Day 4757

I took down the Christmas tree today. If memory serves, it will be a long time until the next major holiday. It's usually warm around Christmas here in Dallas. It's easy to get lulled into thinking Winter is over. Then comes February and you realize that you've still got a long way to go until Spring. I'm not a big fan of Winter, but I do like the holiday season. I turn on the Christmas lights every evening and they add a festive tone to our otherwise austere house. 

Food at the grocery store is a lot more interesting during the holidays. I frequently pick up something to eat at the Central Market deli counter and the selections are always much better around Christmas. As I put the tree away, I was glad that Janet, Dawn and I had survived another year. At our age you can't take anything for granted. Hopefully, when it's time to unpack the Christmas decorations again, life will still be treating us well.

We were under a severe weather watch today, but the storms never materialized. It rained for about five minutes right after breakfast and that was it. Maybe people living to the East of us got some bad weather, but I doubt that it was too bad because I've heard nothing on the news. Once I was sure that I wasn't going to get wet, I took my long walk. It was so warm today that I didn't even need a jacket. This is Texas weather at its finest. One week we are freezing and making sure that all our outside faucets are set to drip. The next week I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt on my daily walks.

I saw both eagles on my walk today. It would have made a great picture, since they were sitting close together on a tree limb near their nest. Later, I saw one of he eagles flying low over the lake. It was probably looking for fish. I didn't see many white pelicans today. I still think they don't like it when the eagles are nearby.

I made pretty good time today, but I didn't set any records. I usually keep a steady pace during my first two miles. I start to slow down a little on the third mile and by the fourth and fifth miles I've slowed down considerably. The last mile is always the hardest because I'm tired and a lot of it is uphill. You'd think I'd be in great shape doing this day after day, but I'm just hanging in there. These long walks are great for my heart and maintaining bone density, but I'm not building any muscle mass. If I want that I'm going to have to work a lot harder and start going to the gym every day.

I seldom watch television, but Janet was cleaning and wanted me out of the way so I started watching a Las Vegas marathon that was already on the bedroom television. I'd never heard of this show even though it starred James Caan, ran for five seasons on NBC, and was apparently fairly popular. I watched two episodes before I became bored and went back to the computer. The show was mildly entertaining, but I just can't watch TV for very long. It still seems strange that I was totally unaware of this big budget show, even though I used to like to go to Las Vegas myself. There are probably a ton of things that I'm totally unaware of.

Tomorrow the holidays are officially over. I need to run some errands and take a few things back to the storage warehouse. I'm sure I'll find time to take another long walk and then start complaining about my feet hurting. Somehow I feel like 2023 is going to look a lot like 2022.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2839

For the sixth time since we moved here, a car ploughed through our front yard at a high rate of speed, knocked over several small trees in our neighbor's yard, and eventually came to rest about 100 yards away in an adjacent side street after knocking over a stop sign. It's amazing that these accidents happen again and again. They either occur around 2 AM, right after the bars close, or early in the morning when tired shift workers are headed home from their job.

I heard the crash this morning when I was cleaning Dash's paws in the back yard after we returned from our morning walk. By the time I went out front to see what had happened, I could already hear the sirens of first responders arriving. There must have been injuries, because an ambulance and fire truck were on the scene in minutes. The busy street we live on makes a slight turn just before our house. If you're not paying attention, I would imagine that it would be easy to just keep going straight and end up on our front yard. Maybe that's not what's going on, but it's all I can think of. At any rate, the errant car tore up the yard again and I will have to go buy some sod to replace the grass that is no longer there.

Dash was walking so slowly this morning that our walk took over an hour and a half. Dash would walk about twenty feet and then stop and smell things for the longest time. I couldn't figure out if he was enjoying himself, or having trouble walking with his new knee brace. He seemed to be enjoying himself, so we just kept walking.

Like everyone else, I was shocked to hear about the shooting in Las Vegas. I was kind of shocked to hear about Tom Petty too. I used to spend a lot of time in Las Vegas and always considered the city very safe. One by one, all my favorite places are becoming war zones. Barcelona is in turmoil and wants to succeed from Spain. Paris has been plagued by terrorist attacks. I wouldn't dare visit Turkey again. And now Las Vegas has joined the fray. I guess it's not surprising that I mostly just stay home these days.

