Day 2523

I'm a writer. I find it fascinating how storytelling has become a ubiquitous part of our current political dialog. Was it always this way? I'm not sure. It does seem like the press and the politicians are spending a lot of time constructing a narrative these days. A narrative is just a story. It is not necessarily true. We have all these competing versions of the truth out there, each carefully packaged for our consumption. It's almost as if nobody trusts us to come to a conclusion ourselves. There are narratives designed to appeal to the young. There are narratives that reinforce preexisting beliefs. Some narratives provoke fear. Others create hope. Very few of these stories deal with the complexities that lie just beneath the surface. People just pick their favorite story and run with it. Personally, I'd rather sift through the evidence and decide for myself.

So, where is the evidence that explains Tuesday's election? The elephant in the room is the fact that most people didn't even vote. Over 46% of eligible voters didn't even bother this year. I listened to a reporter this morning interview some of the young people who were protesting the election last night. They were unhappy with the results, but many of them didn't vote. Unbelievable! Few, if any, could could come up with a coherent reason why they were so angry. At best, they just repeated someone else's narrative. Maybe you're worried about Trump. I'm a lot more worried about what happens when these millennials take over. There is one ray of hope. One of the exit polls discovered that a significant minority of the college age population did not end up voting with their peers. These were generally science and engineering majors who were making the only protest they could against the mindless political correctness they were experiencing on campus. I'm convinced that these students who did not drink the Kool Aid are going to be the ones who get all the good jobs when they graduate. Somebody is going to be needed to program all the robots.

Maybe if all the angry people actually did move to Canada like they are promising, my business would improve. If Facebook is any guide, most people in advertising and marketing wanted Hillary to win. I'd be happy to take their clients if they leave. I'd be even happier if people would just quit complaining. I'm old enough to remember what people said when Ronald Reagan was first elected. It was remarkably similar to what many are saying about Trump now. Of course these days Reagan is revered as one of the best presidents of the modern era. Funny how time changes things.

As fascinating as this election has been, I have a feeling that it's just another "not my circus, not my monkeys" situation for me. I'm old. The stakes aren't nearly as high for me as they would be for someone in their thirties or early forties. I would just caution people on both sides of the political fence to be careful what you wish for. Unintended consequences are a bitch.

I deal with unintended consequences every day. After a lifetime of making decisions, you just can't avoid them. I discovered today that one of the unintended consequences of getting my new iPad is that I'm going to have to subscribe to Office 365. Another unwanted expense. One of the unintended consequences of giving Dot Tramadol is that she has become more demanding as she feels a little better. I'm walking her around the house on the hour now. I think she's pooping more too. Life is full of surprises. I guess that's what keeps it interesting.

Puppies are today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2286

I'm a light sleeper. When I wake up, I try to remain as quiet as I can. If I remain still, I know I can usually stay in bed an extra thirty minutes to an hour. I've learned that as soon as Dash senses activity in the house, he will get up and start barking for his breakfast. The barking wakes Dot up and she gets excited, which often causes her to poop in her bed. After that happens, sleeping in is a lost cause.

I woke up tired this morning and remained tired for most of the day. I'm not sure how to get the sleep I need. It's taking me longer and longer to write the blog in the evening, so I get to bed late. Janet gets up very early on weekdays. That means we all get up early so the dogs can have their walk before she goes to work. On days like today, where we actually can sleep in, Dash usually has other ideas. I'm sure that mothers with young children face very similar problems. They're younger than me though. Grumpy old men need their sleep.

We've started having frozen toaster waffles on Saturdays because they're so easy to fix. On weekdays I have my thirty second banana and strawberry smoothie and often pick up Chinese take-out for dinner. There's a trend here that I don't really like. Simplification of meals usually comes to an inevitable conclusion when you're drinking Ensure everyday and have one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" moments. That's what happened to my Dad. I need to avoid oversimplification. Complexity keeps your mind and body going. I probably should start making fancy omelets for breakfast like I used to.

Today was beautiful. The sky was clear and the humidity was low. There was a chill in the air when we walked the dogs this morning, but that was good because Dot does much better in cold weather. Everything in the yard is starting to grow again, which means that I really need to get the landscapers out next week to give me a bid on repairing the lawn and ground cover. I am reminded of this because Facebook has started posting those "memory" pages on my wall every morning. This morning I saw a blog post from two years ago that clearly indicated that I'm behind this year. I should already have the St. Augustine turf installed by now.

There was so much I needed to do today and so little desire to do any of it. I could have gotten started on my taxes. I could have pruned the Photinia Bushes in the back yard. I could have washed the car or vacuumed the house. All I did was change the sheets on the bed, wash Dot's dog blankets, and go to the grocery store. Maybe I took a nap too. If I was smart, I'd be asleep right now. That's still at least an hour away though. I've got to reconfigure Dot's bed so she's next to me. I've got to run a test print in the large Epson printer. I've got to clean my teeth with a variety of sonic toothbrushes and empty the dehumidifier. Then I turn the lights out and hope that everybody stays asleep for the rest of the night.

