Day 4705 - Veteran's Day

Today was disappointing. The carpenter came over right when he promised he would. He was a nice guy. Unfortunately, when he looked at the damage, he told me that the repairs looked too complicated for him and he didn't want to bid on the job. After several days of searching, this was the best carpenter I could find, so I don't know what I'm going to do now. Carpenters seem to fall into two categories. There are framers who build new houses and cabinetmakers who remodel kitchens and make custom bookshelves. I need one of those carpenters like you see on that "This Old House" show on PBS. I think a restoration carpenter is going to be very hard to find in Dallas. This city doesn't value anything old. Scrape it and replace it is the motto here.

After my failure with the carpenter, I went back inside and checked my e-mail. There was a message from NASA saying that the NASA Causeway bridge between Titusville and Kennedy Space Center had been damaged by Hurricane Nicole and was closed until further notice. They said that journalists would have to take an alternate route to the Press Site for the Artemis-1 launch. Bummer. This new route adds an extra hour of driving time each way between the hotel and the space center. A big section of this road is under construction as well. Since the launch is scheduled to take place at 1 AM, the last thing I want to be doing is driving at night on roads that have those concrete construction barriers on either side of a narrow lane. I've been on this road before and it's a pain during the day. I'm really not looking forward to driving two hours every time I want to go to the Press Site. There will probably be horrible traffic jams as well, since this alternate route is now the only entrance to the space center. A lot of people work at this facility. Add all these employees to the visiting Artemis press and you've potentially got a real mess. I find it difficult to believe that a hurricane that could seriously damage a major bridge would leave the Artemis rocket unscathed, but that's what they say. NASA is apparently still planning to launch this thing on November 16th.

I'll think about this over the weekend, but I'm really tempted to cancel my plans and just stay here in Dallas. None of this seems very fun anymore. I'm staying in a bad hotel. The launch is in the middle of the night now, so you won't be able to see much. Worst of all, the main bridge connecting Titusville to the space center is out, forcing everyone to take a very long detour to reach the press site. Is it worth it? I seriously doubt it. There will be other launches in the future. It might be time to get realistic and cut my losses.

Not only was it a dismal rainy day, it was also very cold. When we took our sunrise walk this morning, it didn't feel like Fall, it felt like Winter. I think it will be even colder tomorrow with temperatures approaching freezing. This all seems rather sudden, but that's Texas weather for you. We're going to have to find Dawn's sweater for tomorrow's walk.

It rained for most of the day but I still had to get my steps. The fact that I drove to the gym in heavy rain shows how committed I've become to getting my steps. Maybe the cold weather improved my metabolism because I was pretty good on the basketball court this afternoon and made surprisingly good time walking on the indoor track. I may end up going back to the gym tomorrow. It's grocery day for me and I often don't have time to take a walk in the park.

I don't have much of a connection to Veteran's Day anymore. Both my parents were Navy veterans but they've been gone a long time. I don't actually know many people who've served. I think our veterans deserve a lot of respect, but we really need to stop sending them to needless, pointless wars. We never should have gone to Iraq and Afghanistan. We probably should have never gone to Vietnam either. 

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3975 - Veterans Day

Mom and Dad were both proud Navy veterans. Mom came from a military family with a father who was an Army Colonel and two brothers who were Air Force pilots. I didn't carry on this heritage of service. I never served at all. I had a low draft number during the Vietnam era, but got an exemption because of a knee injury. I'm glad I didn't get drafted. Even back then I thought the Vietnam War was needless. Today I feel that every war the United States got involved in since World War II was an unnecessary war. We certainly didn't need to get involved in the Middle East. Far too many people died or were injured for nothing. Are things any better in Iraq or Afghanistan now? I don't think so. People have been fighting in the Middle East for thousands of years. They will still be fighting long after the last American troops have returned home. We need a strong military, but we also need to learn to mind our own business.

Today was kind of stressful. I'm still not finished packing because there have been so many changes to the launch schedule. I've been on the phone and answering e-mails all day. Nobody knows where tropical storm ETA is headed. Yesterday it was traveling toward the Florida Panhandle. Today the storm has reversed course and is headed back toward the Florida mainland. I still don't know if the storm will be gone by the time I arrive or if I will land right in the middle of it.

Today's schedule changes weren't all bad. A ULA launch that was supposed to take place today got postponed until Friday evening. This means that I will get to see two rocket launches while I'm at Kennedy Space Center. I had to reschedule an interview with a Crew-1 mission specialist so I could attend the additional ULA NROL-101 launch on Friday evening, but I think I've finally got everything worked out.

