Day 3859

I found most of the items on my grocery list this morning. It remains to be seen whether I'll find the comet tonight. While I was out grocery shopping and running errands today, I scouted some more promising locations. Everyone says you have to be at least ten miles away from the city to see this thing with the naked eye. I'm not going that far, but I did find a little hill that might be better than down by the lake. We'll see. I hate driving at night. I might not even have the nerve to leave the house tonight.

We got a late start on our morning walk, but at least we had a breeze this morning. Saturday morning is always busier than other days of the week. We see the same people in the park day after day. At first I thought it was curious that everyone seemed to always wear the same clothes when they walk or jog. Then I realized that Janet and I do the same thing. I guess there is no sense in changing outfits on pre-dawn walks. We know the names of a few other dogs now. People are always curious about Dawn. We trade names and ages of our dogs as we pass on the trails. We keep our distance, but early morning walkers seem like a nice group of people.

I found blueberries again at the store, but I don't think I'll ever find Clorox Wipes. Now that conditions are getting worse in Texas, I hope people don't go back in hoarding mode. Shopping was just starting to feel normal again with most items back on the shelves. People do seem a bit nervous now. I know I am. When I was getting gas this morning I noticed two ladies sitting in their car at the next pump. They were both wearing gas masks that covered their entire face and purple rubber gloves inside their car. I haven't seen that before. I still wear the old drywall masks I bought at a hardware store a long time ago. I'm not sure how good they are, but they seem to last a long time.

Days are still extremely uneventful. I easily got my 20,000 steps today after two walks and a little grocery shopping. I'm working on getting Dawn to trust me more. She's still more comfortable around women, since the breeders who mistreated her were both men. I've learned never to make any sudden moves when I'm around her. She walks well on a leash with me and relaxes when we are both on the bed together. She's still a little wary when I'm doing something unfamiliar though. I'm fairly predictable. Eventually everything will become familiar. You just have to be patient with rescue dogs.

I think I'm going to go ahead and get a haircut. My stylist really needs the work. Since I'm retired, it's easy for me to forget how hard the pandemic has been on people who have a small business. Gig workers have it the worst I think. My stylist is very careful and I have an N-95 mask. I don't think I can wait until this is over anyway. Covid is going to be with us for a very long time.

You didn't know I was gone, but I took a break from writing for a couple of hours and went looking for the comet. Found it. I went to the only hill I could find in Dallas and discovered that there were other people looking as well. One couple I spoke with had even been out to a special observing night at McDonald Observatory. The comet was almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but looked spectacular in my image stabilized binoculars. I took some pictures but they didn't turn out very well. The sky just wasn't dark enough. I did see a pretty bright meteor though. Too bad my camera was pointed in the other direction at the comet. It was surprising to meet random astronomy people on a hill in the dark in the middle of a pandemic. They were nice people though. Maybe a comet brings out the best in us.

Beemer is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3838

The Saharan Dust Cloud has arrived in Dallas. The sky has looked gray and hazy all day. No spectacular sunsets here. The dust was so thick that I kept thinking I could smell it. This dismal science fiction sky seemed the perfect companion for a world ravaged by disease and riots. The Saharan Dust plume is a yearly event, but they say that this year's cloud is the thickest ever recorded. There have been air quality alerts all over Texas today. Hey, it's 2020. What else would you expect.

I wonder when grocery stores will get back to normal. The stores aren't crowded anymore but there seem to be too many of some items and not enough of others. There is an enormous amount of bottled water and toilet paper in some stores now, but I haven't been able to find blueberries for two weeks. Still can't find Clorox Wipes. Sooner or later there will be a huge end aisle display of those too. It will probably be right next to the towering piles of toilet paper.

Texas is a virus hot-spot now, but businesses seem very reluctant to close again. There seems to be a strong desire to ignore the latest news even though area hospitals are quietly reaching capacity. Dallas had the states very first pop-up emergency hospital back in April, but it was never used. The hospital was dismantled and there appears to be no plan to bring it back. It's all very weird. Everyone was very good about preparing for the virus when it was still in the Northeast. Now that it's actually here, people have grown tired of the whole mess.

