Day 1287

I went to the tire store today to get a nail removed from my left rear tire and returned a few hours later with five brand new tires. Yes, I even had to get a new spare tire. This definitely wasn't what I expected, since my tires still have plenty of tread on them. I have a warranty on my tires that gives me free lifetime repairs and I have used it many times to get flats fixed and nails removed. This time I was told that the life of a normal tire was about six years and that I had outlived my lifetime warranty. The tire guy showed me several places where the rubber on my twelve year old tires was starting to crack and told me that the tires could explode at any moment. Since the tire guys refused to work on my old tires, and I didn't really want them to explode at any moment, what choice did I have?  I got new tires.

Tires are a lot more expensive than they were the last time I bought some. Of course that was in 2002. Everything was less expensive in 2002. All in all, my tires have served me well. I have traveled well over 100,000 miles in the Defender on only two sets of tires. With any luck, this new set should last me as long as I still have the vehicle.

It's taking me too long to make fresh juice. If I had anything better to do, I would have stopped this time consuming practice already. Juicing does save money though. Especially when the alternative is freshly squeezed juice at the Central Market juice bar. I just wish Navel Oranges were quicker to peel and that the juicing machine was easier to clean. Apples and pineapples are much quicker to juice, but I've always liked the taste of orange juice. At any rate, I made enough juice today for the rest of the week, so I won't need to complain about juicing for a while.

I think I may have bought the wrong kind of grass seed to fill in the patchy areas in the back yard. I was initially pleased to find seed that was encapsulated in a mix of mulch and fertilizer. This stuff is pretty fool proof to grow. I forgot that the dogs like to lie in the grass though, and the fertilizer component of the mix may be irritating Dash's skin. He sure is itching a lot today anyway. On the other hand, he is always itchy after a bath, so maybe it's that.

I thought I got a call from a client a few minutes ago. Much to my surprise, when I picked up the phone, there was a telemarketer on the line. I looked at the Caller-ID again and realized that I'd transposed the letters of the first and last name in my mind. The call was clearly from someone else entirely. I've always suspected that I have dyslexia and I guess things like this more or less prove it.

Rio is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1239

Today was a succession of small errands. I went to the post office. I went to the pharmacy. I went to Janet's dentist several times to drop her off and pick her up again later. In between these errands, I added a bunch of new adoptable animals to a rescue website and turned a bunch of navel oranges into juice. There was something strange about these oranges because it was very difficult to get the skin off so I could put them in the juicer. Most oranges are easy to peel, but the rind on these seemed welded to the fruit inside. It took me forever to get them all peeled.

I was real disappointed about Adobe's announcement that in the future, all Creative Suite products will be available by subscription only. I use Photoshop, Fireworks, and Dreamweaver all the time. I'd hate to have to pay for these products by the month, just like I do for U-verse TV. I have always disliked renting things, but in a culture where people increasingly rent or lease their homes, their furniture, and their cars, I guess renting your software doesn't seem so strange. Renting isn't for me though. I'll keep using my old version of Photoshop for a long time before I'll start renting it for $49 a month.

I think I'm going to use the roofer my architect friend recommended. I probably won't know if this was the right decision until about five years from now, when I see whether the roof is still keeping the water out. We'll see how it goes. Most of the people I know hate to make recommendations. Can you blame them? I don't like to make recommendations either, because things go wrong so often. Nevertheless, I'm going with the guy the architect suggested. I still think I'd trust an architect more than Angie's List.

I'm supposed to write an article tomorrow as if I just returned from Switzerland. The cheapskate clients didn't actually want to send me to Switzerland, so they just sent me a few quotes from a guy who'd been there. Ah, the excitement of the writing life. You get to travel to anywhere Wikipedia will take you.

Tomorrow, Dot goes to see the acupuncturist again.Too bad I can't get the vet to stick a few needles in me while I'm there. I was skeptical about the treatments at first, but I've become a believer. The acupuncture therapy really seems to have done Dot some good.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day