Dash still seems to be eating after we discontinued the Cerenia yesterday. Just to be safe, I went and picked up some more Cerenia tablets at the vet. I'd rather not have him taking the anti-nausea medication, but it is essential that he keeps eating. After I picked up Dash's pills, I renewed one of my own prescriptions at my doctor's office. There were so many sick people in the lobby that I wished they had a drive through window. The crowded lobby made me seriously consider switching doctors again. The fact that my doctor fired me as his web designer doesn't help matters either. Maybe it's time for a change.

Every night I go to bed hoping that the next day will be calm and peaceful. It certainly wasn't a calm day today, but maybe tomorrow will be better. I can't keep the world from disintegrating, but I'm hoping that I can help Dash get well again. So much is out of my control now, but I can still help a sick dog.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1971

After we walked the dogs and ate breakfast this morning, I took Janet to the airport. It doesn't seem like a year since her last family reunion, but time just races by these days. Last year, when Janet left for her Las Vegas reunion, Dash was still undergoing cancer treatment. Now Dot is recovering from spinal surgery. The entire year has been one dog emergency after another. Luckily, both dogs are much better now.

Dot and Dash never like it when one of us is gone, but after a day or so they get used to the new routine. We get up a little later. The walks take longer, because I have to walk each of them one at a time. Janet bags up their meds for me before she leaves. I just pick up a little packet labeled Saturday Night, Tuesday Morning, or whatever the date happens to be and the correct meds are inside. I hope the weather improves, because it's going to be a long week if it continues raining every day.

I picked up some easy-to-chew groceries on the way home from the airport and then spent the afternoon working on my mobile friendly test site. Slowly but surely I'm learning how to build responsive websites. I have several new writing assignments that I could have worked on, but I didn't feel like writing today. I actually didn't feel like doing much of anything today. I'm surprised that I got as much done as I did.

I've got all the ingredients to make smoothies for breakfast now. We'll see how that goes. Since one of the ingredients for my banana smoothie is ice cream, I may just eat the ice cream. I had a scoop for dessert tonight to avoid cleaning pie out of my teeth and was surprised that it didn't bother me at all. I thought for sure that a lot of the discomfort I'm feeling was that my teeth had become more cold sensitive, but maybe it's something else. If the smoothies work for breakfast, I may just start eating soup for dinner. Chewing crunchy food is definitely a problem as this point.

I wish the dogs didn't mope so much around when Janet travels. It makes me feel guilty. I try to keep them entertained, but both of them hate change. When anything changes in their routine, they act bewildered. I think I provide the stability in their life and Janet provides the excitement. They need both. I've learned from experience that stability isn't always appreciated when you're looking for excitement. Hey, at least Dot and Dash like to sleep in late. We'll probably be doing a lot of that this week.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1332

When I was doing my twenty minutes on the arm bicycle at the gym this afternoon, it occurred to me that this repetitious activity was a pretty good metaphor for what my life has become. I do a lot of boring, repetitious and very necessary activities these days. It wasn't always this way, but I think when you realize that you've already used up eight of your allotted nine lives, your attitude changes a bit. There are times when I wish I was still more adventurous, but my adventures have always been on the self-destructive side and who needs that anymore.

The other people I see at the gym seem just like me. The pick out their favorite machines and do the same routines over and over again. Maybe this is just human nature. On the other hand, maybe I'm just doing my workouts with a bunch of old people.

I saw on the local news tonight that a maintenance worker at the dog park we go to regularly on Sundays attacked one of the dogs in the park with a weed-wacker and injured it pretty bad. The dog had cuts all over its head and neck and had to be taken to a vet for surgery. This is insane. The maintenance company fired the worker immediately, but should have never given him the job in the first place. If you hate dogs, or are fearful of dogs, you should not have a job that involves working around them. On a much happier note, I also saw a segment on the news about Dot's physical therapy vet. Evidently this place is one of the only places in the area that offers this type of advanced therapy for dogs. I'm proud of Dot. Just like me, she's always been an early adopter of the latest things.

I found out today that my assignment in Las Vegas isn't going to happen. I'm disappointed, but not terribly surprised. Maybe Janet and I will go anyway. It's a shame that a money making opportunity has instantly turned into a money losing opportunity though.

