Day 2772

After an early walk with Janet and Dash, I returned to the Passport Acceptance Facility this morning and renewed my passport. This time everything went perfectly. I was the first in line. I had my D-11 form already filled out in black ink. And most importantly, I had my checkbook with me. The whole process only took me about fifteen minutes. I don't know why I chose the more expensive expedited option, because I definitely have no place to go. I guess I just hate waiting on things.

I knew it would take me forever to make my morning smoothie, so I stopped and got a breakfast taco on the way home. It was still so early when I returned that I didn't know what to do with myself. If I got up this early every morning, I would have a lot more time, but I'm not sure I need more time anymore. Often, I feel like I've got too much time on my hands.

Since I had a lot of free time today, I thought I'd watch a movie on Apple TV. Much to my surprise, Apple TV didn't work. It worked fine two days ago when I was explaining what it could do to Janet. This time I got a message saying that Apple TV wasn't connected to the internet, even though I could clearly see a cat5 cable connecting the box directly the router. I tried the time honored turn everything off and back on again routine and that didn't work. I tried entering the WiFi password again and that didn't work either. Everything else on the network was working fine, so this was a weird little problem. I found an item on the menu called "troubleshooting" and clicked on that. This brought up another menu where I could enter all the network information manually. I didn't want to do that, so I found another little button that said "find network information automatically." I still don't really know what I did, but eventually Apple TV started working again. By this time I didn't even feel like watching a movie. I turned the TV off and ate a piece of cheese I found in the refrigerator.

The orthopedic specialist called to remind me of my appointment tomorrow. I'm glad he did, because I probably would have forgotten. I'm not even sure what I'm going to see the orthopedic guy for. My wrist is almost back to normal again and since I'm still not interested in surgery for my Carpal Tunnel problems, I doubt that anything can be done. Maybe I'll ask the doctor about my shoulder. My shoulder is actually in much worse shape than my wrist.

When I was working on the computer this afternoon, A message from Apple appeared on my screen, saying that a virus had been discovered that needed to be removed immediately. The message definitely looked like an official Apple communication, but Apple doesn't normally do this sort of thing. I quickly forced Safari to quit even though there was a little countdown clock saying I had two minutes before my computer destroyed itself. I opened Firefox and quickly did a Google search describing what I had just seen.

It was a scam. If I wasn't so familiar with Apple, I might have fallen for it. A few more Google searches showed me how to clear the Safari cache files and delete the cookies that were causing this alarming message to appear. It's amazing how much time you have to spend protecting yourself from scams these tays. They're everywhere.

Janet's recovery is going remarkably well and she will be returning to work soon. I've enjoyed having her home, but she loves her job and is eager to get out of the house again. I guess there are only so many Netflix movies you can watch in a single summer. Dash will be lonely for a while. He loves having everybody home and follows Janet around like a shadow during the day. It's a good thing that dogs live in the moment. They can usually adjust to changes quicker than people can.

It's going to take me a while to adjust. Without Dot to take care of or business to keep me busy, I've got to come up with a Plan B.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2771

Here's how to waste a day. I got up early, so I could go down to the Passport Acceptance Office and renew my passport before the lines got long. I'd already looked up what I needed to bring with me online. The website said that I could pay with a credit or debit card, but when I arrived the first thing I saw was a large sign saying that passport processing fees must be paid for with a check or money order. Did I have a check with me? Of course not. To make matters even more confusing, there was another sign that said passport photos and other fees must be paid using cash or a credit card. Why did they have to make this so complicated? For one part of the transaction, they want a check, but for another part of the same transaction they demanded cash or a credit card. I'd already downloaded a form and brought it with me, but I saw a third sign saying only the latest forms would be accepted. Did I have the latest forms? Who knows. I grabbed a couple of the official forms from a nearby table before I gave up and went home again.

These new forms seemed longer and more complicated than I'd filled out in the past. They asked for both my parents date of birth and birth city. Jeez, my parents have been dead for quite a while. I couldn't remember when or where they were born. You'd think this information would be readily available, but it wasn't. I finally found my Dad's information on a "Find a Grave" website. I thought I could find my Mom the same way, but her information wasn't listed. I finally found her birth city on my own birth certificate and located her date of birth in a story I'd written about her over twenty years ago.

I though I was home free at this point, but the next section of the form asked for similar information for any marriages or divorces. Give me a break. I was married so long ago and became divorced so quickly that I've always thought of myself as single. I've had numerous passports and I don't think they used to ask all these questions on the application form. Wouldn't they already have the information if I already have a passport? Who knows. Maybe the forms have always been exactly the same and my memory was just better the last time I filled out the application. I'll take the completed application and a check back to the Passport Acceptance Office tomorrow morning. I'd like to put all this nonsense behind me.

When Janet and I were taking Dash on a walk this morning, we saw the neighbor's dog coming out their back door. We immediately panicked and ran back to the safety of our own back yard with Dash as fast as we could. It turned out that the dog was on a leash and there was no danger, but we weren't taking any chances. I don't want to ever be bitten by this dog again and after seeing me limping around the house with swollen legs for three weeks, I don't think Janet wants to get bitten either.

Janet's new car is so pretty that it's got me wanting a new car too. I don't need a new car. I don't really need anything. It would just be nice not to need to be frugal anymore. It would be fun to buy a car on a whim. I'd need a more substantial source of income than freelance writing to do that unfortunately. I wonder if any of the major ad agencies have a division that specializes in marketing to old people. I'd be perfect for that.

Smokey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2727

I thought today might be a good day to renew my passport. It wasn't. Things have certainly changed a lot since the last time I renewed a passport. I was thinking that I would be in and out in ten minutes, but the line extended outside the building. Entire families appeared to be applying for passports. I quickly turned around and went home. If I joined that line, I would have been at the passport office for the rest of the day. I dread going back to that building, but it doesn't appear that I can renew online. You can renew a passport by mail, but I tried that once years ago and after weeks of waiting, they told me that the photo I sent wasn't the official size and they rejected my application. I'm not doing that again. It's weird that you can't renew online like you can with a driver's license, but I gave up trying to understand the government years ago. Sometime this Summer I'll have a day with absolutely nothing to do and I'll go see if the line is any shorter.

The trip to the passport office wasn't the only thing that didn't go smoothly today. Dash is reluctant to walk again. I finally convinced him to take a short walk this morning, but I couldn't get him to leave the yard this afternoon. I wish I knew what was going on in his head. Our walks in the park used to be his favorite part of the day.

It was time to send my June invoices out today, but when I turned on the envelope printer, it was out of ink. This printer is old, so a lot of places don't carry the ink anymore. Unfortunately, I can never figure out how to print envelopes properly on the other printers. I thought I was going to make my second wasted trip of the day, but amazingly, Fry's had the ink I needed. The fact that nobody shops at Fry's anymore probably worked in my favor. The boxes of ink were dusty and had probably sat on the shelf for years.

I was planning to take Dash to the vet tomorrow for his triglyceride test, but I couldn't find anyone to confirm whether he's waited long enough since his previous test. I know they told me at the time, but I forgot. I'll try to call the vet tomorrow and schedule something for Wednesday. Dash hates the fasting tests that force him to delay his breakfast. He doesn't even know that he dodged a bullet today.

I wonder when life is going to start feeling normal again. It still feels pretty empty. After three years of making Dot's special needs my only priority, a lot of stuff just doesn't seem to matter anymore. I suppose things will change, but I don't know when. For the time being, I'll just keep checking necessary chores off my list. It keeps me busy.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day