Day 3258

I was right about the leaves. It was very windy last night and a whole new batch of leaves have fallen. Oh, well. I kind of hope that the wind continues and blows all the leaves off the trees before the next rain. Dry leaves are much easier to remove from the roof. If I'm lucky, maybe the wind will do the job for me.

Dash almost made it through the night. Close is not always good enough unfortunately. By the time I cleaned up the poop, it was time to get up anyway. Janet stayed home and fixed breakfast while I walked Dash this morning. Lately, Dash won't go anywhere without Janet leading the way, but today was the exception. He was eager to hit the road this morning and didn't even notice that she wasn't with us. Dash really enjoys the cold more than I do. I thought the strong wind might blow him over, but he held his own and did just fine.

By the time I left for the gym after breakfast I felt like I'd already had a workout. Cleaning up poop isn't all that strenuous, but it feels that way sometimes. Lack of sleep is tiring. I couldn't really blame Dash for my restless night. Dash woke me up once. The other times were because of heartburn. I probably should have asked my doctor to schedule an endoscopy to examine my esophagus. Something isn't right. I've had problems with GERD in the past, but I thought that was all behind me.

There were some younger people at the gym today who made my own efforts to stay in shape seem pitiful by comparison. I'm always surprised that most people I see at the gym really seem to enjoy working out. When do the endorphins kick in? I'm persistent, but I never find much joy in exercise. Usually what sustains me is the thought of taking a nap when I get home.

I actually did take a nap today. It was the only way I could get Dash to settle down. He would follow me into the shower and then slip on the tile floors. He would try to get under my desk like he used to do and then get stuck. Usually when Dash follows me everywhere, he is tired and wants me to rest with him. He does not like to be alone anymore. Resting with Dash seemed like a fine idea today. It would have been an even better idea last night.

Later this afternoon I watched the Insight landing press conference at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Damn. I could have been asking questions at this press conference. Maybe someday. I shouldn't get discouraged about not making the cut for this NASA event. The timing wasn't right anyway. I'd still like to be a space groupie though. Hopefully NASA won't cut funding for these unique opportunities for bloggers like me to become reporters for a few days. I still remember my trip to Vandenberg Air Force Base and would really like to do this again sometime.

I fell asleep at the computer again. It's time to go to bed. Hopefully, the weather is a little warmer tomorrow.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3133

It's going to be a long Summer. I tried to get up early this morning, but Dash and I didn't make it out the door until 7 AM. This was about a half hour later than yesterday, giving the sun just enough time to creep above the horizon before we returned home. It's amazing how quickly things start heating up once the sun is up. I feel like I'm in some dystopian science fiction movie where the mole people only come out at night to avoid  a malevolent sun that is starting to go supernova.

I think the new coating on the roof has had plenty of time to dry. Maybe it's time for a little rain. Unfortunately, there is no rain in the forecast. I think we'll have triple digit temperatures for the rest of the week. Dash did OK on his walk, although he did get a little hot. I'm glad we didn't wait until 7:30 to get started.

The battery store was open this morning, so I got the uninterruptible power supply for my computer repaired. Damn, this thing is heavy. I've got another uninterruptible power supply that needs new batteries as well, but I'll save that for another day. While the technician was replacing the batteries, he told me that the store no longer replaced laptop and iPhone batteries. This was disappointing news. This place only used to charge half as much as the Apple Store. I asked the guy why they decided to quit offering this service. He said Apple products were difficult to work on and they weren't making enough money.

Since the battery store wouldn't replace the battery in Janet's laptop, I had to take it to a more expensive computer repair shop. They said the computer was old and they would have to special order a replacement battery. I kind of expected this, but I didn't expect them to make me come down to the store and give them a deposit. I still don't know why they wouldn't take a credit number over the phone. While I was at the store, I noticed some old Apple towers on display like I used to use. "Do people still buy these," I asked? The store manager laughed. "No, she said. A customer brought these in for recycling and I thought they would make an interesting history lesson." Oh, well. So much for the computers in the storage warehouse. I told the manager that if she wanted a history lesson, I could bring her enough old Macs to start a museum.

I had a conversation with the electrician this afternoon about the light in my backyard. He can't figure out what is going on either. There is no logical reason why the light would come on normally at dusk every evening and then arbitrarily shut off again around midnight. I asked the electrician whether he could just hard wire the light so I could turn it on and off with a switch in the house. He said yes and then added that I probably wouldn't like the expense. Instead of running a wire to the house, he recommended a WiFi switch on the pole, so I could turn on the light with my phone. Jeez. Whenever I'm looking for a simple solution, people inevitably recommend something complicated instead.