Someone wanted me to announce an event that was taking place in May of 2014 on their website today. Even though this seems a bit premature to me, I still approve of this weird request. Updating websites is what I do and as far as I'm concerned, jumping the gun is far better than doing nothing at all. Keep those changes coming guys.

I'm still debating whether to drive a little further just to taste something new for breakfast ntomorrow. There are only so many ways you can cook an egg, and I've tried them all by now. I love the over-easy eggs on a bed of skillet potatoes and pulled pork at the little restaurant down the street from me, but boredom is always a factor on these Friday outings. I certainly wouldn't want my favorite day of the week to turn into another boring ride on the exercise bike.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1329

I set up an account with a new supplier today. Someday when pigs fly, I'll buy a lot of cool video gear from these guys. Until then, I'll just keep on doing what I do best: working for next to nothing. I managed to get two animal rescue websites updated today. Although adoptions always seem to slow down in the Summer, it is good to see that these dogs and cats are still finding homes.

I may be going back to Las Vegas to cover another fashion show later this month. Hopefully, we can iron out the details and finalize the trip in the next few days. I always enjoy an excuse to go to Las Vegas. Janet likes Las Vegas too, so it tends to be our most frequent travel destination.

My new gym is starting to be one of my more frequent destinations around town. I try to go at least twice a week, but apparently most members go a lot more often. I see the same people on the machines every time I go. I don't know where they find the time. If I went more than twice a week, I'd be way behind on my work.

Dash has recently learned Dot's trick of turning around and heading for home when she gets tired. I don't think Dash is actually tired though. He's just stubborn. Since both dogs have become fond of staying inside in air conditioned comfort, it's getting harder to get them the exercise they need. The heat is pretty severe though, so I'll let them call the shots. Until the weather gets cooler, when either dog turns around, we'll head back home. Too bad I can't just take them to the gym with me. It's nice and cool at the gym. All I'd have to do is train them to walk on a treadmill. Again, when pigs fly perhaps.

The dogs may be getting too hot during the Summer, but I'm getting too cold. I wake up warm enough, but as the day progresses, I find myself getting colder and colder. It's odd, because the temperature in the house always stays the same. It's not that cold in the house either. If I kept the place any warmer, Janet would have a fit. I have a feeling that my blood isn't circulating as well as it once did. At any rate, when I run short errands now, I don't even bother to turn on the car air conditioner. It's nice to warm up again.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1263

Today was even busier than yesterday. It wasn’t as long though. I’m already on my way back to Dallas. I spend the morning catching up with things that were impossible to do yesterday. There were several new products to photograph, along with three new people to interview. I interviewed a mix of CEO’s and support people at the show this year. You can usually tell pretty quickly why the top guy is the boss. The CEO never gives you much time, but they are almost always articulate and to the point. All the CEO’s I talked to at the Couture show did their interview in a single take. The rest of the people were a mixed bag. I’ll give my client plenty to choose from though.

I think I have a new favorite hotel. The Wynn was fabulous. It reminds me of the way The Mirage used to be many years ago when Steve Wynn first opened that venue. The guy definitely knows how to run a classy hotel. It’s too bad I didn’t have more time to explore the place. Just walking back and forth between my room and the Couture Show ballrooms, I saw an abundance of great restaurants I’d like to try. The food was such an abundance of riches that I was even able to find delicious things to eat on my severely restricted diet. The bed was really comfortable too. I slept a lot better than I usually do at home. Of course, that probably had a lot more to do with Dot and Dash than with the mattress.

I got an e-mail from the roofers last night. Evidently, there are problems and they want to have a meeting. Why are there always problems? I have visions of spending a lot of money on a new roof and still having to sweep the standing water off after every rain. The roofers I hired mostly do new construction, so I’m sure they’re going to tell me that I need to rebuild the house, or something equally drastic. That’s the problem with older houses. They settle and sag. If they sag too much, there aren’t many good solutions.

When I went through security at the airport, there was a distraught woman right ahead of me in line who had lost her laptop when it was going through the scanners. With the general level of chaos at the Las Vegas airport, I can easily imagine losing almost anything. One of the TSA folks asked a woman sitting at the scanning machine if she’d seen a laptop lately. “I’ve seen hundreds of them,” she said. “How should I know where it is?” I hurried to put everything back in my pockets and return my own laptop to my bag before it disappeared too.