Pringles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1475

I went to the pharmacy today to pick up some prescriptions and was surprised to see that the cost of my meds had almost doubled. I asked the pharmacist what was going on and he told me that I was probably in the "donut hole." WTF? How could I be in the donut hole already? I've only been using Part-D prescription drug coverage for six months. I'm not even sure what this so called donut hole actually is, but apparently it is quite expensive.

There was no equivalent of the donut hole, where you temporarily lose your coverage, when I had private healthcare insurance. You just paid your premiums and got your benefits. It was that simple. The government doesn't like simple. Almost everything the government does has a Byzantine complexity to it. In my opinion, there is no need for most of this complexity. I just don't get it. At any rate, I paid for my prescriptions and left. What else could I do?

Another cold front rolled through town this afternoon and yesterday's balmy weather is now ancient history. The high temperature was just after breakfast and things went downhill from there. At least there is no rain or snow. I'm thankful that all we have to deal with are windy grey skies, but it sure would be nice to see the sun again.

I threw away some of the Christmas leftovers this evening. I think the green bean casserole has gone bad. It sure didn't smell very good anyway. I wish my sense of smell was better. Maye some of the other food has gone bad as well. I can't tell. My rule of thumb is that if I don't get sick, the food is fine. I can't expect much help from the dogs in keeping the refrigerator fresh. They absolutely love stinky food. If I asked their opinion, I'd probably never throw anything away.

Two of my clients sent me work assignments today. It was cold outside, so I did both of them. One assignment was a small website revision and the other was a copywriting job. People aren't shy about sending me work on weekends anymore. Saturday and Sunday are just like any other day. The stores are open. My pharmacy is open. Even my gym is open. Hey, why shouldn't I work?

I hope it warms up tomorrow. It's looks like it's going to be a busy day and I'll get a lot more done if I see the sun.

Petey & Greta are our Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1435

I haven't picked up the guitar in quite a while. It's been even longer since I've taken the telescope outside on a clear evening to look at Jupiter's moons. I can't even remember the last time I spent an entire evening reading a good book. I enjoy these things. So why am I spending so much of my time doing things I don't enjoy? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers.

I'm not trying to make excuses here, but life has fundamentally changed. The changes aren't big, in and among themselves, but they add up. It takes longer to fix healthy meals than to pick up a burger at a drive-thru. It takes longer to maintain an exercise regime than to watch TV on the couch. It definitely takes longer to earn a decent living. Where are all the assistants and copy typists I used to have? Where is the world I used to love?

Personally, I think that globalization and technology have combined forces to destroy a delightfully inefficient world where jobs were abundant and expectations were low. It isn't really surprising to me that health care isn't working anymore and entire countries are going bankrupt. The complexity of modern life is simply staggering. It is still a world of amazing opportunities, but it's all getting a lot harder to understand and many of us are simply running in place.

I don't have a grand plan anymore. I just get up every morning and methodically move from one task to the next. I always start with the simple things, but sometimes that's as far as I get. I got about halfway done today. The dogs got a good walk. I made it to the gym. I got several articles finished and shipped off to the client. I got stuck on my website project though. I'm confused. I'll need to do a bit more research to figure this one out.

If I wasn't so busy, I might enjoy the beautiful Fall weather we're having a bit more. We're really getting some fabulous Fall color this year. Texas will never be New England, but I see a lot of brilliant reds and yellows as I walk through the park with the dogs. I wonder why the leaves turn bright colors one year and are dull brown the next? I have a feeling that I might be happier if questions like these were the only things I had to worry about.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 812

Life is entirely too complicated. I'm finally being forced to deal with the reality of an empty rent property. All the little things I need to do to make the transition to a new tenant are driving me nuts. I got the electricity for the rent house transferred back to my name today. This used to be an easy process that took about five seconds over the phone. Now, you've got to spend five minutes just to get a real person on the other end of the line and then things get even more difficult. The power company records your call and forces you to answer a barrage of questions before they'll even consider transferring the electric bill. When they finally agree to transfer the billing, you have to agree to pay a higher rate for "short term" service. Apparently, the power company now wants you to sign a two year contract just like the phone companies do. It's a bit ridiculous.

When I got all the electricity issues ironed out, I realized that I had lost my spare set of keys to the rent house. I have no idea where they are. I guess this proves that I'm pretty much a "hands off" landlord. I haven't been down to the place to inspect anything in over two years. Now, I'm going to have to ask my renter for the original set of keys, just so I can get inside the place. Of course, my tenant is going to want her entire security deposit back. Now, where did that money disappear to? All the real estate agents I know are going to call too, wanting to be my "leasing agent." Apparently this is what real estate agents do these days, now that they don't sell as many houses.

Hopefully, I can put all the rent house issues behind me before I have to concentrate on tax preparation. Dealing with tax problems and real estate problems at the same time would simply be too much to bear. I increasingly find myself envying the dogs. Although Dash occasionally worries about being attacked by another dog in the park again and Dot worries about her dinner being late, these pups don't have a care in the world.

I took Dash to the vet for his bi-weekly antigen shot today. It was the first time I've left the house in several days. There was an Avid Media Composer seminar downtown this afternoon that I kind of wanted to go to. I didn't want to deal with finding a parking place downtown though, so I skipped the event. That's kind of how things have become.

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day