Day 3161

Good grief. The dehumidifier has started to leak. This trusty little machine has been running 24/7 ever since we had our big water leak several years ago. I've grown to depend on this thing. Now it has joined both toilets, the shower stall, a bathroom sink, and of course the impossible roof in a coordinated effort to drive me crazy. Why do I have all these water problems? I've come to the conclusion that there's only one thing for certain about water. Eventually it's going to wind up someplace it doesn't belong.

I guess I'll go ahead and order a new dehumidifier. I'll probably even get the same brand again. This thing has worked like a champ. Nothing lasts forever unfortunately. I'm reminded of that almost every day.

It certainly seemed like Monday today. I'm perpetually slow anyway, but on Mondays it seems like I'm moving around underwater. I guess I accomplished something, but it would certainly be hard to prove. Our morning walk took forever. There was nothing wrong. Dash just didn't feel like going very fast. Breakfast was equally slow. I don't think I made my smoothie larger than usual, but it took almost until lunch to drink the whole thing. I spent a long time trying to figure out where the leak in the dehumidifier was coming from. No luck there. Water just seems to be dripping through a screw hole on the bottom of the sealed system.

When I went to the bank this morning, I noticed that a client had failed to sign a check they sent me. The bank took the check anyway. Did they not notice or did they just not care? I didn't care that much. This client has done this before. The bank probably sees unsigned checks like this everyday. I have a feeling that the entire world is becoming sloppy and forgetful. Hey, I'm certainly doing my part.

I wrote a letter to a friend with a sick dog who thought the diagnosis they received from their vet might be wrong. I encouraged them to get a second opinion. It is not that uncommon for an initial diagnosis to be wrong. Dogs can't talk and symptoms are often confusing. It has often taken us several tries and an expensive MRI or two to figure out what was going on with Dot and Dash. The important thing is to never give up. Especially when you think there is still hope.

I got a lead this weekend about someone who might be interested in another collection I have. I tried to call the guy, but of course he wasn't in. I wrote him a letter instead. Letters still have their uses. They somehow seem more serious than a voicemail message that would probably be mistaken for spam anyway. Whether I hear back from the guy or not, it is going to take a long time to unload these collections of mine. It definitely took a long time to assemble them.

Maybe I actually accomplished more than I thought today. It just seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. I'll try to pick up the pace tomorrow. There's no point in going too fast though. I've got an entire week to fill.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2380 - Summer Solstice

It certainly seemed like the longest day of the year. Time usually passes quickly when there is lots to do. It drags on forever on days like this. Today was a typical Monday on steroids. It seemed like all I did today was clean up after the dogs. Today started and ended with the smell of poop. It was so hot that it was difficult to get Dot to go outside. Dash, on the other hand, went outside a lot. He ate something bad yesterday and had diarrhea. Between the two dogs it seemed like I spent the entire day on cleanup duty.

Technically, today is the first day of Summer. I guess our rainy season is over. It was oppressively hot and the air was filled with the constant drone of cicadas mixed with the sound of lawn mowers and leaf blowers. It felt muggy, even thought the sky was clear. I'm not really surprised that Dot made no effort to go outside. I didn't feel like going outside either. It's kind of discouraging that it's going to be this way until late October.

Cleaning up dog poop isn't very stimulating, so in an effort to alleviate my boredom I drove over to a client's office to answer a question that could have easily have been answered in e-mail. Sending an e-mail doesn't do much good if nobody reads it, so I've discovered that it's much easier to visit certain clients in person. It only took a few minutes to get the problem resolved. It would have taken me a lot longer to type up my answer and hit send.

The wildflower season is slowly drawing to a close. The early Spring flowers are already looking dry and withered and I'm seeing fewer and fewer new ones each week. There are still a few surprises though. I couldn't identify the odd little purple bloom I saw today. It kind of looks like Bee Balm, but it is much too small and there was only the single blossom, buried under blades of grass. I'll eventually figure out what this small oddity is. It gives me something to do on days like this.

I'm beginning to wonder if my activity tracker just randomly makes up sleep data. There is no discernible pattern to my sleep. Some days there is no deep sleep at all. Other days there is no REM or dream sleep. It's a mystery. You'd think that I'd get the most deep sleep when I was really tired, but this is not the case. Every night is different, even though I almost always go to bed at exactly the same time. I definitely don't have insomnia. Although Dot wakes me up during the night, I seem to go back to sleep almost instantly. I don't know where I'm going to get the extra two hours of sleep I need though. If you go to bed at midnight and get up at six, there is no way you are going to get eight hours of sleep.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. Tonight I keep hearing the lyrics to Once in a Lifetime playing endless in my head. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was...

