Day 2275

As expected, we got lots of rain today. It was a good day to spend on the phone with tech support. For the second time in as many months, I found myself locked out of some of the websites I manage. In cases like this, the problem is usually the password. I didn't change the password. The client couldn't remember the password. And tech support wouldn't talk to me unless I had the password. I finally had to ask the client to ask for a password reset, so I could access the server. This didn't work either. After lots of back and forth, we finally discovered that the hosting company had changed the user ID for the site. Everything is fine now, but it won't be long before there is another password issue on another server. It's frustrating. I wish people would just quit trying to hack into things. Hacking forces hosting companies to continually keep changing their security protocols and it forces people like me to have to remember way too many complicated passwords.

The rain was pretty steady for most of the day. I had the pump on the roof running, the dehumidifier running, and the dryer all running at the same time. My clothes always get wet on rainy days, so I just throw them in the dryer as soon as I get back inside. With all three of these noisy machines running at the same time it felt like I was in the engine room of a ship. The rain eventually stopped, but it looks like tomorrow is going to be more of the same. People who like gardening love these Spring rains, but people with dogs usually don't. Dash is a magnet for mud on rainy days and Dot is difficult to dry off once she gets wet. Needless to say, even though work has slowed down, I still have plenty to do.

I'm enjoying the chaotic political primary season. The leadership of the Democratic party can't seem to put Bernie away and the Republican leadership is doing even worse with Donald Trump. I was pleased to see how well Bernie is doing in Michigan and equally pleased to see that the Republican leadership's efforts to destroy Donald Trump have seemingly backfired. I wonder if many people have noticed that these two very different outsiders have several important things in common. Both think that disastrous trade deals have decimated American manufacturing and destroyed millions of good jobs. Both also think it was a huge mistake to get involved in pointless wars in the middle east. As somewhat of an isolationist who has never been a big fan of globalization, I find it refreshing that so many people seem to agree with me. I think this is an important election. We will see once and for all just how much influence that the lobbyists and giant corporations have over our lives.

I think my efforts to eliminate wheat and sugar from my diet have failed. I did so well for almost three years eating Kale salads and avoiding bread. Now the kitchen is filled with all kinds of crackers again and I'm having ice cream for dessert. Why does unhealthy food taste so good? I still avoid fast food restaurants and try to always include a green vegetable with my dinner, but I'm slipping. I love cheeseburgers, pork ribs, and French toast. Broccoli and Kale, not so much.

Hopefully Dot's Wednesday therapy session will go better than it did last week. Last week she pooped in the car and got very tired in the underwater treadmill. Maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow.

Bacardi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2195

The dogs let us sleep in this morning, but I still woke up tired. I got to bed late last night because I was still ironing out the bugs resulting from yesterday's big computer upgrade. Not that it matters, but I think I finally regained the ability to run Linux software on the computer. When I did go to bed, I discovered that Dash was in my place. This happens a lot. I either have to move him, which wakes everybody up, or just sleep on the edge of the bed. To avoid a lot of barking and commotion in the middle of the night, I just slept on the edge of the bed.

It was really cold last night. I remember waking up at some point to put a blanket on Dot. When we went on our morning walk, the grass felt crunchy under my boots and there was frost everywhere. In the Summer I always think it would be nice to retire to Wyoming or Montana. In the Winter Florida sounds better.

When we were walking this morning, I noticed that the city street crews were repaving one of the roads that leads into the park. This road doesn't get a lot of traffic, but I guess it was on the city's list anyway. Right next to the road the city was fixing was a residential street with some of the worst potholes in the city. I don't think this street has ever been fixed. You'd think the city would pave both streets, since all the paving equipment was here anyway. Nope. As soon as they finished the short road into the park, they left. The nearby street with giant potholes was ignored.

It took me a long time to do my Saturday errands today. I just wasn't in the mood. It was actually a beautiful, somewhat chilly day, but taking a long nap seemed much more appealing than putting on a warm coat and going grocery shopping. Eventually I pulled myself together and got everything done, but I still feel sleep deprived. The roads and stores were really crowded today. If Dallas traffic is any indication, retailers should have a good Christmas this year.  Maybe taking a nap wasn't such a bad idea after all.

