Day 4302

Charlie and Oliver were in good spirits today. These two have so much energy. Our own dogs never played with toys that much, but Charlie and Oliver will chase a ball all day. You can tell that they enjoy the time we spend with them. We should probably spend more time with the rescue dogs but it's a long drive up to the kennel.  

Janet had a meeting this morning so we got up earlier than usual today. There were still a few stars in the sky and a very thin crescent moon when we left the house. I like it when the park is empty and quiet. It's much more peaceful to listen to bird sounds than the music from the miniature boomboxes people attach to their bicycles. Even worse are all the leaf blowers you hear later in the morning when the yard crews arrive in the neighborhood. It's no surprise that I like spending time on Mount Locke where all I hear is the wind and the occasional hawk overhead.

We're having an exceptionally nice Fall this year. We had a little rain last week, but mostly it's been clear skies and cool temperatures every day. It's nice to be able to walk without needing to change clothes when you return. I've found that my pace is faster on these cool mornings. Maybe I'm just feeling better these days, but I'm enjoying my walks again.

It was kind of weird having Facebook down all day. It's easy to forget that none of this even existed until very recently. You actually had to sit down over lunch to catch up on things with friends. Now you just like a few posts every morning and everyone knows you're still alive and well. I still think the world would be a better place without social media, but I'm as guilty as the next guy for wasting time scrolling through mountains of nothing every day.

I have to see a new doctor tomorrow. This means I'll have to fill out the same information I've filled out dozens of times before. Why don't doctors share information? They all seem to have their own forms. It seems like you should only have to fill out this information once. I thought I'd already made a list of all my prescriptions, so I could just print it out and take it with me tomorrow. I couldn't find the list anywhere.  I guess I'll make a new list tomorrow after breakfast. This is impossible to do in a doctors waiting room. I can never remember the names of the pills I take, and even if I could remember I could never spell them correctly.

We can't decide whether to go to the fair. Parking is too expensive. We don't particularly like fair food.  And we never go on any of the rides. Usually we just watch the agility dogs perform, walk through the auto buildings and look at new cars, and look for the sidewalk bricks we bought in memory of Spot decades ago. We'll probably go and then wonder why we bothered later.

One of my watch winders broke today. I guess it was about time. It's been faithfully winding watches I never wear anymore for dozens of years now. Hard to believe that I was so interested in watches at one time. I just wear the Apple Watch now. 

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3191

I hate when I fail to notice that a prescription has run out and I have to scramble to get new pills before they're all gone. This happens to me and it happens to Dash. I called in a renewal for Dash's Plavix this morning and the automated message said that no more refills were available. Not good, because no more pills were available either. I called the vet at the cancer center and asked if they could refill the prescription in a hurry. I still don't understand why pills that need to be taken for a lifetime are generally only renewed for six months at a time. I should have noticed the tiny type on the bottle that said there were 0 refills available, but I never notice tiny type. I can't even read small type anymore without my reading glasses.

I managed to get the prescription refilled in the nick of time, but I know this will happen again and again. It's equally hard to remember to change the air filters in the furnace. I appear to have a very selective memory. I always remember to give Dash a walk. I never forget to pay my bills on time. There are some things I'm oblivious to however. I need to pay more attention to those pill bottle labels.

One of the auction houses wanted more information from me today. It seems like they have plenty of information already, but I dutifully printed the forms they sent, filled them out by hand, and then scanned everything so I could convert the forms to PDF files and send them back. It seems like in this day and age, you'd be able to fill out and sign just about any type of form on your computer, but it seldom works that way. I wonder what people do if they don't have a scanner? It seems like I'm scanning documents all the time.

For the past couple of nights, I've been waking up when Dash typically needs to go outside, only to discover that Dash is still asleep. I woke up twice like this last night while Dash continued sleeping through the night. He didn't wake up at all. I felt like waking Dash up myself, but that would have been silly. I've been hoping that Dash would get to a point where he was sleeping all night again. Now that he is, I've just got to start sleeping better myself.

I formally ended another client relationship today. It was kind of sad. I've worked with these folks for decades. Things change though. I guess I could still pretend that we were working together, but I haven't had a project for almost a year. I think there's only one client left now and I haven't been doing much for them either. It's time to to face reality. This stage of my life is over. I have retired.

At least Dash had a good day. He was fairly strong on his walks and he's still eating well. I made sure he has a new supply of Plavix and we broke in some brand new boots and socks. I think we're ready for another day.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2771

Here's how to waste a day. I got up early, so I could go down to the Passport Acceptance Office and renew my passport before the lines got long. I'd already looked up what I needed to bring with me online. The website said that I could pay with a credit or debit card, but when I arrived the first thing I saw was a large sign saying that passport processing fees must be paid for with a check or money order. Did I have a check with me? Of course not. To make matters even more confusing, there was another sign that said passport photos and other fees must be paid using cash or a credit card. Why did they have to make this so complicated? For one part of the transaction, they want a check, but for another part of the same transaction they demanded cash or a credit card. I'd already downloaded a form and brought it with me, but I saw a third sign saying only the latest forms would be accepted. Did I have the latest forms? Who knows. I grabbed a couple of the official forms from a nearby table before I gave up and went home again.

These new forms seemed longer and more complicated than I'd filled out in the past. They asked for both my parents date of birth and birth city. Jeez, my parents have been dead for quite a while. I couldn't remember when or where they were born. You'd think this information would be readily available, but it wasn't. I finally found my Dad's information on a "Find a Grave" website. I thought I could find my Mom the same way, but her information wasn't listed. I finally found her birth city on my own birth certificate and located her date of birth in a story I'd written about her over twenty years ago.

I though I was home free at this point, but the next section of the form asked for similar information for any marriages or divorces. Give me a break. I was married so long ago and became divorced so quickly that I've always thought of myself as single. I've had numerous passports and I don't think they used to ask all these questions on the application form. Wouldn't they already have the information if I already have a passport? Who knows. Maybe the forms have always been exactly the same and my memory was just better the last time I filled out the application. I'll take the completed application and a check back to the Passport Acceptance Office tomorrow morning. I'd like to put all this nonsense behind me.

When Janet and I were taking Dash on a walk this morning, we saw the neighbor's dog coming out their back door. We immediately panicked and ran back to the safety of our own back yard with Dash as fast as we could. It turned out that the dog was on a leash and there was no danger, but we weren't taking any chances. I don't want to ever be bitten by this dog again and after seeing me limping around the house with swollen legs for three weeks, I don't think Janet wants to get bitten either.

Janet's new car is so pretty that it's got me wanting a new car too. I don't need a new car. I don't really need anything. It would just be nice not to need to be frugal anymore. It would be fun to buy a car on a whim. I'd need a more substantial source of income than freelance writing to do that unfortunately. I wonder if any of the major ad agencies have a division that specializes in marketing to old people. I'd be perfect for that.

Smokey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day