Day 2508

I discovered some old birthday and Christmas gift cards in a drawer that I'd almost forgotten about and decided that this would be as good a time as any to get that iPad I've been wanting. There was also a gift card from the electric company in the drawer. I guess it was some sort of customer appreciation gift. When I called the number on the card to activate it, I was told that the card had already expired and was worth nothing. Jeez, the card wasn't that old. Thanks for nothing electric company.

There are all kinds of ways I could rationalize this purchase. The iPad will make a great teleprompter when I do corporate videos. It will let me sit down next to Dot in the evening while I write the blog. I could go on and on. The truth is that there aren't any good reasons why I need a new iPad. I just wanted to do something frivolous for a change. It's been a long time since I did something fun and frivolous.

I don't think Dot is ever going to poop outside again. For the past week she has almost exclusively done her business while she's asleep. If I prepare things right, this new schedule makes for a relatively easy cleanup, but it also has me worried. Is the Tramadol causing this change of behavior or is this just another aspect of the aging process. Dot's vets don't have a definitive answer. The older she gets, the more we are in uncharted territory.

I've started seeing screws and nails in our street again. This seems to happen whenever someone is remodeling their house and it drives me nuts. Can't contractors clean up after themselves? I've ended up getting so many nails in my tires over the years that it isn't even funny. It's not just me either. Just about everybody I know in Dallas routinely gets nails in their tires.

I'll be glad when the time changes next week. Not only will it be easier to see debris in the street, it will also be easier to walk the dogs. It's pretty dark when we take our morning walk now. On clear days the skies lighten quickly, but on overcast days it seems to stay dark for the duration of our walk. Dash is scared of the dark and just about anything spooks him on these pre-dawn mornings. Personally, I enjoy watching the stars gradually fade out as dawn approaches. Dash has other ideas though. It's going to be easier to walk him after the time changes.

This week would be an ideal time for the roofers to come out and make their repairs. The skies are clear. The roof is dry. What's not to like? Have I heard from the roofers lately? Of course not. I'll call them again tomorrow. Like everything in my life, the roof requires patience.

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2253

I wasted most of the morning getting my tire fixed. I can't complain though, because I didn't have an appointment and the dealership was nice enough to work me in on a busy day. There was plenty of time to drink too much coffee and look at cars on the showroom floor that I can no longer afford. I probably could have left the nail in my tire for quite a while, since it wasn't leaking. I didn't want to take a chance though. I have to take Dot to two different vet appointments tomorrow and a flat tire along the way would really make a mess of things. I guess it was worth the wait. I wasn't charged for the repair and they filled my tire with nitrogen, which no garage in the neighborhood would have been able to do. The unfortunate thing is that I could run over another nail tomorrow. Dallas streets are full of nails and sharp debris.

Some days I get lucky with Dot. Other days, not so much. I did a lot of laundry today. I took Dot outside again and again, but it was only after I brought her back inside and got her settled in her bed that she decided to poop. This happened several times. It takes a lot of patience to deal with an incontinent dog. Dash is testing my patience as well. He is eating something in the yard that is giving him diarrhea. I saw him eating bark the other day and he's been known to eat cat poop. I've got to find what he's been getting into soon. It won't be easy to find since his disgusting treasure is probably hidden under a huge pile of leaves.

I was hoping that I could stream the Grammy's tonight on my computer while I was writing the blog, but it was just too much trouble. I found a live stream of the red carpet before the show which I wasn't interested in. I found backstage interviews during the show. I found selected clips from the show. I found everything except the broadcast itself. Never mind that the show was already playing on a TV in another room. With all the time I wasted trying to find a free streaming broadcast, I could have just walked across the house and watched the show on TV. I did see bits and pieces of the show. I had looked forward to Lady Gaga's tribute to Davie Bowie, but the whole thing seemed overproduced and a bit weird. Adele seemed to hit a few flat notes during her performance. How could that happen? I forgot that Don Henley played drums with the Eagles. Hey, it's been a long time. Why did I think he played guitar? I did like the tribute to BB King. Bonnie Raitt was fabulous. I guess I liked most of what I saw except for Justin Bieber. Alice Cooper probably should have stayed in retirement too.

We ordered takeout from Chili's tonight because neither of us felt like cooking. This is becoming increasingly common. I think that the older you get, the less appealing cooking becomes. It just isn't worth the trouble on a regular basis. Truthfully, a lot of things aren't worth the trouble on a regular basis. I try not to let that stop me though. If I only did what was appealing, I wouldn't do much at all.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2252 - Valentine's Day

We got to sleep in until almost 8 AM this morning, which is almost unheard of. Both dogs slept soundly. There were no accidents during the night. And best of all, after our morning walk, we had bacon for breakfast. Who could ask for more. I didn't make it to the gym today because I had to catch up on a lot of Saturday errands that got postponed by yesterday's photoshoot. It was no great loss though. I didn't really feel like going to the gym anyway.