I really need to go to the gym tomorrow. The combination of too many holiday sweets and too little exercise is starting to take its toll. You'd think that the four all day photo events earlier this month would have provided all the exercise I needed, but apparently not. I think all the Santa Paws events did was ruin my knees and make the carpel tunnel in my left wrist worse. I'm certainly not any stronger. Like it or not, I'm going to have to hit the treadmill and hand bicycle again.

I wish I had the willpower to go back to the austere diet I was on while I was being treated for Hepetitis C. I was a bit thinner then and generally felt healthier, but I didn't enjoy living without wheat and sugar. Meals are important to me. Sadly, bread is very tasty and sugar and salt are the secret ingredients that make almost everything taste good. Once I started having the occasional cheeseburger again and returned to eating bread and crackers it was all over. I just can't go back to kale salads. I still don't drink, but I'll have to admit that a few Martinis would have made this a better day.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2015

Hmm. Today's blog day is the same as the actual year. I wish there was some significance to this, but there probably isn't. If I'd started the blog three days earlier, this all would have happened on my birthday. Now, that would have been weird.

The only thing weird about today was my doctor's appointment. I had been hoping to convince my doctor to discontinue two of my meds, simply because they were becoming too expensive. I got my wish, but not in the way I expected. When the doctor was explaining how various medications worked to control cholesterol, A1C, blood pressure, and various other things, I noticed something odd. As he  explained what the expensive drug was supposed to do, I stopped him and pointed to a row of numbers. "This drug doesn't appear to be working," I said. "If it was, these numbers would be going in the opposite direction." "That bothers me too," the doctor said. "Lets just quit taking this for two months and see what happens." OK. That's what I've been wanting to do for the last two years anyway. Since I was on a roll, I decided to bring up another drug I've grown to dislike. "Do I really need to take this Niacin," I asked? I hate the timed release Niacin, because in addition to being expensive, it causes an uncomfortable flushing reaction that turns my skin bright red for an hour or so. The doctor said that the special version of Niacin was supposed to cause the flushing to occur while I was asleep, so I would never notice it. Nope, usually I'm wide awake. "Well, if the delay isn't working right," the doctor told me, "why don't you just take inexpensive over-the-counter Niacin instead?" Sounds good to me. Over-the-counter Niacin is about $5. The special prescription version of this drug is costing me $80 a month.

My numbers weren't really bad today, but it would have been nice if they were improving instead of getting worse. I'm pretty sure that everything can be explained by a slight relaxation of the strict diet I was following when I was being treated for Hepatitis-C. I still eat very healthy meals, but there are more comfort foods now. Instead of a strict plant-based diet with very little red meat, I'll have a steak now and then and typically enjoy some sausage or bacon with my morning eggs. I didn't used to do this during the year I was eating oatmeal in the morning and kale salads at night. I guess it makes a difference. Probably throwing a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream into my morning smoothie isn't helping matters either. It's a shame that almost everything delicious or fun is bad for you.

The doctor asked me if I was experiencing anything stressful in my life, since one of the tests apparently shows different results under stress. Naw, everything's normal I thought. Just dogs with cancer and spinal injuries, lots of expensive dental work, and a declining income. Today actually was pretty normal. I had one article to write, but I had that finished well before noon. The dogs seemed strong and in good spirits, even though the temperature was a lot warmer. Dot slept well and didn't poop in her bed. What's not to like?

I made an appointment to get a haircut later in the week and finally had a talk with my insurance agent about my homeowners policy. Maybe if it's still sunny tomorrow, I'll get the water off the roof. It's amazing how everything does get done eventually.  All in good time, I say.

Kirby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1480

My biological clock finally seems to have reset itself. It's a Friday and is actually feels like a Friday. The guys at my favorite restaurant know me so well now that I don't have to say a word when I arrive for my Friday breakfast. The barista has my coffee waiting for me and my order is on it's way to the kitchen before I even arrive at the register to pay for it. Consistency can be boring, but it does have its benefits. I like consistency.

My liver doctor called today and told me that the newly FDA approved medication for Hepatitis C is available now and they want to get my treatment started this month. Finally! I've been waiting several years to hear this news. The new treatment is supposedly much more effective than the traditional Interferon and Ribavirin combo, with far fewer serious side effects. I've really been trying to avoid the Interferon and Ribavirin treatment because it is horrendously expensive, makes you feel like you've got the flu for a year, and can cause serious problems with anemia. I was also never wild about injecting myself with the Interferon. Hopefully, this new medication is a pill.

