Day 4373

FedEx is driving me crazy. I've been waiting for an important package since Saturday. After several delays the package was finally supposed to be delivered today. At 7:05 PM I received two simultaneous messages. One said "operational delay, no delivery attempted." The other said "package delivered, signature on file." Which message was true? The FedEx facility that was supposed to hold the package for me said it never received anything and when I attempted to look for the signature on file, it wasn't there either. It is impossible to get any help. You just get referred to a call center in the Philippines or Malaysia somewhere. I put a trace on the package. We'll see what happens. I really wish the shipper had used UPS or DHL instead.

I may never receive my star tracker, but I did receive a clean bill of health from my dermatologist. He froze a few little patches of keratosis on the top of my head with liquid nitrogen but that was about it. I have to see this guy at least once a year because actinic keratosis is considered pre-cancerous and needs to be monitored. So far, so good, but I'll have to see the dermatologist again in six months. The doctor is a nice guy but his office is relentless about sending out surveys. Enough with all the surveys. Even the people at FedEx who lost my package tonight wanted me to fill out a survey.

It must have rained last night. When we woke up this morning the ground was all wet. It must have been a gentle rain because I never heard anything even though I'm a light sleeper. Now theres's water on the roof again and I don't feel up to climbing up there and sweeping it away yet. No roof leaks so far, so knock on wood. Rain and water on the roof just adds to my frustration. Dawn doesn't like the rain either, but we finally got her to take her morning walk. Once we got in the park she seemed happy again. Rain seems to enhance all the smells she likes.

Today's FedEx mishaps just adds to my belief that the world is broken. Nothing works smoothly anymore. Traffic is terrible. Stores aren't stocked well anymore. Prices have gone up dramatically. It's not just food either. Everything is more expensive. People seem angrier too. None of this is good. I don't think young people realize how much better life was in the 1950's. You didn't have iPhones or the Internet, but you didn't need to lock your doors at night either. Cars looked interesting in the 1950's and houses were still built with high quality lumber. I'd go back if I could. I'm not all that impressed with artificial intelligence and social media influencers.

I wonder if I'll hear from FedEx tomorrow. They've already made it pretty clear that they are tired of hearing from me. I"m afraid the package might get sent back to Hong Kong is it is misplaced too long. Hopefully I will eventually get the computerized star tracker I've been waiting for all Summer. I read a news story recently about a FedEx driver in Alabama who dumped hundreds of packages in a ravine because he just didn't feel like delivering them. I hope my driver is a happy man who loves his job. Maybe this was just an honest mistake.

I still haven't washed the backdrop from our Santa Paws photo shoot. This is probably a good project for tomorrow. Tomorrow is my Blogiversary too. Can you believe I've been doing this since 2009?

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3649 - Winter Solstice

Today is the shortest day of the year. Even though the day was overcast and short, it was pleasant. We had an early Christmas dinner this evening, since Janet will be leaving to visit relatives soon. The meal was delicious and reminded me that the year is almost over. Where did the time go? It seems like time speeds up as you grow older.

When I did my grocery shopping today I noticed that the app I use to bypass the checkout line lets me buy alcohol now. I wonder why it took the technology gods this long to realize I was old enough to buy beer? I've assumed all along that they knew everything about me anyway. At any rate, this added convenience means that I'll never have to go through the checkout line again. I don't know why some people hate self-checkout. Self-checkout is great and no checkout at all is even better.

I applied for real NASA press credentials this morning. The editor of SpaceFlight Magazine said he would verify and approve my application. We'll see if that actually happens. Maybe the next time I go to Kennedy Space Center, I'll be a working journalist. I suspect that I have a very long road ahead, but I've made a start. Two published articles in less than six months is actually better than I expected.

I wanted to see the pelicans, so I walked all the way to the other side of the lake. This was a much longer walk than usual, but I was feeling good and didn't have much else to do. I wish the birds made their winter home on my side of the lake because I'm definitely not going to do this every day. The mystery of where all the birds went was finally answered. There weren't just pelicans at Pelican Bay. There were lots of ducks, geese, coots, and cormorants as well. I don't know what makes this particular place so attractive to waterfowl, but I'll know where to go for pictures now.

I've been writing this blog for so long that I forgot my Blogiversary this year. I just noticed on the calendar that it was last Sunday. Jeez. How many years does this make? I can't even remember off hand. Janet and I were trying to remember how many year we had been doing Santa Paws pictures. We couldn't remember that either. I'll have to go back and amend the header of last Sunday's post. It seemed like such a big deal when I had posted for 500 days. Now, after writing this thing for well over ten years, the blog just seems like it was always here. Like Winter Solstice and Christmas, I don't question it. Writing in the evening is just something I do.

