Day 2957

Time flies. Three years ago I was out at Vandenberg Air Force Base as a guest of NASA to watch the SMAP launch. I didn't realize that this would be my last trip for a long, long time. Six years ago, Entrecard disappeared. Again, I didn't realize that this was the end of something. Blogging was never the same again. Things keep changing, but as always, I never realize the implications until much later. If there are changes or surprises in store for me in 2018, I hope they are good ones.

The gym seems to have lost a few members. Maybe some people quit when the price went up. Since I don't know any of these people, there is no way to know for sure. I'm doing my workouts earlier now. It leaves more time later in the day to do other things I don't like to do. If Saturday is a day for errands, Sunday has become a day for exercise. When I returned home today, I vacuumed. Vacuuming is more work than it seems because I always have to move so much clutter, just so I can clean the carpets. It would be tempting to just vacuum around all the junk on the floor, but it would defeat the whole purpose of cleaning. Dust hides under clutter.

It was beautiful outside today, but the nice weather made it difficult to walk Dash. On pretty, warm days the park is filled with joggers, cyclists, and people walking their dogs. It is impossible for Dash to walk in a straight line. He is always zig-zagging around, following his nose. If we are on a road or trail, I have to keep an eye out for bicycles. The cyclists are silent and never slow down for dogs. I have to keep an eye out for loose dogs too. Way too many people think it is perfectly OK to let their dog off leash in the park. There are signs all over the place saying that all dogs must be on a leash, but apparently nobody reads signs. I have seen these loose dogs get into fights with other dogs, but the owners never think it is their fault. I prefer days like yesterday when it is cold and misty with nobody in sight.

I was thinking of starting to watch Black Mirror on Netflix today, but there wasn't enough time. My simple Sunday routine eats up the entire day. There's an early dog walk, followed by breakfast and a trip to the gym. Sometime I go to the grocery store on the way home from the gym, but I didn't today. Afternoons always include some chore that I can't put off any longer. Today it was vacuuming. Often it is getting the water off the roof. To get Dash to eat properly, I have to split his dinner into two parts, with a walk in the middle. This ritual take longer than you might think. With the time I had left, I repaired my walking shoes while Janet was fixing dinner and that was about it.

The Grammy Awards are on TV now in another part of the house. I don't know who any of these people are. Where are the new bands like Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, and King Crimson? For that matter, where are the singers like Percy Sledge, Marvin Gaye, and Janis Joplin? I don't know if I'm old school or just old, but I still prefer "Dark Side of the Moon," to "XXX,"

January is almost over. Dash has another appointment for an echocardiogram this coming Thursday. Then there's Groundhog Day. It always feels like Groundhog Day to me.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1094

Did any of you see that 12/12/12 benefit concert on TV last night? What an amazing group of musicians on the same stage. The concert certainly brought back memories. I hadn't seen Pink Floyd perform in years and they reminded me of a time long ago when dimly lit rooms filled with marihuana smoke were the order of the day. The Who's extended set reminded me of a time in the mid 70's when I saw the group perform live in Seattle. Times were good. Both the Who and I were at the top of our game in those days. The Rolling Stones looked a little worse for wear, but so do I. Ever since I heard "Satisfaction" playing on a local radio station when I was in high school, the Stones have been the sound track to my life. I joined a band and bought a tear drop shaped Vox Mark VI guitar just like the one Brian Jones played. Later, I remember producing an advertising jingle for a sea food restaurant in the same recording studio where Mick Jagger had re-recorded some vocals a few days earlier. Light years separated us, but I still thought it was cool that we used the same studio. Eric Clapton provided the impetus for me to learn to play a musical instrument decently when he was in the Yardbirds. Eric was so good and I was so bad. I simply had to get a little better.

Since I stayed up way too late watching the concert last night, I had a bit of trouble getting up this morning. The dogs made sure I didn't dawdle to long however. Dot and Dash like everything on schedule. After returning from our morning walk, I got a call from the printer repair store, saying that Janet's printer was ready. The repair was quite reasonable. It actually cost less to fix the printer than to fill it with ink. I'm convinced that Epson is really just an ink company that makes various types of gizmos that force you to buy their expensive ink.

I lost another website maintenance client today. Once again, it was a large, industry specific web developer who lured the client away with a sophisticated and very inexpensive template site. People don't seem to care about having something unique these days. They just want all the bells and whistles at the lowest possible price. Increasingly, I feel like the large template shops are Walmart and I'm the little store on the town square that they're forcing out of business.

I wonder what's next for me. I've always been able to roll with the punches and re-invent myself when necessary. This chameleon-like quality has served me well over the years. Things are different now, I suppose. I used to be excited by the future. Now, I find myself repelled by it. Kind of puts me between a rock and a hard place, don't you think?

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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