Day 1854

I really wish doctors and dentists would agree on things. Most people just find a doctor they can trust and go along with the diagnosis. Since I don't really trust anyone, I find this difficult. I'm looking for a consensus. If a lot of people come to the same conclusion, I'll tend to believe they are right. On the other hand, if three dentists look at the same x-rays and each reach a different conclusion, I'm confused and a bit nervous. I saw the oral surgeon today and came away with the distinct impression that I could lose from one to three teeth. Everyone agrees that one of my wisdom teeth has to go, but the fate of the other two teeth depends on who you talk to. I told the surgeon that I didn't want to do anything until I returned from my trip to California and got caught up on several work projects. That seemed fine and we settled on the 13th of February. Yup. You guessed it. When I got home and looked at a calender, I'm having dental surgery on Friday the 13th.

On the way home from the dentist, I stopped at Office Depot and got a new 12-month accordion folder for this year's receipts. Why are these paper folders $18 now? It's ridiculous. When I started keeping receipts in accordion folders for my accountant, they were only $8 each. And people still say that inflation isn't a problem. At least shoes don't seem to be going up in price. I also picked up a new pair of waterproof work boots for walking the dogs while I was out today and they were the same price they were five years ago. Of course, nothing is as well made as it was five or ten years ago, but what are you going to do? I still have an Eddie Bauer goose down parka from the early 1960's that is better than anything you can buy today. When I wore this coat to high school in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1963 there was a real guy named Eddie Bauer in Seattle who outfitted expeditions and designed some of the world's best outdoor gear. When he retired, the company was bought and sold multiple times and now the brand is just licensed to other manufacturers who make furniture, bicycles, and lots of clothing made in China. I hate the whole concept of brand extensions and licensing. When I was shopping for boots this afternoon, I saw some with the Caterpillar brand. Caterpillar makes bulldozers, not shoes. Harley Davidson doesn't make sunglasses either. I like Red Wing because they still just make shoes. My new Red Wing boots are pretty decent, but they're probably made in China now too.

Since I don't multitask very well, work kind of stacked up on me today. This means I'll be busy tomorrow. It's just as well because the weather is still so cold that staying home and doing writing assignments and fixing websites seems like a better alternative than anything else I can think of. It's certainly better than more stretching. I think I need to curtail the stretching exercises for a while. My right shoulder seems permanently sore now. I'm sure this is a "no pain, no gain" situation, but personally I'd rather just not lift my right arm very high.

I need to do something to snap myself out of the cold weather doldrums. Maybe I should go out for breakfast tomorrow. Maybe not though. When you sit by the window, the restaurant is cold. I could just turn up the thermostat a bit here at home, but Janet and both dogs like things just the way they are. I'm the only one that's cold. I'm definitely ready for Summer.
 

Murphy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1184

The dogs don't like being walked separately. Both dogs want to be the first one to take a walk and get indignant when they are left behind. Eventually, everything gets sorted out and they are happy again after they've both had their time outside. Dot's legs continue to improve, so hopefully this new arrangement will just be a temporary one. It certainly takes me a lot longer to walk the dogs separately. I know I did other things, but it feels like dog walking was all I accomplished today. Next week I'm going to take Dot in for acupuncture therapy. Acupuncture really helps to reduce pain and inflammation for some dogs, and does absolutely nothing for others. We'll see what happens. I don't think it would hurt to try.

I wonder what would happen if we selected our president the same way the College of Cardinals selects a pope. I kind of like the mystery of the whole process. It probably wouldn't work though. If our senators and representatives went into a secret room that they couldn't leave until they all reached a consensus, I don't think we'd be seeing any white smoke for a long, long time. There's a good chance they'd never reach a decision.

I approved the landscaper's bid and they're going to get started on the back yard sometime next week. That's one ugly eyesore down, three or four ugly eyesores left to go. There are a lot more things that need to be taken care of around the house, but we'll have to deal with them one at a time as money becomes available. Sometimes I think my own services are the only thing that hasn't gone up in price over the years. Everything else has become incredibly expensive.

Tonight was supposed to be the best night to see Comet PanSTARRS. I looked and looked while we were at dog training class this evening, but couldn't see a thing. The comet was supposed to be visible to the naked eye, although I'm sure very few people saw anything inside the city limits of Dallas. There were clear skies this evening, but with all the city lights and haze near the horizon, I had trouble even seeing the moon. I'll try again tomorrow. Comets are rare and it's always fun to see one.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 947

Have you ever noticed that if you took away all the cute cat and dog pictures on Facebook, all you would be left with is an endless stream of politically correct and occasionally incorrect opinions from people you actually know? I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want to know this much about the beliefs of people I actually know. Please guys, just let me live in blissful ignorance. All this being said, I still think my Facebook stream is better than my Google+ stream, where everyone seems to think that a dash of science and a giant group hug will cure all the world's problems.

Coming face-to-face with all these opinions everyday is a bit discouraging for me. It has made me realize that as a society, we have reached a point where we will never come to a consensus on anything. Instead of uniting behind a common goal, like going to the moon or winning WWII, we have  become a bunch of ineffectual competing tribes, with no loyalties beyond our own tribe. Maybe it won't even matter. I have a feeling that in thirty years or so our world will start to resemble that Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome movie.

Since there's a good chance I won't be around in thirty years, I concentrate on more pleasant things. I really enjoyed going to the Panasonic seminar this afternoon. I couldn't begin to afford most of the video equipment that the manufacturers demonstrated today, but it's nice to know that it's out there. So, who goes to these types of seminars? Increasingly, it is the cameramen and editors who are employed by professional sports teams. I routinely see folks who work for the Cowboys, the Mavericks, and the Rangers at these events. I guess it makes sense. Professional sports organizations still have the money to buy boatloads of this expensive high-tech equipment. The rest of us don't. The rest of us are faced with the prospect of making cheap YouTube videos on our iPhones.

I think I'll go back to the empty restaurant with good food tomorrow. It's really peaceful there. I'll listen to a piano concerto and watch birds splashing in the bird bath right outside the front window while I eat my whole grain pancakes and a pulled pork breakfast taco. It's only Thursday evening, but TGIF anyway.

Jade is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day