I'll go to the gym tomorrow morning. That's just something I do as well. I find comfort in my structured routines. Hopefully, I'll add a few things to them in the year ahead. Will I make it as a space reporter? Will I enjoy my time at the observatory? Will we ever get a dog again. You'll just have to keep reading to find out.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3278 - Blogiversary

It's hard to believe that I've been doing this for ten years. That's an entire decade without missing a single day. I always thought that if I just kept writing, it would eventually start to mean something. I'm not sure if this nightly journal means anything at all, but I see no reason to quit writing. For better or worse, blogging has become like breathing.

A lot has changed in ten years. When I started writing, I didn't give a lot of thought to what would eventually replace the world of work. I didn't have time to think about retirement because I was very busy. I think about this now, but still don't know what replaces work. Retirement seems awkward and strange. I never thought that I'd live in a country as polarized and divided as we've become. This seems strange as well. I'd prefer that we could all get along with each other. I never thought that having access to good doctors might keep Janet and I from moving. I never thought that my house might start falling apart before I did. Houses are supposed to be permanent.

Ten years later I'm starting to realize that nothing is permanent. I've outlived many of the friends I went to college with. Spot is gone. Petey and Greta are gone. Even Dot is gone. I'm glad that Janet and Dash seem indestructible. We all need something in our lives that seems indestructible.

The blog is far from indestructible. Google could pull the plug at any time. They already decided to abandon Google+ and many other products that were supposed to change our lives. Does anyone remember Google Glass? I wonder if Blogger is next? I don't really have a plan B if someone takes my blogging platform away. I don't think I have the energy or even the desire to export ten years worth of musings to Wordpress.

For now, I'll continue writing. Why not? I've got nothing to lose. Maybe this journal will still mean something eventually. Someday a PhD candidate might use the blog to write a thesis on how opinions change over time. I might even win an award for having the last blog standing some day. I doubt that anything will happen at all. Most of you are just here for the dog stories. Maybe that's enough. I think dog stories matter.

It wasn't a bad day to begin my second decade blogging. Dash had a good day. I'm even making some progress with the roof. Getting on the roofer's emergency list seems to have made a difference. Two guys showed up this morning to evaluate the roof. The wet areas will need to dry out for a few days, but they thought they could repair the leak next week. Several friends have suggested good roofers to completely replace the roof. I'm going to get bids from them. Hey, the sky was clear today, there is no rain in the forecast, and Dash was feeling good. It was easy to feel like I'm making progress.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2913 - Blogiversary

I have no idea why I sat down on this day in 2009 and started a blog. On my very first post, I promised to write something new everyday for at least six months. That initial six months came and went and I just kept on writing. I can't imagine stopping now. So far, I haven't missed a single day. Blogging for 3000 consecutive days now seems within reach and if I'm lucky enough to live that long, I still hope that I'll have something to say on Day 5000. It's been a long journey. Priorities have changed. Aches and pains have increased. Several beloved dogs have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. There are fewer observations about work and more ruminations about social security. I'm growing older, but unfortunately I don't feel any wiser. We all learn from our experiences, but few of us learn enough.

Dot and Dash were young and healthy when I started writing. Now only Dash remains and he is quickly becoming old and frail. Surprisingly, my own health is actually better. I had Hepatitis C when I started blogging and now I don't. Sovaldi wasn't even invented yet in 2009, so occasionally waiting for a cure is the right thing to do. I no longer travel to Europe to work on ad campaigns for international corporations. Truthfully, I no longer work on much of anything. Blogging isn't popular anymore, but that doesn't seem to matter. I'm sure I'll keep on writing even if nobody is reading.

Today was a typical Friday. I took Dash for a walk after Janet left for work and had to change course on the way home after another encounter with a loose dog. Why are there so many loose dogs now? This dog might have been friendly but I wasn't going to take any chances. I've been bitten too many times. So has Dash. I still go out for breakfast on Friday mornings, but I've never found a replacement for the now defunct restaurant that got me started on this ritual. My appetite isn't what it used to be. The first few bites this morning were delicious, but I couldn't finish my meal. I need to find a place that will let me order from the children's menu.