I made it back to the gym this afternoon, but I didn't have time to complete my entire workout. Several tight deadlines really chopped up my day. I'm having increasing difficulty completing all my assignments. Either the work I'm getting now is more difficult, or I'm getting slower. Maybe it's a little bit of both, but I certainly don't have much free time anymore. Free time is good. If I had more free time, I'd probably be a lot more interesting person.

It's getting to be an effort to maintain my healthy diet. When I started eating healthy six or eight months ago, I scoffed at people who didn't have the willpower to maintain their diets. Dieting is easy, I thought. I did really well for a long time, but now I'm starting to have a little more sympathy for friends who find it difficult to diet. My enemy is boredom. I was eating all the right foods, but now I'm bored with them. I'm tired of Kale, and those evil twins, sugar and wheat are tempting me again. I'd love to have French Toast for breakfast tomorrow, but I won't. I think I can keep fighting the good fight, but it does leave me wondering why the fun things in life are almost universally bad for you.

Janet tells me that there are some new rescue Dalmatians to photograph, so maybe we'll do that in the morning. It might be a good day to go to the dog park too, especially since it is supposed to get up to 65 degrees tomorrow, before dipping below freezing again on Sunday. Did I mention I like consistency?  This inconsistent weather is driving me crazy.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1396

I was asked recently what was on my bucket list. Hmm. I don't actually think I've ever had a bucket list. I can recall doing some pretty amazing things in my time, but most of them were purely accidental. There never was much of a plan or a clearly focused goal. I'm convinced that the epitaph on my tombstone will just read He had a lot of potential. In lieu of a bucket list, I do have a rather long list of things I'd love to never do again. Does that count?

I thought today would be a piece of cake, but it turned out to be a lot more involved than I had planned. By the time I finally made it to the gym  for my second workout of the week, it was 5 PM. There just aren't enough hours in the day anymore. Walking the dogs takes a little over two hours. Writing assignments typically take four hours. Routine website revisions take an hour and a half, while more extensive design work is usually reserved for a day where there is no writing planned. Breakfast takes about an hour. It doesn't matter whether I eat out or cook my own, it still takes an hour. Minor household chores like making the bed, doing the laundry, fixing coffee, and vacuuming take about an hour. Answering e-mail and writing the blog takes a couple of hours every day. Is there any time left? It certainly doesn't seem like there is.

Breakfast was good today. I added some tasty biscuits and gravy to my usual omelet. I know I shouldn't be eating wheat, but it's hard to stay on the wagon when my blood chemistry hasn't really improved much since I radically changed my diet. I have lost a lot of weight, but that wasn't ever the goal. I was trying to reduce my cholesterol levels and get my liver enzymes out of the red zone. I still think my new diet is a huge improvement over what I was eating before. I just wish the results would show up on my blood tests instead of on my waistline.

I don't know how to tell Dash that there is rain in the forecast for the entire weekend. The little guy really missed his trip to the dog park last Sunday and I can tell he's been waiting for some off-leash time with other dogs all week. Hopefully, we can make an early trip to the dog park tomorrow morning before the rain shuts the place down.

Our dog training class always has a Halloween party and it's time to start thinking about a costume for the dogs again. Dot won once as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, although Dash didn't get rave reviews for his Tin Man costume. It's hard to think of a good costume for a Dalmatian, since they don't really like to wear costumes.

Katy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1360

I spent the afternoon in a MRI machine again. Today's scan seemed to take longer than usual, but maybe I'm just not as patient as I used to be. I like the technician who does my scans. He used to be a race car driver, but switched to medical technology after he got married to provide a more stable life for his family. The only vestige of his racing life that still remains is the best selection of car magazines ever in the MRI changing room. The only thing I dislike about these scans is that I have to fully extend my hands behind my head before they slide me into the narrow metal imaging tube. Yikes! With my dislocated shoulder, I think waterboarding would be a less traumatic torture than spending an hour with my arms extended this way.

I think the Defender 90 repairs might finally be finished. There was a voice-mail from Land Rover this morning asking me to call them. When I did return the call, all I got was their voice-mail. Since Land Rover is even slower about answering voice-mail messages than they are about repairing cars, I'll probably have to drive up to the dealership tomorrow and see what's going on. I was hoping to be able to keep the loaner car until the weather turned cooler, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. This has been the warmest September I can remember. At this rate, it's not going to be cool outside until Thanksgiving. Hopefully, they really fixed the Defender this time. I've still got to take Dot downtown every Wednesday for her physical therapy sessions.