This week has really gone fast. It’s hard to believe it’s Friday already. Even though I’m in a different city, I kept my Friday morning tradition alive with a nice breakfast at one of the Wynn restaurants. I’m sitting at my gate at the airport now, waiting for my ride home. This was a quick trip, but I look forward to returning sometime in the near future. I like Las Vegas. It’s a fantasy city. Nothing is real here, and that’s fine with me.

Patches is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1262

I haven't left the hotel since I arrived in Las Vegas. Luckily, it's a very nice hotel. I'm staying at the Wynn to cover Couture 2013 which has more or less taken over the hotel for the week. If you're not in the jewelry business, you've probably never heard of Couture. If you are in the jewelry business, you're probably here. Like most trade shows I've worked, this one made me wish I'd worn more comfortable shoes. After a day on my feet taking pictures, my feet are killing me. My feet have it easy compared to some people I saw today. I noticed scores of women at the show wearing towering Christian Loubouton platforms with six inch heels. Ouch is all I've got to say. A jewelry show is all about appearances. There are lots of pretty people and lots of pretty things. I doubt that many people attending this show have ever been inside a Walmart. I walked right by Ivanka Trump this afternoon. It's was a pretty high end crowd. Needless to say, I couldn't afford anything I saw today. It's still fun to look though.

Las Vegas is a weird place.  Looking out the window of my room, I can see a pirate ship battle at Treasure Island, a volcano exploding at The Mirage, and a fireworks show worthy of a big city Fourth of July celebration. Far below me, I can hear the music of Neon Trees, playing an outdoor concert for the Couture attendees. My credentials would have gotten me into the concert, but I'm too tired. When my shift was over for the day, I proceeded directly to the Wynn buffet, ate entirely too much for dinner, and retired to my room.

The day isn't over yet though. I still have to back up the hundreds of image and video files I took today.  I'm sure all event photographers have nightmares about losing an entire day's worth of work, due to a corrupted disk, a faulty camera, or even simple stupidity. The first thing I do after a day of photography is back everything up. It doesn't really matter if I'm taking Santa photos of Dalmatians, or product photos of a $100,000 watch. Sometimes you've only got one chance.

I hope I get more sleep tonight than I did last night. With all the flight delays due to bad weather, I didn't arrive in Las Vegas until almost midnight. At home, I always think I'd sleep better if the dogs weren't constantly crowding me out of bed. Without the dogs, it's another story entirely. Now, it seems hard to sleep without a Dalmatian on either side of me.

Chance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1254

I called the Land Rover dealer about my car this morning and they seemed genuinely surprised that they'd had the Defender over a month now. When I asked what was wrong with the car, they didn't know. The guy I talked to said he'd check and get right back to me. I haven't heard from him since.

I had a hard time concentrating today. There was a noisy road crew re-paving the street in front of our house and of course the roofers were still banging around up on the roof. Dot has an odd reaction to the roofers. No matter how much noise the roofers make, she seems oblivious to them when she's in the house. Outside, it's a totally different story. If she actually happens to see someone up on the roof, she goes nuts barking. I've never seen a clearer case of "out of sight, out of mind." If I didn't know better, I'd think Dot might be going deaf. I know she can hear quite well though. All I have to do is whisper the word "cookie" and she comes running.

One of my clients called today and said they wanted to send me to Las Vegas to cover the upcoming Couture watch and jewelry show. It ought to be an interesting assignment, but I still can't figure out why they waited so long to make a decision. This has been an off again, on again project for almost a month now. If I knew about this earlier, I'm sure I could have gotten a much better deal on hotel and airfare. The closer you get to a departure date, the more expensive the plane ticket and hotel room are going to be.

Janet and I didn't have to wear jackets to dog training class for the first time this season. It was actually quite warm tonight. Dot and Dash seemed to enjoy the nice weather, but they were both pretty stubborn in class. Dot didn't want to lie down and Dash didn't want to stay still. I completed the motley crew by blowing my nose every few minutes. Yes, Spring allergies are back with a vengeance.

After listening to all the experts on TV talk about what to do in case a tornado is headed your way, I realize that our house has no safe room whatsoever. The architect may have though the design was cool, but he should have added a few interior rooms. Even the closets and bathrooms are on exterior walls. There is a ton of glass too. Probably the only thing that would keep the entire house from blowing away would be if one of our big oak trees fell on top  of it.

