Day 3827

I always used to think I was an early adopter. My first computer was an Osborne 1. I was online way before browsers and the World Wide Web even existed. I had a home office long before it became a fad. What a surprise to discover that I'm actually pretty old school. In my own way, I'm probably just as bad as my Dad who steadfastly refused to use a computer at all. I'm still having a hard time adapting to online banking. I've made the switch, but it still seems easier to write a paper check and take it to the post office. I rarely made mistakes when writing checks, but I always have to check for typos now. It's easy to void a paper check, but a lot harder to undo an online mistake after you've hit send. At any rate, I did manage to get the bills paid today.

I'm becoming increasingly skeptical about modern life. What does all this technology really prove? I don't answer my phone anymore because I know I will be talking to a telemarketer. I seldom even make a call because it is so irritating to connect with an automated call center. I carefully delete cookies and the browser cache every evening before I shut off my computer. Almost nothing is trustworthy or reliable anymore. Maybe that's why I like those old Perry Mason shows. When somebody wanted to talk to Perry, they just called him up and he always picked up the phone. Nobody would ever send Perry a text message in the courtroom. I miss the days when I had a list of dependable suppliers and vendors and I could call each of them directly whenever I had a problem. All bets are off these days. Do you really trust Angie's List or Yelp. I don't.

Even writing the blog was easier when it was just a daily journal entry written by hand in a little leather bound book. Maybe I should go back to those simple journals. I was never writing for an audience. The blog and the yearly journals that preceded it were always just a way for me to keep track of my life when my memory begins to fail. My memory is still pretty sharp, but it is interesting to go back occasionally and see what I was doing five years ago. If I ever get Alzheimer's, having a detailed record like this might help.

I always wanted to keep this narrative going for 5000 consecutive days. Maybe 4000 is enough. I'm having second thoughts about all this. The world has changed a lot since I started the blog over ten years ago. People seem more argumentative now. I remember flame wars on those old Usenet News Groups but it never seemed personal. There is an angry vibe online these days and I've never been interested in arguing. I'm not even interested in having a dialog. Whenever I see one of those "If you blah, blah, blah, just unfriend me now" messages I feel like unfriending the person even if I happen agree with them. All the raw emotion and endless memes are becoming tedious. I think I was more comfortable with the Internet back when it was just a few nerdy electrical engineering majors struggling to send simple messages over a 300 baud modem.

Tomorrow I go back to the dermatologist. I've already gotten half a dozen text messages reminding me to wear a mask. I imagine that they'll do something, since my face hasn't completely cleared up. Will the doctor cut me or give me another liquid nitrogen treatment? Will I even have time to walk Dawn and finish my breakfast smoothie before my appointment? When you are used to doing nothing, even having one thing to do can seem complex.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3497

I think Jenga is going to get a very good home. I went up to the boarding kennel today and met the young couple who wants to adopt him. I liked them. They were both very nice and much more conscientious than I was at their age. For what it's worth, I gave them my blessing. I doubt that I will see Jenga again. He will be in his forever home later this week.

I thought it was hot today, but it was much worse last year at this time. 111 degrees makes today's high in the mid-nineties seem mild by comparison. The truth is that late July is always bad in Dallas. I don't know how we survived last summer with Dash being sick. We certainly took our walks much earlier in the day. I got to know the morning stars pretty well last summer. Walking this early is actually enjoyable if you don't mind the lack of sleep. I'm enjoying getting a good night's sleep these days, so I deal with the heat.

I also need to deal with the people who were going to help me with the house. The tree guy still hasn't returned to remove what is left of the big Elm tree that fell on June 10. My roofer hasn't brought over the silicon material he promised me. I haven't got a bid to fix the greenhouse yet either. Come to think of it, there is still one roofer who hasn't sent me the bid for replacing the roof he promised me back in February. Most repair people seem to operate on the squeaky wheel principle. If you aren't hounding them constantly, they just forget about you.

