Day 2782

I was in no hurry to do anything today. We woke up late and took a leisurely walk with Dash. When we got home, I made pancakes while Janet cooked some bacon. Dash's appetite has returned and he is eating all his meals again. It was a relaxing, largely uneventful Sunday morning.

Instead of vacuuming or doing yard work, I went to the gym after breakfast. This week's workout seemed a little easier than last week's, so maybe my body is starting to repair itself. They are doing some remodeling at the gym and they removed the water cooler for some reason. I didn't realize how much water I drink. Every time I finished a routine, I really missed that water cooler. The progress I made today made me seriously think about going to the gym three times a week. I've certainly got the time. I've got the incentive as well. Too many of my friends have already died. The older I get, the more I realize that my top priority needs to be staying healthy. I've had my chance to make money. I think that ship has already sailed.

I noticed that the Apple Store has started selling RED cinema cameras. I don't know why this seemed significant to me, but it certainly says something about the ubiquitous nature of film in our society. When a store in the mall starts selling the same equipment that major Hollywood cinamatographers use, it means that everyone wants to make a movie. Most of my Facebook feed is videos now. To me, this is irritating because it slows my computer down, but I think this is what people want.  I wonder if I'll ever make a movie again? I made some good documentaries back in the 70's, but the desire just isn't there anymore.

This lack of desire puzzles me. I'm still curious about things and like to learn, but there is no desire pushing me forward. I guess I could just listen to TED Talks for the rest of my life, but I'd like to expand my horizons a little more than that. I certainly don't want to sit in a chair and watch college basketball for ten years like my Dad did. Piano lessons are an option. I'd consider joining an astronomy club, but you can't see the stars during the day and I hate driving at night. I've just started thinking about what to do next, so this is a work in progress. Just don't ask me what I'm passionate about. You'd be very disappointed in my answer.

It's supposed to rain all next week. This would be a good opportunity to clean out my office. I don't even know where to start. The Beta-SP editing bay is just a waste of space now. The stuff is too expensive to throw away and too obsolete to ever be used again. I've thought about buying flight cases for the equipment and putting it in the storage warehouse, but that would just be throwing good money after bad. I wonder how long it will take me to realize that the equipment is worthless? Ditto for the large production printer and all the film cameras. They are all worthless. I don't think people even collect this stuff.

To be honest, I probably won't do a lot of downsizing during the rain. Removing thirty years worth of stuff is pretty overwhelming. It's more likely that I'll just worry about the roof leaking while I'm watching Netflix movies.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1711

I had a nice breakfast this morning at my favorite restaurant and picked up some groceries for the weekend on the way home. I wasn't gone long, but by the time I got home, Dot had already peed on the floor. I try to convince myself that we're making progress, but I'm probably just being hopeful. Some days it actually seems like Dot's incontinence is getting worse. We'll give it two more weeks, but if things don't start improving by then, we'll probably have to resort to some sort of medication. Should we try Proin or Incurin? I just don't know at this point.

Since I wasn't all that busy, I decided to get a haircut this afternoon. Usually when I go to the mall, I feel compelled to visit the Apple Store or maybe buy a new pair of jeans. Today, no store called out to me. I ignored them all. I even walked right by the Apple Store without being tempted by something in the window. This is almost unheard of for me. The combination of huge vet bills, diminishing client needs, and general lethargy have put an end to my acquisitive tendencies. I don't need new gear for work anymore and I don't seem to desire new gear for pleasure. Maybe this is a good thing, but it feels strange. Cars, technology, gadgets, and tools have defined me for so long that it's weird not to crave these things anymore.

I can't figure out why Dot seems so strong and active in the morning and so weak and tired in the afternoon. She is eager to do all the things she used to do, but seems to use up her day's allotment of energy on her morning walk. Maybe it's just old age, but maybe it's something else. I wish there was a clear explanation for all the changes that have happened since her surgery. She seems happier and much more comfortable since the tumor was removed, but she also seems older and tires very easily. Dot is not going to get any younger, but I still hope she is able to make a full recovery. After we've come this far, it would be a shame if she wasn't able to enjoy all the benefits of being cancer-free. She deserves to be able to run again and sleep all night without waking up in a puddle of pee.

I have an appointment at the Land Rover dealer tomorrow morning to get my car safety inspected for another year. It's hard to believe that it has already been a year since I traded the Defender for something newer. The new car isn't really new anymore, especially after a "happy tail" episode with Dash on the way home from the vet where he shook his tail really vigorously and sprayed a fine mist of tiny blood droplets all over the headliner.