The small compact camera I always carry while walking the dogs broke today. This was frustrating because there are no camera repair stores in Dallas anymore and I knew that sending the camera back to the manufacturer for repair would cost more than buying a new camera. I had nothing to lose, so I tried to fix the camera myself. I carefully disassembled as much as I could and looked inside with a watchmakers loupe. I saw a tiny sliver of plastic that seemed to be blocking an electrical connection. Using the smallest pair of watch repair tweezers I could find, I carefully removed the plastic and put the camera back together again. Amazingly, it works.

Dash is still doing well. He has more energy now and has even started getting me up in the morning like he used to. I don't think we'll ever be able to get him to eat dry food again, but that's OK. We've found a way to keep him eating and that's all that counts. He hasn't thrown up recently and there seems to be fewer vestibular incidents. Let's hope this trend continues.

I haven't been to the gym recently, but maybe I'll find time this weekend. This time of year is always pretty hectic.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2571

Jeez. I completely forgot about my blogiversary this year. It was two weeks ago and it never even crossed my mind until today. Can you believe I've been doing this since 2009? Years ago, a blog's anniversary date used to be a big deal for many bloggers. Obviously this is not the case anymore. I didn't even remember the date myself.

I'm getting better at managing the dogs by myself, but it sure would be nice if they'd be more consistent. I never know what to expect when I wake up in the morning. Dash is moody. Some days he will race out the back door and other days he won't even get out of bed. It's hard to tell which dog wants their walk first, but it's easier to get Dot started immediately after she's finished her breakfast. Dash is lazy and usually doesn't mind sleeping a little longer. One way or another, everything gets done. I'm just glad that I wasn't very busy this week.

I decided to renew my Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer subscriptions for another year. It would be a miracle if I actually needed either of these applications again, but it's hard to abandon them. Maybe it's just a matter of professional pride. I want to be ready if the call comes. I'm not even sure  the latest version of Media Composer runs on my current computer. Each new edition seems to require faster processors and more memory.

Janet returned to Dallas today. In a perfect world I would have cleaned and straightened the house before she arrived, but it's far from a perfect world. At least things don't look much worse than they did last week. We got two new rugs almost a month ago to replace a large one in the living room that was becoming worn and haven't even found time to exchange them yet. The new rugs are still sitting rolled up by the front door. It's hard to get ahead of the game when Dot is always pooping on something. I wish the house had a big laundry room with giant commercial washers like some of the veterinarians have. I could keep them running full time.

Dot doesn't look like she's almost 17, does she? She tires easily and we stop to rest frequently on our walks, but she definitely hasn't given up yet. In her own mind, or at least what's left of it, she still thinks she's a young dog. Walking Dot is a strange experience. Occasionally I feel like she is a marionette and I'm the puppeteer holding the strings. She enjoys these short walks though. They are the high point of her day.

Only three more days and 2016 will be over. I'm strangely optimistic about 2017. The dogs both survived this year and I became a little more adept at dealing with adversity. I'm ready for a new year. Work slowed down quite a bit, but somehow I'm still able to pay all the bills. Maybe the nice little stock market rally we've been having will continue. Maybe Dot might actually make it to her 17th. birthday. I don't really expect all that much, so I doubt that I'll be disappointed.

Dot & Petey are our Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2191 - Blogiversary

I'm beginning my seventh year as a blogger. Seven years is a long time. When I started this journey in December of 2009, I never dreamed that it would become such a marathon. I remember that people were amazed when I posted for five hundred consecutive days without missing a day. That was nothing. Tornadoes, power outages, computer crashes, Internet problems, illness, business travel, and a simple lack of anything to say haven't stopped me yet. At two thousand one hundred ninety one days and counting this blog has acquired a life of it's own. What started as a simple daily journal has slowly evolved into a chronicle of the aging process. I'm not the same person I was seven years ago. If I can manage to continue for another seven years, I'm sure there will be further changes that I couldn't possibly anticipate. I know blogging isn't as popular as it once was, but I hope that some of you will stay for the journey.

The journey is certainly a slow one at times. I inch along trying to keep my head above water while still making a little forward progress. Today, I picked up where I left off yesterday. I climbed up on the roof and got all the water off. It's a good thing I did because the roof was covered in a thick blanket of wet leaves. The leaves had to go. They're heavy and the roof has enough problems as it is. I finally replaced the mini-blinds that I burned with the ceramic heater. The new blinds look good, but cutting them to length wasn't nearly as easy as the instructions said it would be. The process involved tying precise little knots in the string that connected the blinds together. I'm evidently not very good at tying tiny knots.

