Day 2874

The exam I received from my new doctor seemed almost exactly like the physical exams I'd received from my old doctor for all these years. I briefly wondered if it was worth all the effort required to switch doctors. Then I remembered that I wasn't worried about my car being stolen while I was sitting in the waiting room. I didn't have to sit in the waiting room very long either. In addition to being clean and reassuring, this place was super efficient. It kind of felt like I was going to a German doctor, and for me that is a good thing.

The doctor seemed to think that I was in pretty good shape for a man of my age, but that's what they all say. I know better. Men let things creep up on them. I know too many men my age who've just dropped dead without much fanfare. We're all falling apart like rusty old machines, but I still think it's a good idea to know what your odds are.

The medical exam took most of the morning. That left most of the afternoon to work on the roof. Thankfully, the wet spots had all dried out and there was very little wind. It was a good day to apply the messy coating. I thought it would take a gallon of material to cover the areas I'd exposed yesterday, but it ended up taking two. I didn't spill any of the goop on myself this time and was able to make a nice looking repair. Since it takes the silicon material 24 hours to cure, I won't know if my repairs were successful until tomorrow afternoon, but everything seems fine so far.

I also called the refrigerator repairman and he's coming out again tomorrow. Lord knows what he's going to do this time. The last time the repairman was here, he told me that there was nothing left to replace. I always thought that the problem was caused by a loose wire or a burned out internal fuse. You can't tell repairmen and plumbers how to do their job though. I've tried this before and it just makes them mad. I'm very polite to repairmen now, but I'll keep calling them back from now to eternity if they haven't done the job right.

Getting Dash to walk in the afternoon is turning out to be just as much of a problem as I thought it would be. He doesn't understand time changes at all. I tried several times to get him to walk while the sun was still up, but he wasn't ready to go until it was almost dark. This is a good way to get some nice sunset photos, but it's not good for anything else. Dash is shaky on his feet now and I need to see where he is walking. I don't want to encounter stray dogs or coyotes in the dark either. We're going to have to work on this, because it was way too dark when we returned home this evening.

I continue to be amazed at how little I get done these days. I used to have time to go to business meetings all over town, play in a band, and still have enough time left over to read a book a week. All I did today was go to the doctor and paint some sticky goop on the roof. Basically these two things used up the entire day.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2868 - Halloween

When did Halloween become an adult holiday? I remember trick-or-treating as a kid, but cosplay, elaborate costumes, and role playing must have come much later. It was all about the candy for me. My little friends and I would wander around our neighborhood in the dark for hours, unaccompanied by adults, filling our bags with as many treats as we could. It was a different world then. Nobody worried about being abducted and a Halloween terrorist attack was beyond comprehension. I miss those days.

You'd never know it was Halloween at our house. A few people in the neighborhood have decorated their yards, but there aren't many children anymore. We haven't had trick-or-treaters in years. When the dogs went to obedience class we would make costumes for them. There was an annual Halloween costume party and once Dash won first place. That was quite a while ago. Now we don't even put a pumpkin on the porch.

The only thing that was scary today was the threat of rain. I was determined to get the roof fixed before it rained, so I drove 30 miles to a roofing supply store and bought a bucket of the special elastometric coating. I would have preferred that the roofers had taken care of this, but they never showed up. I drove very slowly on the way home, because I didn't want the top-heavy bucket of silicon liquid to tip over and spill. The messy stuff would have ruined my car.

I really thought I had enough time to make a quick repair of the damaged area, but the weather forecast was wrong. Shortly after I finished re-coating the hole in the elastomer, it started to rain. The coating didn't have time to dry and my repair quickly washed away in the rain. Now, I'll have to wait until the roof completely dries out again and start over. It's frustrating. I'm still hoping that the roofers will eventually show up and take care of this for me.

I made a reservation for Thanksgiving dinner at the same restaurant that double charged us last year. Janet says the billing error was just an accident, but it did take forever to resolve. I guess a double charge on your credit card is better than food poisoning, but I hope there won't be any problems this year. It's hard to find a good place for Thanksgiving dinner. I wonder why we ever bothered to cook a big turkey? Eating out is so much easier.

I made an appointment with my new doctor for my annual physical. I feel healthy, but you never know. Like everyone else, they want me to fast before I have my lab work. Since I can't go very long without eating, I always schedule blood work for early in the morning and then find a restaurant for breakfast on the way home. I'll get the blood tests done later this week and go see the doctor next week to go over the results. I'm curious whether this new guy will want me to continue all my meds. I'd love to cut back on the pills I take. A second opinion is always good. I've been taking some of these pills for so long, I can't even remember why I take them.

The refrigerator is empty, so I'm going to have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. At least the refrigerator is cold. I think the latest repair actually worked.

Roxy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2806

It was a little unusual to go to the gym on Wednesday, but why not. There is nothing to differentiate weekdays from weekends anymore. I've decided that stopping or reversing the muscle atrophy I've been experiencing is as important as anything else that's on my plate. I might as well go to the gym whenever I've got some free time.

Truthfully, I could go to the gym every single day if I enjoyed it as much as some of the other people I see working out. Some of them seem to live at the gym. It doesn't matter what day I pick. They're always there. I actually did pretty well today, considering that I'd already been up on the roof. If I could bring myself to consistently exercise like this three times a week, I might actually see some results.