It's almost time to waterproof the bed for the night again. I'm a little disappointed that Dot isn't back to normal yet, but she's doing the best she can. It's up to us to do the best we can as well.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1671

I got my energy back today. I mowed the grass, watered the lawn, walked the dogs and went to the gym. Hmm. That's actually all I did. Now what am I going to write about?

I guess I could go off on a political rant. I've got my opinions, just like you do. It doesn't seem right though. It doesn't matter which side you support. I find most political rants annoying in exactly the same way that I find the conversations of a dysfunctional family annoying. It's sad to me that we have completely lost the concept of America as the great melting pot. Diversity has replaced the melting pot as a meme. Instead of a populace with common values and a common purpose, we have fragmented into hundreds of small tribes. People are loyal to their own tribe, but that's about as far as it goes. It seems important to be considered progressive, born again, green, gay, straight, christian, atheist, or any of a hundred other labels. Not so importantly apparently to be an American.

I'm getting better at handling a basketball. Maybe I should start moving around the court a bit and add a bit of diversity to the monotony of shooting endless baskets from the free throw line. There are pick up games at the gym all the time, but I doubt if I'd join in. I'm just not very competitive. It is satisfying to get the ball in the net though.

Weekends go by too quickly. If we had a four day weekend, I might get more accomplished than mowing the grass and a quick workout at the gym. I might paint the house, take piano lessons, or go to a movie. On the other hand, I might just go to the gym more often and rest up when I got home by taking long naps with the dogs. I don't seem to have many burning desires anymore. Nature abhors a vacuum though. I'm sure if I had extra time, I'd figure out something to do with it.

I uploaded my latest website to the server this afternoon. Now that this project is essentially complete, I'll have to go looking for a new one. In the mean time, there are dogs to take to the vet, bills to pay, and wasp nests to eradicate.  Oh, and I can't forget there's jury duty too.

Watson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1489

According to my Jawbone UP band, I got a full eight hours sleep last night for the first time in months. It's nice to sleep in late and even nicer to have nothing to do once you finally do get up. The only things on the agenda today were a leisurely breakfast, a trip to the dog park, and a visit to the gym. There was a time when I would have been restless without a big personal project to sink my teeth in on weekends. The office is still filled with the tools I used to create these projects, along with remnants of the projects themselves. The desire just isn't there anymore, however. Sleeping in late seems much more fulfilling at this point. It's only a matter of time before this creeping sense of ennui invades my work world as well. I still do my best to accommodate everyone, but secretly I wish they would all just go away.

I amuse myself these days by taking pictures of impossibly long shadows, just before the sun goes down. This is as close to a selfie as you'll ever get from me. I think pictures like these pretty much say it all. I've done a lot over the years and some say I've managed to cast a long shadow. Nevertheless, it's hard to deny that the sun is setting on just about everything. In a very young profession, I've become one of those dinosaurs who talks back to the television and is convinced that the current generation of children are a sign of the apocalypse.

There's no need to be morose when you've got Dalmatians though. Dot and Dash never fail to make me smile. They are my constant companions and always keep me pointed in the right direction. Almost half of my clients are veterinarians, largely as a result my desire to provide these dogs with the best possible care. I know far more veterinarians than I do human doctors and that's as it should be. My own health leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm positive that it would be a lot worse if I didn't walk Dot and Dash five miles each and every day. I walk them because I know Dalmatians need lots of exercise, not because I need the exercise myself. Hey, I still get the benefit of all this activity though. That's the beauty of dogs.

It was certainly pleasant to take the dogs to the dog park today. The sun was shining, the weather was warm, and all the other dogs were all friendly. Dot was strong and steady today, with few signs of the tremor in her rear leg that has become a telling sign of tiredness and advancing age. When we returned home, the house was filled with the aroma of a roast that Janet had started in the slow cooker early this morning. It was a nice day. If nothing happens tomorrow, Monday might be a nice day as well.

Suzie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1230

I got up this morning and then all of the sudden it was dinner time. It wasn't a particularly busy or stressful day. It just all went by in a blur. The dogs got their long awaited visit to the dog park. There was no need to dress as warmly as I did, because when we arrived at the park, it was already hot. Dot is well aware of the rising temperatures. She tires much more easily in the heat. As a result, we didn't stay at the park as long as we usually do. Dash could have stayed longer, but Dot gets to call the shots these days. It just isn't fair to push an older dog too hard.