While I was trying to put the blinds together, Dot woke up from a nap and pooped in her bed. I didn't notice this right away, but I did notice something brown on her paw when she came over to watch me work. Hmm. I've got to quickly get the poop off her paw, so she doesn't track the mess all over the house. She doesn't have her harness on, so it's going to be a bit difficult to lift the paw without causing her to fall. And where is the wet rag when I really need it?  This happens almost every day. I cleaned Dot up. I retraced her path back to the source of the poop. I cleaned everything up using a couple of doggie poop bags. I put the soiled blanket and a small rug in the washer and went back to assembling the mini-blinds.

While all this was happening, I got a call from someone wanting some website changes. I listened to what was needed, asked for some files, and never mentioned that I was cleaning up dog poop while we were talking. When I was younger, the work project might have assumed a higher priority. Now, I know better. Getting rid of the smell of poop in the house as quickly as possible trumps everything.

I foolishly thought I might have a little money left over this month. What was I thinking. I forgot that my property taxes are due this month. It's always something. Inside my tax envelope was a little note saying that my bill was $150 lower because of some referendum that voters passed earlier this year. My first thought was that this was a pretty pitiful savings. Then, I looked up last years bill in Quickbooks and just as I thought, my new bill was actually larger than last year's. Yup. Taxes never really go down.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2190

I spent the day trying to return the house to normal. The camera equipment was packed up and returned to its proper place. The large muslin photo backdrop was cleaned and folded. Some things went back to the office. Some things were hidden under the bed. The majority of the equipment was loaded into the car and returned to the storage warehouse. When the clutter was gone, the dust and dirt that had accumulated from three weeks of benign neglect became even more obvious. Out came the Dyson and the house was vacuumed from one end to the other. I had to clean bird poop off the car again too. The evil bird has returned with a vengeance.

Some things will have to wait until tomorrow. I need to get the water off the roof again. I know it's up there, but other things have been more important. I still need to put up a Christmas tree. I never got around to putting up the mini-blinds either. There just isn't enough time anymore. I hate to rush Dot when I take her outside. It takes a lot of patience to hold up her rear legs while she aimlessly wanders around and smells things. Dot still likes to smell things, so I let her stay outside as long as she wants. I can always catch up on whatever I'm doing later. Sometimes I think Dot forgets why she went outside in the first place. I understand. I often forget why I'm doing things.

When I went to the bank this morning I noticed that the skin on my arm was turning a bright red as I felt a flushing sensation on my face and extremities. Damn. I must have taken my nighttime meds in the morning again. I take Niacin to help control cholesterol, but I need to take it at bedtime. Niacin in high doses causes an uncomfortable flushing sensation, but you don't notice it when you are asleep. I seldom mix up my morning and evening meds, but when I do, the Niacin serves as a not so subtle reminder that I need to get my act together.

I started looking for a smaller dehumidifier for the back of the house today. Curiously, I found that most of the smaller capacity units were almost exactly the same physical size as the larger units. They were almost the same price too. Maybe this is why these smaller dehumidifiers don't sell very well. Why would you buy a 30 pint, or 50 pint model if the 70 pint model was the same size and only cost $50 more? These companies need some marketing help. I may need to rethink getting a second dehumidifier. These smaller units make no sense at all.

I'll probably continue cleaning tomorrow. I'd love to start the new year with a clean uncluttered office. Of course, I'll like to start the new year with a big bank account, healthy dogs, and five new clients too. Some things just aren't going to happen. I can't decide whether decluttering is feasible or completely hopeless. It is such a huge job and the rewards are somewhat minimal. It's not like I'd do anything differently if I had a clean office. It would be nice to be able to find things though.

Tomorrow is my Blogiversary. Kind of amazing to think I'll be starting my eighth year writing Some Assembly Required and I still haven't missed a single day. If I was this dedicated about everything, Lord knows what I could have accomplished.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1827 - Blogiversary

I'm finally getting over my cold. For the first time in over a week, I woke up feeling reasonably normal. It was nice to get through the day without consuming an entire bag of cough drops or box of Kleenex. Usually, when I catch a cold, it only lasts for a few days. This was a nasty one. I've still got a bit of chest congestion and cough occasionally, but it looks like the worst is over.