It took me a little longer to make my smoothie this morning. I've been spoiled for a long time. Janet likes fresh fruit in the morning too, so she always fixed mine while she was cleaning hers just before she went to bed. Every morning there was just the right amount of fruit in a big aluminum bowl waiting for me in the refrigerator. I don't think I got the proportions quite right this morning. I'll add a few more strawberries to the mix tomorrow morning.

All I seem to think about these days is walking and eating. It's amazing that I can stretch these simple activities out to fill an entire day. It was a nice change of pace to go see Jenga this afternoon. The only thing I didn't enjoy was driving on the freeway. I hate being sandwiched between speeding eighteen wheelers so much that it's just a matter of time before I start taking back roads to local appointments. I don't know if the traffic is really worse or if I just have a lower tolerance for bad drivers. It's probably a little bit of both.

Instead of watching Perry Mason last night I watched part of Alien: Covenant on the FX channel. Jeez. How many of these Alien movies are there? I've lost count. It didn't really matter that I tuned in in the middle of the movie. Just like Mad Max and Terminator sequels it was pretty easy to figure out what was going on. There seems to be a formula for these type of scripts. Of course there is a formula for Perry Mason scripts too. A very rigid formula. Probably being a Hollywood script writer isn't that different from being an advertising writer except that more money and even bigger egos are involved.

I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. There are bills to be paid, so I guess I'll start with that.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3486

Cicadas are the quintessential sound of summer in Texas. They are loud and the sound never seems to go away. I hear these insects when I wake up, during the heat of the day, and well into the night. You hear that Cicadas only appear every 17 years, but I hear them every summer. It took me a while to learn that there are two types of these insects. Annual Cicadas come out every year in July and August and Periodic Cicadas are the ones that periodically appear in massive numbers all at once. Sometimes the 17 year Cicadas appear after 21 years instead. It's confusing. I think we must have both types this year. They're everywhere. Our first Dalmatian, Spot, loved to eat these bugs. He would catch the insects while they were flying and race around the yard with them buzzing in his mouth. Luckily Dot and Dash never acquired this disgusting habit.

The Dog Days of Summer are here. Traditionally, these are the forty days beginning July 3 and ending August 11 when hot, sultry weather is at its worst. I always used to think this term had something to do with dogs panting on a hot day, but it's been around since the early Greeks who used the rising of the dog star Sirius at sunrise as a warning that drought, disease, and discomfort were on the way. For me this time of year is always when the meadows in the park turn yellow, the flowers disappear, and my electric bills go through the roof. It's not a good time to leave your dog outside either. I never seems to be happy with the weather. In the Summer I can't wait for Winter and in the Winter I can't wait for Summer.

I learned recently that the highway department is replacing a bridge near us that I use almost every day. I guess that's a bit of an exaggeration since I don't even leave the house every day, but I do use this bridge a lot. I'm dreading this. Highway construction projects take so long. I suspect there will be detours, traffic delays, and general inconvenience for several years. I wonder why they are replacing this bridge? It seems fine to me and doesn't even get all that much traffic. Nobody ever tells you the truth though. The bridge could be structurally unsound and might collapse the next time I drive over it.

It's time to take the trash out to the curb again, but where do I put it? For some reason there are lots of cars parked on the street that never used to be there. Are these visiting relative or are the neighbors just not using their driveways this summer. There is a particular spot where I always place my can and it was occupied by a car tonight. The fact that this bothered me at all must mean that I have OCD pretty bad.

I'm a little disappointed that the Chasing the Moon series is already over. I've enjoyed watching this show for the past three evenings. Now it's back to old Perry Mason episodes that I've seen three times already. I already know where I'm going to breakfast tomorrow. I liked the new breakfast place I discovered last Friday. There are a lot of tasty things on the menu that I haven 't tried yet. I'm sure I'll eventually get tired of this place too, but it ought to be a welcome diversion during the Dog Days of Summer.