Dot didn't get to choose whether to get a bath today however. I'm pretty forgiving about dirty, smelly dogs and even I had to admit that Dot and Dash were filthy. They both clean up well though. After a bath at Vhea's LaundroMutt, their coats shine and they smell wonderful.

Janet had to run some errands after we returned from our dog excursions and I used the afternoon to finish an overdue writing assignment. Ordinarily, I would do something outside on such a nice day, but the outdoor alternative was mowing the grass, so writing seemed the lesser of two evils.

It's hard to believe that April is almost over. We've probably got one more month of decent weather before another Texas summer rears its ugly head. I don't like the heat any more than Dot does. When the thermometer starts to hover around 100 degrees for months at a time, I start to questions my sanity for ever moving down here in the first place.

Some of my new exercise routines are starting to become habits. I find myself using the small hand weights around the house during the day. I continue to do planks on a daily basis too. Making something a habit is the key to success with me. I really can't depend on desire or passion to get me anywhere.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 907

I can always tell when I'm in a rut. I start looking at catalogs a lot. My favorite catalogs are Sweetwater Sound and B&H Photo. I flip through the pages and think about gear that I'd like to have. Never-mind that I have way too much gear already. I can always convince myself that a new lens, some clever new software, or a new microphone is just what I need to get the creative juices flowing again. I don't have enough money to feed my gear lust these days, but that doesn't keep me from flipping through the catalogs. I've been thinking about an anamorphic lens to extend the life of my old Beta-SP cameras. I've even considered upgrading Media Composer to Avid Symphony. A Zeiss Compact Prime cinema lens would be pretty cool too. There is no sound business reason to get any of these things. I just love the tools of my trade. Sometimes I think I like having the tools more than I like actually using them.

The dogs seem to share my tendencies to want what they don't have. When they're inside, they always want to go outside. When I take them outside, they quickly realize it is too hot and they want to go back inside again. We can go back and forth like this all day. Dot and Dash are perpetually looking for the best spot on the bed. Where is the best spot? Well, it's usually where the other dog is sleeping. I wonder why it is so commonplace to want what you don't have?  The dogs should be happy just to have a good home. I should be happy with what I've got for any number of reasons. I still keep looking through those catalogs though.

Janet and I haven't visited the rescue Dalmatians for a while, so we went up to The Velvet Snout this morning to get reacquainted. There are only four Dalmatians in the kennel right now and we spent some time with each of them. Dalmatian Rescue is doing a really good job of finding homes for the dogs this year and nobody seems to stay at the kennel for very long. This a far cry from the days when we used to have over twenty dogs at a time. I think it helps that Dalmatians aren't quite as popular anymore. The people who get a Dalmatian today know what to expect about the breed. They aren't just getting a cute puppy on a whim like they did when the 101 Dalmatian Disney movies were popular. Dalmatians have a better life now and aren't dumped nearly as often.

The weather is getting warmer, but it still looks like it's going to be a nice day for the dog park tomorrow. Tomorrow is also the big Summer party for our training class. There are all sorts of races and games for the dogs and barbecue for the people. Dash particularly likes the bobbing for dog biscuits game.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 900

I could tell you about my blood test this morning. I could tell you about all the vacuuming I did this afternoon. I suspect you've heard all that before. Maybe I'll try to give you a little advice instead. After 899 days of telling you what I do, it might be time to tell you what I think. I don't give advice very often. Why should I? Absolutely nobody listens. Humor me though. It's Day 900 and it's time for  something different. My advice to you...

1: Quit spending money you don’t have.

So many of today’s problems are caused by a national desire for instant gratification. High school kids think they need a car. College kids expect a high paying job when they graduate. Young couples get a $300,000 mortgage on a “starter home. Our entire country spends more than it takes in. It wasn’t always this way. Our grandparents didn’t live like this. They managed to raise families in modest homes with a single bathroom. Instead of using credit cards with reckless abandon, they typically paid using cash, while occasionally putting something special away on layaway. Ironically, our grandparents were probably happier than we are. Rich is a relative term. If you always spend a little less than you make, you’re eventually be rich.

2: It’s not a secret if you tell anybody.

I grow weary of people telling me that something is confidential. I’m bemused when I see someone who still believes that privacy even exists. Privacy left the building long ago. Do you ever watch MI-5 on the BBC channel? In this show, top British spies continually solve puzzling crimes and mysteries by snooping on people’s activities using the country’s burgeoning CCTV network. This is where we are headed. If the IRS doesn’t already know everything about you, Google and the credit bureaus can certainly fill in the blanks. It’s just a matter of time before Google creates a global panic by revealing that it has compiled a database with the personal porn preferences of over a billion men worldwide. Hey, if you really want to keep something a secret, don’t tell anyone. Ever.