I continue to be amazed at how few things it takes to completely fill up my day.  Either I'm getting a lot slower, or simple things are becoming more difficult. I had only one fairly routine website assignment today, and I still struggled to get everything finished. Household chores and paying bills seemed to eat up most of my time today. I'm thinking of switching a number of monthly bills to EFT payments, because writing checks and addressing envelopes is so time consuming. Was it always this way? Carpal Tunnel or not, it is becoming increasingly painful to write anything manually anymore. I find typing much easier. Cooking meals seems to take longer than it used to and walking the dogs takes forever. I really enjoy walking the dogs though, no matter how long it takes. Dot takes baby steps now, but I can tell this is still the high point in her day. Dash doesn't seem to mind going slower either. I think he's learned that he has more opportunities to snag something nasty to eat along the trail, now that I concentrate more on keeping Dot from falling.

After I finished today's website assignment and paid a big stack of December bills, I took a little gift card from my favorite clothing store and went shopping. These holiday gift cards the store mails out to regular customers every year are a brilliant marketing ploy. Somehow, I always think I'm going to save $50 and end up spending $200 instead. It never fails. I keep forgetting that this store isn't Kohls.

I also finally got around to taking care of my meager Christmas list on the Amazon website. I was pleased to see that regular shipping will still get there by Christmas. I wasn't quite as pleased when I noticed that several items in my shopping cart had a small notice that said "usually ships in two to four weeks." Hmm. "That's not going to work," I thought and abandoned the checkout procedure to start over again with gifts that shipped immediately.

Here's how forgetful I'm getting. Yesterday was my Blogiversary and I completely forgot about it. Oh, well. I guess we'll celebrate today. In case you haven't noticed, I've been blogging six years now without missing a single day. I wonder if anybody's been reading for six years? Writing this ongoing journal is a weird little accomplishment, but an accomplishment nonetheless. I don't think I've done anything this consistently before in my entire life. Tomorrow I start physical therapy for my shoulder injury. We'll see how consistent I can be with that.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1461 - Blogiversary

The sun returned today. The bright blue sky and warmer temperatures were a welcome relief from last week's icy weather. I was so happy to see the sun that I got an enormous amount accomplished today. The big pile of equipment from our Santa Paws photo shoots has been put back in its proper place. The car has been washed. I even cleaned all the leaves and ice off the roof. Yes, there was still ice up there after an entire week of gradually warmer temperatures. That was quite an ice storm we had! I finally got up my nerve to talk to my neighbor about the tree of theirs that was still resting on my roof. They were actually quite nice and said they'd already contacted a tree service to remove it.

Fortunately, there was more to the day than an endless progression of weekend chores. Janet and I also went to photograph a very old German Shepard, so the owners could have a nice portrait to remember the dog by when it went to The Rainbow Bridge. The old dog was weak and couldn't walk anymore, since her rear legs had become paralyzed from the canine equivalent of ALS. She definitely hadn't given up yet, however. There was a dignity in the dog's eyes that I often see in older dogs. I hope my photos captured this dog's spirit. Sometimes I think that dogs cope with their short time on Earth much better than we humans do with our much longer block of time. We could learn a lot from the dignity of dogs.

It was hard getting out of bed this morning. I've been tired all week and even though it is getting warmer, I still don't think my body has completely recovered from last week's ice storm. I spent quite a bit of time on my knees photographing the old German Shepard and I felt like joining her on her comfy fleece dog bed. My legs weren't working all that well either at that point. After a long day filled with indoor and outdoor chores, I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep.

I'm hoping that today's mild weather continues through next week. Even though I got a lot accomplished today, there's still a long list of chores on my to-do list. There are still Christmas gifts to buy, bills to pay, and an illusive UPS package to locate. Oh, I almost forgot. Today I begin my fifth full year as a blogger. It's my Blogiversary again. Can you believe it? Five years without missing a single day. I don't think I've been this consistent with anything before. It's been a lot of work, but it's been good for me to collect my thoughts like this at the end of each day. I see a rhythm and poetry to life that I never noticed before. Although I'm still a grumpy old man, I think this forced reflection has made me a better person in many subtle ways. Who knows how long this personal journey will continue, but as long as it does, I hope that each of you will continue to join me for a few minutes at the end of each day. I'll see you again tomorrow.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1096 - Blogiversary

Today I begin my fourth full year as a blogger. Maybe if I had all my ducks in row when I started this venture, I would have waited a few weeks and commenced my blogging adventure on January 1. It sure would have made keeping track of things a bit easier. One day is as good as the next, I guess. I suppose the middle of December just seemed like a good time to begin a blog. I wish I could tell you that I had discovered something profound about either myself or the world in general during the past three years. I haven't. I'm no closer to having all the answers today than I was then.