Rosco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1222

The grass is growing fast now. It looks like I'll be mowing the front yard every Saturday from now through the end of September. The task wasn't as hard this Saturday as it was last week. Maybe I'm getting stronger already. The more likely answer is that the grass just isn't as tall as it was last week.

I had to pick up some things at Sam's Club this afternoon and I continue to be amazed that I seem to be the only one using the automated check out lanes. Scanning your own items with the little bar code scanner is super fast and convenient. I'm in and out of the store in half the time that it used to take me. It just seems strange to me that nobody uses this convenience. Maybe everyone else pays with cash. I don't think the automated terminals take cash.

I went up on the roof to see if I could determine how last week's rain got into the house. No obvious leaks or cracks that I could see. It's pretty apparent now that I'm not going to be able to stop this leak with a caulking gun. I wish the roofer I liked would finish their bid and get back to me. Maybe they're avoiding me just like the Land Rover dealer. I don't think I'm hard to deal with, but maybe I am. I'm beginning to think that if you're at all particular about anything, people just don't want to mess with you.

Dalmatian Rescue has another Casino Party today. These are great fundraisers and really help us care for the dogs we rescue. I think I've lost all interest in roulette though. Actually, I think I've lost all interest in games of chance. The last time I went to Las Vegas, I didn't gamble at all. I still like Las Vegas though. There are lots of fabulous restaurants and the shows are great if you haven't seen them already.


I entered a bunch of future appointments into my iCal calendar today. I don't want to miss any more of Dot's acupuncture appointments. It's probably not a good idea to miss doctor appointments, or my Quarterly Estimated Tax payments again either. Very little seems important enough to remember on my own anymore. I don't think we'll forget about the dog park tomorrow though. Dot and Dash always remind us about that one.

Wilson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1185

I had a photo shoot today. More employee photos. Taking employee photos used to be a bread and butter item for my company, but plastering employee pictures all over your company website is gradually falling out of fashion. More and more people are discovering that these photos are way more trouble than they're worth. First of all, employees come and go. Once you've made a commitment to having all your employees featured on the website, you are constantly updating and changing things. All this activity is good for me, but it's not necessarily beneficial for the company. Even if the employees don't leave, they get married, divorced, promoted, change their hair color, or do something else to warrant a change on their page. I only have a few clients left who are still enamored with employee photos. I bet by this time next year, I won't have any. I don't even recommend employee photos anymore.

I asked my vet today what was the source of the muscle spasms that she said were probably causing Dot's rear legs to go out. She said the very same things that cause my own periodic neck and lower back problems. I took that to mean that she wasn't really sure. I still don't know what caused my terrible neck problems in Las Vegas a few years ago. My physical therapist told me that entrapped soft tissue in my neck vertebra was causing the pain. How did the tissue get entrapped in the first place though. I'll probably never know for sure. Dot could have easily strained a muscle walking up a steep hill just before her legs went out, but maybe that wasn't the cause at all. She's walked up that same hill day after day with no problems whatsoever.

I've given up on spotting the comet. I looked again tonight, but there's just too much dust and haze on the Western horizon where the comet is supposed to be located. Oh, well. There's supposed to be an even brighter comet headed our way toward the end of the year. Maybe I'll be able to see that one.

Even with my out-of-the-office photo assignment, I still managed to get a few articles written. I need to convince my client to start actually sending me to some of these events I'm writing about. Hey, I may be wrong, but it seems like interviewing people on the spot would make a much better story than just looking up facts on Wikipedia and then embellishing them with my imagination.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1005

I'm quite familiar with the concept of luck. I've spent a lot of time in Las Vegas and my favorite charity likes to use casino parties as fundraisers. I'm usually the roulette dealer when we have these casino parties. I can tell you one thing about roulette. If you play long enough, it is a mathematical certainty that you will lose all your money. Sure, the odds are pretty good in roulette. Sure, some lucky people do win huge amounts. The arithmetic works against you though. If you play long enough, you will lose.

The winners in roulette are those who put a huge stack of chips on red and then walk away when the ball lands on red. The same can be said for most games of chance. The winners are those who make a conscious choice to leave the game after they get lucky. Of course if you have the resources to stay in the game longer, your chances of getting a random lucky break improve, but it's still a game of chance.

