Day 2778

It was so quiet today. Janet had already fed Dash and was on her way out the door by the time I woke up. Dash seemed to remember our old workday routine, so I quickly got dressed, put his harness on, and we went for a walk. It's a good thing we left when we did, because it started raining as soon as we returned home and continued raining for the rest of the day. I didn't mind the rain today. It was a welcome change of pace from the triple digit temperatures we've been having.

I wasn't sure how Dash was going to react when Janet returned to work. He seemed a little depressed, but it's hard to tell with dogs. Dash sleeps most of the day anyway and I'm not enough of a dog whisperer to know whether he's tired, depressed, or just being lazy. Usually, if he comes to the office to remind me to feed him around his regular meal times, I feel comfortable that he's just fine.

I was surprised to receive an enquiry about designing a new website today. I put together a proposal, but I'm a bit skeptical about this project. I know the guy and I have a feeling that he'd like me to do this for free. Even though I'm not busy, I'm not going to design a site for free. You've got to draw the line somewhere. We'll see what happens. My proposal was fair and honest. There's always a chance that he won't be able to find anyone to do his site for free.

I went up on the roof today. It was probably too early, but I needed to find out why my pump wasn't working. Somehow the pump had tipped over and become disconnected from the hose. I fixed this problem, but didn't bother to clear all the water away. There was no point. My wrist isn't strong enough yet, and it was still raining. The condition of the roof was discouraging. There were lots of small branches that needed to be cleared away and there was standing water everywhere. It is supposed to rain for the remainder of the week, but when the dry weather returns I've got a big job to do.

Rainy days are great for binge watching. I watched three more episodes of The Expanse this afternoon. I'll probably finish season two tomorrow. Then what? Season three hasn't even aired yet. I'm pretty sure that the series got renewed, but I don't think we're going to be able to see it until sometime in 2018. Hopefully, my brain will have kicked back into gear by then and I will have moved on from binge watching TV shows.

Janet's co-workers were happy to have her back and she had a good first day at work. When we both walked Dash after dinner, we encountered a very aggressive dog. The dog was growling and the woman walking him was having trouble holding on to the dog's leash. This was unsettling to say the least. This morning's walk was so much more peaceful. I walk Dash later when Janet is working. There is nobody in the park after the early morning joggers and cyclists have gone to work. I try to do everything when the rest of the world is working. The world is just a nicer place when it is empty.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2038

I got a lot done today. I finished my new website project and loaded it to the server. Yes, I did finally manage to find out where I was supposed to upload things. I'm sure there will be changes, but the client seems to like it. I'm always pleased when things go relatively smoothly. After finishing the website, I still had enough time left to write a new article and send it off to be published. There are two more articles in the queue, so I should have work for the rest of the week.

Instead of fixing my regular banana smoothie, I decided to make biscuits and gravy this morning. It was actually surprisingly easy, so I will probably do this again. Everything would have come out perfectly if Dash hadn't started barking at a critical moment, causing Dot to get excited and fall over. Janet suggested gating the dogs in the back of the house while I ate my breakfast, but that didn't work very well. They still barked and when I rushed back to help Dot get up, my gravy burned. The commotion also caused me to get things out of sequence with the Keurig and it brewed too much, spilling coffee all over the counter-top. I think tomorrow, I'll just keep the dogs by my side. They're loud, but much easier to control that way.

Even though I had a lot of work to do today, I found time to watch the New Horizons press conference on NASA TV. I'm a bit envious of the New Horizons science team. They're all doing something that actually matters. Occasionally I do something that matters, but not very often. Designing websites is not quite like discovering giant ice mountains on Pluto. I wonder what these guys did during the nine years New Horizons was traveling to Pluto. I'm sure that most of the team had jobs while the spacecraft was silent, but there couldn't have been much to do but just wait until it arrived.

Dot pooped in her bed again last night. There doesn't seem to be any way to predict when this is going to happen. I was pretty sure that last night would be accident free, since she had pooped before we went to bed. It wasn't meant to be unfortunately. Dot is such a clean, fastidious dog that she would never do this if she had any control over the situation. It's just kind of sad to watch age take its toll on her. The good news is that we are all learning to cope. Dot still loves her meals and her early morning walks. I've gotten much better at quickly and efficiently cleaning up her occasional accidents. I'm also getting better at anticipating when she might fall, so I can be there to support her and keep her upright. I'll ask again tomorrow at her physical therapy session if there is anything else we can do to improve her chances for a full recovery. I think I already know the answer though. We are already doing everything we can.

This week has gone quickly. I need to start looking for another new website project. It's always nice to have something new to work on. The articles I write are not new anymore. I appreciate the work, but I could write most of them in my sleep by now. The same goes for the bread and butter website updates I do every day. I'm not complaining though. I know it's not rocket science, but this quiet life of mine has paid the bills for a long, long time.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2033

I got the go ahead to begin another new website project. It is a small project, but aren't they all these days. I'm just happy to have the work. I'm not motivated enough to look for challenges outside of work, so I depend on new projects to keep my brain in gear. This project will keep me thinking for a little while, and then I'll have to find another one.