Regular readers may have discovered a few things about me, however. I'm persistent and tenacious. How else could you explain 1096 consecutive posts without missing a single day? I'm also completely self-absorbed. After all this time, I still have no desire to blog about politics, or music, or animal rescue, or even watches. I'm perfectly content to just continue telling you what I did today. I think writing on such a regular basis has actually helped me a bit with my work assignments. I don't worry so much about deadlines anymore. It's just words. Put a blank page in front of me and give me a topic. I'll fill that page fairly quickly.

I think I've become more candid than I was when I started blogging. You guys probably know me as well as anybody by now. Candor doesn't always equal adventure though. There are very few wild rides and even fewer epiphanies here. Basically, nothing happens. I'm amazed that so many of you have continued reading. I certainly hope you stick around. If I can keep this thing going for three years, I can probably keep it going for ten. I appreciate that the blog is very gradually growing more popular, but I don't expect anything dramatic to happen for quite a while. Maybe when Day 5000 rolls around, morbid curiosity will kick in and people will start speculating about how long I can continue. They might even be taking bets in Vegas about what day is going to be the very last post.

If today wasn't such a momentous anniversary, I might have told you about last night's sudden rainstorm and all the water that accumulated on the roof. I might have told you about taking another batch of aging computers to the storage warehouse, so I could find room to plug in Janet's printer and keep it running until the next Dalmatian Rescue event. I might have told you about walking the dogs and enjoying a leisurely breakfast. Hmm. I've already told you about those things though. Many, many times. Hey, if you guys can stand all the excitement, I'll see you again tomorrow.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 730 - Blogiversary

Year three begins now. When I started this blog two years ago today, I thought my life was boring and uneventful. I began wondering if paying more attention to what was actually happening each day could somehow change the way I thought about life. I can now report that it has.

What started as a simple diary gradually became a way of life. I've always been a reasonably good observer, but the more I looked and the more I wrote, they more I found. My life wasn't really less interesting than other people's lives, it was just different. Different didn't mean better or worse anymore, it just meant different. In a small world encompassing two spotted dogs and a green urban park, I rediscovered life. By sharing this small world with you, I think I made it a bit larger.

I don't think my life would make a good reality show. Nothing really happens. I don't go to the A-list parties. I'm no longer a world traveler. I don't have famous friends. And I'm certainly not rich. Actually, I'm probably a lot like many of you. We go through our lives just trying to get from one day to the next. Maybe by re-examining my own simple life, I've caused one or two of you to take a second look at yours. Hopefully, I've been able to convince some of you that everybody's life is rich and intricate, whether you spend it jet-setting around the world or sitting in a small room typing away with two dogs under your desk.

It rained again today. As we were walking this morning, we passed an old gnarled tree that I see almost every day. The tree isn't tall, but it has a million branches, each spiraling out from the trunk in a different direction. When I look at this tree I occasionally see my life. So many forks in the road. Each branch a different choice to explore. But here's the strange part: with each different branch I take, I'm always firmly rooted in the same spot.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 729

The weather was absolutely miserable today. It rained all day. Even though I put their nicely fitting, waterproof raincoats on them, Dot and Dash didn't want to go outside at all. Too bad they never learned to poop in the back yard like normal dogs. Rain or shine, they insist on walking all the way to their designated place in the park to do their business. That's what we did today. Twice. We got soaked of course, but I just threw all the soggy clothes and dog raincoats in the dryer and twenty minutes later everything was back to normal.

On rainy days like this, just about the only thing you can do is sit at the computer and work. I certainly had plenty of work to catch up on. As the rain assaulted my leak prone roof, I methodically worked my way through yesterday's surprisingly large pile of requests. By the end of the day I had finished several major website updates and written another watch article. I still haven't started on my article about the oil and gas industry, but with any luck I'll be able put that project on the front burner tomorrow.

I tried to get some of the water off the roof after dinner, but it was a futile effort. It's still raining. At least the dogs didn't have to go to class tonight. I noticed that the class hadn't been canceled tonight on their website, so there are probably a few crazy people up there right now doing their training exercises in the rain. Our dogs have already been wet today though. Enough is enough.

Tomorrow is my blogiversary. I'd like to say I had something really special planned, but you guys know me better than that by now. It will just be another day. I'll let you know what happened though. I always do.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day