Alamo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2057

I just took care of the bare necessities today. It was too hot to do anything else. We always get up a little earlier on weekdays, since Janet has to get ready for work. This morning it was still kind of dark when we left the house on our morning walk. I'm always surprised at how transient sunrise is. It comes and goes in a matter of minutes. In less than 30 minutes we went from seeing a few pre-dawn stars in the sky to watching the sun poking above the Eastern horizon. There was a light breeze and a really nice sunrise. I've gotten to where I really enjoy this quiet and peaceful prelude to the day.

The rest of the day was just a normal Monday. The dogs barked at me while I fixed my breakfast banana and peach smoothie. The back yard needed to be watered again, even though I just watered it yesterday. When the mail arrived, I was pleased to see a check tucked among the pile of circulars and junk mail. When I used to get paid, I would always be thinking of new ways I could invest in the business. Now things are much more basic. "I wonder if this will pay for my crown the next time I go to the dentist," I think. Or more commonly, "Maybe this will cover another month of chemotherapy for Dot."

Also in today's mail was a small padded envelope with the replacement for the watch part I broke last week. This time I reassembled the watch slowly and methodically, taking extra care not to over tighten things. When I got everything put back together, I placed the watch back in a drawer where I won't be tempted to break it for another couple of years. There was really no need to fix this watch at all. If it weren't for the fact that I actually enjoy fixing things, I never would have missed it. If I had the money and the time, I could amuse myself for years fixing a huge variety of things that have quit working around the house.

Dot seemed tired today. I am still perplexed that her good days and bad days come at such random intervals. I am probably way too process oriented. It seems like I should be able to chart her condition and have a clear idea of how she's going to be feeling next week or next month. It doesn't work that way though. It doesn't even work that way with me. Some days I'm full of energy and ideas. Other days I can barely get out of bed in the morning. Why? I'm pretty consistent. So is Dot. Some people celebrate life's little surprises, but I'd rather know what is going to happen next.

I have a pretty good idea what is going to happen tomorrow. I have a feeling that it will be almost identical to today. We'll get up early and I'll wonder why I'm not getting enough sleep. The dogs will be energetic and excited for a while, and then as soon as their walks and breakfast are over, they'll sleep for the rest of the day. I'll linger over my own breakfast as long as I can and then reluctantly open my e-mail and see if there are any surprises that will ruin my day. If there is work to do, I will do it quickly and efficiently. If there isn't any work, I will sit around wondering when the mailman is going to come and then go to Home Depot and buy a light bulb or something. A day without any clear purpose can be really long.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2008

It was definitely Monday this morning. Monday is always the day when things get off to a slow and often rocky start. When I woke up this morning, Janet was already on the phone, having trouble getting an appointment to get her car in for service. Both dogs were barking at me because I wasn't fast enough getting their breakfast. After a fairly peaceful walk, I turned on the computer and discovered even more problems. Somebody must have gotten up even earlier than me. There were short, ambiguous e-mail questions that required long, detailed answers. There was confusion about who was in charge of certain projects. Was I ahead of schedule, or falling behind? I still don't know.

It took a while to get everything sorted out, but after I did, I noticed a letter in yesterday's mail offering me a two month free trial of satellite radio in my car. Since the was no obligation to continue the service after the two months were up, I decided to give it a try. I signed up, and of course when I started the car later in the day, the satellite radio didn't work. It took two more calls to tech support before the satellite found me. "You have to turn off Bluetooth before you can acquire the signal," someone in a far away call center told me. "But I'm talking to you right now using Bluetooth," I said. "If I turn it off, this call will go dead." That's kind of how it went. Eventually the satellite did find my car and I discovered that SiriusXM was just as boring as regular radio. I tuned into a live traffic report channel and found that it only monitored traffic conditions in Boston and Philadelphia. The Rock and Roll channel was just playing very old Elvis Presley tunes. I'll still probably continue listing to NPR instead. National Public Radio does have some good programming, but I wish they quit talking about the Middle East. I'm tired of hearing about problems in the Middle East. I wish there was a channel that just played Ted Talks. A veterinarian channel would be nice too. I'm always interested in learning how to keep the dogs healthy.