I think I know why I'm gaining weight. When there's nothing to do, I tend to find myself in the kitchen eating crackers. I'll check the stock market on TV and then grab a few crackers. I seem to do this on an hourly basis. To avoid boredom and reduce the risk of getting fat, I took a nap with Dash this afternoon. I think this confused my Fitbit. It doesn't seem to be used to people who sleep during the day.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2767

I finally finished cleaning all four sides of the house with the pressure washer this morning. This is a somewhat futile effort, since spiders have already returned to the part of the house I cleaned first. I've finally learned to wear long pants and a hat when I do this job. It's pretty messy and the spiders aren't happy. I also learned that my wrist hasn't really healed yet. It wasn't very comfortable holding the pressure nozzle for any length of time.

In an attempt to beat the heat, we got up before sunrise to walk Dash. There was a light breeze and the temperature was only in the mid-80's, so the walk was actually enjoyable. Two hours later, it would have been an entirely different story. We got an unusual amount of rain in June. As soon as we put the new grass in, the rain stopped. I run the sprinkler for an hour or so every morning, but I still worry that the grass will dry out before it gets established.

I think we had a heat index of over 105 degrees today. When it gets this hot, it's hard to get motivated to do anything. I did go grocery shopping, but came right home afterwards because I didn't want the fresh fruit to spoil in the car. Several times today, I joined Dash on the bed for a nap. Hey, I had already battled spiders and won. I deserved a nap. Later in the day I did manage to finish one quick website update because I knew that the guy who sent me the job probably wasn't napping with his dog.

Janet and I are becoming so forgetful. We never used to forget things. When we finished our errands this afternoon, we had both forgotten essential  things that should have been on our lists. Oh, well. I guess we will have to go back to the store tomorrow. This is probably what happens when you get old. You spend your entire day trying to remember what you forgot.

We're still debating whether to take a car trip somewhere before Janet returns to work. It would be nice to get away, but the thought of being on the road in August with a dog who could have a seizure at any time in a car that could break down at any point just isn't very appealing. This is probably why we never take car trips. There was a time when we used to travel quite a bit. It was easier when the dogs were young and healthy and we didn't have to leave them in a boarding kennel. We had good friends who would look after Spot when we were away. Spot absolutely loved visiting Lynn and Bob and got along well with their dogs. That was a long time ago. Bob is dead and we haven't seen Lynn in years. I can't imagine leaving Dash. There are just too many health issues.

I was thinking about going to the gym again tomorrow, but after wrestling with the pressure washer this morning, I don't think I'm ready yet. I'd hate to screw up my wrist before it has had time to heal. I asked the doctors at the emergency room how long I needed to wear the splint on my wrist. They just said to ask the orthopedic specialist they referred me to. I don't think they realized that it would take a month to get an appointment though. I don't see any need to wear the splint now, but I probably shouldn't be lifting weights yet.

I just fell asleep at the computer while trying to think of what to write next. I assume that means it's time for bed.

Pongo os today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2295

I took my tax information over to the accountant this morning. I used to bring a heavy pile of three-ring binders, file folders, and envelopes full of receipts. Now, I basically just bring a single CD with my Quickbooks Pro files. You'd think this would make it easier for the accountant and he'd give me a discount, but he actually charges me more. Times have changed. Oh, well. I've become very fatalistic about taxes. I just pay what I'm told to pay and try not to think about it.

On the way home I stopped at the REI store and got a pair of hiking pants for walking the dogs. It's only a matter of time before I have an entire wardrobe full of REI clothes. They aren't particularly stylish, but they seem extremely durable and well made. The pants I bought today reminded me of my old Defender 90. I don't know why I like indestructible things so much. Maybe it's because I feel we are living in an increasingly apocalyptic world.

With my taxes out of the way, I thought I'd catch up on a few other things as well. I called an audio repair shop to ask about a tape recorder I'd left with them ages ago. They said they were still waiting on a part that was on back order. Jeez, are they getting this part from Pluto? I brought the recorder in for service last October. I'm a very patient person, but this is getting ridiculous.