When I was out running errands this afternoon I noticed that I had another nail in one of my tires. Damn. It's almost impossible to avoid getting nails and screws in your tires in Dallas. Janet has had three nails in her tires during the past year and I've had two. I don't know where these nails come from, but they're everywhere. The situation has gotten so bad that I've even thought of investing in a set of run-flat tires. I can't imagine changing a tire on the side of the road in this city. The traffic is so bad that you'd probably get killed. The tire is still holding air, but getting it fixed is the first thing on my to-do list for tomorrow.

I'm apparently not the only one who has made Sprinkles Cupcakes a Valentine's Day tradition. Every time I go to the store on this day there is a huge line out front waiting to place their order. The wait wasn't so bad today, because it looked like it was going to rain any minute and even though the cupcakes are delicious, they are not worth getting wet for. I didn't even have to pay for the cupcakes today because Janet discovered a gift certificate she won in a charity silent auction quite some time ago. I thought the certificate had probably expired, but the store honored it and even told me that I could redeem the gift certificate a little bit at a time since I really only wanted four cupcakes today, plus another two small ones for the dogs.

I received an e-mail from a veterinarian this afternoon asking if I was still interested in designing a website for him. I had initially contacted this guy over two years ago and then just assumed he wasn't interested because I never heard back from him. This just goes to show that some things take time. I'm always delighted when these sleeper cell jobs come back to life. I've made tons of contacts over the years, but I just don't have the energy or inclination to make cold calls anymore. There are certainly a lot more people out there that I haven't heard from in a long time. If even half of them still remembered me, I could be busy for a long, long time.

Dot is ageless. I took this Valentine's Day portrait of her quite a few years ago, but she still looks absolutely the same today. Dash looks pretty young too, but that's probably because he actually is a lot younger than Dot. We're all getting older though. Now Janet is the only one in hte family who isn't taking blood pressure medication.

Tomorrow is President's Day. Is this a holiday for all the presidents, or just the ones like Washington and Lincoln who used to have their own holidays? It's a weird holiday. The post office is closed, but FedEx and UPS are still making deliveries. Some banks are closed, but others remain open. Mattress stores seem to love this day, because they always seem to have huge President's Day sales. For me, it's just another day, I hope I can get my tire fixed.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1835

Today was pleasant. Janet walked the dogs this morning while I went up to the Land Rover dealer to get my tire fixed. I always enjoy going to the dealership. I've been going there for almost twenty years, so everyone knows me. They have good french roast coffee and if you get there early, there is always a nice selection of pastries from Corner Bakery. Everyone was in a good mood this morning because they all got off at noon for Christmas Eve. Even though I only went to get a nail removed from my tire, they washed my car and vacuumed the interior. If only all businesses were this nice.

On the way home I picked up some dog treats for Dot and Dash and got them each a fresh chicken breast so they could have something special for Christmas dinner as well. Janet and I are having a crown roast, so we'll all be eating well tomorrow. In keeping with my tradition of saving everything until the last minute, I spent the rest of the morning wrapping a few packages to put under the tree.

I sent a confirmation letter to NASA today, telling them that I accepted their invitation. It appears that the closest airport to Vandenberg Air Force Base is in Santa Barbara. There are no direct flights from Dallas, but this still seems better than flying to Los Angeles and then making a long drive up the coastline on Highway 1. I haven't driven a car in Los Angeles since my ad agency days and I remember the traffic being terrible even back in the 1980's. Now that traffic in Dallas is just as bad as LA traffic was in the 80's, I can't even imagine how bad California freeways are today.

We have started giving Dot a low dose of Rimadyl to reduce inflammation and hopefully alleviate some of the discomfort she is currently feeling. I've always been nervous about Rimadyl since it can cause problems with the kidneys and liver. Petey, one of our previous Dalmatians, had severe hip dysplasia and took Rimadyl for many years. It did help him keep walking, but I still keep thinking that it might have contributed to his eventual death from kidney failure. After a long talk with Dot's vet yesterday, I agreed to give Rimadyl a try. She said that side effects were minimal to non-existent at this low of a dose and that at Dot's age, pain management was more important than the possibility of long-term side effects. I like to think that Dot will live forever, but if she is still with us five years from now, she will be the world's oldest Dalmatian. The goal now is just to keep her happy and comfortable for as long as we can.