There are lots more walkers in the park than there used to be. Maybe I'm not the only one who thinks staying healthy is your only real defense. They say bicycle sales have skyrocketed. It sure seems that way. I wish we didn't share the same trails with these cyclists. You have to be careful when you are walking your dog. Cyclists won't slow down for anything.

We got take-out for dinner this evening and I used one of those curbside pick up arrangements for the first time to get our food. Everything was very efficient. You called your order in and when you arrived, they brought it out to your car in a big bag and swiped your credit card with a mobile terminal. I didn't have to wait long at all. The restaurant seemed to be doing a very good business. There was a steady stream of people bringing bags out to cars. I have a feeling that this particular restaurant is doing just fine. Some businesses will learn to adapt to this new environment and others will disappear.

I'm not sure how adaptable I am at this point. I'm envious of my friends out in the Davis Mountains. They seem insulated from all the urban problems we are facing now. I hope the virus and civil unrest never reaches these remote rural areas. When this is all over, we need some reminder of what life was like before.

Rascal is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2669

I found out this morning that the guy who played lead guitar in my old band is dead. I was going to wish him Happy Birthday on Facebook and when I went to his page I discovered that he had passed away last September. I'm so out of touch these days that this isn't the first time this has happened. I'm kind of wary about wishing someone my age Happy Birthday now without checking to make sure they're alive first. I'm not sure about the etiquette of these things, but it seems disrespectful to send a Facebook greeting to a dead person. Although it's a little late now to pay my respects, I was really sorry to learn about my old friend. He was a good guy. The years I spent playing in a band with him were some of the best.

I cut myself again today and didn't even notice until hours later. This is the second time I've done this recently. I have a feeling that I'm scraping my arms on branches in the yard when I'm holding Dot up when I take her outside to pee. I have to really concentrate when I'm walking her around like a marionette. I used to be able to just walk behind Dot, holding up her rear end as she walked. Now, her front legs are starting to become weak as well, so I need to provide support for both the front and rear. It's kind of awkward and hard on the back, so I have to be careful that I don't trip. It's not really surprising at all that I don't notice when I've bumped into a tree.

Blueberries are back. There was a big supply today, but they had doubled in price. I wonder sometimes how stores keep a steady supply of seasonal items. These berries probably came from South America instead of California or Mexico. Somewhere there's a guy who's job it is to source berries from all over the world, so people like me can enjoy them in their smoothie all year long. I'm always impressed that things like this work so smoothly. Maybe I'm not as much of an isolationist as I think I am. I enjoy having access to fresh fruit all year long. I routinely buy coffee from Ethiopia and Sumatra. And I'm continually amazed that you can get good sushi in Dallas.

The indestructible pants I bought at REI last year are already falling apart. I'm disappointed, but Janet tells me that you're not supposed to wear the same pair of pants every day. The knees of these pants tore first, which isn't surprising since I spend half my day on my knees cleaning up poop, or trying to get Dot back in an upright position. If lifting weights is supposed to build muscle, I don't understand why I'm still having trouble with muscle atrophy. After two years of lifting a fifty pound dog, I should look like the incredible hulk by now. Sadly, my muscle mass hasn't increased at all and all I've done is tear up both shoulders.

It looks like we got a bumper crop of wildflowers this year. The fields and meadows around our house are in full bloom now. I'm seeing new varieties almost everyday. Some flowers only bloom for a few days and others stick around for months. Some bloom very early in the morning and disappear by midday. It's fascinating to watch this pageant of color unfold. I spotted some Lazy Daisies this morning. I wonder who names these things.