I had better luck when I called the landscapers. They said they'd be out to take a look at the yard tomorrow. These guys are good, but they always want to charge me too much. I have to explain that I'm not asking them to do nearly as much as they did three years ago. They seem to like the price they got three years ago. Eventually, we come to a mutual agreement, but it shouldn't have to be this hard. I also called the roofer, but he didn't even return my call. That's pretty typical for a roofer. I'll probably have to bug this guy for a month to get him to come over and patch the current crop of bare spots.

I was so efficient about taking care of unfinished business today that I don't what I'm going to do tomorrow. If the weather stays nice, maybe I'll mow the grass. The first step is to see if the big 24 volt battery will hold a charge. The second step is to take the battery to be re-celled when it dies unexpectedly after five minutes of use. The third step it to actually mow the grass and then complain about how the weeds have taken over again. That ought to take most of the day.

Hopefully, I'll get a good night's sleep tonight. That's a lot more important than what I'm going to do tomorrow. I take a a short nap before I start writing the blog in the evenings now. I know I'm going to be up several times during the night with Dot. Naps are good and interrupted sleep is a lot better than no sleep at all.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2257

My stomach vetoed going out for breakfast this morning. After we walked the dogs, I just ate a leftover frozen waffle I found in the refrigerator and went back to bed. I don't know what kind of bug I caught, but it's a lot more persistent than I anticipated. The first day was a runny nose and a sore throat. The second day was aching joints, night sweats, vomiting, and a mild fever. Today things seem to have settled in my chest. I'm coughing more and still feel tired. I think I'm getting better, but it's hard to tell. The aches and pains keep moving around.

Did I mention I'm a hypochondriac? I rarely get sick, but when I do, I always think I've come down with something much worse than I really have. Now, I'm wondering if the tick that bit me a few weeks ago caused this. It's highly unlikely that I have some strange tick-borne disease, since my symptoms seem exactly like the flu, but that's how my mind works. A mild case of the flu usually lasts about three days and a more serious case can last up to a week. My flu shot obviously didn't work, but maybe it is helping to keep things from becoming worse. There's got to be some reason why I keep getting these flu shots year after year.

I got off to an extremely slow start this morning, but I eventually finished my writing assignment and turned it in. The only other thing I did today was go to the grocery store and pick up something for dinner. I didn't feel like eating anything hot, so I got some chicken salad, potato salad, and broccoli slaw. I probably shouldn't have gotten anything, because I wasn't really hungry.

So far so good with Dot. She's only taken one round of chemo pills so far, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious adverse reactions. She still has a good appetite and enjoys her walks in the morning. Since Dot is tired and weak anyway, it might be hard to detect a subtle further decline. She gets her second set of pills tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping that the new lower dose and extra day of recovery will help prevent the weakness that was obvious the first time we tried chemo. If this works, the Palladia pills could add significantly to the amount of time we still get to share with her.

I think I'm going to skip some of my usual Saturday errands tomorrow. What's the point. There's nothing I do that can't wait a few days. I think the priority now is to shake off this cold and get better. I hate to take decongestants or cold pills, so the only thing that makes sense to me are some extended naps with the dogs. The house may get a little dirtier, but I think the dogs will understand.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2256

I'm still feeling under the weather, but things are improving. Yesterday was horrible. Today was just kind of yucky. One benefit of feeling extremely tired is that you apparently sleep better. For the first time that I can remember, my activity tracker said that I had an entire night of deep sleep. This wasn't entirely good news though. The tracker also said that I woke up at 4:30 AM. If you're wondering what could wake me from a deep sleep, Dot pooped in her bed and Dash had to go outside to throw up simultaneously. This was actually the second time that Dash had to go outside last night. Janet said I slept through the first commotion. I briefly wondered if Dash and I were suffering from the same ailment, since I threw up yesterday too. I don't think so. Dash eats horse poop and disgusting dead things he finds in the yard. I don't.

Although I still spent a considerable amount of time napping with the dogs today, I did manage to get a few things done. I did some bookkeeping, paid a few bills, and got started on a new article. This is only a fraction of what I would do in an ordinary day, but at least I could hold my food down today and am starting to feel better. It's surprising how much the dogs seem to enjoy me taking naps with them. They seem visibly calmer and less restless. Since they both spend half their life sleeping anyway, my extended naps probably just make me seem more like a dog to them.

