Day 1582

Not a bad day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. It was cool enough to keep the dogs happy, and warm enough to keep me happy. There aren't many days like this in Texas, so I try to take advance of them. As an added bonus, I was able to start the day off with a clear view of the total "blood moon" eclipse. As luck would have it, I actually did wake up to to to the bathroom about 2:30 AM and this was just about the middle of the eclipse in our time zone. I'm glad I went outside and took a look, since the dark red moon was quite spectacular. Red was definitely the theme of the night sky, since Mars made it's closest approach to Earth last night as well, glowing a rusty red slightly to the right of the blood red moon.

When the dogs were younger, it would have been impossible to go out in the back yard in the middle of the night without Dot racing out the back door and waking up the entire neighborhood with her barking. Neither dog woke up at all last night and slept soundly through the entire eclipse. I'm glad they didn't wake up. As soon as Dot and Dash wake up, they think it is breakfast time.

I generally don't like meetings, but I had a surprisingly good meeting with a client this afternoon. We tackled a tough problem and came up with a innovative solution that we both thought would work. Trust me. This doesn't happen very often at client meetings. I even got the go-ahead to develop a prototype and see if the idea works. If this happened every day, or even every week, I might actually enjoy working.

My mechanic called today and told me he might have a buyer for my old Maserati. The potential buyer is some guy in Holland why likes to buy cars in American and ship them back to Europe to restore. Unfortunately, the guy wants the car for a dirt cheap price. I could get a lot more for the car if it was running, but then I'd have to pay quite a bit to make the necessary repairs. Some of the parts the car needs are virtual impossible to find anymore. They just don't exist. My gut tells me that it would probably be better to sell the car "as is" in non-running condition. I could spend a small fortune fixing the thing with no guarantee of finding a buyer when all the repairs were finished. Selling an old car is a lot like selling real estate. Often the best time to sell is when you actually have a buyer.

I'm proud of myself. Janet got a free loaf of delicious looking artisan bread from Central Market last week when she was grocery shopping. So far, I haven't touched the bread, even though I would have loved to have turned half the loaf into a big stack of french toast this morning. As tempting as french toast drenched in maple syrup sounded, I had my regular bowl of oatmeal and fruit instead.

Sometimes it's hard to stay strong, but when I was watching Dot trotting along in the water treadmill this afternoon, I kept thinking "Hey, if she can do it, so can I."

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1172

I was writing an article about business reorganization today and it got me thinking about how difficult it is to actually transform a company. I've tried to transform my own company several times, but I always ended up with something that looked exactly the same as the original company I started over twenty years ago. Maybe it would be easier to change if I had no real convictions about what I did in the first place. The problem is that there are certain things I like to do and other things I don't. Don't get me wrong. I'm no prima donna. I do plenty of things I don't particularly like. I just don't go out of my way to find them. Why should I go out of my way to adapt to the needs of a changing market in a world where Duck Dynasty and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo are two of the most popular shows on television. I feel sorry for that guy who is trying desperately to transform J.C. Penny into another kind of Apple store. It just isn't going to work. People who shop at J.C. Penny watch Duck Dynasty and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

I've noticed that maple syrup, whipping cream, Mallo Cups, and other sweet treats are lasting a lot longer around the house. I've really cut down on my sugar consumption. I didn't always have a sweet tooth, but one of my doctors told me that when I quit drinking my body was determined to get the sugar that it used to quickly convert from alcohol any way it could. I'm sure that this battle isn't over yet, but for the time being, I think I'm winning.

My German client liked the wastewater treatment article I sent them the other day. Too bad they don't fly me to Germany to write these things anymore. I'm still trying to get them to take me to a big conference in Rio with them this Fall, but chances of that happening are pretty slim. I'm just an e-mail attachment to most people these days.

I got a new set of antique plates for the old Maserati in the mail today. These plates last for five years and this is the third set I've gotten since the car initially became eligible for antique plates. Doing a few rough calculations, I realized that the car has been sitting in the shop for almost ten years now.  Since my mechanic isn't getting any younger either, I have my doubts that I'll ever drive the thing again. I'm not even sure that I even want to drive the car again. If the repairs ever get finished, I'll have to pay for them. On the other hand, if the car never runs again, I'm going to have a hard time selling it. I can't believe that my 1995 Defender 90 is actually my new car. Both of these cars are newer than my Nikon film cameras though. I could start my own dinosaur museum.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 879

I took Janet to the airport today. I used to travel more than Janet. Now, she travels more than me. We always take Janet's car when I take her to the airport. My car has seen better days, and I don't want the old Defender to cause anyone to miss their flight. Janet's Land Rover is so much smoother and quieter than mine. Of course, hers is almost new and mine is almost an antique. I do have a backup car, but it's even in worse shape than the Defender. Actually I haven't even seen my backup car in more than five years, because it's being stored in an aircraft hanger somewhere West of Nevada, Texas. I see my mechanic almost every week at dog training class, but I'm in no hurry to get the car back. It's a money pit and completely unreliable. If I had somewhere I needed to go, I'd definitely trust a 1995 Land Rover more than a 1972 Maserati.

The dogs are always upset when Janet leaves. They don't like any sort of change in their schedule and when the person who feeds them their breakfast every day isn't there anymore, they get worried. After a day or two they realize that I'm just as reliable at preparing their meals as Janet and they settle down. After a few more days, they have completely adapted to my schedule and are sleeping in late every morning. By the time Janet returns, she is usually greeted by two lazy dogs who don't want to get out of bed at all.

It's been raining every night this week. When I was up on the roof this morning, I was wondering why I don't have tremendous upper body strength. Pushing hundreds of pounds of water off the roof with the big push broom is quite strenuous. You've think I'd have some muscles to show for all my efforts, but I just keep getting thinner. One of the medications I take has a side effect of causing muscle tissue to atrophy. It's not severe or anything, but it seems to take a lot more effort to maintain the same amount of muscle mass as I used to have. Actually, it's probably good that I'm expending a lot of energy up on the roof, but it doesn't make the job any more pleasant.

What would be pleasant would be to live on the seventeenth floor of a luxury high-rise that didn't have any water problems at all. Instead off sweeping water of the roof, I could be sipping lattes at a downstairs cafe or visiting nearby art galleries. Uh-oh, don't think the dogs approve of this plan. Dash just gave me a dirty look.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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