Preparing the roof for my repairs was actually a lot more work than my workout. I cleared away the remaining standing water today. Tomorrow I will clean the damaged surfaces and hopefully on Friday I can apply the new elastomer patches. Since there is no more rain in the forecast, there is a reasonable chance of success. It is so discouraging to go up on the roof. I think the materials that were originally used to coat the roof were defective, but the roofer won't put on a completely new roof. The whole thing is eventually going to be patched one square foot at a time.

I could spend the rest of my life repairing broken stuff around the house. I think I understand now why people sometimes just get in their cars and drive away from it all forever. There is so much that needs to be fixed now that it seems a bit overwhelming. If it was hard to find a good contractor before, it's going to be impossible now. Everybody is going to be down in Houston rebuilding the city for the next ten years.

I stopped by the REI store on the way to the gym and there was absolutely nothing that I wanted or needed. I left the store empty handed. I felt the same way the last time I visited the Apple Store. Maybe I am finally moving beyond my need to constantly accumulate stuff. It would be a good thing if this was true. Every amazing gadget turns into a pile of broken stuff after three to five years. I have enough broken stuff already. Maybe possessions are actually a liability. This would be a totally new concept for me, but it's something I see looming on the horizon.

It's time for my annual physical, but since I'm thinking of switching doctors I don't know whether to go ahead and schedule an appointment or wait until I find another doctor and start over with a clean slate. Why did my doctor have to fire me as his web designer? I was reasonably happy until this happened. Now I hate to even visit the clinic. Janet's doctors are great, but they are in a whole different league than mine. It's pretty obvious that the quality of care she gets is worth the extra money, but it's still hard to put aside money for health that could be used for a new camera. Nevertheless, I'm fairly certain I'll eventually go ahead and make the switch. The older you get, the more you realize that staying healthy is the only thing that matters.

I'm glad the rain finally stopped in Houston. Hopefully, the flood waters will start to recede soon. As hard as things are now, I think it will be even harder when the news crews disappear and people are left with the enormous task of rebuilding their lives from scratch. A tornado roared through a suburb of Dallas a few years ago and the residents are still wrangling with insurance companies and trying to rebuild their homes. We'll see what happens, but I think Texas has been changed forever.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2700

Dash is doing pretty well for a dog about to celebrate his twelfth birthday. The vet didn't discover anything alarming during his annual exam. The lumps and bumps are just benign lipomas. The cloudiness in his eye is getting worse, but he can still see well. Blood pressure is OK. His heart murmur has not gotten worse. Just about the only surprise was a mild infection on the inside of his lip, which he got an antibiotic shot for. I think I got the bigger surprise. When we got home, I discovered that someone had scratched the paint on my car in the parking lot.

I was worried about leaving Dot alone during Dash's exam, but she did pretty well. She was awake when I left, but was still resting calmly when I returned. Dot is still eating, which is nothing short of remarkable. I'm still spending most of the day feeding Dot dozens of little meals, but she's finally getting the nutrition she needs. I had to get the prescription for Dot's pain medication renewed today. When her oncologist prescribed the powerful meds, I think she was convinced that Dot only had a few days left. She was really surprised when I called and told her that Dot was eating again and needed a refill. I'm sure that the new pain medication is partially responsible for the return of Dot's appetite. Maybe there is another explanation, but I think that it might have simply been too painful for Dot to eat.

I wish I could think of something that would actually make Dot stronger. Her rear legs have gotten even weaker and she is totally dependent on me for mobility now. The good news is that Dot trusts me completely and knows that I will be there when she needs me. The bad news is that Dot trusts me completely and knows that I will be there when she needs me. Now that she is feeling a little better, she is barking for me to come lift her up and take her somewhere every five minutes. Since she is a bit senile, we spend quite a bit of time just wandering around aimlessly. Aimless wandering counts as exercise though. Maybe it will help keep her muscle atrophy from becoming even worse.

I joined this website called Alignable as a favor to a friend who was already a member. I guess this place is kind of a LinkedIn alternative and is supposed to help get you business leads. I spent about five minutes setting up a profile and then promptly forgot about the site. Apparently, it didn't forget about me. Now I'm getting messages from old co-workers and suppliers saying "good to hear from you again" and asking me how my business is doing. I hate to tell them that business sucks, so I just reply that it was good to hear from them too. I wonder how all these people heard about this site before I did. It appears that everybody else is already there. At any rate, I'm not expecting much. I never got any business from LinkedIn and I probably won't from this place either. Real business leads still come from word of mouth referrals.

My fitness tracker sends me messages every morning telling me that I'm not getting enough sleep. Jeez. Tell me something that I don't already know. Feeding and tending to Dot's needs and writing the blog basically take up the entire day. When you add something extra like Dash's annual exam or a big website update, I'm automatically behind. Needless to say, I didn't get to take a nap with the dogs today. Maybe tomorrow will be less hectic.