Sophia is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3126

I'm slowly discovering that if you want results you have to use the right form of communication. If you send a voicemail to someone who prefers to text, nothing will happen. If you send an e-mail to someone who prefers to talk, nothing will happen. It's complicated. The electrician prefers to talk on the phone. The roofer and the landscaper would rather text. The art galleries and auction houses communicate almost exclusively via e-mail. So far, only the art conservator and the vintage guitar guy want to talk face-to-face. Maybe that's why I like those old Perry Mason shows. There was no voicemail or texting. The internet didn't even exist. People just called Perry on the phone and he picked it up and answered it.

I never used to think of myself as a nostalgic person, but I'm definitely nostalgic now. Forty nine years ago today, Apollo 11 left this earth on a journey to the moon. I remember that time well. A few days later we would hear that "the Eagle has landed" and the world would rejoice. I wish that same spirit prevailed today. It's not surprising that we've never been back. We don't have shared dreams anymore. Maybe you have a dream, and I have a dream, and the neighbor down the street has a dream, but they are definitely not shared dreams.

I'm going to have to start getting up earlier. It's so hot now that even our morning walks are uncomfortable. Dash still enjoys his walks, but I worry about him becoming overheated. Although I've tried to teach him to drink from a water bottle, he always waits till we come home to drink. Nothing is easy with this dog. Today one of his boots fell off and I had a hard time getting in on again. I've got to get better at this pretty quickly. When Janet visits her family, I'm going to have to get Dash dressed for walks by myself.

The roofers didn't show up today, but I'm still confident that I'll be seeing them later in the week. There is no reason to delay these repairs any longer. Everybody has finally agreed that the repairs are necessary and the weather is perfect. There is no point in spoiling the moment by continuing to complain. This thing is going to get done. Anyway, there's plenty of time to complain next week if the guys don't show up.

I wonder what I used to do in July? I probably just worked. Without a deadline to keep me busy, it's hard to get motivated. When the steering wheel is to hot to touch, you certainly don't want to drive anywhere. There's no point buying anything while I'm still actively trying to get rid of things. There's no point in watching TV, because at soon as I turn the set on, I immediately want to turn it off again.

Maybe I'll think of something to do tomorrow. I didn't do that well today. I picked up a prescription, paid a few bills and the day was over. I probably should have done some cleaning, but I didn't. Dash doesn't seem to worry about being productive. After a walk and a meal, he is content to sleep. I think that dog has the right idea.

Laura is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2945

The only thing on my mind today was staying warm. Not only was it the coldest day of the year, it was colder than any day last year. Even Dash knew it was too cold for comfort. As soon as he did his business in the yard this morning, he came running back inside. I kept the little ceramic heater running in the office today and it warmed the place up a bit. The office is still the coldest room in the house though. It's just too far away from the furnace.

It's hard to avoid cabin fever on days like this. I paid some bills, answered a couple of messages from clients, and picked up a new supply of phenobarbital for Dash at the vet. That was about it. I wish Dash didn't have to take the phenobarbital, but it's pretty effective at preventing epileptic seizures. We can't afford to have another seizure at this point. Dash is far too fragile.

It was still well below freezing by mid-afternoon, but I could tell that Dash wanted a walk. Although it was clear, there was a stiff wind that made it feel like we were headed toward the South Pole. I was freezing, but Dash seemed to be enjoying himself. Along the way, I spotted a large hawk being pestered by three crows. It seemed to be a metaphor for something. The hawk ignored the crows and appeared to regard them with total distain. I'd like to think that animals live in a peaceful, bucolic world, but from what I've observed, they are just as mean and nasty as we are.

Just about everything I was going to do today got postponed until tomorrow. I didn't make a vet appointment and I didn't get a haircut either. It would have been a perfect day to watch Netflix movies, but I couldn't even bring myself to turn on the television. Two long walks, a writing assignment, and a couple of website updates fill up a day pretty well. Without these things, I just flounder around.

It's weird that South Texas got a lot of snow and ice and we didn't. The weather doesn't make sense anymore, but of course nothing else does either. While I was fixing lunch, I watched a press conference where the president's doctor was describing the results of his latest physical. The assembled press corps seemed visibly disappointed that the president was in good health. It was painfully obvious that most of them just wanted him to die. This may seem normal to you, but it seemed very weird to me. I've watched enough old Perry Mason shows to know that this kind of hatred doesn't usually end well.

