Day 2197

We started the day walking through a thick layer of ground fog in the park. Fourteen hours later, I still feel like I'm the one in the fog. Maybe it's brain fog. I did quite a bit today, but it still feels like I spent my time floundering around. Right after breakfast I went to the mall to finish the small amount of Christmas shopping I had left. I thought if I arrived right when the stores were opening, I could avoid the crowds. Apparently, other people had the same idea. I was amazed at how crowded things were at 10 AM. On a normal day, the place would be completely empty. Even though there were more shoppers than I expected, my instincts were right. I found a parking place without any problems, did my shopping, and was back home again in less than an hour.

Today seemed like a good day to upgrade Pro Tools, so I bit the bullet and downloaded the latest version from the Avid site. I always forget what a pain it is to install Avid software. There are multiple layers of registration and license codes. Before you can even begin, you have to download your new software license to the iLok dongle that Avid uses to prevent people from copying their software. I hate dongles. Why does Avid continue using them? Most manufacturers abandoned this form of copy protection long ago. I can never remember my password to the iLok license manager. I can't usually remember my password to the Avid download site either. When you are finally authorized to download the software, you are presented with a long list of items to choose from. It would be nice if they told you which of these things you actually needed. The software is huge and takes a long while to download. Today, my computer froze during the download process, so I had to reboot and start the whole registration and download all over again. What a waste of time. I don't know why Avid makes it so hard to upgrade. I might upgrade more often if they just made the whole process easier. Maybe tomorrow I'll actually install the software. Maybe in a month or two I might even use it.

Dot is way off schedule today.  She didn't poop after lunch and despite taking her outside four separate times, she didn't poop after dinner either. This makes me nervous, because it practically guarantees that she's going to poop in the house right when I'm in the middle of something else. It hasn't happened yet, but it will.

I watched the launch of the Space X Falcon 9 after dinner and was pleased to see a successful soft landing of the booster at Cape Canaveral. Elon Musk always said he could do this and he delivered today. Once this reusable rocket gets perfected, it will dramatically lower the cost of space travel. I hope that Space X continues to push the boundaries. I'd love to see someone land on Mars in my lifetime.

I should have returned to the lake with a camera after I finished walking the dogs this morning. Heavy ground fog is rare, and if you're lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, you can get some spectacular pictures. Being in the right place at the right time is difficult when you're walking Dot though. Maybe there was still enough time to take a few shots of boats half hidden in the mist, but I suspect that the moment had already passed by the time we returned home.

It certainly didn't seem like the first day of Winter. It was 70 degrees outside. Texas weather is always full of surprises. I'll take a camera with me tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll be surprised with more ground fog. I'm sure there will be more brain fog whether I find anything to photograph or not. Brain fog is pretty common these days.

Willows is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1830

I finally put up the Christmas tree today. Every year there seems to be a few less ornaments. Some have broken. Others have gotten lost. Even though the tree is starting to look a little threadbare, I still like it. All the ornaments are Dalmatians we've collected over the years. You don't see these Dalmatian Christmas ornaments in stores anymore, but I suppose they're still pretty easy to find online. The dogs used to be interested in the tree, but not anymore. They won't be interested until little wrapped packages filled with tasty dog treats go under it.

I went to a different restaurant for breakfast today. I didn't feel like going to the same place two days in a row. It's interesting that all these little neighborhood restaurants have their own audience. My favorite place is an eclectic mix of hipster beards, Apple laptops, and yoga pants. The place I went to today seems to be where all the school teachers go for breakfast. There's another restaurant where everybody seems to be over 80, and a fourth where everyone is always in a hurry. This food is pretty good at this place, but I seldom go there because I can't stand to be around people in a hurry.

I started my physical therapy exercises today. Oddly, they seemed easier here at home than they seemed at the gym last Wednesday. The only problem I had was whenever I tried to do the exercises where I needed to lie on my back on the floor, the dogs thought I wanted to play with them and they started jumping on me. Some of the exercises required the use of a cane last Wednesday. I'm not ready for a cane though, so I used a collapsible carbon fiber microphone boom pole instead. I wonder how long I'll continue doing these stretching exercises? They're both painful and boring. I don't think this is a good combination.

Dot seemed reluctant to go outside today. I can't really blame her. It was cold and rainy for the third day in a row. I almost took a good camera with me today, but I was afraid that the mist would unexpectedly turn to rain and get the camera wet. The light is soft and pretty on days like this. It's somewhat counter-intuitive, but grey days often produce the best pictures. Maybe I'll take a camera tomorrow.

It doesn't feel like Christmas is just around the corner. Very few people send Christmas cards anymore and I haven't been to an office Christmas party in years. Hey, I've got a tree up now though. Maybe that will get me in the spirit.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day