I'm going to have to be careful when I walk the dogs in the park tomorrow. Every year, hundreds of families have their Easter Egg hunts here. Nobody seems to hide real eggs anymore. They hide plastic eggs filled with candy and chocolate. The kids never seem to find all the eggs, but the dogs do.  Since chocolate is poisonous to dogs, I definitely don't want Dot and Dash to go snooping around in the grass for stuff the kids left behind. It's amazing how much litter appears every Easter. Nobody even tries to pick up their mess.

It's been a long day. Two rugs and a blanket got soiled, but it could have been a lot worse. Dot is tired now and so am I. Hopefully we'll get some decent sleep before we start all over again tomorrow.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2660

I think the phone companies have finally figured out that we are addicted to smartphones and have started pricing things accordingly. I used to be able to get a new phone for almost nothing. I would get a generous trade-in on my old phone and then the phone company would give me a deeply discounted new phone in exchange for signing a two year contract. All that is gone now. There are no subsidized phones anymore. AT&T prefers to rent you a phone by the month. If you actually want to own the phone, you pay full retail. When I explored my options this morning at the AT&T store, it made me think I should just keep my old phone a while longer.

I've given up on blueberries. They must be out of season. I've almost forgotten that fruit and vegetables are seasonal items. You can get virtually everything all year round now. Sometimes the price goes up for a while when the distributor is switching to a supplier in a different country. Sometimes fruit disappears for a few weeks, but there is a remarkably steady supply of strawberries and blueberries. Peaches seem to disappear the longest, but even they are generally available. I'll probably be seeing blueberries again pretty soon. Even though I'm not a big fan of globalization, I'll have to admit that I do like being able to enjoy fresh fruit all year long.

I hate to leave the house without accomplishing anything, so I stopped at Home Depot and got two light bulbs and a garden hose. When I returned home from my errands, Dot was still asleep. I'd like to think that I'm getting better at anticipating Dot's next move, but truthfully I just got lucky. The key to success is not being gone too long. I made it to the grocery store, the AT&T store, and Home Depot in less than an hour. That's pretty good.

Work was slow today, but that's not surprising. The surprise these days is when I actually do get a new project. It's amazing how busy I stay even when nothing is happening. I made sure all the rugs were dry and then brought them back inside. I cleaned the blankets that Dot peed on this morning when she couldn't make it outside. I experimented with my morning smoothie recipe now that there aren't any blueberries. After breakfast, I got online and learned a little more about DirectTV Now. I saw a flyer about this streaming service while I was at the AT&T store and it seemed a lot less expensive than my current cable package. I think that traditional cable TV is going away in a few years. I just need to decide where to go next.

I feel like pancakes tomorrow, but everyone makes their pancakes too thick. I wish I could find a restaurant that served nice thin pancakes. I guess I could just order crepes, but usually crepes are filled with jelly or have half a pound of powered sugar on the top. I just want a stack of simple thin pancakes served with real maple syrup. Is that too much to ask?

I almost forgot to take the trash out tonight until Janet reminded me it was Thursday. That's what got me thinking about pancakes. Everything is done for the day except for one last trip outside with Dot. The day has to end with Dot peeing outside or nobody sleeps very well.

Paxton is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2657

Another night of interrupted sleep. For some reason Dot woke up about 3 AM and tried to turn around in her bed. The effort unfortunately caused her to pee. We got up, cleaned her up, changed her bedding, and did a load of wash. The weird thing is this just seems normal now. We take it all in stride. I went back to sleep, but it seemed like it was morning almost immediately.

I thought there would be a new supply of blueberries today, but the produce guy told me they were actually coming in tomorrow. The trip to the grocery store wasn't a totally waste though. On the way home I went to the bank and then stopped by the vet to pick up some meds for Dot and Dash.

Dot has lost her taste for bananas. These used to be one of her favorite things. I'm thinking that she's losing her sense of smell. If she can't smell something, it probably doesn't seem like food anymore. Dot just sleeps while I drink my smoothie now. Without Dot nearby to compete for treats, Dash isn't as interested in banana slices either. He'll eat a few and then go back to the bedroom to sleep. It's kind of odd to eat my breakfast without a barking dog on either side of me. Breakfast has been peaceful lately, but I miss the companionship of the dogs.