3: Learn to compromise.

It’s not all about you. Everyone thinks they’re special these days. They were brought up that way. Parents told them they were special. Teachers told them they were special. A cult of individuality was born and several generations of very self-centered children entered the adult world thinking, “It’s all about me.” These spoiled children expected to get exactly what they wanted in the workforce and in their relationships. That’s what they had been taught. When everyone was going for the gold, the bronze had no value. Slowly, the art of compromise was lost. Our politicians became deadlocked. Our relationships increasingly ended in divorce. Our employers got disgusted and began looking for a more agreeable workforce in China. Hey, it’s not all about you. It never was.

4: Believing in something doesn’t necessarily make it true.

Christians. Jews. Obama supporters. Global Warming. The Tea Party. The Taliban. Isn’t it all a bit confusing? If anyone actually had the answer to anything, why would there consistently be so many conflicting points of view? It’s comforting to believe in something, especially if others believe the same thing. Belief isn’t the same as truth however. Belief is just another manifestation of mind over matter. At least religious people understand that their beliefs are nothing more than blind faith. The worst believers are the secular humanists, who have somehow managed to get faith, religion, science, objectivity and prejudice muddled together in an unholy stew. Believe in yourself! Don’t get a big head about it though. It’s still not all about you.

5: Don’t aspire to be happy. Just choose to be happy.

A lot of people think they’d be happier if they had more money. Others want to be thinner, more popular, or in a better relationship. We are an aspirational society, but sometimes our aspirations can be counterproductive. I’ve known multi-millionaires who were catatonically depressed. I’ve known people with one leg who seemed much happier than I was. I think the happy people around me just chose to be happy. We can’t really select the cards we are dealt in life. We can fight and struggle and attempt to swim upstream, but eventually the current always wins and we are swept out to sea. Happy people just enjoy the journey.

6: Success doesn’t mean much if you have never experienced failure.

Is success learning to read road signs in French, or discovering that E=MC2? I think any successful person will tell you that success is entirely relative. Without a few setbacks along the way, you probably won’t even be able to recognize success when it finds you. Success can be large, or it can be small, but it you are afraid to fall, you probably won’t experience success at all.

7: Don’t wait too long to do the things you want to do most.

My Dad was a zoologist. He always wanted to travel to Africa and see giraffes and elephants. When he died and I was settling his estate, I cleaned out his safe deposit box and discovered an expired passport and visas to all the countries he wanted to visit. Dad knew where he wanted to go. He just kept putting off the journey. There were books to write. There were kids to put through college. The passport got dusty and Dad got Parkinson's disease. He waited too long. Don’t wait too long to do the things you want. Your time on this earth is limited.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 740 - Christmas

Dot woke up this morning limping on her left front leg. I'm not sure what's wrong, since she seemed fine when she went to bed last night. I think she just over exerted herself at our gift wrapping event yesterday. It's easy to forget she's getting older now. She spent most of the afternoon standing, instead of sleeping like she usually does. Maybe it was too much for her.

The furnace didn't come on this morning either, but by the end of the day we had heat again and Dot seemed to be walking more normally. It was a simple, but satisfying Christmas. I often feel lonely on Christmas. I don't have a lot of friends and am more or less estranged from family. I probably don't show my appreciation often enough, but I'm very grateful to have Janet and the dogs. They keep life normal.

It didn't snow this Christmas, but it certainly felt like Winter. I couldn't walk the dogs together this evening because of Dot's limp, but as Dash and I tramped through the woods, it was easy to imagine a coating of snow on everything. We returned to the smell of holiday cooking and an hour or so later everyone sat down to enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner. We had ham, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and a spicy stuffing. There weren't a lot of presents under the tree, but we don't need much at this point in our lives. I'm content.

I even managed to complete a few watch articles today. The month long writing marathon is almost over and it's not going to seem the same in January. I'll have to admit that I've learned a few things about watches and about writing this month. If I could only be this disciplined about personal projects. If I could work at the same pace on personal projects, I could have easily completed a novel by now. Personal projects are tough though. There just isn't a strong enough sense of desire pushing me onward. Maybe that's what I should have asked Santa for this year: a stronger sense of desire.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day