Day 2992

I'm not guessing anymore. I've definitely got a cold. All the symptoms are there. I've got a lot of congestion. My nose won't stop running. I have a sore throat. And I'm feeling very tired. All this happened overnight. When I went to bed, I still thought I might be suffering from seasonal allergies. Nope. This is a cold.

I didn't get a lot of rest because the cold actually feels worse when I am lying down. The sinus congestion is terrible when I am in a horizontal position. I tried the trick of pressing my tongue against the roof of my mouth while applying pressure with a finger between my eyebrows. This accomplished nothing. I can't take antihistamines, so I tried an Alka-Seltzer too. That didn't do much either.

Since resting didn't make me feel any better, I just went about my normal day. Janet and I walked Dash in the morning and then we all ate breakfast. After breakfast I went to the gym. Surprisingly, the congestion went away while I was using the hand bicycle. It came back again unfortunately while I was on the treadmill. I'm pretty sure I got this cold from Janet since she has exactly the same symptoms. Where she got it is anybody's guess.

I guess this is my yearly cold. No matter how hard I try to avoid people and stay inside my protective cocoon, I still manage to get sick occasionally. If you want to catch a cold quickly, just hang around people who have children. Children always seem to have colds in the Winter and they quickly spread to their parents and teachers. Maybe teachers build up an immunity. I think I would be sick all the time if I were a teacher.

At least Janet and I don't appear to have the flu. Neither of us had a fever. If it weren't for the fact that my head feels like it is going to explode, I really don't feel all that bad. Maybe if I get a good night's sleep tonight, I'll feel better in the morning. I certainly hope I'm not under the weather for very long. I've got a lot to do next week.

I tried to watch the Oscars for a while this evening, but after about ten minutes I'd had all I could take. Hollywood celebrities seems like alien beings now. I have so little in common with them that I can't even relate to anything they're saying. When did this all change? I can remember years ago that I enjoyed the Academy Awards enough that I would go to Oscar watching parties with my friends. The only film I've seen all year is Blade Runner 2049 and I think it is only nominated for Best Cinematography. Some of the films that were nominated this year I've never even heard of.

I added some new dogs to the Dalmatian rescue website this afternoon. I haven't met any of these dogs yet, but they all look fabulous. A few lucky people are going to be very happy with their new companion. The dogs will be even happier to finally have their forever home.

Orion is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2779

I was worried about Dash this morning. He was lethargic and didn't want to walk. He wasn't even interested in eating my banana. I tried several times to get him to walk after I finished my breakfast, but he wouldn't leave the back yard. After a while, I gave up and turned on the computer. Around ten-thirty Dash wandered into the office and began slapping me on the leg. He wanted a walk. I took him outside and we had a normal, uneventful walk. It would have been nicer if we'd left the house earlier while the air was still cool, but Dash was fine. He's either very lazy or very spoiled.

We encountered another loose dog this morning. This has become one of my pet peeves. Why can't people keep their dogs on a leash in public places? There are signs everywhere in the park saying that all dogs must be on a leash, but there's a certain type of person that just doesn't care. Today's loose dog was well behaved and kept following the jogger who owned him, but you never know. After the dog bite I'm more nervous about loose dogs than ever. Maybe I'm just not meant to live in a city anymore. Irresponsible people make me uncomfortable in the park. Irresponsible drivers make me uncomfortable on the roads. I've begun planning my entire life to avoid encountering anyone.

I could have easily finished watching season two of The Expanse today, but things have been so slow lately that I wanted to save the last show for tomorrow. Right now there is absolutely nothing on my to-do list. At least this final episode will keep me occupied for a little while. This extended inactivity is starting to wear me down. I really need to find a replacement for the steady diet of deadlines that has kept me busy since I started my company in 1990. Something tells me that there's not going to be a big demand for seventy year old web designers.

Janet thinks I ought to start doing some volunteer work. That may work for her, but I don't think it's a  solution for me. Volunteering usually works best if you enjoy working with other people. The last time I enjoyed meeting new people was when NASA invited me out to Vandenberg Air Force Base. I guess I could start applying to view launches again, but that could get pretty expensive. It's somewhat of an honor to get invited to watch a launch, but you've got to pay your own way to these events. That's always the problem. When I've got the time, I don't have the money and when I've got the money, I don't have the time.