I hate to see Dot start to lose her appetite. I know where this story ends. Our first dalmatian began getting picky about food toward the end and eventually would only eat finely chopped bits of boiled chicken breast. When he no longer would eat the chicken, we tried feeding him a cheeseburger. That cheeseburger ended up being his final meal. Luckily, Dot still enjoys the diet we've been feeding her for years, but that could change at any time.

The weather was beautiful today, so I washed the car. Now the cleaning trifecta is done.The house is clean. The grass is mowed. And the car has been washed. When I was washing the car, I noticed that there was a leak in the hose. The back yard hose has had a leak for months. Now the front yard hose has sprung a leak as well. I guess it's time to go to Home Depot and start over. Garden hoses aren't made very well. I can't even tell you how many I've bought over the years. The worst were those retractable hoses that were advertised on TV for a while. Those didn't even last a month.

I'm seeing a lot of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in the park. These birds feed by catching insects in flight and it's kind of amazing to watch them fly. They can change directions so quickly that they almost seem like little helicopters in the air. As much as birds irritate me when they shit on my car, I do like to watch them in the park. I think I like the owls the best. We have lots of owls near where we live.

My accountant called today to tell me that my taxes are done. One more thing I can check off my list. That's how I go through life now. I dread things and then feel relieved when they are over with and I can check them off my list. Anticipating or looking forward to things is starting to seem like a foreign concept. Surviving things seems much more normal. That's OK though. I've always thought of myself as a survivor.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2655 - April Fools Day

I honestly couldn't tell any difference between the April Fools fake news on Facebook and the regular fake news. It's all just blended together now. Everything is fake news. I realize now that there was fake news long before it became a political hot potato. Most health news on social media is fake. I still fall for those articles that tell you that drinking beer is actually healthy for you, or that drinking a glass of red wine is the equivalent of spending thirty minutes at the gym. I think people figured out long ago that if you tell people what they want to hear, most of them will believe it.

I paid my phone bill really early this month to avoid last month's ridiculous late charge. I paid in plenty of time last month, but AT&T still maintains that it took two weeks for them to get my check. I know they are messing with me. I looked at this month's bill and they have shortened the payment period so the bill is basically late when you receive it. I know they are trying to force me to switch to electronic payments. I get little flyers inside my bill every month urging me to switch. This month there was even a message on the envelope encouraging me to stop using the mail. More any more companies want to abandon dealing with paper in the worst way and I hate it. I've been using paper checks for my entire adult life and see no reason to change now.

I have a feeling that the grocery store is messing with me too. Once again there were no blueberries. I even went to the store early today, but it didn't matter. The store apparently wants me to shop on Monday. Could it really be that hard to stock the store with produce before the store opens on Saturday morning? Maybe so, but I don't believe it. Probably some efficiency expert discovered that they could save money by cutting back deliveries on items that would stay fresh in the store for several days.

I mowed the grass in the front yard this morning. I would have mowed the grass in the back yard too, except there isn't any. Basically we killed all the grass and most of the ground cover by walking around behind Dot while holding her up for the past year and a half. I'm going to replace the grass in the back later this month, but I don't expect it to last. If it stays green and pretty for six months, I guess that's enough. The grass in the front is certainly green enough, but on closer inspection, a lot of the green is just weeds. Underneath the grass is a whole lot of clover, which it probably doing its best to choke out the grass. I don't use any chemicals or fertilizers on the yard because of the dogs, but I think my desire to protect them has given nature the upper hand. Weeds seem to love me now.

Dot seemed weak today. She stumbled a lot when we took our short walks. Since I support her now at both her shoulders and her hips, she didn't fall, but I could tell she was having trouble walking. I hate to see this happen, but there is little I can do to stop it. Dot seems very susceptible to the weather. It was very humid for most of the day. Maybe that made her more tired than usual. Hopefully, after a good rest tonight, she'll feel better in the morning.