When I was going to pick up Dash's phenobarbital at the vet, I was listening to a program on NPR where the guy being interviewed thought that it was easier to reach goals when there was a lot of emotion, positive reinforcement, and empathy involved. It all sounded like bullshit to me. I don't rely on any of these things. To me, you've just got to keep moving. If you have the discipline to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter how you feel, you will look back occasionally and realize that you've traveled much further than you ever thought possible.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2088

I know some of you think that when work is slow I do absolutely nothing. Au contraire. I'm usually quite busy tilting windmills. Lately, I've been doing a lot of research on Google, trying to see if it is possible to adapt some of my old equipment so I could still use it in today's digital world. It would be nice if I could speed up my old computers so they could run today's complex software. It would be even nicer if I could use some of my old analog camera lenses on the latest digital bodies.

So far my efforts have been fruitless. I have some really nice Canon ENG broadcast lenses that I'd love to use on my current digital video cameras. So far, it seems impossible. These lenses were made to work with the 2/3 sensors found in Beta SP cameras. The image these lenses produce isn't large enough to cover the much larger 4/3 sensor found in my cinema camera. When I gave up on the Canon broadcast lenses, I thought my Bronica lenses might work. These medium format film lenses would certainly completely cover the 4/3 sensor, but nobody makes an adapter to attach the lens to the video camera. There are plenty of adapters for old Nikon and Canon lenses, but Bronica went out of business a long time ago and nobody cares about it anymore. There isn't a large enough market for anybody to make a profit manufacturing Bronica adapters. I even have some old Sinar view camera lenses that would cover any size sensor, but apparently nobody has even thought about adapting view camera lenses to modern video cameras. I found absolutely nothing on Google about using these lenses with video cameras.

It's frustrating to have fully functioning professional equipment that was good enough to shoot network TV commercials in the 1980's, but is now shunned even by beginning wedding photographers. I haven't adapted well. I love the old Macintosh towers I used to use in the early 1990's. My old Nikon F-2 still seems like the most useful and versatile camera I've ever owned. I even like reel-to-reel tape. Maybe this is why I enjoy watching old Perry Mason and Alfred Hitchcock shows on late night TV.

Dot had a good day. Now, she seems strong enough again to enjoy her early morning exercise walk and still have enough energy to do her afternoon physical therapy session. Today, she did a full seventeen minutes in the underwater treadmill. She's gained weight though. I don't know what that's all about. Nothing has changed since last week. I asked Dot's vet about Dash's strange new eating habits and she seemed baffled. She said she'd never heard of a dog who refused to eat from his bowl, yet ate everything normally when the food was transferred to a dinner plate. He doesn't seem sick. He just seems weird. We'll give him a Pepsid AC tonight before he goes to bed, just to see if he might have heartburn or a reflux problem.

I started a new book today. This one's been sitting on a shelf in the office for months. It is a memoir written by a co-worker of mine when I was starting out in the ad business in Seattle. I've been reluctant to read the book, since this guy ended up being hugely successful, building an award winning multi-million dollar ad agency while I was sitting in a small room writing with two dogs under my desk. I shouldn't be envious though. The first few chapters of this book were hilariously funny and remarkably accurate about what it's like to work in the ad biz.

It's hard to believe that this week is almost over. I've already taken this week's trash to the curb and gotten Dot's bed prepared for the night. I've still got to brush my teeth and run my daily test print on the large format printer. Then it's time for Perry Mason and sweet dreams about tomorrow's breakfast.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2022

Dot broke a three day streak and pooped in the house again today. I guess this is the new normal. She seems happy and doesn't appear to be in any pain or discomfort, but it's sad to see her slowly deteriorate. Aging is relentless. You can't stop it and slowing it down is mostly just an illusion. We are all slowing down. Dot is the most obvious senior citizen in the family, but she has a lot of company. Dash is no longer a young dog. I'm a big bundle of geriatric aches and pains. Even Janet is getting older. I guess the trick is to slide into decrepitude with as much dignity as you can.