I'll probably go out to breakfast in the morning. There's no reason not to resume this Friday ritual. When I started going out for breakfast on Friday mornings, it was just a way to get me away from the computer and work for a while. Now there's not much reason to even turn on the computer. The meals I cook for myself are actually better, but going out to eat could still serve a purpose. For a recluse like me, it's a fairly safe way to briefly reconnect with the world. Now, I've just got to decide what to eat.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2778

It was so quiet today. Janet had already fed Dash and was on her way out the door by the time I woke up. Dash seemed to remember our old workday routine, so I quickly got dressed, put his harness on, and we went for a walk. It's a good thing we left when we did, because it started raining as soon as we returned home and continued raining for the rest of the day. I didn't mind the rain today. It was a welcome change of pace from the triple digit temperatures we've been having.

I wasn't sure how Dash was going to react when Janet returned to work. He seemed a little depressed, but it's hard to tell with dogs. Dash sleeps most of the day anyway and I'm not enough of a dog whisperer to know whether he's tired, depressed, or just being lazy. Usually, if he comes to the office to remind me to feed him around his regular meal times, I feel comfortable that he's just fine.

I was surprised to receive an enquiry about designing a new website today. I put together a proposal, but I'm a bit skeptical about this project. I know the guy and I have a feeling that he'd like me to do this for free. Even though I'm not busy, I'm not going to design a site for free. You've got to draw the line somewhere. We'll see what happens. My proposal was fair and honest. There's always a chance that he won't be able to find anyone to do his site for free.

I went up on the roof today. It was probably too early, but I needed to find out why my pump wasn't working. Somehow the pump had tipped over and become disconnected from the hose. I fixed this problem, but didn't bother to clear all the water away. There was no point. My wrist isn't strong enough yet, and it was still raining. The condition of the roof was discouraging. There were lots of small branches that needed to be cleared away and there was standing water everywhere. It is supposed to rain for the remainder of the week, but when the dry weather returns I've got a big job to do.

Rainy days are great for binge watching. I watched three more episodes of The Expanse this afternoon. I'll probably finish season two tomorrow. Then what? Season three hasn't even aired yet. I'm pretty sure that the series got renewed, but I don't think we're going to be able to see it until sometime in 2018. Hopefully, my brain will have kicked back into gear by then and I will have moved on from binge watching TV shows.

Janet's co-workers were happy to have her back and she had a good first day at work. When we both walked Dash after dinner, we encountered a very aggressive dog. The dog was growling and the woman walking him was having trouble holding on to the dog's leash. This was unsettling to say the least. This morning's walk was so much more peaceful. I walk Dash later when Janet is working. There is nobody in the park after the early morning joggers and cyclists have gone to work. I try to do everything when the rest of the world is working. The world is just a nicer place when it is empty.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2637

Weekends are supposed to be relaxing. Mine are typically hectic. I seldom see anyone during the week. On weekends I get to deal with traffic jams, rude people, and crowded stores. I wish there was a reliable, cost-effective way to get groceries delivered, but even if there was, I wouldn't trust anyone to pick strawberries for me. Stores are diabolical about hiding bad strawberries inside a package of seemingly good ones. It takes me forever to sort through each package, looking for the illusive package without any hidden rotten berries.

Even buying packaged goods can be a challenge. I was suspicious last week when my favorite brand of coffee pods had a different looking box. Maybe just the packaging changed, I thought. Nope. The coffee tasted different. I think they decided to put fewer beans in each pod, because the coffee is definitely weaker than it used to be. Every time I buy detergent, the bottle gets a little smaller, while the price stays the same. It's a jungle out there. Don't even get me started about the traffic. I need to figure out a way to do all my errands while other people are at work, because I'm tired of dealing with the traffic. Amazon drones that deliver everything to your front door couldn't come soon enough for me.

I ended up having to wash a lot of rugs again this morning. Somehow getting up one hour later on Saturday morning makes all the difference for Dot. Usually we can make it safely outside if I get her up at 6 AM. Waiting until 7 or 8 AM is almost always a disaster. You'd think I'd learn, but I'm always so tired that it take quite a commotion to wake me up in the morning. The only reason things work during the week is that Janet gets up at the crack of dawn to get ready for work. Left to our own devices, Dot, Dash and I would sleep till noon.

I'm probably going to wreck the washing machine continuously washing these heavy rugs. I don't think there's much of an alternative though. I've tried cleaning them outside with a hose and they never really got clean. Unless I decide to sleep next to the back door with Dot, I think I'm just going to have to live with this situation. I see those ads for Depends on TV all the time, but I hope I never become incontinent myself. It's a horrible mess.

I only used five gallons of gas last week. That's not very much, is it? Sometimes I worry that I'm becoming too isolated. Then I turn on the television and realize that there's a good reason I have no desire to get out much. Society appears to be crumbling. I don't think a lot of people even realize how nice life was back when I was a kid. I'd like to go back to those times, but unfortunately it isn't going to happen. Like it or not, it's onward toward the apocalypse.