When Dot's oncologist prescribed her new pain medication, she told me that a younger dog could never take these meds because it would eventually kill them. The oncologist wasn't worried about Dot because she genuinely thought she only had a few days left. The goal was just to make her final days pain free. Now that Dot is slowly and steadily improving, I'm wondering how long Dot can take these powerful pills before the side effects start to cancel out the benefits. Catch 22. There's always a catch to everything, isn't there.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2444

I can't honestly say that Dot got a clean bill of health today at her annual physical exam, but the vet was amazed that she's doing as well as she is. Very few Dalmatians make it this far on their journey through life. Dot has already lived two years longer than any other Dalmatian we've had and she hasn't given up yet. These exams aren't as dignified as they were during her younger years. When the nurse tried to weigh her, she peed on the scale. A little later when the same nurse took her temperature, she pooped. Dot's teeth are bad, she can't walk without assistance, and she tires very easily. It's not all bad news however. Her heart is still strong, her vision is good, and she is still very enthusiastic about eating. We skipped most of the normal vaccinations because she is so old and frail, but the vet still wanted to give her the Leptospirosis vaccine. Leptospirosis is becoming commonplace in Dallas, and it is so easy to catch since we frequently walk in the park.

Today's exam took a while, but I was very pleased with the results. Dot is old and has many serious problems, but she is amazingly resilient. She is a high maintenance girl who is becoming more stubborn by the day, but she definitely hasn't given up yet. There are days when I think Dot is going to outlast me.

Last week's cooler weather lulled me into believing that Fall had arrived early, but I got a reminder today that we're still in the middle of Summer. The sun came out this morning and almost instantly it was twenty degrees warmer. By afternoon, temperatures were in the high nineties again and Dash let me know pretty clearly that he wasn't all that interested in an afternoon walk.

I had some website updates to make today. These modifications aren't an everyday occurrence like they used to be, but apparently people haven't forgotten about their websites completely. Occasionally, a website will go offline and it will often take days before the client even notices. Things have changed. If something is wrong with Facebook, they all notice immediately.

The park is full of Rain Lily's today. These small flowers seem to appear overnight after a big rain and then disappear just as quickly when things dry up. Luckily, they were blooming today, because I couldn't find anything else to photograph. There aren't many flowers left. Pretty soon, I'll start seeing Fall leaves and as soon as the time changes, I'll be trying to capture pretty sunsets again.

We need to do something special for Dot's birthday this weekend. We used to take the dogs to dinner at Cafe Lago, but that dog friendly restaurant went out of business quite a few years ago. Janet and I also used to make beautiful little dog cakes, but I don't even remember how anymore. She would bake a small three layer cake made with apple sauce, eggs, and oat flour. I would decorate the cake with a cream cheese and yogurt frosting. I took a cake decorating class once, and even had one of those special turntables, so I could apply the frosting evenly. Distant memories. All I have the energy to do anymore is buy some pupcakes at Sprinkles.

Tomorrow, we have our second vet visit of the week. We do water therapy and acupuncture on Wednesdays and then on Friday she goes back to the cancer center for another ultrasound scan. It's going to be a busy week.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2338

Today was Dash's day. Dot spends so much time at the vet that it's easy to forget that Dash has his own issues. We try to address each of those issues at his annual exam. For years, Dash was the problem dog and Dot was the healthy one. He has a history of epileptic seizures, but has been stable for almost five years since he started taking phenobarbital. When we adopted him, he had severe skin allergies. Now, his coat is thick and full. A thyroid deficiency and crystals in his urine are now under control. He still has a heart murmur, but his vet doesn't consider it a risk. Most importantly, his thyroid cancer has been in remission for over three years. Dash got a thorough checkup today and passed with flying colors. I am really thankful that he is doing so well. Several years ago, when both dogs were being treated for cancer at the same time, it was almost more than we could handle.

Dot and Dash are lucky to have some great vets looking after them. Sometimes I wish that vets could treat humans too. I'm convinced that I'd get bet better care if I went to the vet than I do from my own doctors. I trust our vets. I'm not so sure about my own physicians. Whenever I see a lobby filled with pharmaceutical company sales reps, I start to wonder if all the pills I take are actually necessary. To be fair, the dogs take a lot of pills too, but everything seems more honest and direct without all the insurance and pharmaceutical companies in the middle. I think one of the problems with human medicine is there isn't much emphasis on what we eat. When your vet tells you that your dog should eat a specific type of food, that's what you feed them. Humans go the the Cheesecake Factory, eat enormous, gut busting meals, and then wonder why they've got diabetes. Maybe we've got too much freedom. Dot and Dash just eat what we put in their bowls. If they had a choice, I'm sure they'd opt for an all bacon diet.

When Dash and I returned from the vet, the first thing I noticed was that Dot had pooped in her bed. I kind of expected this would happen. It was so hot when I took her outside after lunch that she had no interest in doing anything. It's impossible to get an incontinent dog's pooping schedule coordinated with anything. Basically, it's just like that old bumper sticker. Shit happens. Dot is feeling a little better today. We only gave her a short walk this morning and she spent most of the day sleeping. I canceled her physical therapy appointment tomorrow, so she can rest some more. Hopefully, the added rest will help. You can't be a drill Sargent with a sick dog. You have to let them set the pace. I know that Dot still wants to keep moving. We just need to stay aware of what her body can handle as she continues her long, slow decline.

