Day 4132

We watched Prince Phillip's funeral while we were eating breakfast this morning. It felt like the end of an era. Phillip was the last of my Dad's generation. He was one of the very last World War II vets. He certainly was among the last to place any value on dignity and tradition. It was nice to see a nation that still reveres its history and traditions rather than try to tear them down and erase them. The monarchy may be a relic of a bygone era, but so am I. God save the Queen.

Phillip certainly had good taste in cars. This is the first and probably last time I will ever see a Land Rover Defender used as a hearse. They say Phillip chose the Defender because it was practical and unassuming. Of course he had the vehicle custom made to his own specifications and it was probably much more expensive than any ordinary hearse. Royal prerogative I guess. I was amused that at one point during a solemn and silent part of the ceremony all I could hear was the noisy motor of the Defender. I miss my old Defender and I miss the bygone era it represents. What comes next is anybody's guess, but I suspect that it is going to be a dystopian horror show.

It took me several stores to find my favorite beer while I was grocery shopping this morning. I've gotten hooked on small batch craft beers, but unfortunately some of them don't stay on the shelves with any regularity. I hope they are still brewing this beer. I went for years with having any alcohol at all when I had Hepatitis-C, but now having a single beer with dinner each night has become one of my daily pleasures. 

My back is still giving me problems. Janet has had back problems for years and tells me that I have to be patient and continue doing stretching exercises. It's hell getting old. You are supposed to lift things using your knees instead of bending over and lifting with your back. Easier said than done for a person with bad knees. One of my knees is so bad that I can't put much weight on it at all. There is definitely not a spring in my step anymore. If you see an old man shuffling slowly through the park, it is probably me.

I'm not going to let a few aches and pains stop me from walking. I've noticed that the walks don't actually make anything worse, so I'm assuming that staying active is helpful. There are dozens of commercials on TV for products that eliminate the aches and pains of aging. Many of them seem to have terrible side effects. I manage my blood pressure and control my cholesterol and A1C, but that's where the pills stop. If your joints are wearing out, there is going to be some discomfort. I'd rather live with it than get a knee or hip replacement. Eating healthy food and staying active still seems like a good plan to me.

I went and got Chinese take out for dinner again tonight. Why are there so many cars on the road at 6PM? Every time I go out it seems like rush hour. I suspect that this is only going to get worse. I've never seen so many out of state plates on cars. People are moving here in droves from failing cities in other parts of the country. I hate to see all the congestion, but it's still better to live in a successful, vibrant city than in a failing, crumbling one. 

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3173

Every time I see one of these celebrity funerals on TV, my first thought is "Damn, I'll be lucky if ten people show up for my funeral." It's odd who we choose to remember. I've known some amazing people who were promptly forgotten as soon as they were in the ground. That being said, I'll give Aretha the win for this weekend's funeral fest. It's hard to compete with a hundred pink Cadillacs and a complete outfit change every time the casket was moved. Oh, and I almost forgot the minister who groped Ariana Grande during the service and said her name reminded him of something on the Taco Bell menu.

I think there ought to be services for dogs. I'm talking about real formal services with prayers and eulogies. Why not? I know a lot of people who were more upset when their dog died than a family member. I'm probably one of these people. I have mixed feelings about family. I've never had mixed feelings about dogs. Dogs should live a lot longer. They're around just long enough to become our best friends and then they're gone.

I'm glad Dash is still around. When he gets me up several time during the night like he did last night, I think he's going to outlive me. Dot and Dash both seem to be the Energizer Bunnies of their breed. Dash has had so many close calls and he's still waiting at the back door for his walk every morning. He's amazing. Sure, he gets tired easily, seems confused, doesn't have much of an appetite, and stumbles a lot, but so do I. Dash is definitely following in Dot's footsteps. These two have been an inspiration. I'll often look at Dash at night and think "If this little guy can overcome his problems, the least I could do is overcome mine. Without dogs, I probably never would have learned to live in the moment.

The model trains are continuing to sell. On the first of every month I get a report and four or five more pieces are gone. It could take years to sell the collection at this rate, but one by one each model is finding a new home. These models seemed so special when I got them years ago and now the proceeds are just being used to pay utility bills. I guess this makes sense. It would be really silly to sell one collection and just use the money to start collecting something else.

Today was uneventful. I bought fresh fruit at the grocery store, filled the car with gas, mowed the lawn in the back yard, and cleaned up dog poop. Dash outdid himself last night, but at least the mess was outside.

Can you believe it's September already? Dash took his heartworm pill this morning. I'm going to be optimistic and get him another six month supply. Dash is full of surprises. He may still be with us this time next year. I can tell the days are already starting to get shorter. I'm not looking forward to Winter, but I'm definitely looking forward to Fall.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2645

One of Janet's brothers died this morning. I didn't know this brother well, but it still made me feel like the circle is becoming smaller and smaller. There are few births and marriages to celebrate these days, but there seems to be a continuous parade of funerals. Funerals bother me. I know we all have a limited time on this earth, but it would be nice to know how much time we actually had. So often death comes as a surprise.

I need to get better organized. I'd hate to leave a huge mess for somebody when my time comes. My Dad was so organized that he had his whole service planned in great detail before he died. I was so glad to find the piece of paper with his final wishes on it, because I wouldn't have known what to do. My Dad's sister passed away a few years ago and she was equally organized. I was amazed at how thoughtful she was.