The elephant in the room is still the weather. Where is this storm going to be when I wake up tomorrow? Will it strengthen to become a hurricane in the next few hours? Who knows. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Southwest Airlines has canceled flight to Tampa but they are still flying to Orlando. I guess that's a good sign.

It's much easier to walk your dog than it is to travel to another state in the path of a hurricane. We had a great walk with Dawn this morning. The temperature was much cooler today and it was right in Dawn's comfort zone. It's amazing what a difference a few degrees can make. Dawn was frisky and full of energy this morning because the temperature was in the fifties. If it was 15 degrees warmer, you'd see a different dog. I'm glad Dawn likes the cooler temperatures, but I wish the weather was a little more consistent. It's hard to decide what to wear in the morning.

I'd better wrap this up soon so I can return to packing. Did I tell you that I hate packing? I'm always forgetting things because of my tendency to procrastinate. It's hard to remember all the details when you are doing everything at the last minute. I also still have to make a list of question for my interview with the Commercial Crew mission specialist. Jeez. Why didn't I do that earlier today? Don't worry. Everything will get done. I haven't missed a deadline yet.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3244 - Veteran's Day

It was a slow day at the gym. Moving the storage warehouse has taken its toll. Every bone in my body protested as I went through my routine today. Maybe it was worth it though. I did feel better when I was finished than I did getting out of bed this morning. I hope the aches and pains subside. I don't like feeling this way, but I don't like being too old to do things either. Maybe I'm just out of shape. I'm certainly not as active as I was when the dogs were younger.

Today was even colder than yesterday. Janet and I both wore our Winter coats when we walked Dash this morning. The weather was way too cold for me, but Dash seemed to enjoy it. He was more active than usual and wanted to walk down by the shoreline. It's always good to see Dash with a little energy because these days are becoming rare. After an hour out in the cold, we were all ready for breakfast.

If I didn't turn on the television this morning, I'd never have known it was Veteran's Day. Both my parents, who served in the Navy, are long gone. I had an art director partner who was a Marine and had two friends who used to be fighter pilots, but I've lost touch with all these people. When I listen to the tributes and Veteran's Day memorials on TV, all I can think of are the many pointless wars that have taken place in my lifetime. Vietnam and all the wars in the Middle East that followed didn't really liberate anyone or advance the cause of freedom. A lot of good people died needlessly. I guess I'm an isolationist at heart. My parents couldn't have ignored Hitler and the attack on Pearl Harbor, but a lot of the regional conflicts that my generation found themselves involved with were different. We didn't change anything for the better in Vietnam. The Middle East has been a mess for thousands of years. We should have stayed home and let some of these countries sort things out for themselves.

The shoes that seem to be doing a good job of protecting Dash's feet are wearing out fast. I don't think these new boots will last another week. I can envision the type of boot Dash needs, but nobody seems to make it. Since his rear paws turn under when he walks, he needs protective rubber on both the top and bottom of the boot. The rubber needs to be durable while remaining very flexible. It is impossible to get a thick rigid boot on. The shape of Dash's paws makes him very hard to fit. It's too bad I couldn't make an impression of his rear leg and have someone fabricate a custom fitted boot. For now, I guess I'm just have to keep buying these off the shelf dog boots fairly frequently.

I guess advertising does work. Lately, I've been real tempted to buy one of those "My Pillows" you always see advertised on TV. They probably aren't any better than any other pillow, but when you aren't sleeping well, it's always easy to blame it on your pillow. Maybe I should blame the mattress as well. It used to be really firm, but years of dogs playing and sleeping on the bed have worn it out. Dalmatians can be rough on furniture when they're young and active. I think my back would feel better if I slept on the floor. I'm not going to try that though. The floor is cold and full of dog hair.

I think I'd better get a flu shot next week. I rarely get the flu and often skip the shot. Maybe my luck has run out. I volunteered to take pictures at a children's event this month. The flu doesn't bother me, but children do. I always manage to catch a cold when I'm around children. I wish I'd remembered this before I volunteered.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2879 - Veteran's Day

Every year at this time I see an enormous number of pictures of men and women in uniform on my Facebook feed. These are my friends parents and grandparents. I did a little looking and found my own picture as well. My Dad served in the Navy during World War II. So did my Mom. It doesn't take long to realize that something in this country has fundamentally changed. Although almost everybody I know has a picture of a parent in uniform, almost none of the people posting these pictures has served themselves. I wonder what it means when we all say "thank you for your service," but haven't spent any time in the military? Do we even know what service means?

