Day 1743

Surprisingly, everything turned out well today. I walked Dash while Janet fed Dot her breakfast and when we returned, Dash just went to sleep until it was time to go to the vet. I didn't expect this, but it made life a little easier. Dash's blood was free of lipids this time, so we got a good sample for the thyroid level tests. Dot got her DHPP and Bordetella vaccinations when she went to the vet a little later, and so far she has had no adverse reactions. Hopefully, we're done with shots and lab work for a while.

Despite the multiple vet appointments, I still managed to get quite a bit of work done. There were the usual website updates, along with a new writing assignment. I didn't finish the writing assignment, since it was longer than usual, but it will give me something to do tomorrow.

I'm wondering what's so special about IOS 8. I installed it on my phone several days ago and still haven't noticed anything different. There are supposed to be hundreds of new features, but apparently none of them have any impact on the five simple apps I actually use. The camera is supposed to gain several additional features with the new operating system, but it still doesn't have the features I've been wanting since the very first iPhone. I can't understand why you can't manually focus the camera, or control the f-stop. These two things seem pretty basic to me.

One of the dog's vets was telling me today how much her kids liked Dr. Who. I'm pretty fond of Dr. Who myself, so it made me wonder if I was still basically a kid at heart. I certainly don't tend to see "adult" solutions to most of the world's problems. The world is simple to me. Unemployment? Just start manufacturing things in this country again the way we used to and there will be plenty of jobs. Global warming? If global warming is caused by man like everyone says it is, just quit having kids for a generation. The population growth will slow dramatically, nature will reclaim what it lost, and everything will be fine. Terrorism? Just don't let these guys on planes. Ever! No exceptions for anyone. Keep your oil and keep your camels and let the rest of the world get back to business.

None of this will ever happen though. Too many people still believe that globalization is a good thing and that by relentlessly promoting diversity, we can somehow all learn to get along. Not very likely. If your own family can't get along at Thanksgiving dinner, how is the whole world going to get along?  Personally, I think we have made such a mess of things that we ought to give the place back to the whales and the dolphins.

Enough with the seriousness though. It's not really part of my narrative. I prefer to talk about dogs for a reason. Dogs aren't Democrats or Republicans. They may bite you, but they'll never lie. Feed a dog and treat it properly and you've got a friend for life. People are a bit different.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1504

What happened to yesterday's balmy seventy degree weather? Today it was closer to thirty degrees with a thirty mile per hour wind. Brr! I'm sure the global warming crowd has a convoluted explanation for these strange extremes, but I've never seen anything like it. When you go from Winter to Summer to Winter again, all in the span of two days, something is messed up.

I picked up some prescriptions today and noticed that the price had gone down again. Apparently the time I had to spend in the dreaded donut hole penalty box was mercifully short. I asked my pharmacist if he knew what was going on, and of course he didn't. The entire healthcare system has become a mysterious black hole that sucks in questions and never regurgitates answers. I have a feeling that Obabacare is just Medicare under another name. If that's the case, lord help all of us.

I had lots of writing work to do today, but still found time to drive downtown for my third blood test in less than a week. Usually, I don't even feel the needle during these tests, but this time I walked away with a sore arm. Maybe I've just been poked too many times in too few days, or maybe the nurse just wasn't paying attention today. Either way, I think I've had enough blood tests to last me for a while. My next test is scheduled for March.

I decided to run the malware checking software I got recently on my large five terabyte backup drive. That was probably a mistake. Almost two days later, the initial scan of the drive still isn't complete. There is a message in the progress bar that says 72 million files have been scanned. That can't possibly be right. Even with the thousands of small invisible Unix files that the Apple operating system installs, how could I have 72 million files on my computer? Even with the separate partition for Linux software that I haven't used in years, this number still seems way, way too high.  It wouldn't surprise me a bit if some of these mystery files were secretly installed by Google or the NSA.  Since a lot of files on any computer are normally invisible these days so you won't erase part of the operating system by mistake, it makes you wonder if anybody really knows what is on their machine.

Apple stock took a huge plunge in after hours trading after a bad earnings report. Every time Apple stock gets down around $500 a share, I wonder if I should buy some again? I used to own Apple and did quite well with it back when Steve Jobs was alive. Now, I'm beginning to wonder if the moment has passed. My latest iPhone is basically the same as my first iPhone. Just about everybody's laptops are basically the same. Lets face it, when your grandparents start to adopt a technology, it's probably time to move on. Maybe 3D printing is the next big thing. I've invested in a few 3D printing companies, but I really have no idea what's around the next bend. I'm afraid if I really could see the future, it would scare the hell out of me.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day