I remembered something that I really needed to pick up at the store while I was walking Dash this morning. By the time we got home, I had completely forgotten what the item was. I still don't remember. This happens a lot these days. I did remember to do my website updates this morning though. I remembered to turn on the dishwasher after breakfast too and clean the load of clothes that had piled up in the washer. Sometimes I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle, but at least I'm still trying.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2650

There were tons of blueberries at the store today. I need to train myself to do grocery shopping on weekday mornings. The stores are empty and the shelves are well stocked. This is exactly opposite of the way it is on weekends. Since I had such good luck with the blueberries, I stopped by the REI store on the way home. The thing I wanted was out of stock, so I left without buying anything at all. By the time I got home, I'd completely forgotten why I needed anything at REI in the first place. The excursion wasn't a total loss though. I'll have fresh blueberries in my smoothie tomorrow morning.

Dash has been licking his butt again, so I made an appointment to go to the vet and get his anal glands expressed. Dot can go years without anal gland problems, but Dash seems to need his expressed every two weeks. I should learn to do this myself, but I'm tired of doing disgusting things. It's easy and convenient to just go to the vet. Dot is almost impossible to transport now and Dash is getting more difficult as well. He can no longer hop up in the car like he used to, but doesn't want me to lift him either. I got tired of having him try to squirm out of my arms, or hit the back bumper when he couldn't jump high enough to reach the open tailgate. Now, I let him get a running start and then grab the handle on the back of his Ruffwear Web Master Harness as he starts to become airborne and give him a boost. This probably wasn't what this durable search and rescue dog harness was designed for, but it works great. Dash thinks he's jumping, but I'm really just tossing him in the car like a sack of potatoes.

I wish I'd get an interesting project to work on so I'd lose the desire to go buy a bunch of stuff I don't need. Whenever nothing is happening at work, I tend to read catalogs obsessively and daydream about new gear that I think I need. I've convinced myself that I need a new telephoto lens, even though I have several long lenses already. I'm sure I'd use the lens and equally sure that I don't really need it. It's too bad that I don't enjoy going to a movie or reading books like a normal person. Life would be a lot less expensive if I just fought boredom with a good book. There is something strangely satisfying about gear though. I love to accumulate gear.

I've decided that Dot is like a 90 year old who still wants to get that hip replacement so they can start training for a marathon. She is so weak, but she just doesn't want to give up. I've never seen a dog with so much determination. I don't think Dash and I have Dot's inner resolve. Dash is moody and I have a tendency to be lazy. We both could learn a lot from Dot.

I guess I show a certain amount of determination by continuing to write this blog day after day, but I could do so much more. I've noticed that people's priorities change as they age. Some people, like my Mom, find a calling late in life. Other people, like my Dad, seem to flounder. I wonder where I'll wind up. I've remained curious, but I've also turned inward. This is probably a good combination for a philosopher. Not so good for an ad man. Maybe my life in advertising has reached its logical conclusion.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2648

Janet went downtown to the auto show today to look at new cars. It seemed like a smart idea to me. It would take forever to go from dealership to dealership, especially if you had to listen to a sales pitch from each one. I asked her if she'd found a favorite when she returned and she told me that most of the cars in her price range just looked the same. I'd have to agree. Most cars look like they were designed by a focus group these days. I remember when cars had a distinct personality. It was easy to identify each brand from a great distance. One of my favorite games on childhood car trips was to identify as many different cars as I could. It was easy to tell the difference between a Plymouth and a Chevy. They don't even make a Plymouth anymore and I couldn't even begin to tell you what a modern Chevy looks like. Sure, cars can drive themselves these days, but I still don't think they are fun anymore.

Dot had diarrhea last night. Lord knows why. She wasn't sick and nothing has changed in her diet. At any rate, it was a mess. Diarrhea makes normal incontinence seem like child's play. We cleaned everything up and hoped that this was just an isolated event. So far, so good. We made it through the day without further incident. I even managed to get my Saturday errands done without a mess to clean up when I returned.