Dash's big adventure at the vet ate up a big chunk of the day, but I still had time to resolve the equipment problems I was having yesterday. The audio and video gear are working together nicely now. Now that I understand what I'm doing, I wonder how long it will take to put this knowledge to use. You might wonder why I don't just embark on a long, complicated personal project, since I obviously have the time. I wonder too occasionally. I tell people that I can't make movies or write songs because I'm taking care of Dot. That's probably just an excuse. It's one of those been there, done that things. I just don't have the desire anymore.

I do like writing this blog. There's something epic about doing something for so many years, night after night, without any breaks in continuity at all. It's even more epic that I have absolutely nothing to say. My life is about as ordinary as you can get, and yet you're still reading.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2330

What was I thinking? Yesterday, I was convinced that the weather would be nice this week, so imagine my surprise when I woke up and discovered that it was just another wet, stormy day. Like most rainy days, the house felt more humid, the dogs refused to go outside, and the mail arrived damp and soggy. My efforts to clean up the roof yesterday were completely wasted.

I didn't sleep well, mostly because the dogs sensed the storm and kept waking me up. Dash was nervous and Dot pooped in her bed. I can't really blame Dot's accident on the rain. Chances are that would have happened anyway. Everything takes longer on a rainy day. By the time I'd convinced both dogs to go outside and do their business, cleaned the mud off my shoes several times, and finished my breakfast, it was almost time for lunch.

I only had a single website revision to make today, but it seemed like a busy day anyway. There were bills to pay, a check to take to the bank, and some prescriptions to pick up at the pharmacy. I didn't bother to vacuum the house because the dogs would just track more dirt inside anyway. I'm going to wait for the rain to stop before I do anymore cleaning. I did make an appointment for Dash's annual exam at the vet after checking my calendar to make sure that it had already really been a year since his last exam. It doesn't seem like a year since Dash's birthday. Dash doesn't go to the vet nearly as often as Dot, but he definitely goes more than once a year. The annual exam is just where he gets his yearly vaccinations and a new city tag.

I noticed that the camera I've had my eye on has gone back on sale again. I probably ought to just go ahead and get the thing, mostly so I'll quit thinking about it. I doubt that I'll need to be making any 4K videos in the near future, although that is one of the camera's big selling points. I do like the fact that you can fix focus errors after you've taken the shot. The camera has the ability to take a quick burst of pictures at a variety of focus points, all centered around the object you want to feature. You just select the shot with the best focus afterwards. I wish someone had invented something like this twenty years ago. It would have saved me on a number of occasions.

The weather app on my phone says it is supposed to be clear tomorrow. I don't know whether to believe it, because on Sunday evening the app said it was supposed to be clear today. I shouldn't let the weather rule my life, but it does have a tendency to set the agenda. I understand that we need the rain to avoid another drought and keep the area lakes stay full, but the wet weather sure does make taking care of Dot more difficult.

I got bit by a mosquito today. Does this mean I'm going to have to start worrying about the Zika Virus? One of the side effects of lots of rain is lots of mosquitoes. Last Spring there were a ton of mosquitoes. Actually, every year there are a ton of mosquitoes. Some years the city sprays, and other years it does nothing. You really can't win with spraying. If you don't spray, people complain. If you do spray, other people complain.

I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I guess it depends on whether it rains or not. I'll probably fret about whether to buy the camera or not. I'll wonder whether to add some leftover pineapple to my morning smoothie. I'll keep trying to predict when Dot is going to poop next, even though my odds of success are small. If I had some new writing jobs, I could keep these thoughts at bay, but writing assignments have been scarce lately.

Bogart is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2072

Dot got scared going to the vet for her annual exam and immediately pooped in the lobby. This was actually convenient, since we needed a stool sample for the exam anyway. Her vet told me that other than having cancer and severe neurological problems, Dot was looking pretty good. Dot sees so many vets for so many different reasons that these annual exams really are just a formality. She didn't need a rabies shot this year, but did get a leptospirosis vaccination.  This disease has become a real problem in our area. It is spread by the urine of rats, raccoons, and possums, which all seem to wind up in our yard, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Since Dot has three different vets, I always need to make sure that everyone is on the same page. I usually spend a good portion of every exam telling the vet what all the other vets think. Today, we didn't even need to do the regular annual exam blood work, because Dot's oncologist at the cancer center has already taken care of this just a few weeks ago.

A box of Keurig coffee pods arrived in the mail this morning. "Don't you already have plenty of coffee pods," Janet asked me? Well, I guess I do. I don't really feel guilty about buying an excessive amount of Keurig pods though. Janet does the same thing with soup. It's hard to resist a good bargain. I'll find a place to store the new pods until I need them. They definitely will get used. I drink a lot of coffee.

I'm trying to remember if August was always this slow. Traditionally, the end of the Summer has always been slow for me, but this year absolutely nothing is going on. The odd thing is that even though I have no business to speak of, I'm still busy every day. It's amazing how quickly taking care of the dogs, tending to the yard, paying bills, and running the occasional errand can fill up a day. I had to run to the mall and pick up something this morning, but this quick trip and Dot's vet appointment were my only excursions today. It seemed like they took up the entire day.