I think politicians are like gamblers. Sometimes good things happen and they have the good fortune to be able to take credit for them. Sometime bad things happen and they take the blame instead. In both cases, the politicians are not nearly as much in control of events as they think they are. I like to imagine politicians sitting in the basket of a hot air balloon. There is a big wheel attached to the basket which they love to turn. They think they are controlling the balloon's direction, but you and I both know it is really the wind.

Dalmatian Rescue has another casino party tonight. People always have fun at these events. I think people basically like to gamble. How else could you explain the choices many people make. I'm not much of a gambler myself. I'll take a sure thing any time I can get it. It's a sure thing that I'll be tired tonight when we return, so I'll post a little early today. I'm a methodical person. I'll spin the wheel for other people, but I certainly don't want to take the chance of missing a post myself.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 982

Everything is normal again. I'm back in Dallas. The dogs have returned from the boarding kennel and have resumed their regular routine. Although I have learned what the fashionable will be wearing next Spring, it really doesn't matter since I'll still be wearing a black t-shirt and jeans for the foreseeable future.

I hated to say goodby to Las Vegas. It was a nice change of pace. We got off to an exceptionally early start this morning. It actually seemed like we got up before we went to bed. I'm definitely not an early riser, but I've learned that there are advantages to getting to the airport at the crack of dawn. The line at the TSA checkpoint is much shorter, for starters. Getting through security at McCarran Airport has always been daunting, but we sailed right through this morning. There wasn't a line at all. Janet and I ate breakfast at the airport and then had an uneventful flight home.

Since I'm not one of the ones who immediately checks their cell phone the instant the landing gear hits the runway, there was a ton of e-mail for me to sort through when I got back to the office. Hidden away among hundreds and hundreds of spam and marketing messages were at least ten legitimate letters telling me that I was already late on something. Tomorrow will be a busy day. There are dogs that need to be added to rescue websites. There are new services that my clients think the world needs to know about. There are articles that need to be written. Could all this wait? Probably. Would I have any business at all if each of these projects didn't receive top priority. Probably not.

Yesterday, at the WWD Magic show, I walked right past a panel discussion of fashion bloggers. They were all talking enthusiastically about emerging trends and the importance of the Internet to the fashion industry. And why wasn't I included in this illustrious panel, I wondered? Hey, I write about fashion. I blog. Hmm. Maybe it's because I'm not 22 years old. These kids were all so young. I say hats off to these young bloggers. I'm all for any 22 year old who is actually out in the world doing something and not still living at home with their parents.

I'm a reluctant traveler, but once you pry me away from my routine and get me out of town, I never want to return. It's nice to do something different. Regular day-to-day life can be mind numbingly boring no matter what you do for a living. OK. Maybe it's not boring if you are an ER nurse or a fireman, but I have a feeling that even those jobs eventually become largely routine. I need to mix things up more often. It's probably my own fault if life is a little dull. Now, if only that assignment in Singapore would come through.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 981

It was a good day to be inside. It rained most of the day, but it didn't matter to me, since I was working inside at the Convention Center anyway. I got up early, so I could get my badge and be at the show when the doors opened. These trade shows typically let exhibitors in an hour or two before the event opens to the public, and this is usually the best time to photograph the booth and merchandise.

As usually, the hall was extremely noisy and the lighting was terrible. I did the best I could, trying to color balance for mercury vapor, fluorescent, and incandescent lights all at the same time. Everyone at the booth seemed pleased with the videos and pictures I shot. Trade show environments are so challenging that the clients who actually attend these shows are usually delighted that I managed to get anything at all. The clients who stay home are almost universally disappointed and wonder why the images aren't better. "You had to be there," I tell them. 

At big industrial trade shows, the exhibitors give away all manner of trinkets at their booths. You can pick up boatloads of ball caps, flashlights, laser pointers, USB Flash drives, and umbrellas. Fashion people are different. There wasn't a lot of swag at the booths at all. There was a lot of activity though. All day long, the Convention Center was filled with frenzied buyers trying on clothes and manufacturers taking orders. I guess selling gas turbine generators and offshore oil rigs is a little different than selling shoes. and purses. I enjoy working these shows though. Fashion is fun.

