Day 2646

Well, I didn't get started on my taxes after all. The same little things that normally consume my day were still there and by the time I took care of the essentials, the day was gone. Hey, there's always tomorrow. Eventually, everything gets done, but lately it seems to take forever. It must have rained last night, because the ground was wet when we walked the dogs this morning. Both dogs arrived home muddy and it took longer than usual to clean them off. Breakfast took longer as well because I added a peach to my smoothie without decreasing the amount of strawberries and blueberries. I ended up making enough for two people. I guess I could have saved some of my beverage for tomorrow, but I sat and drank the whole thing while feeding the dogs slices of banana. Of course, Dot pooped while I was eating and I had to clean that up.

After I took a shower, I opened my tax folder and prepared to get started.  I thought I'd check my e-mail first and of course there were several small web emergencies that needed attention. By the time I finished the updates, it was time to feed the dogs lunch. When I was working on my projects this morning, I remembered that I hadn't sent out my March invoices yet. I postponed tackling my taxes again because getting the invoices out seemed more important. Hey, I need money to pay the accountant.

By now it was mid-afternoon and the dogs were getting restless. Once they start focusing their attention on dinner, getting anything done is just about impossible. I give Dot a pain pill at 2 PM. At 3 PM they get the first half of their dinner. And at 4:30, they get the rest. Often, I will walk Dot between the first and second dinner segment, but today I took my invoices to the post office instead.

Dot's short walk actually takes longer than Dash's much longer one. I've started sitting in the grass with her at the halfway point. She seems to like that. Usually the walk makes Dot tired enough so that she will rest while I walk Dash. That's the theory anyway. By the time I finished walking Dash this afternoon, it was time to start fixing my own dinner. As usual, I ended the day tired but accomplished almost nothing.

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. The tree trimmers are scheduled to arrive early in the morning and the day will be filled with the sound of chain saws. I will need to take Dash outside to pee on a leash so he won't get in the way of a falling limb. The tree trimmers never remember to close the gates, so I will need to be extra careful with the dogs. I'm sure the crew will block the neighbor's driveway with their equipment too. They always do. I didn't even call to confirm tomorrow's appointment, because I kind of hope they don't show up. The trees really do need to be trimmed, but it's always a giant hassle. Oh, well. It's only one day. On Wednesday I can return to cleaning up dog poop and postponing my tax preparation.

Somehow, I don't think I'm going to get caught up this week at all. There are still several web site projects to complete and there is an animal rescue meeting I should really try to attend. Dot has an appointment at the cancer center for another Ultrasound scan later in the week as well. I need to call my accountant and find out how much time I really have to get my tax information together. Maybe I can put that chore off until next week.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 982

Everything is normal again. I'm back in Dallas. The dogs have returned from the boarding kennel and have resumed their regular routine. Although I have learned what the fashionable will be wearing next Spring, it really doesn't matter since I'll still be wearing a black t-shirt and jeans for the foreseeable future.

I hated to say goodby to Las Vegas. It was a nice change of pace. We got off to an exceptionally early start this morning. It actually seemed like we got up before we went to bed. I'm definitely not an early riser, but I've learned that there are advantages to getting to the airport at the crack of dawn. The line at the TSA checkpoint is much shorter, for starters. Getting through security at McCarran Airport has always been daunting, but we sailed right through this morning. There wasn't a line at all. Janet and I ate breakfast at the airport and then had an uneventful flight home.

Since I'm not one of the ones who immediately checks their cell phone the instant the landing gear hits the runway, there was a ton of e-mail for me to sort through when I got back to the office. Hidden away among hundreds and hundreds of spam and marketing messages were at least ten legitimate letters telling me that I was already late on something. Tomorrow will be a busy day. There are dogs that need to be added to rescue websites. There are new services that my clients think the world needs to know about. There are articles that need to be written. Could all this wait? Probably. Would I have any business at all if each of these projects didn't receive top priority. Probably not.

Yesterday, at the WWD Magic show, I walked right past a panel discussion of fashion bloggers. They were all talking enthusiastically about emerging trends and the importance of the Internet to the fashion industry. And why wasn't I included in this illustrious panel, I wondered? Hey, I write about fashion. I blog. Hmm. Maybe it's because I'm not 22 years old. These kids were all so young. I say hats off to these young bloggers. I'm all for any 22 year old who is actually out in the world doing something and not still living at home with their parents.

I'm a reluctant traveler, but once you pry me away from my routine and get me out of town, I never want to return. It's nice to do something different. Regular day-to-day life can be mind numbingly boring no matter what you do for a living. OK. Maybe it's not boring if you are an ER nurse or a fireman, but I have a feeling that even those jobs eventually become largely routine. I need to mix things up more often. It's probably my own fault if life is a little dull. Now, if only that assignment in Singapore would come through.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 657

I went for my second physical therapy session today. They think I'm a good candidate for traction therapy since I relax easily and don't tense up when they start pulling on my neck. Truthfully, I could could easily fall asleep during physical therapy if they didn't ask me to do things occasionally. It's relaxing to be in situations where I don't have to think. Walking the dogs is relaxing. Clients and working usually isn't.

I was hoping for a little financial therapy today as well, but after meeting with my financial adviser this afternoon, we both agreed that the next several months didn't look very promising. Greece is almost certain to default on its debt. Many think the double dip recession we've been worried about all Summer is already here. I can't imagine that the 12 member debt super committee is going to accomplish much either. I've picked up some inverse positions to cushion the blow, but it's still going to be a dismal year. Oh, and did I mention that the Dow hit a new low for the year today.

Fall is definitely here. I had to wear a light jacket when I took the dogs on their morning walk. I saw a huge Red Tail Hawk sitting on top of a pine tree today. This was the first hawk I've seen this season. Pretty soon the Cormorants will be returning to the lake. After the Cormorants come the Pelicans and by then our impossibly hot Summer will have become a distant memory.

I didn't make much progress on my backlog of website updates today. There's always tomorrow for that.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 429

I hope I never become one of those people who feel compelled to tell their life story to bank tellers and pharmacists. I always seem to wind up behind someone like this when I'm in a hurry and all I want to do is quickly make a deposit or pick up a prescription. All you have to do is say "How are you today," and the floodgates open with these people. I'm patient though and wait my turn. I know that the only thing more irritating than holding up a long line by telling total strangers what your grandchildren had for breakfast this morning is complaining to other strangers about what the person ahead of you is doing. I don't want to become one of those people either.

Maybe I was in a hurry today because I'm falling behind again. I need to go get a haircut. The leaves in the back yard are really starting to pile up. It's time to take the Land Rover in for maintenance again. Tax time is fast approaching. And I guess it's time to get rid of the pumpkins. There are still several very pathetic looking pumpkins on the front porch that were left over from Halloween.

That's the problem with life today. If you spend your time doing things that bring in money, there is very little time left over for tending to rotting pumpkins. I do what I can. The trash is out on the street, waiting for tomorrow's ridiculously early trash pickup. The checkbook is balanced again, after a few mystery purchases were finally identified. Maybe I'll go up on the roof again tomorrow. It's probably dry enough to pour some more patching compound on the leaky areas before it rains again.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day