I need to pick up a few books to read. I've been meaning to read Andy Wier's new novel The Martian and this would probably be a pretty good time. What else have I got to do? Dot likes having me nearby during the day and sitting next to her reading a book probably makes a lot more sense than getting up and down every five minutes to check social media on my computer. I wonder why I lost the desire to read? I used to read books voraciously. Of course, I used to do everything with a lot more gusto than I do now. I still make sure to take a new photograph every day for the blog, but a camera is no longer my constant companion. I don't play guitar all that much either. Maybe this is just the natural order of things as my interests change over time. Or maybe I'm catatonically depressed. I really don't know.

Everyone says it is going to rain tomorrow. I am so ambivalent about rain.We really need the rain. The yard is dry and the air is hot and dusty. On the other hand, Dot and Dash are terribly frightened of storms and make life difficult every time it rains. I never really trust the roof either. What this means is that I'll be really happy when the rain first starts, but will become increasingly irritated if it doesn't stop within thirty minutes. If the power goes out, all bets are off.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2071

A busy day is not always a productive day. I was very busy today, but I don't feel like I accomplished anything. Dot seemed weak when she woke up this morning, but we still managed to finish our pre-dawn walk. I made my breakfast smoothie and listened to the dogs bark at me as soon as I began to peel the bananas. Eventually the loud barking stops but it's not an atmosphere where you'd want to linger over your last cup of coffee. I can tell that Janet is eager to get out of the house and off to work. Early mornings can be pretty chaotic.

After breakfast, I went and found a place where I could get my vehicle registration sticker. They didn't even ask to see my safety inspection results, or my proof of insurance card. All that information was already on their computer screens. You'd think since they've made the registration process simpler, that prices would come down. Nope. They actually went up quite a bit. I remember when the annual vehicle registration sticker was in the $30 range. Then it was $50 for a long time. Today I paid over $75 dollars for my sticker. Oh, well. At least I'm legal for another year.

The second of my Dad's two sisters died this morning. She was 99 years old. My parents both passed away quite a while ago, but now all the Aunts and Uncles are gone as well. We were not a very prolific family. To the best of my knowledge, I'm the last remaining male Sealander. For years I used to think that the family name would die out with me since I never had children. Now I'm not so sure. The rules for marriage and gender have changed so much in recent years that maybe one of the Sealander girls will decide to keep the name going.

A lot of people are saying that it's going to rain later this week. I'll believe it when I see it. There actually is rain in the forecast though. I'm glad that the roofers finally came out and made all the patches I requested. I'll have to take a look tomorrow and make sure they dried properly. There is nothing that could turn these highly anticipated showers into my old nemesis again like another roof leak. The roof is actually in pretty good shape, but roof leaks have been a part of my life for so long now that it's still hard to believe that I've managed to put these problems behind me.

Dot has her annual exam tomorrow. I still can't decide whether she's going to be fourteen or fifteen years old on her birthday. You never know for sure with a rescue dog. Today Dot seemed more like 25 years old, but that was probably just because I was feeling pretty tired myself. It's been a long, hard journey this year. I'm glad my family has good genes. It's going to take some hereditary magic if I ever make it to 99 years old.

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1953

It's been a long day. Dash woke up limping and he's still limping this evening. I was hoping our vet could come up with a quick fix during his annual exam this morning, but a torn paw pad is painful and Dash will probably continue limping until the pain goes away. The vet cleaned the wound and then glued the split pad back together with medical suture glue. This will keep the cut from getting dirty or infected, but it will still be painful for a while. It's going to be tough on the little guy. He loves to walk and can't seem to keep his protective sock on for more than a minute. The rest of Dash's exam went well, although he does have high blood pressure and is going to have to start taking more or less the same blood pressure medication that I take.

On the way home from the vet, Dash peed in the car. He's never had an accident in the car before. I was really surprised, since he had already peed on his morning walk and again while he was at the vet. Oh, well. I reminded Dash that he and his sister were the reason I can't have nice things anymore, and then proceeded to clean up the mess when we got home. This wouldn't have been a big deal if Dash hadn't lifted his leg and made a direct hit on one of the speakers mounted in the rear door. Since the grill cover won't come off, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to clean the speaker enclosure. The car will probably smell for a long time.

As I updated websites today, I kept wondering how much trouble it will be to convert these sites into mobile friendly versions. It's almost inevitable that I've have to convert all the sites I manage at some point. I"m not looking forward to this. Many of my clients are fond of their old designs and they're not going to be happy that these familiar workhorses will eventually have to be retired. I worked on my own test site a bit more today, but it was slow going. Just because something looks easy on the tutorial video, doesn't mean that it actually is easy. I learned some new things and made a few refinements today, but I'm still not ready for prime time.

Dot was really good while I was at the vet with Dash, This is the first time I've left her alone for any length of time and she did fine. I checked her on the baby monitor and she was just sleeping calmly on her dog bed. Actually, she seemed better behaved while I was away than when I'm home. When I'm here, she's either barking or getting herself stuck in tight places. I could just keep her penned while I'm working, but she's much happier being able to move from room to room. The bedroom and the office are pretty safe, but if she heads for the kitchen, I make sure to follow her. That's where she always seems to get stuck.

Dash's bad leg certainly complicates things. It took me forever to get both dogs walked today. Dot walks very, very slow and Dash seemed to lose his protective sock about every twenty yards. The dogs still want to walk, but they're not at the top of their game right now. If something happens to my own leg, we're really going to be in trouble.