Last week I made a mental note to start doing my grocery shopping on Sunday because the produce looked so much better. Of course, mental notes are worthless with me. I completely forgot about the nicer looking fresh fruit and went shopping on Saturday just like I have for years. As soon as I arrived at the store, I realized my mistake. There were no blueberries again.

Janet brought home one of those one-bowl meals I was telling you about yesterday. I still think these things are a bit overpriced, but they are actually delicious. The version we tried today was called Soy braised beef with Kale. There were also lots of mushrooms, barley, cucumbers and other unidentified stuff. Nice presentation too. I'll have to try some of the other varieties when I run out of food during the week. An interesting meal is usually the high point of my day.

Somebody is spreading nails on certain streets in our neighborhood. These don't seems to be nails that fell off a roofer's truck. They seem to be placed on purpose to puncture tires. WTF? Who would do something like this. Now, in addition to coyotes, loose dogs, and snakes, I've got to worry about nails in the street.

I was daydreaming about Questar telescopes today. Several times in my life I almost bought one of these things. I did a Google search and discovered that a fifty year old Questar costs more today on eBay than a brand new model did when I was in college. Of course, I could say the same thing for a vintage Ferrari or a 1963 Stratocaster. Even if I had the money, I'm not sure that I'd buy a vintage Questar. My experience with vintage watches is that old stuff is nothing but trouble.

The only old stuff I'll be worrying about tomorrow is me. I'll eat a healthy breakfast and go to the gym. The grass looks like it's time to mow again, but I think I'll wait until next week. Enough is enough. Maybe I'll just be lazy. I heard about a new Sci-Fi show called The Expanse that I might like. Maybe it's streaming on Netflix or Hulu. The show is already in Season 2, so I wonder why I only heard about it today?

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2652

Maybe I should start shopping on Sunday. There were no blueberries yesterday, so I went back to look for some this morning. The entire produce section had been restocked and everything looked much fresher. I got the blueberries I wanted and kind of wished that I'd waited until today to get the strawberries too.

I mowed the lawn for the first time in 2017. Like it or not, Summer is on its way. Every time I get the lawn mower out for a new season of cutting the grass, it seems heavier and more cumbersome than the year before. I wonder how many more years I can continue doing this. Eventually, I'll probably have to start using a lawn service like everyone else in the neighborhood. If the yard was flat it wouldn't be a bit deal. The hills are starting to be a problem. I've grown to hate pushing the mower up the hill in the front yard.

When I walked Dash this morning I saw the coyote again. I was surprised that the coyote was out in the open so late in the day. We got a late start this morning and I didn't walk Dash until after 9 AM. Several neighbors say they've seen two coyotes together. This probably means there is a den and cubs nearby. I probably should worry more about snakes than the coyotes. It is getting warm enough that the snakes are starting to emerge as well. I've learned to avoid the areas where snakes are abundant, but the coyote seems to like the same part of the park that Dash does. We see it frequently now.

This was another day when I was already tired before I even made it to the gym. I went anyway though. If I only went to the gym when I was feeling fresh and energetic, I'd probably never go at all. Since it was a nice Spring day, the gym was virtually empty. I like it this way, because there is seldom anyone using the basketball court. Midway through my workout it occurred to me that I might have left a gate open when I took the lawn mower back to the greenhouse. I always worry about the accidental open gate, because it wouldn't take Dash long to discover it. I called Janet and I guess I secured the gate after all. My memory is really getting bad.

We decided to walk Dot at sunset today, so she wouldn't get so hot. This worked out well. She actually seemed to have more energy than I thought she would. I guess sunset walks are going to be our new routine as the weather continues to grow warmer. This isn't the most convenient time of day for me, but it's easy enough to rearrange my schedule. I wonder why I even bother with a schedule anymore. It's become pretty clear that it doesn't really matter when I do things, or even if I do things.

