Showing posts with label Sweetwater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweetwater. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Day 2045

It was an exceptionally slow day. Now that we're getting up early to walk the dogs before sunrise, the days seem even longer. Sometimes they're too long. After I spent as much time as I could watering the lawn, eating breakfast, checking my stocks, and making sure Dot was comfortable, I realized I still had to get to work. I got on the Internet and reviewed how to install and configure Chromecast. I promised a client that I would set up Chromecast to play videos and slide shows in their lobby tomorrow and I've already forgotten how. I just added Chromecast to my own office network a few weeks ago, but since I was alone at the time, I didn't need to act like I knew what I was doing. It's weird how quickly I forget things. The online instructions were clear, so I think I've got my ducks in a row. You never know though; I could forget a lot by tomorrow morning.

Since there wasn't much work on the agenda today, I though I'd play my guitar for a while. I always play through a preamp using headphones, so I won't disturb the dogs. Unfortunately, when I'm wearing earphones, I can't hear what the dogs are doing. I would periodically get up, take the headphones off and check on Dot and Dash, just to make sure they were both still sleeping. It's hard for me to relax anymore. I seldom play entire songs. I usually just noodle around, playing random blues scales and riffs. I find this relaxing. I used to write songs this way. I would just aimlessly play random things until something melodic struck my ear. Sometimes it would take hours of aimless playing, but a song would eventually appear. I would then sit down and write lyrics to this scrap of a melody by hand on a big yellow tablet. If the tune still seemed like a song a couple of days later, I would call some friends and we would record it. I haven't written a song in a long time. I wrote sad songs mostly and I'm not sad anymore. I'm just tired.

I buy most of my camera gear from B&H in New York. Unlike most spam, I love getting e-mail from companies like B&H and Sweetwater. Every once in a while B&H sends me an e-mail with a Daily Deal that is impossible to resist. Today, they tried to tempt me with an HDMI field monitor at a ridiculously low price. It was a good brand too. I realize that most deals like this are for merchandise that will soon be discontinued, but what do I care. I still work with a lot of equipment that is thirty years old. When I realized that I could get the monitor for almost nothing if I used an B&H gift card that was lying around in my desk to lower the price even further, I was hooked. Lord knows when I will actually use this cool little field monitor.  I've only been asked to produce a single corporate video this entire year.

I'm worried about Dot. If she sleeps well, she's usually pretty good early in the morning. She still really enjoys her pre-dawn walks, but she tires quickly. After she and Dash have had their breakfast and morning walk, they basically just sleep for the rest of the day. As the day progresses, Dot goes downhill. By dinner time she has a pronounced limp and often can barely walk. We're trying to use acupuncture to stimulate her weak leg at our Thursday therapy sessions, but it doesn't seem to be working very well. The leg has a constant tremor now. It's almost like she has Parkinson's Disease. I really don't know what to do. Dot has a fabulous medical team and is receiving the best possible care, but sometimes you just run out of options.

I always look forward to the Thursday physical therapy sessions. The acupuncture really does make Dot feel better for a few days and I think the muscle atrophy in her rear legs would be even worse if she didn't use the underwater treadmill. We're just slowing down the inevitable though. I wish there was more I could do.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Day 907

I can always tell when I'm in a rut. I start looking at catalogs a lot. My favorite catalogs are Sweetwater Sound and B&H Photo. I flip through the pages and think about gear that I'd like to have. Never-mind that I have way too much gear already. I can always convince myself that a new lens, some clever new software, or a new microphone is just what I need to get the creative juices flowing again. I don't have enough money to feed my gear lust these days, but that doesn't keep me from flipping through the catalogs. I've been thinking about an anamorphic lens to extend the life of my old Beta-SP cameras. I've even considered upgrading Media Composer to Avid Symphony. A Zeiss Compact Prime cinema lens would be pretty cool too. There is no sound business reason to get any of these things. I just love the tools of my trade. Sometimes I think I like having the tools more than I like actually using them.

The dogs seem to share my tendencies to want what they don't have. When they're inside, they always want to go outside. When I take them outside, they quickly realize it is too hot and they want to go back inside again. We can go back and forth like this all day. Dot and Dash are perpetually looking for the best spot on the bed. Where is the best spot? Well, it's usually where the other dog is sleeping. I wonder why it is so commonplace to want what you don't have?  The dogs should be happy just to have a good home. I should be happy with what I've got for any number of reasons. I still keep looking through those catalogs though.

Janet and I haven't visited the rescue Dalmatians for a while, so we went up to The Velvet Snout this morning to get reacquainted. There are only four Dalmatians in the kennel right now and we spent some time with each of them. Dalmatian Rescue is doing a really good job of finding homes for the dogs this year and nobody seems to stay at the kennel for very long. This a far cry from the days when we used to have over twenty dogs at a time. I think it helps that Dalmatians aren't quite as popular anymore. The people who get a Dalmatian today know what to expect about the breed. They aren't just getting a cute puppy on a whim like they did when the 101 Dalmatian Disney movies were popular. Dalmatians have a better life now and aren't dumped nearly as often.

The weather is getting warmer, but it still looks like it's going to be a nice day for the dog park tomorrow. Tomorrow is also the big Summer party for our training class. There are all sorts of races and games for the dogs and barbecue for the people. Dash particularly likes the bobbing for dog biscuits game.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day