I hope the dogs are walking well tomorrow. I hope I sleep well tonight. Neither of these things happened today. That's probably why everyone is so tired.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1946

My impacted wisdom tooth is starting to hurt again, so I reluctantly re-scheduled my dental surgery. Since this surgery was supposed to take place in early February, I was kind of hoping that we would have to start all over again with new consultation visits and the surgery itself could be postponed until June or something. No such luck. They were able to work me in rather quickly. No extra visits needed. One of the reasons I postponed the surgery so long is that the money I had put aside to pay for it got used for Dot's spinal surgery. The other reason, was that I never wanted to have my wisdom teeth removed in the first place. I have been warned that painful teeth can go from mildly unpleasant to excruciating almost overnight, so I can't continue to delay this forever. I'm always a little nervous that even good dentists seldom use board-certified anesthesiologists for surgical procedures. They often just handle the anesthesia themselves. Jeez, I'd hate to wind up the way Joan Rivers did.

Since my mind was on medical things today, I also made an appointment for Dash's annual physical.  Last year when Dash had his annual exam, he was still going through radiation treatment for his thyroid cancer. I hope this year's exam is a lot more routine. The exam won't be long and Dash's vet is nearby, so this will be a good time to see how Dot does on her own. Since she can sit and stand reasonably well now, I think she'll be fine. I'll leave her in a secure area with a non-slip rug under her feet and hope she doesn't bark the entire time I'm gone. If this goes well, I'll feel better about leaving her for a longer amount of time when I go to have my wisdom tooth removed.

There was a noisy commotion in the alley behind our house this morning when city street crews brought in a road grader to grade the surface. Years ago the city greatly improved the dirt alley by mixing a cement product with the gravel that created a hard surface after being exposed to water. For some inexplicable reason, the grader removed all of this hard surface today. Now, the alley is just raw dirt, which will instantly turn into a mud pit the next time it rains. Luckily, we don't use the alley for our cars, but this new development will make the dogs harder to clean up on rainy days. I'll be the first to admit that the alley needed improvements, but the city just made it worse. Go figure.

Work was still slow today, so I continued my quest to rediscover my inner audio engineer. I downloaded missing instruction manuals for more old audio gear and began to re-learn what I used to know by heart. I could probably spend the rest of my life re-learning essential skills that I've forgotten. After I become competent at recording and mixing again, I could get out my watch repair tools and learn to fix watches again. I've certainly got plenty of watches that need fixing. I could learn to process black and white film again and start taking pictures with my old Nikons. I could hook up a keyboard and learn to play the piano again. The list is endless.

I enjoy dabbling. It's too bad I still need to work to pay vet bills, dentists, landscapers, and accountants. I'd be fairly content to get up every morning and re-learn things I've forgotten. If that got boring, I could start re-reading books in my library. These books will seem like new again, since I can't remember how half of them end anyway. I doubt that I'll get the opportunity to be this indulgent though. Re-learning how to record tunes on forty year old gear and re-reading a floor to ceiling wall of novels isn't going to pay the bills.

Flash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1736

It's almost inevitable. When I'm busy, I always wish things would slow down. Conversely, when things are slow I wish I was busier. In the Summer I can't wait for Winter and as soon as the cold weather arrives I want it to be Summer again. I don't know why it is so difficult to just accept things the way they are, but it's been this way for a long time. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

I only mention this because I was busier than usual today. There was a small website crisis that needed to be addressed immediately. There was a new writing assignment that needed attention. And of course, Dot had her annual exam at the vet. Back in the day, a schedule like this would have seemed like nothing, but I think I've slowed down considerably. I still like to stay busy, but I think my definition of the term has changed.

Dot got a glowing report at her exam. Her vets are just as impressed with her progress as I am. If you didn't know better, you could easily mistake Dot for a much younger dog. The only time Dot seems like a senior citizen is when she is sleeping. She sleeps so soundly now that I have to look carefully to make sure she's still breathing. Dot got her three year rabies booster today, along with her annual Leptospirosis vaccination. We'll give her the DAPPV combo shot next week, just to make sure she doesn't have a bad reaction from getting too many shots at once.

When Dot's nurse asked me how she was doing today, I started to bring her up to date on Dot's incontinence and physical therapy issues. "Oh, I know all that already," she told me. "I read your blog." This happens frequently now. I tend to think my readers are just the small group of people who leave comments regularly. In reality, a much larger group of friends and acquaintances seem to read with some consistency. They just don't tell me about it.

I finally figured out how to get my new phone paired with my car again. This Bluetooth connection is really handy because you never have to take your phone out of your pocket. If you get a call, you hear the phone ringing on the car radio and answer by touching a little green button on the steering wheel and just start talking. I couldn't figure out why it was so difficult to pair the phone, but I was determined not to go to the dealership for assistance on something so simple. I eventually remembered, as is often the case with Apple, that I needed to power down the phone completely and then turn it on again before the pairing process would work properly.

I think I might have been just busy enough today. I managed to get everything on my list done without stressing about it. Tomorrow, I will take Dash to the vet for another periodic thyroid test. I'm sure there will be other things to do as well. With any luck, I may be able to keep my life in balance for two days in a row.