I'm getting so sick of political advertising. Every day our mailbox is stuffed with fliers from local politicians who want my vote. I've never heard of any of them. Don't they realize that these fliers are junk mail. 90% of the people who receive them just throw these postcards and fliers away without reading them. Cable news is even worse. It doesn't matter whether you are listening to MSNBC or Fox, the reporters love politics. Probably the only thing they'd love more than an election is another OJ Simpson trial. It's not surprising that outsiders like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have attracted so much attention. I think a lot of people are starting to realize that it really doesn't matter who you vote for. The political establishment has become so entrenched that it probably would take a genuine revolution to change things.

I kind of think politicians should be selected the same way as we select juries. I'm convinced that ordinary citizens could do just as good a job as the folks we've got now. If we had a system where anyone could be selected for political service, just like they are for jury duty, many of today's problems would go away. If you were selected, you would receive a decent salary for your service, but you could not run for reelection. Sure, you might end up with a few idiots in congress, but we've already got more than a few idiots in congress. I think political experience is overrated. People with long political careers usually just wind up with a more comprehensive knowledge of which lobbyists and special interests will take care of them.

I don't know if my stomach is ready for a spicy breakfast at my favorite restaurant yet. The jury is still out. I didn't throw up today, but I didn't eat much either. Here's hoping that I wake up feeling good as new tomorrow. I'm hungry and I've got a lot of work to catch up on.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2255

I was wrong. I don't have a cold after all. I have the flu. I don't know how I came down with the flu, since I got my flu shot this year. It sure feels like the flu though. When I woke up this morning, my bones ached and I was extremely tired. I thought about canceling my dental appointment, but ultimately ended up keeping it because I wasn't coughing or sneezing anymore. We walked the dogs like we normally do and then I sat down for breakfast. I drank about half of my morning smoothie and then I knew I was going to throw up. I couldn't even make it to the bathroom in time. So much for breakfast. I cleaned up my mess, took Dot outside to pee again, and then took a short nap.

When it was time to leave for my dental appointment, I was feeling fine again. I don't think anybody even realized how bad I felt earlier in the day. I didn't cough. I didn't sneeze. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. The dentist took new x-rays and his hygienist cleaned my teeth. Everyone said I had been taking very good care of my teeth and then they sent me on my way.

When I got home, I realized I was tired again. I fed the dogs their lunch and then took a nap. Dash curled up next to me and I don't think either of us moved for hours. When I finally woke up, it was time to feed the dogs their dinner. I must have waited too long with Dot, because almost immediately after I got her up, she needed to poop. I tried to get her outside as fast as I could, but I was still sleepy and I couldn't get her harness on fast enough. By the time we made it outside, she had already left a little trail all the way from her bed to the back door. She made a mess in her harness too, so I had to take it off, hose it down outside, and then put it in the wash. Getting Dot to pee without her harness was a challenge, but somehow we succeeded.

After I walked Dash, it was time to give Dot her Palladia pills. I had forgotten how much trouble this is. I first have to pen Dash in a different room, so he won't inadvertently eat the pills himself. Then I put on rubber gloves and make a little meatball with the two pills hidden inside some wet dog food. Then I clean the gloves and anything else that touched the pills and put everything away. Hopefully, since Dot is taking a smaller dose and we are waiting an extra day between treatments, she won't be as uncomfortable as she was before. After three treatments, we go back to the cancer center and evaluate her progress.

Today wasn't a good day. I've known for a long time that Dot is frail and doesn't have much energy in reserve. What I didn't realize was that I don't have much in reserve either. The flu knocked me out. I need to have my wits about me to take care of Dot. When I spend as much time sleeping as the dogs, everything falls apart. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1828

It was another wet, cold day. As soon as the dogs finished their breakfast, they hopped right back in bed again. They didn't want anything to do with this day. Since they wouldn't budge, I just crawled back in bed myself. Eventually we pulled ourselves together and took our morning walk. I always have trouble getting the dogs outside on damp days, but once we're on our way they show no desire to return home again. I think the smells must be more intense in damp weather, because they both love to smell things.

I think my shoulder must be worse than I thought. Today was my first physical therapy session and some of the initial stretching exercises brought tears to my eyes. You'd think it would be easy to lie on a table and bring my hands behind my head, but it just wasn't happening. I could see my therapist wince every time she heard popping sounds coming from my shoulder as she manipulated the joint. We did a series of simple exercises to loosen the muscles around the joint and after about fifteen minutes I was able to rotate my arm about 15 degrees further behind my head. This is going to be a long, slow process. For the past several years, I've been compensating for the loose shoulder by tensing the muscles on the right side of my back in an attempt to keep the joint in place while I walk the dogs.  Now these muscles are very tight and are restricting a full range of motion. I think things are worse than they used to be, because I remember I could do some of the stretching exercises we tried today as recently as three years ago when I had physical therapy before. At any rate, I promised to do my exercises the best I could and I will see the therapist again next week. I still don't want to consider surgery at this point.