Summer has definitely arrived. Every morning I wake up with a new batch of mosquito and chigger bites. I don't know how all these mosquitoes got inside, but they're very hard to get rid of. The air has turned hot and muggy and the fire ants have returned. The birds that poop on my car have returned as well. I don't know where these irritating birds go in the Winter, but our house has definitely become their permanent Summer home. At least we are in no danger of a drought. There is more heavy rain in the forecast for tomorrow, as a big tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico heads inland. I'm glad I don't live in Houston. We'll get wet, but Houston is in danger of flooding again.

I need to get up early tomorrow because I've got a dental appointment in the morning. I hope there are no complications and I can get home again before the rain arrives. I hate leaving storm phobic dogs alone in the rain. I don't like being out in the rain myself, but I want to put this dental work behind me. There's no point in postponing things anymore. The only thing I'd like to postpone is my upcoming birthday. I used to look forward to birthdays, but the years go by too fast. We need to slow these birthdays down.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1938

Today was surprisingly busy. I walked Dash early to avoid the rain I thought was on the way. I needn't have bothered. It didn't rain at all and gradually grew warmer and warmer as the day progressed. I put the warm coat I wore yesterday away and got ready for Summer again. By the end of the day, the air conditioner was running and cooling the place down.

By the time I finished breakfast and turned on the computer, there was already a long laundry list of things for me to do. I spent the rest of the morning answering client's questions and making changes to various websites. It was a good thing I watched my movie yesterday, because there wouldn't have been time today.

It's getting harder and harder to get things done while the dogs are sleeping. Now that Dot is feeling better, she doesn't sleep as long. She doesn't like being penned up either. My little window of "quiet time" seems to shrink with each passing day. I keep trying to see if Dot is strong enough to wander around the house on her own, but she's definitely not ready yet. She can get up reasonable well without assistance now, but she's still pretty wobbly. Even though there are non-slip rugs everywhere, she can still find the few isolated areas where the floors are still slippery. It's great that Dot is becoming more mobile, but I have to follow her around constantly, so I can catch her when she starts to slip.

After I got finished answering e-mail and updating websites, I thought there would be time to go up on the roof and remove all the standing water. That didn't work out so well. Whenever Dash hears the front door start to open, he races to the hallway and starts barking. This wakes Dot up and she starts barking too. They both think Janet is coming home whenever they hear something at the front door. Lately, the only way I can get out of the house with any semblance of peace is to quietly go out the back door, unlock the back gate, and go around to the front of the house. I tried this several times this afternoon, but still wasn't able to finish everything up on the roof.

I'm not sure what to do about the dogs. Dash seems depressed now that Janet has returned to work and Dot has grown so used to having me at her side all the time, that she's developing separation anxiety when I leave. I will be so glad when Dot is strong enough to live a normal life again. Dalmatians are high energy dogs by nature. The tried and true remedy for keeping Dot and Dash happy while keeping my own sanity has always been to take them both on a very long walk first thing every morning. When they came home tired, they immediately went to sleep and I had the rest of the day to myself. This plan no longer works. Even when Dot gets stronger, I doubt that I'll ever be able to walk them together again. Dot needs slow steady walks on flat surfaces and Dash needs a chance to roam the park and be a normal dog. Me? I think I need a vacation.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a little quieter. It felt like a three-ring circus today. I don't think I'd ever choose nursing as a profession. To me, it would be so discouraging to throw your heart and soul in to helping someone get better and then have to turn around and start all over again with another sick person. I think I am doing a good job with Dot, but I will be so glad when she's strong and independent again. Every morning on our walks I tell Dash that he'd better stay healthy for a long, long time.

Paxton is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1798

There was a light dusting of snow on the ground when I walked the dogs this morning. The snow had all but disappeared by the time I finished breakfast, but it served to reinforce what I already knew. Winter is here. I haven't gotten out the little ceramic heater yet that I often keep under my desk on cold days, but I have started wearing a fleece pullover while I work. I'd better get used to this. There will still be some warm days, since this is Texas, but basically things are going to be a bit cooler than I prefer from now till Spring.

Today was much busier than a typical Monday. I had major website revisions to make, a couple of new articles to write, and a big stack of bills to pay. It seems like there ought to be more to life than doing the same repetitive tasks over and over to pay the same bills that seem to keep accumulating over and over. That's what it comes down to sometimes though.

I don't know how two people and a couple of dogs can accumulate so much trash. Since the city only picks up our trash once a week now, I am forced to compact the big black trash bags as much as possible, so they will all fit in the garbage can. If we had a new, modern house, I think the appliance I would want the most is a trash compactor. Without one of these devices I am continually forced to stamp on these bags with my hiking boots and even sit on them when necessary to squeeze them down to 1/3 or their normal size. Life was so much easier when they picked up our trash three times a week.