A cool stove-top short-order griddle I ordered came in the mail today. This thing is perfect for quickly cooking up a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and other things I can no longer eat. I'm sure it will make a nice veggie omelet too, so the nifty new utensil definitely won't go to waste. It's weird. The less I am able to eat, the more I am interested in food. This probably won't end well. One day I will use up an entire loaf of Panera Bread making French Toast which I will then drench with half a bottle of pure maple syrup. So far, I'm hanging in there with my oatmeal and kale, but I don't know how long this can last.

It looks like I'm finally going to have to learn to use Wordpress. I've got two clients who want to add things to their websites that can only be accomplished using Wordpress. I've tried to convince them that Dreamweaver is the only development tool in the universe, but they aren't buying it anymore. I don't know what has happened to me. I used to love learning new things, and now I dread the process. The pace of change has simply become too disruptive. I used to get a lot of use out of my skills before they became obsolete. Now, the obsolescence occurs before I even finish reading the instruction manual. Oh, well. Time stops for no one. Not even me.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1165

There must be some money in the neighborhood. When I left the cool restaurant this morning, I noticed that my car was parked right next to a brand new McLaren MP4-12C. What a beautiful car! I've seen plenty of Ferrari's in Dallas, but this was the first time I've spotted a McLaren. I was curious who actually owned the car, since everyone in the restaurant was dressed like a homeless person. I guess this just underscores how blurred the boundaries between style and substance have become. Any one of the disheveled looking guys wearing grungy wool hats and plaid shirts could have been a hedge fund manager or the star of a new reality series. Maybe the guy who owns the McLaren will give me a ride someday. I'd love to tool around the neighborhood in a 618 horsepower rocket that goes from 0 to 60 in three seconds.

Sadly, my "go-to" breakfast at the cool restaurant may soon be off limits. I ran the scrumptious concoction made with two over-easy eggs on a bed of spicy pulled pork, spinach and hash browned potatoes through my tracker app and discovered that this single dish contained 171% of my entire daily cholesterol allotment. I had always considered this dish a "healthy" meal too. Sad!

I finally got a new assignment that isn't due in two hours. One of my European clients has given me an entire week to write an article for them. Such luxury! I've also been asked to bid on a new video project. Things are looking up.

When I was walking the dogs this morning, Dot tripped on a rock and started limping. We stopped for a while and I gently massaged her leg. Within a few minutes she seemed fine again. Dot is getting old and it is sad to see her start to fade. She seems a bit fragile now. Dot is the most athletic Dalmatian we have ever had and it's going to be hard on her when she starts to lose her mobility. Aging isn't much fun, for humans or their pets.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1157 - Valentines Day

I stood in a long line to get overpriced cupcakes at Sprinkles. I remembered to get extra doggie cupcakes for Dot and Dash. I went and got a pretty orchid to put on the coffee table in the living room. Yes, it's Valentines Day. I may not have the most original ideas in the world, but at least I don't forget. I'll miss drinking copious amounts of peach champagne this evening like we used to do on Valentines Day, but I think my drinking days are over.

I'm hoping the invasion of bugs we've been having this Winter is over as well. I've been seeing fewer of the critters since I started squirting the encapsulated power bait into every crack and crevice I could find. Since it was pleasantly warm outside this afternoon, I escalated my coordinated bug attack to phase two. I sprayed the exterior bricks with a solution that dries on the surface and can kill roaches for up to three months. I only applied the solution to parts of the house that the dogs don't have access to. Hopefully, this will be enough.

The deposition I was supposed to give tomorrow got canceled again. I think this is the third time it has been canceled or postponed. Hopefully, the two parties will just settle this thing and leave me alone now. Since I don't have to go to court tomorrow, I think I'll go and have another tasty veggie omelet for breakfast. My first experience eating an omelet without any meat was so delicious last week that I'm actually looking forward to having something similar this week. I think my dietary efforts are starting to show some results too. I got some blood work back in the mail today and was quite encouraged by the results. My liver enzyme levels were much closer to normal this time. My glucose levels actually were normal for the first time in many months. My cholesterol levels were a little high, but since I'm currently not taking any statins or cholesterol medication as part of a test, even these numbers were encouraging.