Phantom is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1734

Dot ended an impressive five day accident-free streak by throwing up shortly after she woke up this morning and then frantically trying to eat leaves and grass in the yard. I don't think the vomiting had anything to do with her cancer, but it was still a bit unsettling. When a healthy dog vomits, you immediately suspect that the upset stomach was caused by eating something dead and disgusting in the yard. When a dog that has had cancer vomits, you always suspect the worst. I think Dot is fine though. We gave her a Pepsid AC and she went back to sleep for another hour and was completely normal for the rest of the day.

I don't usually work on Sunday, but since I always like to start the week with a clean slate, I finished my remaining writing assignments and made a few website revisions before going to the gym for a long overdue workout.

I had the usual aches and pains associated with my infrequent visits to the gym, but at least I'm still going. A lot of the runners and cyclists the dogs and I see in the park everyday seem to genuinely enjoy their exertion and activity. To me it's just a necessary evil. While I don't enjoy exercise, I would like to avoid diabetes, heart attacks, and further deterioration of my aging body. I'll have to admit that I do enjoy the fact that I can still wear the same size 32 jeans I wore in college.

I picked up some food for the week on my way home, but I may have to rethink my plan of stocking the refrigerator every Sunday afternoon. For some reason, Central Market always seems twice as crowded on Sunday, but that's not the real problem. I am discovering that fresh food won't stay fresh all week. I had to throw out some of the groceries I got last Sunday toward the end of the week, because they had spoiled already. No wonder people eat so much crap. Eating healthy is time consuming. It's so much easier to just grab a frozen pizza from the freezer and warm it up.

Dot is going to have a busy week. She has her long delayed annual exam on Tuesday and then returns for another physical therapy session and acupuncture on Thursday. We postponed the exam while she recovered from surgery because she is due for another three year rabies booster shot. I think she also needs the DAPPV combo shot this year, as well as her annual Leptospirosis vaccination. Dash will be glad that he can just stay home and take a nap.

It's hard to believe that September is already almost half over. Wasn't it August just a few days ago?

Nicholas is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1624

I got up early to walk the dogs before Dash's 8:30 AM vet appointment. Although the skies looked dark and foreboding during the entire walk, we hardly got wet at all. Just a few sprinkles. No rain during the trip to the vet either. We got lucky. Dash is now current on all his vaccinations and should only have to go to the vet once a month for routine chemotherapy blood tests.

Today was busier than I expected. I completed a big website revision and returned to writing again, completing my first new article in over a week. It's good to stay busy as long as you're not too busy. Today was just about right.

Sometimes I wonder whether the Internet is increasing knowledge and awareness at all. Lately, it seems that our interconnected world is just providing a forum for idiots to find their soulmates. Today, I followed two different threads on Facebook that would have been hard to take seriously if it weren't for the hundreds of people who fervently seemed to believe them. One thread was filled with people claiming that airplanes never crashed into the world trade center towers and that the entire event was an elaborate illusion created by the CIA using holographic projections of commercial aircraft coordinated by a nearby invisible B2 bomber. I'm not making this stuff up. Next was an old thread that resurfaces every once in a while, claiming that the moon landings were a hoax and that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin never went to the moon at all. Why do people love conspiracies so much?  It's been around forever. Kennedy was assassinated by the mafia. All new advances in technology have been reverse engineered from wreckage found in the Roswell flying saucer. I was shocked to read recently that almost 40% of the world's population don't even believe the Holocaust ever happened. I guess it's not surprising that Duck Dynasty, The Kardashians, and monster truck shows are so popular. We're doomed.

I try not to get involved in arguments about whether we went to the moon, or if there were dinosaurs on Noah's ark. It's just not worth it. If I can't even convince the dogs that the cat they're obsessed with had left the yard, how am I going to convince someone that there's nothing worth looking at in Area-51? The ironic thing is that conspiracies do exist. We just don't seem to care about the real ones. I'm sure that the NSA knows much, much more about all of us than we could ever imagine. We did go to the moon though.

If I don't make an appointment to go to the dentist within the next month, I need to have my head examined. Despite brushing several times a day and using a water pic, I've still got a tooth that bothers me. I've also got a persistent metallic taste in my mouth, but I don't think that has anything to do with dental hygiene. The metallic taste is probably a side effect of the Metformin I take to control blood sugar. I wonder if I even need to take Metformin anymore? I've dramatically cut back on my sugar intake during the past year. Who knows if I am even at risk for developing diabetes? My blood chemistry is close to perfect now. I am at risk for needing a root canal though. Remind me to make a dental appointment soon.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1344

If you didn't know any better, you'd probably think I operated a pet taxi service. The day was spent carting Dot and Dash back and forth to various vet appointments. I'm happy to report that Dot's condition continues to improve. She's moving around fairly well now, and although the Rimadyl she's currently taking to reduce inflammation in her leg might be partially responsible for her seemingly overnight recovery, it does appear that she suffered no serious damage last weekend. All Dot's vital signs looked good at her annual physical today. If I can keep her calm for a few more days while her leg continues to heal, I think she'll be walking normally again.

When I got Dot back home again, it was time to take Dash to the vet.  Nothing was really wrong with Dash this time. He just needed his bi-weekly antigen shot. There's one more vet appointment with Dot tomorrow, and then it's time for me to go back to the doctor again. A new ultrasound test one of my doctors wanted me to take got approved by insurance today, and I made an appointment to get the test done on Thursday.