Dash startles easily and this morning a weird noise caused him to freak out and get his leash tangled around my legs. Lassoed by the leash, his antics quickly knocked me over. When I fell, I knocked Dot over and we all ended up in a pile on the ground. Nobody was hurt, but when we got home there was a lot more mud to clean up than I had hoped. Muddy clothing, bills to pay, and lots of garbage. It was that kind of day.

I still have another article to finish, but hopefully sanity will return tomorrow. Maybe I'll make myself a spinach omelet for breakfast. That sounds like a good way to start a cold day. Maybe I'll go to the storage warehouse and retrieve the little ceramic space heater. I think I write better when my feet are warm.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1616

Today was a typical Monday. Everything was disorganized. Things got delayed, or in many cases, they never happened at all. Dash's routine exam at the cancer center ended up taking most of the day, mostly because there were a lot of unexpected emergencies with other dogs. Dash seemed happy about the situation though. He got to play with the other dogs at the cancer center while he was waiting to see the doctor, instead of spending another boring day at home with Dot and I. When I did go to pick him up later this afternoon, I received a glowing progress report from the oncologist. Dash is doing great! We don't have to go back for another exam until the middle of June. Dash can have a bath again now, which is very good news because he is getting filthy.

I was a bit worried that the chemo pills might be causing the diarrhea Dash was having this weekend. The nurse said that this was possible, but not very likely, since he's been taking the pills for over three months now with no adverse effects. She said it was much more likely that he ate a small lizard. Apparently a lot of dogs have been finding lizards in the yard this Spring. Sounds about right. Actually I did see Dash chasing a lizard in the yard last week. It wouldn't have been hard for him to catch one without us noticing.

Not only have real estate taxes gone up this year, our homeowners insurance rates just went up as well. When real estate values dropped significantly after the big market crash in 2008, real estate taxes and insurance rates didn't go down at all. They just held steady for a few years. Every time the real estate market rebounds however, taxes and insurance rates immediately go up. This is what is happening this year. We've had a little rebound and the city and county can't wait to get their hands on this new source of revenue. Somehow this doesn't seem very fair, but as we all know, taxes almost never go down.

I fell asleep briefly at the computer a few minutes ago. This is the second time this month this has happened. Jeez, if I can't even stay awake writing the blog, lord knows how you guys feel reading it every day. You never know though. Things still happen. Just not every day.  Maybe tomorrow will be exciting. It certainly should be busier. Dot has her weekly acupuncture and water therapy session, and I have a photo shoot. Dash has nothing planned, but he had a big day today.

If it weren't for my Spring allergies, I'd have no complaints about the weather at all. There's been enough rain to keep things green, and enough sunlight and cool breezes to keep the dogs and I happy. Today was absolutely beautiful.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1231

I seem to spend Monday getting ready for the rest of the week. It's not typically very exciting, but it's necessary. I took a bag of oranges and a pineapple and made another half gallon of juice with my new juicer. I washed a big load of towels. I balanced my checkbook and discovered that I'd already received my tax refund. As usual, the refund was just about enough to pay my accountant for figuring out my tax return.

I've just about decided on a contractor to replace my roof. It would be nice to have a knowledgeable person to confirm my decision with, but I don't know anyone who has a roof like mine. I have three different companies recommending three different processes and any or all of them could be pulling the wool over my eyes. The trouble with roofing contractors is that you don't really know if you've got a good roof until about three years after the job is finished.

It got warm enough to turn on the air conditioner today. I'm glad I have a fully functioning heating and air conditioning system this year, but I still find Summer more difficult to deal with than Winter. Air conditioning units extract moisture from the air and this condensate has to go somewhere. In a lot of new houses the condensation is piped directly outside. In my house, the condensation stays inside and goes down the same overflow drain in the utility room that is used by the washing machine. In the Winter, I plug this drain up, since the new front loader washer empties water too fast for the old 2 inch drain system. I can't leave the drain plugged in the Summer however. When the drain is plugged, the condensate from the air conditioner has no place to go and floods the utility room. I constantly have to remember to open and close this drain when I'm doing laundry. This seem easy enough, but I forget a lot. Winter is much easier.

