Day 1554

Reality is starting to kick in. Radiation therapy is not like going to doggie day care. Dash came home today with a number of small florescent green marks on his body, supposedly to help guide or position the radiation robot. He seemed more tired than usual and was coughing a bit. The oncologist said this was completely normal, but it reminded me of my own hepatologist, who keeps telling me that waking up feeling like you have a bad case of the flu every morning during Hepatitis C treatment is completely normal too. Things like this are probably where that old "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" cliche came from in the first place.

This is going to be a very long Spring. One of the common side effects of radiation treatment is diarrhea. One of the common side effects of Hepatitis C treatment are flu-like symptoms. Both therapies cause fatigue. Oh, well. I wasn't planning on running a 5K anytime soon, and Dash likes to sleep a lot anyway. I suspect we will both be OK.

The traffic is a lot lighter at 7 AM than it is at 7:30 AM. Everybody seems to go to work at exactly the same time. At 6 AM the roads are empty. 7 AM is OK, but by 7:30 the roads are getting crowded. By 8:30 AM, it's gridlock. If you still commute to work every day, you have my sympathies. I've worked out of the house for so long now, that I don't think I could do it anymore. All that being said, it was definitely worth getting up a little earlier this morning. The trip to the cancer center was a lot easier than yesterday. The trip home at 3 PM wasn't bad either. People usually don't come home this early. I try to avoid rush hour at all costs these days.

Although it wasn't a normal day for Dash, it was business as usual for me and Dot. We ate breakfast together and took a walk after I dropped Dash off at the cancer center. I wrote two articles, updated a website, paid some bills, went to the bank, picked up a prescription at the pharmacy, and mailed some letters at the post office. This is where I took today's picture. It used to be a regular No Parking sign. Over the years, shrubs grew up around the sign and covered up the word that spelled Parking. Now, the sign just says No. It pretty well sums up my feelings on most days.

Tomorrow, Dash goes back to the cancer center again. This will be the only time when his treatments are back to back like this. After tomorrow, we begin going on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Hopefully, giving Dash a rest between treatments and taking the weekends off will help. I've canceled Dot's acupuncture session tomorrow. There's only so much I can do. Next week I'll see if I can re-schedule things so she continues to get her therapy as well.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 511

I woke up this morning feeling sick, and I'm finishing the day feeling even sicker. I think I'm just totally run down. It's been ages since I've had a chance to relax and do nothing. Lately, my life has become an endless "to do" list that extends out far beyond the horizon. On the other hand, maybe I'm not run down at all. It could be that I just have a bad case of the flu. I certainly have that aching feeling in my bones that comes along with every case of the flu that I can remember. I spend so much time alone that I have no resistance to other people's colds and ailments either. Probably spending a week with thousands of people in Houston, followed by Wine on the Roof with hundreds more just did me in.

It was a busy day nevertheless. I worked on the new HVAC website, wrote some more watch articles and played phone tag with the people in Houston who are still trying to figure out how to pay me with a credit card. This is essentially what I did yesterday and it's probably what I'll be doing tomorrow as well. I just hope a feel a little better tomorrow. Today, my head feels like it's going to explode.

When I was walking the dogs this morning, several joggers asked me if I'd seen the coyotes. I'm glad I hadn't because sometimes Dot and Dash don't ignore the coyotes like they should and start barking wildly instead. I certainly don't want to provoke a pack of coyotes. I've got enough problems as it is.

Somehow I've completely missed the new season of Dr. Who. I wonder if I missed anything good. I know that they were supposed to shoot this year's new episodes in the United States. Usually when a British or Canadian television series starts doing episodes in the United States, the whole thing starts to go down hill. This is certainly what happened with Lexx. The first three seasons were good, but the last and final season, shot here in the United States, was absolutely terrible. Hey guys, it's not all about the Grand Canyon and cowboy hats over here.

Maybe they'll figure out how to pay me tomorrow. Money is nice. I always like receiving money whether I'm sick or not.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day