Day 2890

Ignorance is bliss, I guess. When I went in for my Calcium Score Screening today, I was expecting a good report. I've worried about my liver for years, but never about my heart. Why should I worry? I'm active. I'm not fat. I try to avoid salt and sugar and eat a healthy diet. Not good enough apparently. My Agatston Score indicates that I already have some atherosclerosis.

When I was younger and underwent any sort of diagnostic testing, the technicians usually gave me a high five. "You're looking good," they'd say. Now when I ask whether the results are good or bad, the response is more like "Considering your age, you're probably OK." It's probably all downhill from here.

I'm not exactly in the danger zone yet, but I imagine that my doctor will want to make some changes. I hope he doesn't want me to take stronger statins. I already don't like statins. I don't like niacin either.  I know dark green leafy vegetables are good, but I'm not wild about eating more broccoli. Maybe there are other ways of getting extra vitamin K in my diet. Truthfully, I never even considered that calcium could be bad for you. I've been taking calcium pills for years to increase bone density. Maybe this isn't such a good idea.

Getting old sucks. My Dad was unstoppable until he turned 70 and then he started going downhill so rapidly it was scary. I don't know why I've always thought I was immune from the same sort of decline. I need to learn from my Dad's mistakes. He never really ate all that well. As a result he had several heart attacks and a quadruple bypass. It's a shame that staying healthy involves giving up so many enjoyable things. I gave up alcohol when I had Hepatitis-C and never started drinking again after I was cured. I've made a real effort to reduce salt and sugar in my diet. I rarely eat bread or pasta anymore and only have bacon as a weekend treat now. What's next? If calcium is a problem, I imagine dairy products are next. I love cheese and sweeten my coffee with whipped cream.  I'd hate to give those up.

It's kind of sad that I got this bad news the day before Thanksgiving. I'm still going to pig out tomorrow, but I'll be even more aware that a huge plate piled with prime rib and mashed potatoes followed by a giant slice of pecan pie topped with whipped cream has to be the exception rather than the rule. Hell, I might even have a glass of wine tomorrow. If you can't loosen your belt and enjoy yourself once a year, what is the point of it all?

It's strange that I've heard absolutely nothing about John Kennedy today. Usually, the Kennedy assassination is the lead on the local news every November 22. I've even made the annual visit to Dealey Plaza myself in prior years. I don't think anyone cares anymore. There are so many other juicy conspiracy theories these days than the debate about whether there was a second gunman on the Grassy Knoll seems insignificant. Memories fade, I guess. I was a freshman in high school when Kennedy was killed. A lot of you weren't even born yet.

I had to pick up some more Plavix for Dash today. There a good chance he'll have to keep taking the blood thinner forever. Increasingly, Dash and I seem to share a lot of the same ailments. We both have heart problems, bad knees, and a grumpy disposition. We'll continue walking and taking naps together and hope for the best.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1510 - Groundhog Day

Damn you Punxsutawney Phil. The last thing we need right now is six more weeks of Winter. It looks like that's what we're going to get though; starting with today. Luckily, we didn't get the freezing rain that was forecast. We did get a lot of very cold rain that was only a degree or two above freezing though. I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for Spring.

Bruno Mars was the best thing about the Superbowl. He brought more energy to his short halftime performance than Peyton Manning exhibited during the entire game. What happened Denver? This contest was billed as the league's best offense against the league's best defense. Unless I missed something, the Denver offense was nonexistent.

The commercials were terrible this year.  I always like the Budweiser commercials, but their dogs and horses formula is something they perfected long ago. The only commercial that showed any degree of originality was the somewhat self-depreciating Radio Shack spot. Going into a Radio Shack store really is like going back to the 80's. By humorously acknowledging that history has passed them by, maybe the company is creating an environment for change. Who knows. They probably don't know how to change though and will continue to fail in a spectacular way, just like J.C. Penny.

Change is difficult. I'd be the first to acknowledge that people and companies get set in their ways. Even the relatively minor changes I'm having to make as a result of my shoulder injury, are driving me crazy. I'm really having problems with hiring a dog walker. I'm usually the one ranting and railing about irresponsible dog walkers in the neighborhood, so it's hard for me to trust one of these people myself. I'm sure there are excellent dog walkers, but I've seen some of them do some really stupid things down in the park and was glad they weren't responsible for any of my dogs.

Maybe there's a solution though. A friend let me borrow a waist leash today. I gave the contraption a trial run this afternoon and it actually seems to work as promised. A sturdy dog leash is attached to a belt that goes around your waist, allowing you to walk even large dogs hands-free. I see joggers using these things occasionally, but I'd never used one myself. Surprisingly, the leash seemed to work. I'll have to walk the dogs separately, but I was able to give Dash a good, well controlled walk without using my hands.

Instead of our usual Superbowl burgers, Janet cooked braised porkchops in the slow cooker and served them on top of an arugula and pear salad. The combination was delicious and the porkchops were unbelievably tender. I love the slow cooker. I guess it all goes to prove that it doesn't matter if the weather is terrible and the Superbowl is a bust, as long as you end things with a great meal.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1148

There's been a lot of controversy on the Internet lately about whether Allopurinol actually works to prevent bladder stones. For years this drug has been the recommended treatment to prevent recurrent urate bladder stones in Dalmatians. My vet recommends Allopurinol and I know many Dalmatian owners who use it. I've always considered the medication very safe. Unfortunately, now there are a group of vets who beg to differ. They say Allopurinol can actually cause the formation of struvite stones. Evidently, unless the pH of the dog's urine is completely neutral, the drug can do more harm than good. I only mention all this because Dash has always been prone to bladder stones. Now, we've got to decide whether to discontinue his Allopurinol treatment or keep on doing what we've been doing for years.

Medicine always seems to be this way. Doctors will tell you something for years and years and then one day you'll go in for a visit and your doctor will say "Never mind. Forget everything I've told you for the past ten years." This has happened to me before and it's always disconcerting. I like to think of doctors as infallible, but that is never the case. Medicine changes and doctors change their minds about a lot of things, just like the rest of us.

The Dow Jones industrial average crossed the 14,000 mark several times today, but apparently my stocks didn't get the memo. I ended up down for the day as the market approached a record high. My Yum Brands shares got clobbered because the Chinese apparently have problems with the Colonel's finger lickin' good chicken. My Baidu shares, on the other hand, got clobbered because investors had problems with the Chinese. It's always disappointing to do poorly on a good day. I'm getting used to it though.

Maybe I'm just imagining things, but I think I'm already starting to feel better as a result of my new diet. I wake up with more energy and don't seem to be as tired during the day. The differences aren't dramatic, but I do notice a change. This is certainly enough of an incentive to keep going with my quest for a healthier lifestyle. Who knows. Maybe I'll even grow to like these changes.

A friend of mine mentioned that he might have a video project for me. That would be a refreshing change from all the drivel I'm writing now. I'd better not count my chicken before they hatch though. The new project might actually be worse than what I'm doing now. I need to find out more.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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