Today was pretty unfocused. There were no looming deadlines, but I still felt busy. I had to go to the vet and pick up more phenobarbital for Dash. Someone is always running out of pills these days. I went to the store to pick up some things I forgot when I went grocery shopping on Saturday. I washed the car even though it wasn't very dirty. There are still several websites I need to convert to a mobile friendly format, but I couldn't bring myself to start any of them. Like I said, it was a pretty unfocused day.

The stock market really took a tumble today. I've never been a huge fan of globalization and still find it distressing that events in Greece can affect lives in Dallas. I shouldn't have to care if Greece defaults on their debt, but everything is interconnected now. I'm convinced that this mutual dependance is not always a good thing. When I was a kid I remember that we used to go on school field trips to factories a lot. Every town large and small had a factory. We made everything and thrived by selling things to each other. We didn't need to import things from China. Now all the factories are gone and we make nothing. And people wonder why there aren't any jobs. America has always been blessed with an abundance of resources. We had everything we needed to have a nice self-sustaining economy, but we got greedy. Companies wanted bigger profits and customers wanted to buy things cheaper. Factories and jobs moved offshore and here we are, nervously wondering what's going to happen if Greece leaves the Eurozone. It didn't have to be this way.

We got lucky in June, but July is going to be hot, just like it always is in Texas. Dot and Dash don't even want to go out in the afternoon anymore. Dash usually takes a nice evening walk, but I had a hard time even getting him to go around the block today. He's no dummy. It's just too hot. Dogs don't sweat like we do. As temperatures increase you've got to worry about heatstroke and at some point, even the pavement gets too hot for a dog to walk on. Early mornings are still OK, but I don't think we'll be walking very far in the afternoon until things cool down again. If history is any guide, that won't be until October.

I shouldn't be tired, but I am. The dogs still need their evening meds and a final trip outside to pee. I need to run a test print through the large printer to keep it from clogging and then I'm done. I'll brush my teeth and watch another old episode of Perry Mason on TV to help me fall asleep. Maybe I'll have something interesting to write about on Tuesday, but I wouldn't count on it.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1789

It occurred to me today that I'm not going to be able to keep going up on the roof indefinitely. I never use a ladder and make the climb using indentations in the 50's modern brick facade as toeholds to get to the top. It's kind of like rock climbing and works pretty well, except when I pull a muscle like I did today. It certainly wasn't a serious mishap, but now my good shoulder is sore. It's irritating watching my body slowly deteriorate. I used to be able to run five miles without getting seriously winded. When we first moved into the house, I used to mow the grass by hand with an old fashioned push mower. I couldn't begin to do that anymore. I wonder how much longer I'll be able to climb up on the roof?

It looks like we are going to escape the Polar Vortex that is going to send temperatures tumbling in the northern part of the country next week. It's still going to get a lot colder though. The onset of Winter is making me really appreciate the mild Indian Summer days we've been having this week. It was absolutely beautiful today and the dogs enjoyed the mild weather as much as I did. It's still t-shirt weather this weekend, so it's hard to believe that the temperature is going to be in the 30's next week.

I got a package in the mail this morning containing the fancy WiFi thermostat that the folks at Klout sent me. After a quick look inside the box, I immediately realized that this wasn't really a free gift after all. The thermostat looked way too complicated for me to install, so I'm going to have to call the HVAC guys and have them come out and make a service call. Oh, well. I need to have the furnace cleaned anyway. Honeywell wants me to write about my experience with the thermostat on Twitter and the blog. That's certainly not a big deal, since I'll write about just about anything. I'm wondering if the whole thing was a mistake though. Janet and I never agree about how hot or cool it should be in the house. With a thermostat you can control with your phone and even your voice, we'll be constantly changing the temperature. We'll probably wear the thing out.

