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 1145 - Ground Hog Day

Well, now I can say I've ridden on a Mardi Gras float. Although this little adventure was never on my bucket list, it is an experience I'll never forget. The first couple of hours were kind of interesting. The last four hours reminded me of that old Kingston Trio song about a man named Charlie who was trapped forever riding the M.T.A. Apparently hundreds of thousands of people absolutely love these parades, but I'm not so sure. Riding a float with twelve Dalmatians  through an endless tunnel of rowdy drunks while enduring a sound system dishing out The Village People singing YMCA over and over again at 110 decibels is a lot more like my own private version of hell.

Although I thought the parade would never, ever end, there were brief moments when it all made sense. There is an intoxicating power in the knowledge that you can make huge crowds of people scream and fight over the baubles and trinkets you are throwing out the windows to them. Of course, you have to remember that the crowd can turn ugly very quickly when you run out of things to throw. When we ran out of our bangles and baubles, people started throwing their beer at us.

Dot and Dash were absolutely exhausted when the day was finally over. So was I. Maybe the next time we take them somewhere we should try for something a bit more sedate. A walk along the beach would be nice. Today was more like a walk on the wild side. I'm definitely glad our float didn't run out of gas and leave us at the mercy of that crowd. Not really my cup of tea.

Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow this morning, so I guess we'll have an early Spring. Early Spring sounds good to me. Since I forgot to take my warm coat on this little adventure, I've been cold all weekend. I've been having trouble maintaining my resolve to eat more vegetables too. The food is quite good here, but in a place where Alligator Bites wind up on the appetizer menu, vegetables are just an afterthought. I did have an apple for dinner, but it wasn't on purpose. There just happened to be one in the room. After today's marathon, we were just too tired to go out to dinner. The dogs are already asleep. I will be soon.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1144

I think even Dot was amazed today. Our first attempt at a car trip with the dogs was a resounding success. Dash was unbelievably good. He whined a bit for the first 50 miles, but after that we didn't hear a peep out of him. It probably helped that Janet sat in the back seat between the two dogs during the entire trip, but Dot and Dash certainly did their part. They were good little travelers.

When we arrived at our destination, the surprises continued. The hotel staff seemed delighted to see two Dalmatians checking in and were very nice to us. When we got the food and water bowls set up in the room and scattered a few dog blankets around, Dot and Dash acted like traveling was the most normal thing in the world.

Truthfully, the dogs adapted to the rigors of traveling much better than I did. I'm never very good at planning ahead. I should have checked the temperature and worn a warmer coat. I should have worn more comfortable shoes for driving as well. Luckily, I did remember my reading glasses, or I'd have had a hard time writing tonight's entry.

Dash seems to be having a great time making flying leaps onto the hotel bed. To make things easy on the dogs, we've always had very low platform beds at home. Dash seems very proud of himself that he can hop on top of a bed five times taller than the one he's used to at home. Dot, unfortunately is not so nimble anymore. She's getting old and we have to lift her into the bed. Luckily, she sleeps soundly. If we put her in the middle of the bed, there's little danger that she'll fall off.

Tomorrow will be an even bigger adventure than today. Dot and Dash, along with about a dozen other Dalmatians, will be featured guests in a big Mardi Gras parade. All the dogs have elaborate, satin embroidered Mardi Gras coats that make them look suspiciously like Elvis in his latter years. The dogs will all be riding in a special trolley and their handlers will be tossing small Dalmatian plush toys out to the crowd instead of the traditional beads.

I had initially thought about making a short documentary about this unlikely event, but holding on to Dash's leash during the parade will be a full time job. I've already learned the hard way that cameras and Dalmatians don't go well together.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 796

We spent most of the day at the Krewe of Barkus Mardi Gras parade in McKinney, Texas. McKinney is one of those beautiful small towns with a town square that has a courthouse in the middle. Most of the shops in the historic town square have been converted into chic restaurants and antique stores, but visiting this town still brings back memories of the town I grew up in. This is what America used to look like. It's kind of sad that towns like McKinney survive by turning themselves into architectural theme parks, but what are you going to do? The industries that used to keep towns like these thriving all across America left long ago. I have a feeling that places like McKinney will become thriving retirement communities. When you think about growing old in a quaint little town like this or a crime ridden city like Dallas, the choice is pretty clear.

Dalmatian Rescue has been coming to this Mardi Gras parade for three or four years now. I don't think the dogs understand the tradition of pre-Lent reveling, but they do seem to enjoy being outdoors and getting to see lots of other dogs. Dot seems to enjoy being in charge of the Dalmatian Rescue booth. As soon as we get the tent set up and are ready for business, there she is, standing tall at our table and greeting visitors. People seem to love seeing Dot take charge this way. She's a bossy girl, but she can be quite charming.

Dash was a hit during the parade. As the procession wound its way around the town square, Dash barked continually at everything he saw. He was wearing a Texas Rangers baseball costume and the crowd would yell "Go Rangers" as we passed. He seemed to enjoy the attention, especially when an endless stream of little kids came up to pet him at our booth. Both dogs were tired at the end of the afternoon and slept on the way home. We didn't hear a peep out of Dash during the entire long ride back to Dallas. Our strange boy is finally starting to mature.

Tomorrow is President's Day. This holiday has become so vague that I can't even remember which president's we are honoring anymore. Janet gets the day off, but I still have to work. I was hoping to get a little writing done today, but the day went by too quickly. Hey, I can write any day of the week. It was nice to get out in the sun today and enjoy a little taste of an early Spring. Tomorrow, I may need to forgo the pleasant weather. I'm behind on everything.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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