Las Vegas is fun too. To me, Las Vegas is the quintessential American city. It's shallow, flashy, elegant and tacky, all at the same time. People's dreams and heartaches are close to the surface here. There is more wealth in this city than you can imagine, and yet the city has the highest home foreclosure rate in the country. If you stay here any amount of time, you do learn that you've got to know when to hold em and know when to fold em.

I'm looking forward to dinner tonight. I haven't eaten all day. I skipped breakfast and went straight to the Convention Center early this morning. The photos and videos are done though, and everything has been saved to the hard drive. I'd say it's time to look for a nice place to eat and maybe do a little gambling.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 980

No time for the pool today. I was busy. One of my clients has a retail location in Caesar's Palace, and I went over to the store to interview the manager and take lots of pictures of the place. I wish I had an assistant, or at least a roadie. By the time I carried my 35 pound bag of gear from the Bellagio to Caesars, I was already tired. The interview went well though. The manager was delightful and regaled me with stories of what it was like to run a high-end business inside a casino. I'm glad I brought good lapel mics and a mixer with me. Las Vegas is a noisy place. You don't do anything in this city without a soundtrack in the background. You seldom see where the speakers are hidden, but the music is everywhere. Just going to the drugstore to get some toothpaste can feel like you're inside your own music video. Actually my video interview worked out pretty well. I won't need to add a soundtrack later. It's already there.

Janet won $200 last night while I was writing the blog. She said I brought her luck by staying away from the casino while she was gambling. Works for me. I have terrible luck at the tables. Playing slots is definitely not a game of skill, but I think having the right attitude helps. Janet thinks the glass is half full, while I tend to think it's half empty. It's not surprising to me that she consistently wins more than I do while we're in town. I've usually convinced myself that I'm throwing money away before I even start.

Now that I have today's pictures and video clips safely saved to a hard drive, I feel better about tomorrow's busy schedule. I will be doing several more interviews at the big WWD Magic show that's currently underway at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  Janet want's me to scour the booths for free fashion swag while I'm at the show, but I'm afraid if I put one more thing in my already heavy bag, I won't even be able to lift it.

It's hard to know what to wear in Las Vegas. While it's blistering hot outside, the casinos and hotels are always freezing cold. It's disorienting to spend the day going from one extreme to the other. When I'm inside the casinos I'm always looking for a sweater. Outside, it's a much different story. It's almost impossible to dress light enough to be comfortable walking down the strip.

I'm going to have to get a wake-up call tomorrow morning. We have one of those blackout curtains in our room. No light gets in whatsoever. If nobody opened the curtains, I'd probably sleep till noon.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 979

I could learn to live this way. We just finished enjoying a wonderful dinner at Todd English's Olives Restaurant while watching the sun set through a nearby window against the backdrop of the spectacular Fountains of Bellagio. It was a nice ending to a relaxing and enjoyable day. I actually like living in hotels. Someone comes and makes your bed every day. They bring you clean towels and leave little chocolates on your pillow. What's not to like? 

We don't have a pool at home, so it's always enjoyable to take a swim after breakfast. When I'm in the water, I realize I should swim more often. I still have a dislocated shoulder and swimming would really help build up those muscles. I'd never swim at home though. There's too much to do. It's only on days like these that I realize how enjoyable being in the water can be. Yeah, I know. I live right next to a large lake. I'd never swim in the lake. Many say it's polluted and it's full of snakes anyway. I think the pools at luxury hotels are much nicer places to swim.

I miss the dogs. We watch them every day on the webcam, and you can tell they don't really like being boarded. We could never bring them to Las Vegas though. I haven't seen a single dog since we arrived. I wish the dogs traveled better in the car. We could take them down to the Gulf Coast and let them run along the beach. We've got a long way to go before we can get them to Padre Island though. Dash totally freaks out in a car and we're lucky to get ten miles down the road without a major panic attack. A long trip would be a nightmare. Since Dash is a rescue dog, we think his previous owners might have just dumped him on the side of the road and left him. He definitely doesn't have positive associations about riding in a car.

This might be the last lazy day I'll have while I'm in town. Tomorrow is a work day. I'm covering the WWD Magic show for one of my clients and since since this is the magic show, I'll somehow manage to transform myself tomorrow from an old guy in swim trunks at the Bellagio pool to a hip young fashion blogger. I'll admit I'm an unlikely fashionista, but I do like the industry. The Devil Wears Prada was one of my favorite movies and I seldom miss an episode of Project Runway.

