Day 2373

Automatic payments are a mixed blessing. They save on postage and you don't have to worry about forgetting to pay a bill. On the other hand, if you don't check your balance frequently, you can end up with a lot less money in your account than you thought you had. I was under the impression that my health insurance bills would go up in June. Nope. They actually went up in January. I should have noticed this earlier, but I didn't. My bad. It took me hours this afternoon to straighten out my bank balance.

I also sent out my June invoices today. There is still more money going out than coming in each month, which is probably why I don't check my balance as much anymore. It's too depressing. Eventually, I corrected my statement, got everything in balance again, and took the small stack of invoices to the post office. Things may change, but I suspect that this slow downward spiral will continue.

The wet weather is certainly continuing. There were sporadic thunderstorms throughout the day which meant I couldn't count on the dogs sleeping peacefully while I worked. Since Dot is almost deaf, she only gets upset when she sees the lightning. I try to make sure she doesn't take her naps near a window, but it doesn't always work. She knows something is wrong when Dash gets upset and Dash still hears everything. It was a long day.

When it rains, my boots get muddy and it takes me a while to clean them off on the porch before I go inside. I also have to clean the dogs paws before I let them inside. For the past week or so, I've gotten eaten alive by mosquitoes while I'm doing this. They say the Zika mosquitoes are already in Texas, but I hope they haven't arrived in my back yard yet. There is no avoiding getting bitten. The ironic thing is that I can't apply the mosquito retardant spray until the yard is dry, but when the yard is dry there isn't a mosquito problem. Catch-22.

I had some work to do today, but it's getting to where the website updates I make don't seem much different than doing a load of laundry. It's all just tedious and mechanical. Maybe if it was sunny outside, I'd feel differently. I'd like to be excited about something again, but right now I'll settle for a good night's sleep. I really wonder how long this rain is going to last. I thought last year's wet Spring set some kind of record, but this year is even worse.

We'll see if the sun comes out tomorrow. I have a feeling that the day will go a lot smoother if it does.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2099

I listened to the local news coverage of the big Dallas Donald Trump rally while I was eating dinner this evening. I love a circus and would have enjoyed sitting in the crowd when I was younger. History, however strange, is always interesting. I used to make a point of visiting Dealey Plaza on November 22 just to hear all the conspiracy theories. Crowds never used to bother me. It didn't matter if it was a Fourth of July fireworks show or a Rolling Stones concert, I was there. Something has certainly changed. I'm a virtual hermit now. If I have a choice between seeing an event on TV or watching it in person, I'll almost always opt for the stay-at-home alternative. I've been to a lot of Rolling Stones concerts but when the Stones came to AT&T Stadium this Summer, I had no interest whatsoever in getting tickets. All I could think about was how bad the parking would be and what a pain it would be to drive all the way to Arlington in heavy traffic. I imagine that traffic is pretty bad at American Airlines Center this evening.

I was paying bills this afternoon and I couldn't figure out why my Quickbooks records looked so different from my bank statement. I had quite a bit less than I though I did. It finally occurred to me that I hadn't been recording a growing number of automatic recurring payments in my Quickbooks software. Everyone seems to want you to pay your bills electronically these days. I can see why companies like this. They get their money a lot faster when they directly debit your account. It's convenient too. Unfortunately, when you forget to record these automatic payments, things get confusing. Imagine how disappointed I was to discover I had forgotten about three months worth of automatic deductions from my checking account. I'm feeling poor now.

The weather continues to be delightful. This morning when we walked the dogs it was chilly enough that I needed a light jacket. It's hard to believe that jacket weather is here already. Of course, by mid-afternoon it was 90 degrees again, but for a few hours this morning, the weather was perfect. We'll have a few more hot days, but I bet it won't be long before I'll be wondering if the furnace is going to work this Winter.

I'm still reading the memoir written by the ad guy I used to work with in Seattle. Unlike The Martian, this is a very long book and will never be made into a major motion picture. I read a couple of chapters every day and maybe I'll be finished by Thanksgiving. What makes this book interesting is that I remember a lot of the people who are in it. The advertising world really was like Mad Men in those days. I had forgotten how much alcohol and general rudeness was involved. As far as work goes, I think I prefer the way things are now.

Life is peaceful these days. The only stress is worrying about Dot's health. I wrote an article this morning and sent it of to my client. I updated a few websites, and answered some correspondence. That was about it. Tomorrow should be very similar. I'll start with a cup of coffee and my trademark peach and banana smoothie. I'll end with an episode of Perry Mason. If I'm lucky, I won't have to clean up poop in the middle of the night.

Nicholas is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day