I'm not being critical. I never served. I had a low draft number, but I fell rock climbing in college and was reclassified 4F. To this day, my injury seems like a lucky accident. I'm glad that I never got sent to Vietnam. I didn't understand why we were there at the time, and after watching the Ken Burns documentary recently, I still don't understand. What did this needless loss of life prove? Vietnam is a tourist destination now. We consider the country a trading partner. I have shirts and shoes in my closet that were made there.

Even though I think most wars are pointless and never seem to bring lasting peace, I still admire the generation before me that believed in service. There was a sense of honor and integrity about my parent's generation that we seem to have lost. My Dad was always proud of his service in the Navy. I'm proud of him as well.

Maybe there were parades and ceremonies somewhere in the city, but I didn't see any. There was a lot going on today. I saw people getting ready for a classic car show in the park this morning while I was walking Dash. This evening, I saw people attending an art fair in another section of the park. After doing my grocery shopping, I stopped by a big animal rescue event that I always try to attend. It seemed like there were fewer people than normal, but maybe this was just because I didn't recognize as many. There is a new generation rescuing dogs and cats now. They actually seem to be rescuing everything. I saw groups dedicated to rescuing pigs, rabbits, ferrets, and even fish. Maybe this is what service is all about today. We had a dog when I was a kid, but nobody I knew had even thought about the idea of rescuing them. Since I believe war is a bad thing and saving animals is a good thing, maybe our whole concept of service has evolved into something different.

I'm not sure about what this means for the future. Personally, I care about animals more than I do about people. For the most part, I think people are horrible. I don't think my Dad would have shared this sentiment.

It was still cold today. It didn't rain, but it looked like it could at any point. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to finish my work on the roof. Since this time of year is often rainy, I'll probably be spending every clear, dry day between now and Christmas making repairs one square foot at a time.

We received our advance copies of the 2018 Dalmatian Rescue calendar. Dot looks wonderful on the cover. It really feels like an honor that she was selected. I'll have to show you guys the picture when I get a chance to scan the book.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2157

Three steps forward, two steps back. I woke up this morning thinking our plumbing ordeal was over, but when the tunneling crew returned to fill in the large hole they'd created, it didn't take ten minutes before one of them knocked on my door and told me that I still had a leak. It was lucky that I just happened to be doing a load of wash at the same time the tunneling crew decided it was time to fill in the hole. The new leak was located in the cast iron drain pipes. Unless the washing machine or dishwasher were running at the time, you would never notice it. I was lucky. If the tunneling crew has arrived two hours earlier or two hours later, they would have seen nothing wrong and proceeded to fill the hole while the pipe was still leaking. Since the cast iron drain line and the copper supply line are so close together, I suspect that the two leaks are related. One pipe leaked first and over time cause the other pipe to fail.

Now, instead of moving on to other things, I have to reschedule everything. The plumbers have to come out and fix the drain pipe. The environmental cleanup people, who just removed the big dehumidifiers this morning, may have to bring them back. The people who were going to clean the vents on Monday now have to wait until everything else is finished. I have to go over all these new developments with the insurance folks as well. It is all very frustrating. The plumber said we could use the shower and toilets, but not to use the washing machine or dishwasher until the leak is fixed. Ironically, the drain leak would have never been discovered in the first place if I hadn't been using the washing machine to clean blankets that Dot had pooped on while barking at the environmental cleanup crew while they removed the dehumidifiers. Like I said, three steps forward, two steps back.

With all the problems I was having today, it would have been nice if my work projects had gone smoothly. They didn't. I have to edit a writing project to make it seem more general and vague. Hmm. I always thought specifics and details where what made writing interesting. One of my website clients is already making layout changes before the layout is even finished. These things take time folks. Give it a rest.

I went to the post office and bank today completely forgetting that it is Veterans Day and everything was closed. I guess I was confused because there was mail waiting for me in the mailbox this morning. I have a feeling that I must have forgotten to look in the mailbox yesterday. It wouldn't be surprising. I can hardly remember what day it is anymore. Everything has just merged into an endless awful mess. I wish we still had our hotel room, but we had to check out this morning. I decided to re-grout the shower stall while the water was off and the grout still isn't completely dry yet. Maybe it will be dry in the morning. I'm going to need a shower.

