast, and washed the breakfast dishes before 9 AM today. When I was tending to Dash, it was usually after 11 AM before I was finished with breakfast. I guess it's good that I'm getting an earlier start. As Summer approaches I'm going to want to take my morning walk before the day gets too hot.

It didn't get too hot today. The weather was beautiful and a three mile walk seemed like a much better alternative to staring at the computer. I've finally started seeing nesting ducks. Maybe they just got a late start this year. There were lots of recumbent bikes on the bike path today. I wonder why the riders of these bikes are always older men with short white beards? I very rarely see younger men riding recumbent bikes and I've never seen a woman on one of these things.

Prairie Verbena seems to be the wildflower of the week. These little purple flowers are everywhere now. Next week a new wildflower will take the stage. Most of the wildflowers in the park are perennials. They keep coming back in the same places year after year. I've photographed all these plants before but I still enjoy seeing them. They've become familiar friends. Unlike Texas weather, the flowers are reliable and consistent.

The week has gone quickly. I've already taken the trash out to the curb and am thinking about having shrimp grits for breakfast tomorrow. I hope this nice weather continues. I didn't even have allergy problems today. Sooner or later the rain will return and so will the 100 degree days. For now I'm going to enjoy the blue skies and mild temperatures.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3405 - Easter

It was a very quiet day. After breakfast Janet joined me on my morning walk. She's in better shape than I am these days and I had to walk a little faster to keep up. We both do a pretty good job of staying active. Janet just enjoys the activity more. I go to the gym once a week out of necessity. She goes almost every day for fun.

I was surprised that the park didn't seem very full today. The weather was beautiful, but there were very few egg hunts and family gatherings. Usually this place is a madhouse on Easter morning. Maybe traditions have changed. We saw lots of cyclists and joggers today, but there weren't a lot of children.

I finished clearing the water off the roof today. This is how I get my exercise. No spin class or yoga for me. Just drudgery. I'm glad it's getting warmer because the water evaporates faster. There really wasn't that much standing water today. Of course, I don't think it has rained since Thursday. I may have to continue this task indefinitely. The bids for replacing the roof are much more expensive than I anticipated. It's a shame that it is so complicated to add a slight slope to the roof so the water drains properly. The hole in the center of the roof where the atrium is doesn't help matters. Maybe I'll just continue patching things.

I watched a show on Easter Island this afternoon on PBS. Later, there was another segment on Sixty Minutes about Easter Island. This seemed like a strange coincidence to me until I remembered that today was Easter. Easter Island was discovered on Easter. Of course the people who live there discovered the island thousands of years earlier. It would have probably been better if Westerners had never discovered the place. The tiny island has become a tourist trap. It is a destination for cruise ships now.

Even though I rarely cook, I've always liked The Great British Baking Show. There was an Easter Special today about making traditional Easter pastries. I'd never have the patience to make my own puff pastry. Even making Hot Cross Buns seemed far too complicated for me. Nevertheless, I enjoy seeing these creations come together. Bread is a forbidden pleasure for me. I could live on bread and pasta, but my body wouldn't be happy. I do better if I avoid the stuff.

I looked up the theater where High Life is showing. Parking is bad and there are no early matinees. This probably gives me the excuse I need to just wait until the film is available on iTunes. It really doesn't take much to convince me to stay home. If a movie happens to be playing at Northpark, I might convince myself to go. Other theaters just aren't very appealing.

I was surprised that my pharmacy was open today. I could have waited until tomorrow to pick up my prescription, but like I said earlier it was a very slow day. Going to a strange theater may seem daunting, but I have no phobias about going to the pharmacy. I go there all the time.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3403

I tried a new hotel for breakfast this morning. Actually, this was an old historic hotel, but you know what I'm talking about. This place was further from home, but I have plenty of time to kill, so why not. The food was great, the dining room was quiet and relaxing, the waiters were attentive, and it was nice to eat with real china, but I doubt that I'll be going back soon. The traffic was terrible. No breakfast is worth fighting rush hour traffic. Maybe I'm not adventurous enough. Maybe I've just become spoiled. Either way, I think I'll just stay in the neighborhood unless it's really necessary to leave.

I can't even remember why I started going out for breakfast on Friday mornings. I've been doing this a long time, but probably the first Friday breakfast outing is recorded in the blog somewhere. I don't think I've been going out for breakfast for more than ten years. Like many things in my life, I'm sure this started as an attempt to be more spontaneous and ended up becoming an iron clad rule that must be adhered to at all costs. I do know that I've gone out for breakfast when I wasn't even hungry on occasion, and have even driven to my breakfast restaurant in the rain. We all know how much I hate to drive in the rain.

Today I retraced the route I used to take with Dot and Dash when they were young. The path was over three miles long and the walk took me over an hour. I probably walked a little quicker when the dogs were two years old. Young Dalmatians can be very energetic. It was a nice day and I enjoyed the walk, but I was tired when I returned. I can't believe I did this twice a day for so many years. When My doctor used to ask me how I stayed so healthy, I always told him that I walked six miles a day with Dalmatians.

I can't decide whether to go see High Life or not. I don't like horror movies but I do like science fiction. This movie is both. It's not showing at nearby theaters either. Maybe I'll just wait until the film is available on iTunes. I did enjoy seeing Apollo 11 in a theater, but I probably would have enjoyed it on iTunes as well. I have a really big computer screen. Unfortunately, neither movie is available on iTunes yet. That's the problem with having too much time on your hands. You end up going to a movie when you'd really rather stay home.

I probably should go to the gym tomorrow. I got an e-mail today saying that my gym will be closed on Sunday. I guess this makes sense. It's Easter. The park will be filled with tons of children having Easter egg hunts on Sunday. There is more trash in the park on the Monday after Easter than on any other day of the year. Nobody ever bothers to pick up their trash. For weeks after Easter I had to watch carefully to make sure that the dogs wouldn't eat candy the kids left behind or fried chicken bones that the parents left behind. Dot was the worst. She had a nose for garbage. I guess kids don't really hunt for eggs anymore. They hunt for plastic eggs filled with candy.

I cleaned the inside of the car today. I'll never get all the dog hair out. I'm not even sure that I want to.

Marley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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