The dogs loved today's Springlike weather. They both wanted to go outside and roll in the grass. There was only one problem. There isn't any grass. They had to settle for taking a nap in a pile of leaves instead.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1142

I had an enjoyable lunch with a friend of mine today. We talked about how much ad agencies have changed since the "Mad Men" days when we both worked at an agency together. Then the subject changed to disastrous oil and gas investments both of us had made. Finally, we tried to top each other with stories about bad doctors and medical nightmares. It definitely wasn't a three martini lunch, since neither of us drank anymore. We both agreed that sixty was definitely not the new forty.

After lunch I went for a consultation with my new nutritionist. I was really impressed with the guy and learned more about the root causes of my various ailments in a two hour consultation than I have in several years of doctor visits.

I've known for some time that I needed to change my diet. I just haven't had anyone tell me exactly how or why. Now I have a plan. Right now, I'm consuming way too much protein and not enough vegetables. I need to cut back significantly on grains. Even whole grains are not that great if you have too much grain in your diet. The reason is that breads and grains easily converted to sugar and excessive sugar is one of the main causes of diabetes. I should be eating a diet that consists of no more than 10% grains and 20% animal proteins. The rest should be fresh vegetables. I should be eating four times more alkaline foods than acid foods to keep everything in balance.

Foods like broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, cabbage, artichokes and raw garlic are beneficial to the liver, while shellfish, alcohol, fats, and sugar are bad. Too much iron in the body is really bad for a person like me. Cauliflower and Oranges are good however. I'm going to have to make some changes. Some of my favorite foods like sushi, shrimp, bacon, and waffles are to be avoided. Oh, I need to excercise more too. Apparently, sweating is one of the most effective ways of eliminating toxins from the body.

None of this sounds like a lot of fun. Eating extravagantly rich food has always been one of my primary pleasures. On the other hand, I've been served vegetarian meals that are just as delicious as a well marbled steak. These meals always seemed difficult and time consuming to prepare, unfortunately. I may be a foodie, but I can't say that I really enjoy cooking. To successfully reform my diet, I need to find an easy, lazy man's way to enjoy my vegetables. The best solution for me would be a restaurant that consistently served delicious, totally healthy meals. Chefs are notorious for their liberal use of salt, butter and fat unfortunately. It's not surprising. These ingredients are usually what makes food taste so good.

It's not going to be easy, but radically improving my diet is going to be one of my primary goals for 2013. It might even take precedence over getting a new roof.

Malcolm is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1140

It's hard to believe that it's been 27 years since the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. It seems like yesterday. I was still working in an ad agency at the time, but only four years away from starting my own company. We all watched in total disbelief in the agency conference room as the shuttle disintegrated on live TV. Space flight has always been dangerous. I was an avid fan of the Apollo program when I was in college and was devastated when a fire destroyed the first Apollo capsule, killing all three astronauts. Years later, I actually heard the sonic boom as the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded over Texas during re-entry. I was walking the dogs at the time and didn't even realize what the loud noise was until I turned on the TV when I got home. Despite all the danger, I still wish we had become a spacefaring nation instead of a nation of whiners. It would be nice to see a colony on Mars during my lifetime. I have my doubts that this will ever happen though.

The law works in mysterious ways. I got a letter telling me that my subpoena had been withdrawn. Then, less than two hours later I got a call telling me that I had been subpoenaed all over again. WTF?  When I asked what was going on, the lawyer told me that after giving the matter some thought, they felt bad about having me served and decided to withdraw the first subpoena. He said they usually only served people who they thought would be hostile witnesses. OK. That sounds good to me. When I asked why I received a second subpoena, he said "Well, we still need your testimony."

I really can't figure out the weather we're having this winter. One day, it's bitter cold and I have to put on the dogs winter coats before we venture outside. The next day it could be sunny and seventy degrees. Back and forth like this it goes. Today was totally confusing. For most of the day it was gloomy and grey like you'd expect on a Winter's day. The temperature was 75 degrees though. This was much more like Summer.

Temperatures aren't the only thing that's been confusing me lately. I've been trying to come up with a healthy, low cholesterol diet that I can maintain indefinitely. It's not as easy as it seems. Yeah, I know I should eat oatmeal for breakfast, snack on raw walnuts, have plenty of fresh fruit, and substitute fish for red meat whenever I can. All this sounds great. I just haven't been able to put everything together in a tasty but brainlessly easy to follow menu yet. I did have some walnuts today though.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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