Day 2414

Sometimes I think I'm mildly autistic. I fixate on minuscule details that others don't even think about. When I shoot baskets at the gym, there are eight basketballs to choose from. Only one of them is properly inflated. It bewilders me that after three years, nobody has bothered to pump up the other seven basketballs. The one good ball looks scuffed and worn, because I'm probably not the only one who has noticed that the other balls are worthless. Why has nobody fixed this?

When I'm using the treadmill I don't try to achieve a targeted heart-rate. I don't necessarily try to walk a certain distance either. I just try to create a perfect triangle on the LED display by increasing the inclination and speed every time the blinking light moves to a new row. I don't even know what this means, but the display looks very pretty by the time I'm finished.

I don't really have a horse in the race, but I find myself being drawn to the ongoing political debate like a mosquito to a bug light. Maybe I'm just watching the conventions because I like a circus. So far, I haven't been disappointed. Ted Cruz gives a lengthy speech were he fails to endorse the nominee and is booed off the stage. Melania decides she likes some of Michelle's words better than her own and the resulting plagiarism controversy just causes everyone to comment on how beautiful she is and compare her to Jackie Kennedy. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is forced to resign in disgrace after leaked e-mails reveal that Bernie was right all along. The system was rigged. Instead of apologizing immediately for trying to use the fact that Bernie is a Jew to undermine his support in the South, party leaders immediately try to blame the Russians for the leaked e-mails, claiming that Putin is trying to get Trump elected. You really can't make this stuff up. Then, Obama's own brother joins the fray, saying that he is going to vote for Trump because he's mad that Obama killed his friend Muammar Gaddafi. And of course you can't forget that Nordstrom sold out of the dress Ivanka was wearing in just a matter of hours when the Instagram girls all decided they had to have it. In a country where people obsess over the Kardashians and Kanye West and can't even name all fifty states, I guess this is all pretty normal.

I am cursed to have an almost equal number of friends on both sides of the political fence. All of these people are freaking out about the Supreme Court. I find this troubling. I'm convinced that politicians and their followers are obsessed with the Supreme Court because they basically don't trust the voters. If you can pack the Supreme Court with people who agree with you, you don't have to worry about the fickle voters anymore. I really think that all these politicians should pay a lot more attention to voters. They should learn from history. There are consequences when you go around saying "Let them eat cake."

I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It is one of those routine annual exams where they make you wait in the lobby for an hour and spend five minutes with you when you finally get in to see them. I'm not going to the doctor as much as I used to. Maybe I'm actually healthier, or maybe I've just grown tired of doctors. It's hard to tell. Dash got a bath today, but I didn't bother vacuuming. At least something is a little cleaner.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1246

I'm fond of rituals. Every morning, I get up and make the bed with military precision. I switch out the backup hard drive on my computer with an identical second drive, so I always have two copies of all my files. I grind some locally roasted Monsooned Malabar coffee beans and make myself a fresh pot of coffee. Then I walk the dogs. I've been following these same morning rituals for so long now that I don't even question them. Probably the only real change I've made in quite a few years is substituting a bowl of oatmeal and fresh fruit for my over-easy eggs, toast, and sausages.

I think the dogs like my steady hand at the helm. They know I'm always going to get them fresh water every morning, fix their breakfast, and take them on a nice long walk. I think like a dog.

Occasionally, I wish that my rituals wouldn't take so long, so I'd have time for something new. It seldom works out that way though, since work is a big part of the ritual. After I eat my breakfast and take a shower, I start to write. Writing always eats up a big chunk of the day and then there are the perpetual website revisions that pay the bills. When something new and different does occur, I seldom rejoice, because it always throws me off schedule.

Tonight, there was a wrap-up party for a big charity event I participated in. During the entire party, I kept thinking that the dogs needed to go outside and pee and I needed to get started writing today's blog entry. Even though it was a very nice party, I couldn't wait to get home again. My entire life is choreographed this way, right down to brushing my teeth at night and falling to sleep watching an old black and white episode of Perry Mason. If I was a child, some might think I was mildly autistic. Luckily, I'm older and can get away with simply being classified as eccentric.

I finally got around to selecting a roofing company today. I went with the company my architect friend recommended and they said they could get started next week. It will be nice to be able to take cleaning up after water leaks off my list of regular rituals. I hope I picked the right company. You can never be entirely sure with roofers. Even my friend made his recommendation with a caveat. "Hey, these guys have always done a good job for me," he said. "But they still might put on a terrible roof on your house." We'll see how it goes. All I know is that I've got to do something.

Dot has her weekly acupuncture session tomorrow. Dash had his antigen shot today. I'm starting to feel like a soccer Mom for Dalmatians.

Lady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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