Dot has seemed a little shaky all week. It's probably just the added stress of dealing with all these strange new people in the house. Dash is handling things better than Dot. I'm probably doing the worst of all. I've had enough. Did I mention the Internet is down too. Sometimes I think U-Verse is worthless. I'm having to use my T-Mobile hotspot again. It's nice to have a backup. Too bad I don't have a backup plumbing system.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1427

It was one of those days. I was late to a meeting, but when I arrived full of excuses for my tardiness, I discovered that my client had completely forgotten about the meeting and I had to reschedule anyway. This was the start of a day jam-packed with miscommunication.

The service that put my account on auto-renewal without my knowledge is now saying that I have to formally request a discontinuation of service in writing before I can leave them. When I asked why, they said the necessity of making a cancellation request in writing was listed right on the back of their invoice. I looked on the back of the invoice I had just received and this unusual requirement was nowhere to be found. I can already tell that severing ties with this bunch is going to be a problem.

 I took a bunch of stuff from this weekend's rescue event back to the storage warehouse today. Janet told me later that I had taken back the wrong stuff, so I'll have to go back and bring it all back home again. I guess we're going to use some of the stuff at the Santa Paws photo events that begin later this month. There are a bunch of these fundraising photo events this year. Since my knees are even worse than they were last year, it makes me tired just thinking about photographing dogs all day.

There was one silver lining in the largely dark cloud that was today. I got some lab results back that said my lipids and cholesterol levels were all back within the normal range again. My glucose and blood sugar levels have come back to acceptable levels as well. Now, all I've got to do is get my liver working as well as my other organs.

I clicked on one of those "would you like to upgrade" buttons that frequently appear when you launch certain types of software. When the upgrade finished installing itself, I discovered that it would no longer work. After spending almost an hour trying to track down the problem, I discovered that the new upgrade will only work with the new Mavericks operating system. Jeez, it would have been nice if the company had told me this before I clicked the upgrade button. I don't want or even need Mavericks yet. I was eventually able to re-install an older version of the software, but I wasn't able to regain the time I lost messing around trying to fix this irritating problem.

Maybe everything will click smoothly into place tomorrow. One can always hope. Dash has a vet appointment and there's a writing assignment with a tight deadline as well. As long as the sun is shining, I should be able to get everything done without a problem.

Today is Veteran's Day. I noticed that a lot of people were changing their profile picture to World War II era photos of their Dad in uniform. This is a nice tribute, but it made me wonder if this tradition will continue when today's children grow up. They didn't call our parents The Greatest Generation for nothing. Today, we all express gratitude to those who serve, but fewer and fewer of us have actually worn a uniform ourselves. It's a much different world than our parents lived in. I'm not sure it's a better world though. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's not.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 696 - Veteran's Day

Both of my parents served in the Navy. They were so proud of their service that they both requested military funerals, long after they returned to civilian life. One of my favorite art director partners, back in my ad agency days, was in the Marine Corps before he discovered the ad biz. Several of my high school and college buddies went to either West Point or the Air Force Academy, and just about everyone on my Mom's side of the family was career military. All these connections to the military life have disappeared. I don't know anyone personally who is serving in the military these days. All I know is what I see on TV. I remember my parents and my friends though and the dedication with which they served. I think all our veterans, past, present and future, deserve a tremendous amount of respect.

Watching a parade on TV this morning was as close as I got to a Veteran's Day celebration. It was a just another normal Friday for me, full of projects that really should have been finished on Wednesday. Weekends are more enjoyable for both my clients and myself if there aren't any unfinished projects lingering on my desk, so I usually stay busy on Fridays. By the end of the day, I had everything finished and I'm ready to face to weekend.

The photo above was part of an ad campaign I did several years ago for a client who insisted on basing their entire marketing efforts around their logo, which just happened to be a flag. I must have taken pictures of every flag in Dallas, looking for the perfect pictures to illustrate the campaign. For a while, I thought all these flag images would be great for stock photography, but all the stock photo houses told me that they had plenty of flags already. I still find a use for these pictures occasionally, but not very often. Hey, if you need a good flag picture, I'm your guy.

There's basically only one day to get all the weekend errands done this week. On Sunday, I'm supposed to take video footage of the Pet Fair animal rescue event. With all this going on, I'm not sure how we'll get our own dogs to the dog park on Sunday, but I'm sure where there's a will, there's a way.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day