It's kind of a balancing act to acknowledge that death is always nearby, while still concentrating on life. Dot could die in her sleep at any time, but I continue to treat each day as if it were completely normal. I think the fact that Dot still feels like a valued member of the family and still has the opportunity to do some of the things she loved to do when she was younger is why she is still with us today.

Dot has the luxury of having a dedicated full time assistant. Most people don't. My Dad did pretty well until a serious fall put him into a nursing home. Once he lost his house, his freedom, and his day-to-day routine, he went downhill quickly. I think one of the reasons I go to the gym and try my best to stay strong is that I don't want to become weak and frail like my Dad. Having your independence is everything. I can tell that Dot feels the same way. We work together well to keep her moving, but from time to time I see frustration in her eyes as I pick up her harness to lift her rear legs. She loves wandering around the back yard and smelling things, but she would much rather do it on her own.

I wonder why young people never join my gym. It is one of the best facilities in town, but I continue to think I'm the youngest member. There was a guy who used to walk on a treadmill next to me who always wore a t-shirt that said "I wish I was still 80." I haven't' seen this guy in a while. He probably died. I'm sure that watching old people work out gives me a distorted view of my own progress. I think I'm doing great because the people next to me are barely moving. These people are determined though. It's kind of inspiring. If I'm still going to the same gym ten years from now, I'm sure I'll be just as slow as they are.

So far, the switch to Daylight Savings Time hasn't saved me anything. I didn't get any more sleep. I didn't get any more done. I didn't even bother to reset the clocks. Tomorrow I'll be more organized. I have no choice. It's time to get started working on my taxes.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1149

I got a haircut today. Instead of talking about upcoming vacation plans, like I usually do with my stylist, we ended up talking about funeral planning. Betty's father is sick and evidently she is in charge of making the arrangements when the time comes. I was surprised at how much actually I knew about the subject, since it isn't often a topic of conversation. It certainly isn't something you talk about in a hair salon very often. It's been a long time since I've had to make funeral arrangements, but I guess its something you never forget.

When my haircut was finished, I stopped by the Apple store on the way out of the mall and got one of those little wristlets that tracks all your activities during the day. I'm not all that interested in counting calories, but this thing is supposed to be able to tell you how long it takes you to go to sleep and then tracks your light and deep sleep cycles during the night, as well as identifies any waking moments. I don't feel like I get that much sleep, since the dogs are always waking me up. It will be interesting to see if I get any deep sleep at all. I'm afraid the little wristlet will embarrass me and tell me that I'm asleep during the day. It would be an easy mistake for a gizmo to make. I don't move around much when I write.

I think the dogs thought we were taking them on another road trip when we went to training class tonight. They both seemed real disappointed when we arrived at the field where all the dogs were. Dot didn't even want to get out of the car. When we started the exercises, the dogs seemed distracted. Dot would come to other owners voices by mistake and Dash was so fidgety that he would hardly stay still at all. Eventually, they settled down and did everything right, but I don't think they were really into being trained this evening.

I'm a bit surprised at how easy it's been so far to modify my diet. I haven't been seriously tempted by anything yet. I guess this makes sense in an odd sort of way. I'm totally a creature of habit. I'm in the process now of substituting good habits for bad ones, but they are still just habits. Once the new habits become familiar and turn into rituals, it should be easy to maintain them. Habits are a lot different than cravings. Cravings are fueled by desire. Habits, on the other hand, are fueled by laziness. I don't have a whole lot of desire, but I have an abundance of laziness. For once, laziness might actually work to my advantage. Bye bye bacon. Oatmeal, here I come.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 835

I went to a friend's funeral today. No, this wasn't the architectural school classmate I mentioned earlier. I met David doing animal rescue work here in Dallas. Oddly, although my two friends lived thousands of miles apart, they both died of cancer within days of each other. During the service, the wireless mic that the preacher was using kept fading in and out. I could imagine David fuming in the casket. He was a fabulous DJ and knew everything there was to know about sound systems. I'm sure he knew exactly how to fix the situation, but he was already somewhere else. David loved people and was always there to lend a helping hand. It was not surprising that the church was filled to capacity. As a somewhat grumpy person with few friends, I often wonder if anyone will show up at my funeral at all. I guess we never know these things though. It's probably best that we don't.

While I was at the funeral, the electrician called and left a message saying he was ready to fix the mercury vapor lamp in the back yard. When I returned the call and asked whether he could reschedule for tomorrow, he said that they didn't work on Fridays and that I would have to call the office on Monday and reschedule. I also got a call from the washing machine repair shop today, saying that the part hadn't come in yet and they were planning on coming out again next Wednesday. When I reminded them that the repairman told me the part could be ordered overnight and that the repair would be finished by Friday at the latest, all the dispatcher said was that the repairman shouldn't have been telling me these things. Oh, well. So much for service.

My financial advisor called me today to explain some recent transactions. I was perplexed yesterday when I discovered that I now owned two new stocks and didn't remember buying either of them. My advisor explained to me that we had talked extensively about these two companies during our last meeting, but that he had waited until now to buy them because they hadn't been attractively priced until recently. I have no reason to doubt the guy. I forget stuff all the time. It was just a little embarrassing to admit to my financial advisor that much of what he tells me goes in one ear and right out the other.

It was a busy day, but I still managed to get just about everything on my list finished. Dogs were walked. Articles were written. Websites were updated. Probably the most surprising thing about the day was that my dark funeral suit still fit. I may be getting senile, but at least I'm not getting fat.

Elliot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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