I used to like playing the penny slots in Vegas, but they're all gone now. In the old days you could stretch out losing your money over an entire afternoon, while friendly waitresses brought you free drinks. Now the electronic machines literally suck the money out of you. I put a twenty dollar bill in a slot machine this morning and it was gone in less than five minutes. What's the fun in that?  I love Las Vegas for the food and the shows and the people watching. I'll leave the gambling to someone else.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 978 - Janet's Birthday

I wonder how many hours I've spent on planes? A lot. I don't fly very much anymore, but whenever I get on a plane, the whole routine seems so familiar. It just takes longer these days with all the additional security at the airport and planes that are even more crowded than they were twenty years ago. Today's destination was Las Vegas. It's Janet's birthday today and she loves Las Vegas.

Some of you may remember my last trip to Las Vegas. That trip was a disaster. I had injured my neck just before we left and was in terrible pain. The pain killers my doctor gave me didn't work and gave me hallucinations instead. I saw bugs in the bathroom that Janet said didn't even exist and I had to sleep sitting up in a chair. I hardly left my room the entire time we were in town. At the time, Janet swore that she'd never travel with me again, but things are much better this year. I feel great this time around. Of course, some things never change. I'm up in the room writing the blog and Janet is already off gambling somewhere. We'll meet up later.

I continue to be amazed at how connected the world has become. Our plane had WiFi and everyone just continued using the Internet while they were flying. Remember when those TV's used to descend from the roof of the place and the flight attendant would come by and give you a headset? Not anymore. A lot of planes don't even show movies anymore. Everyone is doing their own thing on their laptops, Kindles, iPads, and phones. Who would have thought that I could be flying over the Grand Canyon and be able to check in on the dogs using a live webcam.  Yep, they're doing fine.

I'm terrible at packing. I always take too much of some things and not enough of other things. I often forget the basics, like a toothbrush, or socks. I think I remembered everything this time. We'll see. I'm glad I remembered my little 4G hotspot, because I couldn't seem to login to the hotel's free WiFi. When you go to Las Vegas, cab drivers at the airport always ask you if you want to take the fast route to your hotel. I've finally learned to say no. "No, I'd rather take the shorter route," I said today. "Oh, you want the lower fare," said the cabbie. The fast route just means that you drive faster on the freeway in the opposite direction of your hotel. Since the airport is located right next to the strip where all the hotels are, you really don't need to go on the freeway anyway. We were at our hotel in minutes.

Wish me luck. I never win in Vegas, but there's always a first time.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 953

What a weird day. I finally arranged a meeting with the client who unceremoniously dumped me earlier this month. I wanted to find out what had happened. Before I could even get a word in edgewise about how shabbily they had treated me, my former client started asking me how they could get the website back to the way it used to be. Apparently, the new guys had made such a mess of things in just two weeks that the client wanted to hire me back. This was certainly fine by me. The whole meeting had kind of a "let's just forget this ever happened" tone to it. That was fine too. I've been in situations where I felt like saying "let's just forget this ever happened" myself.

It looks like I got the job to cover the big fashion event in Las Vegas too. I may be doing a lot more than I thought I would, but it doesn't really matter, since I'll be working on a day rate. I'm used to being busy and I'll get as much done as I possibly can in eight hours.

I'm making good progress on the animal rescue site I'm currently revamping. This new site will be a lot simpler and easier to navigate than the site I initially designed over twelve years ago. One thing that I've learned over the years is that people don't really care how clever you are. They just want to find what they are looking for as fast as possible. Sure, it's nice to have a pretty looking site, but that's not usually why people are visiting. Hopefully, this new version I'm designing will connect stray dogs and cats with potential new owners even better than the original version.

Training class was kind of a mess tonight. Our teacher was gone for some reason and nobody else seemed to want to step up to the plate and lead the class in his absence. Dash and I certainly didn't help matters any. We didn't want to lead the class any more than anyone else did. Somehow, we managed to muddle through most of the exercises anyway. Dash actually did pretty well tonight. He's a self-starter. Since he never listens to me anyway, he was right in his element with a leaderless class.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

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