I saw on the news that Sony Pictures has decided to release The Interview on Christmas Day. I guess this strikes a blow for free speech and all, but it still seems like an odd choice for a Christmas movie. Who would want to go see this on Christmas Day? Call me old fashioned, but when I think of Christmas movies, I still think of things like Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1833

I drove down to the UPS Customer Service Center this morning to pick up a package. It's odd that I find this the most convenient way to pick up a shipment, since Fedex and UPS will both deliver right to my door. It's just another case where a modern convenience has turned into a modern nuisance. More and more merchants are requiring a direct signature on deliveries, since there has been an increase in people stealing packages off of front porches. If you have to sign for the delivery, you have to be home. I could be home twenty-tree hours a day and it's almost inevitable that the one hour I was gone would be when the UPS guy shows up. It's just easier to drive to Mesquite.

I think I got another nail in my tire when I was out today. I heard a clicking sound when I was driving and when I stopped to investigate, I saw what appeared to be a small nail or screw protruding from one of the rear tires. When I got home, I looked again, but couldn't find the object anymore. I'm sure it's still there though. I probably just broke the head off the screw while I was driving. The tire still holds air and doesn't appear to be leaking, but I better get it fixed tomorrow. The last time this happened, my warranty got me a free tire. I don't think I'll be so lucky this time.

It was time for another visit with my physical therapist today. This session was for me. Dot's physical therapy is tomorrow. It appears that I have made some progress. I was able to extend my arm further behind my head than I was last week and the manipulations of my arm by the therapist weren't so painful. I got some new exercises to practice at home this week including one called Spider Crawls. For Spider Crawls, you stand near a vertical wall and use your fingers to move or elevate your bad arm as far up the wall as you can. I've been doing this for months to reach the soap in a high shelf in the bathroom. I just didn't know there was a name for this odd activity. My bad arm is still about fifty percent weaker than my good arm, so I've got a long way to go.

Dot seemed stronger today. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to how she feels. She just has good days and bad days. I guess I could say the same for myself. Some days I feel great and other days I can barely move. Today feels like one of the barely move days, but that is probably just because of all the tugging and pulling the physical therapist did on my arm.

Tomorrow is going to be busy. I plan on making one final, and possible futile, attempt to get my Christmas shopping finished before Christmas Eve. Dot has her appointment with the underwater treadmill tomorrow afternoon instead of her regular Thursday appointment because of the holiday schedule. There's that pesky tire to deal with as well.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1655

When I was leaving the doctor's office today, I noticed a little piece of metal sticking out of my tire. This looked like something superficial that I could pull out with a pair of pliers myself, but since I was near the Land Rover dealer anyway I decided to drive over and let them get the piece of metal out of the tread. As soon as the technician began prying the little piece of metal out of the tire, I began to hear air escaping. I quickly learned that the tire was a total loss, due to the location of the puncture, and that I need a brand new tire. Yikes! This wasn't what I expected at all.

I sure was glad the dealer convinced me to purchase tire and wheel protection coverage when I purchased the car. I thought it was a big waste of money at the time, but in retrospect it turned out to be quite a bargain. It turns out that my fancy low profile nitrogen filled tires are quite a bit more expensive than the old truck tires I had on the Defender. I never dreamed a tire could be this expensive. I didn't have to pay for this one though, and I will always make sure I have tire and wheel protection coverage in the future.

My doctor visit was a bit disappointing. I thought I'd be able to convince the doc to discontinue a few medications, but instead he wanted to put me back on statin drugs to improve my cholesterol levels. My liver doctors had taken me off the statin drugs during my Hepatitis C treatment and I thought I was done with them forever. When I asked the doctor why he wanted to try statins and niacin again he told me that my new liver wouldn't help me that much if I had a heart attack. He also told me that my Cortisol levels were too high. "What causes that," I asked? "Stress." the doctor said. "You need to get rid of the stress in your life." "Well, how do you expect me to do that," I asked incredulously. "I don't know," the doctor said. "My Cortisol levels are even higher than yours." This made me smile. It almost made me laugh out loud.

I've always thought that I led a relatively stress-free life. Truthfully, it's just about impossible to avoid stress entirely in today's fast paced world. Prices of just about everything have increased a lot faster than wages. Everyone I know seems to expect more, while at the same time having less patience. Even the dogs seem to expect more. When I checked the baby monitor while I was at the car dealer, I discovered that they were both barking loudly. I laughed. Dot and Dash weren't alarmed about anything. It was their dinner time and they knew I was late.

It wasn't a very productive day, but I did make a little forward progress. I won't have to go back to the doctor again for a while, and I avoided a potentially dangerous flat tire on a Dallas freeway this weekend. I'm sure that's worth something. The dogs should actually be proud of me.

Rascal is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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