Orion is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2572

Why have the Russians suddenly become this huge problem? Something seems fishy to me. Let's say that the WikiLeaks information originally did come from the Russians, even though Julian Assange denies this. The WikiLeaks information was all true. Even the Democrats acknowledge that John Podesta's e-mails were authentic. So, are we supposed to believe that our democratic process was compromised by revealing information that was actually true? Heaven forbid. This just seems like a lot of sour grapes. Whatever the Russians are doing, they've been doing it all along. We do the same thing to them. It's called spying. This manufactured crisis didn't happen overnight. Personally, I don't think Obama cares what the Russians are doing. He just wants to create havoc for Donald Trump by pitting hard-line republicans like John McCain against him and making it as difficult as possible for the new administration to conduct foreign policy. This would certainly explain throwing Israel under the bus at the United Nations too. People should be outraged at the way we threw Israel under the bus, but they are too busy being outraged about a bunch of things that don't even matter. Grow up people and quit being such sore losers. Instead of pardoning a bunch of criminals and thugs during his last days in office, Obama should pardon Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. I learned more factual information from these two guys than I have from any politician.

As you can see, I need to get out more and quit watching so much television. I'm dangerously close to talking back to the television like my Dad used to do. Is is a bit distressing that there is almost nothing to unite us anymore. There is no objective truth either. All the recent furor about fake news has made me realize that most of what I've been listening to for the past fifteen years has been fake news. It's all fake news. I don't trust Fox. I don't trust MSNBC. I don't trust any of it. It's sad that we have become so tribal. Worst of all, Facebook has ruined everything. Now that I know what my friends really think, I don't trust them either.

It should come as no surprise that caring for an old, sick dog has become my solution. I don't have time to argue about politics. Each morning I try to gather my wits about me and get ready for a day of cleaning up poop, helping Dot walk, and keeping her from injuring herself. I try to keep Dash engaged too, so he doesn't feel left out. Dot did very well today. Maybe it was the cool temperatures and low humidity. She walked with confidence and for the most part, was able to move her rear legs without my help. Dot did poop on the floor, but I was able to make a dramatic save and quickly place a nearby piece of paper under her before the poop hit a rug. Little things like this make my day.

An old college friend called the other day and wants to have lunch when he is in town next week. This shouldn't be a dilemma, but of course it is. For starters, I don't eat lunch anymore. I don't feel comfortable leaving the house for very long either. I wouldn't mind seeing the guy though. I wonder if I'm starting to use Dot as an excuse when I actually could go somewhere. It's complicated.

I do still eat breakfast, so I'm looking forward to going out for a tasty meal tomorrow morning. My breakfast excursions are perfect. The dogs are sleeping after their morning walk. My favorite place is nearby, so I'm rarely gone much more than an hour. I don't have to talk to anyone, but I like the other customers and feel vaguely connected anyway. It's just what I need.

Petey & Greta are our Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 615

I had a hard time getting up this morning. Dash had an upset stomach last night and woke us up several times during the night scratching on the door to go outside. The first time he goes outside in situations like these, he does nothing. The second time, he usually eats grass. Hopefully, there is a third time where he actually throws up, but as often as not, he waits until I'm in the shower the next morning and then throws up inside on the carpet. I've taken him to the vet over and over again trying to find a definitive answer to these episodes, but all the vets usually tell me is to give him a Pepsid AC.

At any rate, I could have used a couple of extra hours of sleep this morning. By the time we took our morning walk, Dash was back to normal again. His heartburn appeared to be gone, but mine was worse than ever. I don't do well if I don't get a good night's sleep. I'm still taking iPhone Instagram pictures on our morning walks and I'm starting to notice that there are never any people in the photos. It's not that I'm avoiding people. It's just that when I'm out and about, the world is empty. I kind of like it this way. I try not to go to the park until all the early morning joggers and cyclists have gone to work. It's a little harder to avoid the traffic on Dallas roads, but usually 2 to 4 in the afternoon is pretty good. I just need to remember to avoid the school zones, now that school is back in session.

There are a couple of friends who I've been meaning to have lunch with for several months now. Usually I've just finished breakfast when most people go to lunch though and I'm not hungry at noon anymore. Now that a lot of my work originates on the Internet, I'm starting to wonder just how insular my life might become. There's really no need to see anyone anymore. I keep doing a few things, like going to the bank and the post office the old fashioned way, just to get away from the keyboard for a while. These things could be done quicker and easier online as well, but after a while all this efficiency gets ridiculous.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day