I wanted to check on a package on the UPS website today and discovered I couldn't log in because I'd forgotten my password again. I hate sites that keeping asking you for a ridiculous combination of upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special symbols before they'll approve your password. I can never remember these complex passwords. What's even worse is that many sites don't allow you to re-use a password that you have used before. It doesn't take long to completely run out of easy to remember password ideas. I'll be glad when you can just use a fingerprint or retinal scan to identify yourself. Apple is getting there with its new fingerprint recognition technology, but so far you can only use your fingerprint to unlock the phone. You should be able to use it for everything.

I wish I could teach Dash to read the weather radar. I thought I'd found a nice little window between rain showers to take the dogs out to do their business this afternoon. Dot, as always, peed and pooped quickly and efficiently. Dash was oblivious to the approaching rain and dawdled around until the rain caught up with us. He eventually pooped, but we were all drenched by then. By the time I finally got the dogs back in the house, cleaned their paws, and dried them off with a bath towel, the only sensible thing to do was take another nap. We ended up right where we started, in a big dog-pile on the bed.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1670

I think even the dogs would agree that the dog days of Summer have arrived. It's hot. It's dry. All the wildflowers behind our house have dried up an gone to seed. Without rain, the ground in the park starts to crack and deep fissures appear in the soil. I've got to keep an eye out for these cracks when I walk the dogs. They are often quite deep and are hidden beneath the patchy prairie grass. As the cracks grow, I've seen dogs step in them inadvertently and injure their leg.

When I was grocery shopping today, I stopped by the vet and made a day boarding appointment for next week while I'm on jury duty. When the dogs were younger, I would have just left them at home, but Dot is old and frail and I still worry about Dash getting an itch and scratching at the slowly healing cancer scar on his neck while I'm away. I don't know why taking care of a sick dog should be any different than taking care of a sick child, or an elderly grandmother. The dogs are more important to me than most people anyway. I think I should be exempt from jury duty, but it's not going to happen. The courts love people my age, because they don't have as many excuses. I've seen retired people actually eager to sit on juries, because they didn't have anything better to do. I'm not one of those people. I don't trust the court system and don't even like to go near a courthouse.

For the second weekend in a row, I sat inside and worked on websites, instead of braving the heat and doing yard work like I should. I did water the shrubs in the back yard along with the Wax Myrtle tree out front, but mowing the grass can wait. It's just too hot. The grass doesn't grow very fast in this weather anyway. I try to convince myself that by letting it grow longer, I'm helping the root system grow longer as well. I must be doing something right, because the grass is still green. Usually, by this time of year it's already starting to wither and turn brown.

I actually got quite a bit done on my latest website project this afternoon. There wasn't much else to do. After putting the groceries away, vacuuming the house, and doing a little coding on the new website, it was really tempting to spend the rest of the afternoon taking a nap with the dogs. Well, I guess it was a little more than tempting. I did take a nap with the dogs.

Tomorrow, I'll go to the gym. Sure, I had time to go today, but what was the point? I just wasn't in the mood.

Winston is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1400

The rainy season has officially started. It is often this way in late October. It will rain for days at a time. This is typically not good for The State Fair of Texas, which occupies this rainy time slot. I remember going to a Rolling Stones concert at the Cotton Bowl late in October and it poured throughout the entire concert. I thought that Keith Richards was going to get electrocuted playing out in the rain, but the weather didn't seem to faze the band. They were all much younger then, of course.

Dot and Dash hate the rain. It messes with their doggy instincts. If they were practical dogs, they would just go out in the back yard and poop quickly on rainy days. Nope. They can't do this. They have to go on their regular walk, where they get wet and muddy. Light rain makes them mad and heavy rain sends them into a panic. You just can't win on rainy days.

Everything got dirty today. The dogs got dirty, The car got dirty. The floors got dirty. I felt like I spent half the day doing laundry and drying the dogs off. I did manage to get some articles written and got caught up on correspondence, but personally, I would have much rather just taken a long nap. I know there is a ton of standing water up on the roof, but I'm not even going to bother to go up there until I see the sun again.