I watched the old Pyramids of Mars episode of Dr. Who with Tom Baker as the fourth doctor this evening. I think the fourth doctor was my first introduction to the Dr. Who series. I remember the series used to come on after midnight on PBS a long time ago. Watching these old episodes from the 70's and 80's makes you realize how far special effects have come in twenty years. Old science fiction shows have incredibly crude and rudimentary monsters. If you forget about the poor production values, the show is basically the same though. Sara Jane Smith is actually one of the doctor's best companions.

I'm having a little trouble meeting my 10,000 step a day activity goal as the weather grows warmer. Dot is very sensitive to the heat and will turn around to go home a little earlier with each additional degree of temperature. I can almost predict exactly when she will want to turn around now by looking at the weather app on my iPhone. She's still fine in the morning, but that will only last another month or so. Another Texas Summer is on its way.

Parker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 853

What is it about Monday's? I never get much done on a Monday. I actually got up earlier than usual, but by the time I got the dogs walked, ate breakfast, washed the dishes, and answered this weekend's accumulated e-mail, it was time for lunch.

I did get a couple of new assignments today, but there wasn't time to complete them, so I mowed the grass instead. I wish I'd mowed last week, or the week before. The grass was so tall and thick that it kept stalling the mower. It took me forever to mow the tiny little patch of grass that is our front yard. It's still a mystery to me why the grass in the front yard grows much faster than normal and the grass in the back yard hardly grows at all. I wish it was the other way around. The front yard faces a busy road and hardly ever gets used.

Some of you may remember that a breakfast networking group wanted me to join them last Summer. I think it was last Summer anyway. It's been a long time. At any rate, the group never actually asked me to join and I forgot about them. Now, almost a year later, they're asking me again if I'd be interested in joining them. These guys should have made me a member last year. I remember being kind of intrigued at the time. Now, the thought of getting up early once a week and putting on nice clothes for a breakfast meeting makes me want to throw up. There are only a few good reasons to get up in the morning anyway, and I don't think going to a meeting is one of them.

I lost the lens cap on my camera again when I was taking the dogs on their evening walk. When I discovered the missing cap, I wanted to retrace my steps, but the dogs didn't approve of this idea. They stood their ground and eventually we continued on home. Neither dog seems to like the idea of going backward. Once they've covered some ground, they just want to keep moving forward. After I got home with the dogs, I took the car and went back to the spot where I thought I might have dropped the cap. I'm a methodical person, so after fifteen minutes of searching, I spotted the missing lens cap and returned home again. The weird thing is that both dogs have such a great sense of smell that they could probably smell lost photo gear almost immediately if I could just train them to do it. Finding things that I dropped on our walks would probably be a lot easier than learning to be a bomb sniffing dog. I don't seem to be able to train the dogs to do anything though. After four years of training class, Dash still won't even come when he's called.

Tomorrow, I meet the real estate agent and find out how marketable my rent property is going to be. I'm going to try to keep an open mind and not let my own thoughts on the matter get in the way. I have a tendency to think everything I own is worth a lot more than it really is. Janet keeps reminding me that if I really want to sell the place, I need to forget about what I think it's worth. It's what other people think the place is worth that matters.

Becker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 701

So far, the entire week has felt like Monday. Even though the week is already half over, today still had that muddled, unfinished quality that I usually associate with Mondays. Luckily, most of today's work involved doing repetitive tasks in Dreamweaver and Photoshop. My brain wasn't operating on all cylinders, but that didn't stop me from resizing photos and cloning web pages.

I don't know if my shoulder is ever going to heal. I thought I was making good progress with my exercises, but this morning Dash tugged real hard when he saw a rabbit and dislocated it again. I kind of dread all the pet pictures we've got scheduled for Friday and Saturday. With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in my left wrist and a dislocated right shoulder, I don't look forward to holding a heavy camera all day.

I got an e-mail today saying that Avid Media Composer 6.0 is available now. Seems like I just got the 5.5 release a few weeks ago. I was almost certain that I'd get a free upgrade since I bought Media Composer so recently, but I was wrong. I should have waited one week longer to buy the software. As it stands now, I bought just a little early to qualify for a free upgrade. Damn! No wonder I got such a good deal on Media Composer. They already knew there was a new version ready to be released.

The dogs had to wear their sweaters to training class tonight. I had on a pretty warm coat as well. A cold front blew through around suppertime. By the time we got to class there was a fierce wind blowing and the temperature had dropped twenty five degrees. This is probably just a taste of what's to come. Some of these Winter classes feel more like a test of endurance than a test of our dog's abilities. I've turned up the furnace a bit, so at least it's still T-Shirt weather inside the house.

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day