I had to get up early this morning to take Dot out to pee. The sky was still dark, so after I took Dot back to her bed, I went outside again and looked at the stars. I enjoy stargazing, although it sure would be nice if the sky over our yard wasn't a solid canopy of trees. Despite the partially obscured view, I spotted Saturn to the left of the moon and Jupiter low on the western horizon. I could easily see four of Jupiter's moons through the binoculars, but I had trouble seeing Saturn's rings. Maybe sometime soon I'll have the time and energy to get the telescope out. I could easily see Saturn's rings through the telescope.

The only thing on my plate next week is a trip to the dentist. I'm not looking forward to that.

Pringles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2639

There weren't any blueberries when I went to the store this weekend, so I substituted blackberries in my morning smoothie today. I think I like blueberries better. Do I go out and look for some more blueberries tomorrow, or do I just live with the mix of blackberries, strawberries and bananas for the rest of the week? Why do I concern myself with such minutiae? Probably because it allows me to avoid the frustration of thinking about larger issues.

I could be thinking about globalism vs. nationalism. It's certainly a hot topic right now. I prefer blackberries vs. blueberries because I can actually make a choice about things like this. Larger issues just become abstractions that nobody really understands. If you really want to know, I think nationalism is better than globalism. Not for the reasons you might think though. Nobody seems to take the long view on these type of issues. It's not national pride vs. cheap flat screen TV's for everyone. I tend to think that globalism is a recipe for the extinction of the human race.

A global society is the ultimate too big to fail entity. If a global, unified society fails, who's going to bail it out? Small redundant systems are much more resilient. The natural world works this way. So does the internet. When you have thousands of independent connected servers, it doesn't matter if one goes down. The signal just gets rerouted to a different server and everything stays connected. Wouldn't a world consisting of thousands of small independent countries be better? Lots of small countries, each developing their own rules, traditions, and culture would give the world the genuine diversity and redundancy it needs to survive. If a few countries screwed up, it wouldn't really matter.

It is ironic that we even talk about diversity in a global society. The whole point of globalism is to maximize efficiency and standardize everything. This destroys diversity. If there is a Starbucks in Beijing and your food comes from Argentina, choices gradually diminish for everyone. When everything is one big giant system, the repercussions from failure are enormous. Remember, when the world becomes too big to fail, who's going to bail us out when it all starts to crumble?

I don't know why people can't understand this. Lots of small, weak countries that manufacture their own stuff and create their own traditions is a better recipe for long term survival. If the European Union fails, it is probably a good thing. The United States should probably split into several smaller countries too. We just aren't smart enough to create a unified world where everyone follows the same rules. With lots of little, isolated, self sufficient countries, you wouldn't have to worry about world wars as much. People would still fight, but it wouldn't really matter if nobody had any power.

It is hard to even explain this concept, because this is not the world we live in. Humans seem to operate on two emotions: fear and greed. When a country gets a little more powerful than it's neighbor, they become greedy. The temptation to gobble up the weaker country becomes overwhelming. That's how the world became the way it is. We just can't leave things alone. I take the long view. Democrats vs. Republicans is just a minor distraction if you're convinced that the human race will be extinct in 30,000 years.

So, this is why I spend my day talking to dogs and wondering whether blueberries are better than blackberries. The larger issues are like the wind and the tides. I can't change things. I can't even articulate what I am seeing. I just watch and wonder, thinking that something has gone horribly wrong.

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1491

I don't have a lot of stress in my life. What little stress I do feel is usually caused by the dogs. They both worry me at times. Dash woke us up three times last night to go outside. He apparently had diarrhea. When I asked the vet today if we should cancel his dental procedure because of his upset stomach, she said no. When I came to pick him up this afternoon after the anesthesia had worn off, his nurse asked me if he might have eaten some blueberries recently. Apparently, he pooped what appeared to be blueberries along with a little blood while he was at the vet. Maybe he did get into some blueberries. I don't know. Both dogs are counter surfers and if you turn away for an instant, they'll eat whatever is on the table. We certainly do have blueberries around the house. I eat them almost every morning with my oatmeal. I guess blueberries aren't toxic to dogs, but they can irritate their digestive system. 