When I took Dash to the vet for his antigen shot today, he took an unhealthy interest in some guinea pigs that were up for adoption in the lobby. I don't know whether he thought the guinea pigs were small cats or large squirrels, but he definitely though they were meant to be chased and barked at. Sometimes Dash can be embarrassing.

It would be nice if I woke up to a crisp and clear Fall morning tomorrow, but I'm expecting more rain. Although driving in the rain is one of my least favorite things, there are lots of places to go tomorrow. I'll start the day with a tasty omelet at the Wednesday business breakfast meeting. Then I've got to demonstrate a website prototype, and take Dot downtown for her acupuncture session. I have a feeling I'll be wishing I could take a long nap tomorrow as well.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1300

I woke up this morning to a quiet house. Janet likes to walk the dogs on weekends and she had taken them on a morning walk before I'd even gotten out of bed. I don't know how the rest of the family can get by on so little sleep. No matter what's going on, I always feel like I could sleep a few hours more.

Once I did get out of bed, I tried to make myself useful by watering the lawn, making the bed, and doing some laundry. This was just the warm up act for the task I'd been dreading: repairing the Sheetrock in the living room. It's a shame that most of the drywall mud I applied today will just be sanded off a few days from now. It will probably take about three coats of the compound, each sanded smooth after it dries, before the repair starts to look decent. I'll be glad when I'm done. I'm not fond of messy work, and doing anything with Sheetrock is definitely messy.

The dogs had a great time at the dog park today. Dot had plenty of energy for a change and Dash even managed to find a playmate. I don't know how Dash chooses the dogs he wants to play with. He often rejects shy, gentle dogs like himself in favor of larger breeds that end up scaring him. Today, he found a young Irish Setter that he took a fancy to and the two dogs had a great time racing up and down the park. By the time we got home again, Dot and Dash were content to snooze for the rest of the afternoon.

I spent some of my afternoon re-learning how to use the WiFi function on one of my cameras. I like the idea of being about to completely control the camera with my phone, but I can never remember how to create a ad hoc network linking the phone with the camera. I need to remember how to do this, because I'll never be able to impress clients with my remote control camera skills if can't even remember how to sync the camera with the phone. When I finally figured out how to tap my phone and take a picture, it was time for dinner.

The day ended pretty much as it began; with a nap. I probably could have done more today, but Sunday is best enjoyed as a day of rest. Janet fixed a great dinner tonight. The dogs are happy. All is well with the world. Too bad tomorrow is Monday.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1273

I got my articles written today. I got my June invoices out. I even found time to experiment with a new variation on my morning oatmeal. Despite all the activity, it was basically a boring day. If Dot could talk, she'd tell you that the dog days of Summer are here again. We're going to have to start getting up earlier. By the time we took our morning walk, it was already hot and humid. As the Summer progresses, it's only going to get worse.

The roofers came back today to retrieve their tools and clean up the debris pile on the side of the house. I'm pretty sure they're finished with things now. This means it's time for me to pay for the stupid thing. A flat roof is not a very satisfying purchase. It just sits there. Under normal circumstances, you can't even see it. I would have much rather have spent the money on a new Canon C300 Cinema Camera.

Apple finally announced the long awaited Mac Pro that's been on my wish list for several years now. I'm disappointed. The weird shiny black cylindrically shaped thing reminds me of the ill-fated Powermac G4 Cube. I bought one of those and it never did what I wanted. This new Mac Pro has some of the same failings as the Cube. It's odd shape is not compatible with standard PCIe cards. It's not compatible with standard 2.5 inch solid state drives either. I don't know if it's compatible with anything. Although, this new tech toy looks pretty cool in a retro sci-fi kind of way, I don't think it was what video editors like myself were wanting or expecting. Lord, I just hope that Land Rover does a better job of re-imagining my beloved Defender 90. I hate to wait so long and end up so disappointed.

Another prescription expired today that was supposed to have been renewed for another full year. This is the second one in two days. I'm beginning to think that all my meds were only renewed for three months instead of one year when I had my annual physical this Spring. It's little things like this that really eat up your time. It's easy enough to resolve these types of mistakes, but I shouldn't have too. There are way too many other things on my to-do list already.

The dogs have the right idea. After their morning walk, they slept until is was time for their rice cake for lunch. After a quick trip outside to pee, it was back to sleep until dinner time and their evening walk. I can't tell you how tempted I was to join my lazy dogs today.