The touch screen display quit working on the Evoque loaner car this afternoon. Now, when you touch the on-screen buttons, nothing happens. I can't believe that so many things are broken on a car with only 6,000 miles on the odometer. Of course there is always a chance that the odometer is broken too. I may be driving an older car than I think. I'm definitely never going to buy one of these things. The entire car is just a giant electrical problem waiting to happen.

Even though I was continually driving around, running errands, getting prescriptions filled, and taking dogs to the vet, I still managed to get quite a bit done today. The web-servers that were down for repairs yesterday were running normally again, so I was able to upload quite a bit of new material to client websites. There was a rush article that needed to be written in a hurry, as well as some pictures that still needed to be edited in Photoshop. I may have forgotten one or two things, but I think I did pretty well for a Monday.

I didn't have time to go to the gym today, which meant I didn't have time to stop at the grocery store on the way home either. Although there was nothing to eat for dinner in the refrigerator, there was plenty of soup in the cupboard. Janet loves soup. No matter how forgetful I am about grocery shopping, there is always plenty of soup to eat.

I'm hopeful that Dot's condition will continue to improve and that after tomorrow's vet appointment, life will return to some semblance of normality. If two dogs leave me with a feeling that I have a full plate, I wonder how people with small children and busy lives manage at all. Maybe they all have nannies.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1343

One good thing about having so many veterinarians as clients and friends is that Dot and Dash always get excellent medical care. Dot went to her emergency vet today to get X-rays and make sure she hadn't seriously injured her leg. Tomorrow she goes to her regular vet for her annual physical exam. Then, on Wednesday she goes to see her physical therapy vet. I'm hoping that seeing three different vets on three consecutive days will help us find a conclusive answer to the problems she's been having with her rear legs. Today's visit was encouraging. Her spine and hips look remarkably good for a dog of her age. There were no visible signs of Spondylosis or pinched nerves on the X-rays either. She still might have a partial tear of her anterior cruciate ligament, but it doesn't look like she suffered a full tear, which is much more serious.

Since Dot was in no immediate danger and Dash's condition seems to have stabilized, I was able to take care of some of my own medical needs. I took copies of some new blood work over to my Hepatologist. I guess I could have just faxed the records, but there were so many that it seemed easier to drive them over to the hospital. Next, I got another doctor to approve a new cholesterol medication that a third doctor wanted me to start taking. My own medical team might not be as friendly and accommodating as Dot's, but dealing with them is just as complex. I've discovered that getting three or more doctors to agree on anything is next to impossible.

Today was Janet's birthday. We didn't have a huge party with an open bar and a rock band, but we did have some delicious Sprinkles cupcakes. Dot and Dash got to enjoy some Sprinkles doggie cupcakes as well. My favorite new Sprinkles flavor is S'mores. Somehow, they taste exactly like the Graham crackers with melted marshmallows and chocolate that are mandatory on any camping trip. Yes, I know that I'm not supposed to eat any sugar, but I probably won't eat another cupcake until the next birthday party. I think I'm OK.

It's a good thing that work was slow today, because I doubt that I could have met any deadlines today anyway. After I got all my medical errands out of the way, I did have time to update a couple of websites. I couldn't upload the changes though, since one of the sites was moving to a new server. With Dot's annual exam and Dash's antigen shot tomorrow, I hope my workload continues to be slow. After Wednesday is over, you guys can start piling it on again, but let's hold off for a little while. I've got sick dogs to deal with.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1017

I've pretty much caught up on things again. Even though I'm continually busy, I'm having increasing difficulty remembering who my clients are. I never see them anymore. I turn on my computer in the morning, check my e-mail and find out what I'm going to be doing that day. There isn't a connection to real people or real companies anymore. I do my research on the Internet. I do my work sitting in a quiet room with two Dalmatians. If I'm lucky, at the end of the day I send the finished results back where they came from using YouSendIt. If you've ever wondered if you could make a living in total isolation, I guess I'd have to say the answer is yes.

I kind of miss the days where you had to have five meetings before you could do anything. Maybe you guys still go to meetings. Not me. People stopped paying me to come to their meetings long ago. Maybe I wasn't attentive enough, or didn't take good notes, but most people eventually learned that I wasn't really necessary at their meetings. Once they discovered that I did just as well with no input whatsoever, they quit inviting me to their seminars and strategy sessions. Oddly, I still do almost exactly the same things that I've always done. I just don't talk about it much.

I wonder if I could even go to a meeting anymore. Most of them are a monumental waste of time. I think one of the primary reasons I started my own company is that I hated bosses who scheduled status meetings at 7:30 AM. Why? I don't think anything useful has happened before 9 AM in my life. I guess I can't have it both ways. If I snub my nose at meetings, it's a pretty safe bet that I'm going to continue working alone. Nobody likes people who rain on their parade.

When I finished my work today, I drove over to the doctor's office to schedule my annual physical exam. The nurse looked at my chart and told me to come back around Thanksgiving. Evidently, I had arrived way too early for my physical. I don't know why I've been feeling that I was overdue for this thing all week. Maybe I should have made an appointment to talk with the doctor about memory loss.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day