Dot causes a different type of worry. I'm fairly confident that she won't poison herself by eating strange crap she finds in the park, but she's old and very fragile now. Every time I take her on a walk, I wonder if it will be her last. Her physical therapy vet says that the walks are important and that gentle walks will help keep her muscles from atrophying. I believe this, but she still gives me a scare now and then. Today, she squatted to pee on our evening walk and couldn't get up again. Instead of panicking, or trying to carry her home, I just sat with her for about five minutes. When she was ready, she got up on her own and walked the rest of the way home as if nothing had happened. Something did happen of course, and I can't ignore it. Dot and I have an understanding. She wants to keep going and I'll do my best to help her. I've never seen a dog with so much willpower. If I had Dot's determination, I'd probably live to be 100.

I had a lot to do today, but it wasn't overwhelming. I answered e-mailed questions, updated websites, and wrote two articles. Those simple tasks, along with transporting Dash to and from the vet, took up the entire day. I continue to wish that I had more time to aimlessly pursue personal projects, but maybe that's not in the cards for the moment. 

At tomorrow's business networking breakfast we are each supposed to describe our biggest business problem in two minutes or less and let the group propose a solution. It won't take me long to describe my problem. I'm spending way too much time doing low paying jobs. I'm not sure what the solution is though, since my entire industry has radically changed in the last ten years. Nobody wants to pay for copywriting anymore because it's way too easy to steal somebody else's writing on the Internet. A lot of people actually actually seem to prefer cheap template websites and even cheaper stock photography. I'm screwed. I have a feeling that if the folks in this networking group needed my services, they'd want to pay even less than my current clients. Maybe I should take a welding course.

Kasey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1110

I thought I'd go look for a lamp today. I've been so pleased with the LED bulbs in the ceiling can lights that I thought I'd find a nice looking floor lamp that used these high tech bulbs as well. The floor lamps in the living room and bedroom are the only lights in the entire house now that haven't been converted to LED bulbs. I went to a lighting studio that I remembered from the days when I was obsessed by furniture and was astonished at how expensive nice looking lamps had become. I found a lamp that would look quite nice in the house, but I wasn't about to pay more for a lamp than I paid for my laptop computer. A floor lamp is not a complex object. It's basically just a bulb at the end of a pole. How something so simple could get so expensive is beyond me. Maybe I should have gone to Ikea instead of a fancy contract lighting studio.

Although I failed to come home with a lamp, I did get a few things done today. I found the air compressor and my tires are now all at the correct inflation pressure again.  I got Janet some fresh blueberries at the grocery store. I got Dash's antihistamine prescription renewed at the vet. I even found a little time to practice my guitar.

Am I the only one who's getting completely sick of hearing about the fiscal cliff every time I turn on the television? If congress does nothing, very little will change in our day-to-day lives. Conversely, if they get their act together and pass some sort of legislation before the end of the year, very little will change either. The country will still be in debt and most of us will still personally be in debt. No matter what happens, we will continue to get up in the morning and plod along the best we can. Some things will get better and other things will get worse. The world will change and the next generation will still think all the changes are completely normal. What's not normal is listening to some of the local news anchors continue to call this year-end financial mess the "physical cliff."  Don't they know? The physical cliff has nothing to do with spending and taxes. The physical cliff was what Thelma and Louise drove their car over at the end of the movie.

I hope Dash's sinus problems clear up soon. I'm getting tired of getting up at 4 AM every morning to let him outside to throw up. Even though he's a lot lighter on his feet than Dot, he still tracks in a lot of mud too. I've got to get better at cleaning muddy paws when I'm half asleep. The bed was covered with paw prints when I woke up this morning.

Alle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day