Escher is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1260

I woke up this morning to an entirely different kind of noise. There was a giant piece of construction equipment on the road in front of our house methodically grinding up the asphalt surface and spitting it out into waiting trucks. I looked at the slow moving convoy and was glad I didn't need to go anywhere. Oops! What was I thinking? I actually did need to go somewhere. The Land Rover dealer had called and told me my car was finally finished and I needed to come pick it up. About three hours later, when the road crew had finally moved a few blocks further down the road, I was finally able to get out of the driveway and retrieve the Defender 90. As I was writing a check for the repairs, someone said "you must be really glad to have your car back." I wouldn't go that far. In truth, I was growing to like the fancy LR4 loaner car. Now, it's back to basics with the old Defender.

There was lots of activity up on the roof this morning as well, but it was hard to hear the roofers over the cacophony of road machinery noise. Things are finally starting to look organized on the roof. Maybe this story will have a happy ending after all. I'm glad I followed Janet's advice and kept my mouth shut. Well, I did write those letters to the contractor, but they were very polite. If I'd actually gone up on the roof and started screaming at people, I don't think it would have ended well.

I went online today and got a UPS package re-routed to a Customer Service Center, so I won't have to wait around all day tomorrow for the delivery. A few minutes later when I looked up the address of the Service Center, I read a bunch of reviews on Yelp telling me to never go to this Service Center because the staff was disorganized and there was always a long line. We'll see. It couldn't be any worse than waiting around all day for the package. Well, it actually could be worse. What if I get down to the Service Center and discover that the package is already on a truck headed to my house? The lady I talked to on the phone today assured me that this wouldn't happen, but you know how good those kind of promises are.

I went and renewed my storage room contract for another year. Every year, I tell myself that I'm going to start thinning things out, so I can fit everything into a smaller storage room that isn't so expensive. Not surprisingly, this never seems to happen. The storage room is kind of like a black hole. Once something goes in the room, it never seems to come out.

With all the commotion today, I almost forgot it was Dash's antigen shot day. Well, I did forget, but I was able to get him rescheduled again for later in the afternoon. How people manage to combine a busy career with ferrying kids all over the place is beyond me. Just managing the activities of these two dogs keeps me busy enough.

I hope things calm down a bit tomorrow. Today was tiring. I thought I'd rest on the bed for a few minutes with the dogs right after dinner and immediately fell asleep. When I opened my eyes again, it was three hours later. So much for keeping on schedule.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1257

If you've never worked with a contractor before, here's what to expect. First you meet the contractor. He sounds knowledgeable and fills you full of hope and anticipation about the project you are about to undertake. After you agree on a price and the work begins, you never see this guy again. Next, you meet the foreman the contractor has selected to oversee the job. This guy drops by every couple of days to give the work crew their marching orders for the day. If something goes wrong, the foreman always smiles and tells you that the problem will be fixed later. The work crew never listens to the foreman. To a man, they are convinced that they already know the best way to do everything and just continue doing what they were going to do anyway as soon as the foreman gets in his pickup and leaves for the day. Did I mention that I don't enjoy dealing with contractors.

It rained again today and just as I thought, the unfinished carport leaked like a sieve. You would think that with the forecast predicting a rainy Memorial Day weekend, the roofers would have put a giant tarp over the roof to protect it. Nope. They did nothing. When I mentioned the leaky, unfinished carport to the contractor, he just said that these things happen and that they would fix things later.

It was such a busy week that Janet and I forgot Dash's birthday. We tried to make amends tonight with a little celebration that featured special doggie cupcakes from Sprinkles. Dash must have gotten high on cake, because he started racing around the house and refused to stay still for his birthday picture. I think the dogs enjoyed the party though. They always enjoy anything that involves food.

I took a nap with the dogs this afternoon because it is the only thing that seems to calm Dot down during a thunderstorm. Dash didn't used to care one way or the other about the weather, but Dot has managed to convince him that the sky is falling every time it rains. Now, his storm phobia is just as bad as Dot's. I huddled under a blanket on the bed with a warm dog on either side of me and fell asleep immediately. The short nap was the most enjoyable part of my day.

Maybe the weather will improve tomorrow. I certainly hope so. A few of my readers have suggested that I try being a little more upbeat and positive in the future. Me? Negative? What on earth would give you that idea? Hey, this is just the way things are. I'm a pragmatic realist. Most of the happy people I know are all on Prozac.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day