Even though the show seemed to receive rave reviews on the Internet, I found the season finale of Dr. Who a bit confusing. I guess I was expecting something a bit more definitive than Clara and the Doctor just going their separate ways after each tells the other a lie near the end of the show. For a while I thought that Clara really was the previous doctor as she claimed, but that turned out to be a lie as well. And why does the Master always keep returning? I thought he died several seasons ago. Maybe with my simple mind, I ought to stick to watching those old Perry Mason reruns. Somebody always gets murdered during the first five minutes and then Perry always wins his case in court. The formula never varies.

I should probably go the gym tomorrow, but there are a lot of other things I should probably do as well. I guess I'll just see how my shoulder feels in the morning.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1394

Wednesdays are tiring. I'm up before dawn to drive to my business networking breakfast and can't call the day officially finished until we return from dog training class well after sunset. In between these two activities, a lot of typing takes place, along with a two hour trip downtown for Dot's weekly acupuncture and physical therapy session.

During today's visit with Dot's physical therapy vet, we made arrangements for her to get an MRI scan of her brain sometime next week. I've had a scan of my own brain and I can see why they want the dog anesthetized for this procedure. Being stuffed inside a narrow tube and listening to what sounds like a jackhammer pounding right next to your head is probably enough to freak any dog out. Hopefully, Dot does not have a brain tumor. The other likely causes of her seizures are much easier to deal with.

The traffic was terrible today. I can't imagine driving around in Dallas traffic on a daily basis. You never know what to expect. Usually, the trip to see Dot's acupuncture vet isn't that bad, but today it was bumper-to-bumper all the way. Bad traffic is usually the first topic of conversation during the Wednesday breakfast meetings too. Most of the folks in the group seem to drive continually. I don't know how they stand it. I would go stark raving mad, if I had to deal with rush hour traffic every day.

Writing in a quiet room with a dog under your desk is so much better than getting up and fighting traffic every day, just to arrive at an office where you probably don't want to be anyway. If you can tolerate the insecurity of never knowing where your next meal is coming from, the writer's life isn't bad at all. I finished two more articles today. There's plenty to do tomorrow as well. The best thing is that I seldom have to talk to anyone.

I fell asleep last night watching an old episode of Perry Mason. When I woke up, I thought I was still watching Perry Mason, but it was actually a very similar looking black and white show called the Untouchables. I couldn't figure out why Perry Mason was defending Al Capone. Then I went back to sleep again. I hope I sleep well tonight. It's been a very long day.

Maverick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1377 - Autumnal Equinox

You couldn't have picked a better day for Fall to officially begin. Everything was picture perfect. The grass in the park is coming alive again after Friday's big rain. The sky was clear and free of haze. The temperature was in that rare sweet spot that makes opening the windows a pleasure. I just wish the days would stay this way a little longer. If memory serves, the rainy season is already just around the corner. I guess I ought to just relax and enjoy the Halcyon Days of Autumn while I can.

We had our first family drive in the new car today. Much to my relief, everyone likes the car. This hasn't always been the case. Once I bought a diesel Ford F-350 pickup and Janet and the dogs hated it so much that they refused to ride in it. I don't know what the dogs problem was, but Janet said the smell of diesel fumes made her sick. Hey, how was I to know? I always kind of liked the smell of diesel.

Janet told me that this was the best car that I've ever purchased. It shows you how long we've been together that she actually remembers four cars that came before the Defender. Dot and Dash seemed to approve as well. Finicky, car phobic Dash rode actually quite well on our trip to the dog park this morning. The only mishap was the humongous pile of dog hair in the car when we returned. I never really noticed dog hair in the Defender, since the interior was kind of the color of dog hair.  Since the interior of this car is black, the dog hair shows up quite well.

I watched a bit of the Emmy Awards on TV while we were eating dinner this evening and was appalled at the number of nominated shows I'd never even heard of. I guess I don't watch TV much anymore. I mostly watch TV to go to sleep at night and 50 year old shows like Perry Mason are perfect for this purpose. Just about the only current shows I enjoy are the British version of Top Gear and Dr. Who.

