Day 2033

I got the go ahead to begin another new website project. It is a small project, but aren't they all these days. I'm just happy to have the work. I'm not motivated enough to look for challenges outside of work, so I depend on new projects to keep my brain in gear. This project will keep me thinking for a little while, and then I'll have to find another one.

Without projects and deadlines, I tend to obsess about little things around the house. I wonder why the ice-maker is filling up with ice too fast. Is it broken, or are we just not putting ice in our drinks anymore? Where do all the little ants in the bathroom come from?  I spray and plug up all the cracks that might let them in from the outside, but they are always there. Lately, I've been spending way too much time wondering when Dot is going to poop next. She doesn't give you much warning anymore and if you don't read the tea leaves exactly right, there's a mess to clean up in the house. I think I'm getting better at reading the subtle signs. I've gotten her outside just in time for three days in a row.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and noticed that I could only see out of one eye. The sensation only lasted a moment or two, but it was very odd and a bit alarming. It was almost as if one eye had see a very bright light, causing the pupil to contract. By morning, I was wondering if I had dreamed the whole thing, because my vision was completely normal. Assuming the momentary blindness was real and not a dream, I'm wondering if it was caused by the Apple Watch. The display turns on and off when you look at it and it is fairly bright. This feature works great when you are awake and standing up, but I've noticed that the display seems to flash on and off randomly when you are tossing and turning in bed at night. Often my hands wind up near my face when I'm asleep and maybe the watch was directly in front of my eye while the display was on in my sleep. Just a thought. I'm beginning to think this was just a dream though. If it happens again, I'll need to see an eye doctor.

I mowed the grass this afternoon. I usually do this on Saturday, but I thought I'd get the chore out of the way early and save Saturday for other things. I have no idea what I'm actually saving the time for, because I certainly don't have any plans for the weekend. The time will get used up though. It always does. Maybe I ought to go out and buy a flat of Monkey Grass at a garden store. The Liriope in one section of the back yard is starting to die. You'd think that with all the rain we've had this year that all the plants would be doing wonderfully, but that's not the case. Janet and I apparently do not have a green thumb. It is a constant struggle to keep the yard looking nice.

Dot's limp is a little better today. I still haven't heard anything from the oncologist at the cancer center, but since Dot has an appointment next week for a re-check, maybe I'll just ask all my questions again in person. I wonder if the receptionist didn't relay my message to the doctor. They are usually very good about returning my calls. Hopefully, Dot's condition will continue to improve. We need to keep her strong, but it's getting harder and harder.

Keller is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1225

Today was confusing. Another cold front blew through last night and suddenly it's Winter again. This cold weather won't last long, but it is odd to go from t-shirts to a down jacket in less than twelve hours. I got the third roof bid in today. I had convinced myself that this was going to be the low bid, based on my conversations with the roofer, but it actually turned out to be the high bid. There weren't any low bids. The Land Rover dealer called me today and made an appointment to get my car in for service again. The were real nice, but never acknowledged all the times they had ignored my calls last week. I didn't bring the subject up again either. It's time to move on.

Dash came close to getting a clean bill of health at his annual physical exam today. No crystals in his urine anymore. A strong, steady heart beat with no appreciable murmur. The skin problems that plagued Dash for years have vanished. The boy is looking good. The vet wasn't sure what was causing him to rub his snout on the carpet periodically though. She thought it was most likely either a minor gum infection or an irritation in one of his eyes. We're going to start with some eye drops and see if that clears things up. If that doesn't work, Dash is due for a dental cleaning early this Summer anyway. There's also the possibility that rubbing his snout on the carpet doesn't mean anything at all. I also made sure to get a new city tag for Dash, so he'll be legal with the city again. They always seem to think his tag has expired.

I don't know where my mind has gone. I heard Dot barking at a garbage truck this morning and raced out to get our garbage can out to the street in time. It was only when I had the can out at the curb that I realized that it was Tuesday and the trash wasn't picked up until Friday. I took the trash can back to the house and wondered why all days are starting to seem the same to me lately. I think Dot must have heard the trash being picked up in the neighborhood across the street from us. They have a different pickup schedule than we do.

I was a little more organized with my work assignments. I got two articles finished today, which is pretty good, considering that I had website revisions to do as well. Tomorrow, there is more to write and more to remember. Hopefully, it will be a little warmer though.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 755

We took Dash to see the ophthalmologist today. It looks like the main problem with his eyes are allergies. I guess this shouldn't be surprising, since allergies are also the main problem with his skin. The clouding on the surface of one eye is not a cataract, as I had feared, but is a collection of lipid cells instead that is sometimes caused by cholesterol. All in all, he's in pretty good shape, even though the pinkish discoloration around his eyelids looks terrible at times.

Janet told me later that we were sitting right next to hockey great Mike Modano and one of his Golden Retrievers in the lobby while we were waiting for the doctor. I can never recognize anyone. If you follow hockey at all, I suppose you would recognize one of the NHL's all-time points leaders, but he just looked like one of the guys who works on my furnace to me. He certainly seemed like a nice guy and you could tell he loved his dogs. I didn't even know that Modano had retired until Janet told me that as well.

It rained most of the day today. Dash was pretty good in the car though. I was surprised. He was pretty good at the doctor's office as well. The doctor did one test where he had to put some saline solution in a tear duct until it came out his nose. Dash whimpered a little, but he was even pretty good for that gruesome procedure. He certainly behaved a lot better than I would have if a doctor tried to do that sort of thing to me.

Even though the visit to the ophthalmologist took most of the afternoon, I still managed to finish adding the new puppies to the adoption website and wrote another watch article. This is the day I usually try to get my invoices out, but that will have to wait until later in the week. Dash goes back to the vet for his biweekly antigen shot tomorrow and then on Wednesday, I go to the doctor myself. Sometimes I'm amazed that I get anything done. I still haven't gotten the nail taken out of my tire yet. That will have to wait until later as well.

Mack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day