Even though I should have spent the entire day outdoors enjoying the near perfect weather, I did spend some time in the office, cleaning the large format printer. As I often do, I waited too long to run the cleaning cycle and ended up wasting half the new ink I bought last week. This printer always reminds me of the futility of so many things I attempt. I haven't given up on the printer though. I haven't given up on anything.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1217

The saddest thing about today's bombing of the Boston Marathon is that these horrific events are no longer surprising. Bombings, school shootings, mass murders and other horrors have become so commonplace that they are now just part of the tapestry of everyday life. I have to remind myself that the world wasn't always this way. I grew up in a small town that didn't have a single murder during the entire time I lived there. Neighbors didn't even lock their doors at night when I was a kid. I suspect that those days are gone forever.

The bombs that exploded in Boston weren't the only sign of the apocalypse today. The market had a huge sell-off, with the price of gold falling at an unprecedented rate. This extreme volatility is no longer uncommon either. The world has simply become a volatile and increasingly dangerous place.

If I hadn't turned on the television, I would never have known about all the turmoil however. My own world is quite calm. I walked the dogs, exactly like I always do, and ate a bowl of oatmeal mixed with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries when I returned. I watched an old episode of Dr. Who while I was doing the laundry and cleaning up the kitchen. I paid a few bills, took my quarterly estimated tax voucher to the post office, finished an estimate that was due today, and even got a couple of checks in the mail. It was an absolutely normal day as far as I was concerned.

I hope I can maintain this fragile illusion of normalcy in the days to come. I have no desire to live on the bleeding edge of anything. A simple life like my parents enjoyed in the 1950's would be fine with me. Is this even possible? Probably not. If I'm being honest, I'll have to admit that during the 1950's, my Mom was wrestling with manic depression and my Dad was immersed in the cold war, making secret trips to the Nevada desert whenever there was a nuclear test. Maybe life never was normal.

I still find the innocence of the 1950's alluring however.  I enjoy watching old episodes of Perry Mason and The Twilight Zone as I drift off to sleep in the evening. The world seemed so simple then. It would be nice if we could figure out how regain the innocence we lost. I don't think it's going to happen though.

Dot has to fast for her CAT scan tomorrow. Janet and I have come up with a complicated plan to feed Dash in the morning without Dot knowing what is going on. The plan probably won't work though. Dogs always know what's going on when food is involved.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1137

Why do people want to get me involved in their legal troubles? I already have plenty of doctors who are trying to scare me. The last thing I need are a bunch of lawyers trying to do the same thing. It was hard for me to get anything done today because attorneys on both sides of this lawsuit I got the subpoena for were calling me to ask what I'd told the other side. My answer was simple. I just did exactly what the court order told me to do. No more, no less. At least both attorneys agreed that this was the best thing to do. One of the lawyers asked me who the opposing lawyer was. When I told him, he said "Oh, I went to law school with him. He's a great guy." Small world, isn't it.

Sometimes I think I'd make a good lawyer. This is usually just when I'm watching old episodes of Perry Mason though. Janet, who knows much more about the law than I do, tells me that I'd make a terrible attorney. She's probably right. I can't even get picked for jury duty. When I tell people that I'm a writer during voir dire, the attorneys from both sides shun me like I had the plague.

It was another foggy day today. The fog didn't lift this time though. It was grey outside all day. I meant to take my car to the Land Rover dealer this afternoon, but ran out of time. I went to Autozone instead and bought another quart of oil. This is probably how the roof problem got so bad. I just keep putting things off.

Did any of you buy Apple at 700?  I'm sure glad I didn't. I was very tempted to buy the stock several times when it seemed invincible. Reluctantly, I followed my financial adviser's advice and resisted the temptation. I think I owe the guy an apology, because he apparently knew a lot more about Apple than I did. He kept telling me that Apple was going to fall, while I kept thinking that it was headed straight toward 1000 like some of the analysts were predicting on TV. Oh well, live and learn.

I almost took the pills that my new doctors told me to discontinue this morning. I need to hide these pills away somewhere, so I won't take them by mistake. I'm a creature of habit, just like my dogs.

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day