Without projects and deadlines, I tend to obsess about little things around the house. I wonder why the ice-maker is filling up with ice too fast. Is it broken, or are we just not putting ice in our drinks anymore? Where do all the little ants in the bathroom come from?  I spray and plug up all the cracks that might let them in from the outside, but they are always there. Lately, I've been spending way too much time wondering when Dot is going to poop next. She doesn't give you much warning anymore and if you don't read the tea leaves exactly right, there's a mess to clean up in the house. I think I'm getting better at reading the subtle signs. I've gotten her outside just in time for three days in a row.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and noticed that I could only see out of one eye. The sensation only lasted a moment or two, but it was very odd and a bit alarming. It was almost as if one eye had see a very bright light, causing the pupil to contract. By morning, I was wondering if I had dreamed the whole thing, because my vision was completely normal. Assuming the momentary blindness was real and not a dream, I'm wondering if it was caused by the Apple Watch. The display turns on and off when you look at it and it is fairly bright. This feature works great when you are awake and standing up, but I've noticed that the display seems to flash on and off randomly when you are tossing and turning in bed at night. Often my hands wind up near my face when I'm asleep and maybe the watch was directly in front of my eye while the display was on in my sleep. Just a thought. I'm beginning to think this was just a dream though. If it happens again, I'll need to see an eye doctor.

I mowed the grass this afternoon. I usually do this on Saturday, but I thought I'd get the chore out of the way early and save Saturday for other things. I have no idea what I'm actually saving the time for, because I certainly don't have any plans for the weekend. The time will get used up though. It always does. Maybe I ought to go out and buy a flat of Monkey Grass at a garden store. The Liriope in one section of the back yard is starting to die. You'd think that with all the rain we've had this year that all the plants would be doing wonderfully, but that's not the case. Janet and I apparently do not have a green thumb. It is a constant struggle to keep the yard looking nice.

Dot's limp is a little better today. I still haven't heard anything from the oncologist at the cancer center, but since Dot has an appointment next week for a re-check, maybe I'll just ask all my questions again in person. I wonder if the receptionist didn't relay my message to the doctor. They are usually very good about returning my calls. Hopefully, Dot's condition will continue to improve. We need to keep her strong, but it's getting harder and harder.

Keller is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1940

I spent the day making plans for projects that may or may not ever take place. I have a client who likes to use a teleprompter, so I did some research on teleprompter systems that would work well with my camera. I eventually found something vaguely affordable that would attach to the 15 mm rods I use with my matte box. This system, like most these days, works in conjunction with an iPad. I have an old iPad I thought I'd use, but had trouble finding teleprompter software that would run on IOS 5.1.1. Yes, I have a first generation iPad that isn't even supported anymore. Most of the teleprompter software I saw needed at least IOS 7.0. I finally found something that would run on my old machine and downloaded it. That's enough for one day. If we ever do the video, I'll buy the rest of the system later.

Next on the list was trying to figure out how to route a Pro Tools music file through some old studio  equipment I used to use and then feed it back into the computer again. I've been meaning to do this for years, but never got around to it because of all the wires and interface boxes I had to hook up. There wasn't anything better to do today, so I got to work. Since I didn't really know what I was doing, it took me forever to get the digital signal out of the computer, into the old analog EQ and compressor I wanted to use, and then back into the computer again. I experimented with dozens of different configurations, making a huge mess of tangled wires, extension cords, and electronic boxes, until something accidentally worked. Now, the difficult part will be remembering what I did this afternoon when I actually need to use this technique six months or a year from now.

I probably could have solved today's problems a lot quicker if Dot wasn't in such a demanding mood. She was feeling good today, and didn't want to be in a pen at all. I decided to let her roam the house when she felt like it, always following close behind to assist if she started to slip. Every time I had a good idea about how to configure the audio system, Dot would decide to move about and I had to leave the computer to follow her. Dot really did well. She walked a little awkwardly, but didn't stumble at all. She even managed to sit down in a somewhat controlled manner a few times. If she continues to improve at this rate, I think it's just a matter of time before we can safely walk her on a leash without the special Help 'Em Up Harness.

I received two new writing jobs toward the end of the day, so there won't be any weird experimentation tomorrow. I've cleaned up the mess in the office and am happy that I learned something new. It's good to know that some of my old audio equipment can still be put to good use. Whether I'll ever actually use the old rack of outboard gear in a Pro Tools session is another matter entirely. At least I know I could if I wanted too.

I'm cooking more elaborate breakfasts now. You don't have to worry about me becoming a chef or anything, but I've definitely grown tired of cereal. I think I could live on eggs, sausages, cheese, and salsa. Just about everything I cook starts with these four ingredients. Looking back, I don't know how I survived on oatmeal for so long. A nice spicy omelet is so much better than oatmeal. That's why I fixed one this morning.

There are thunderstorms in tomorrow's forecast. I hope the forecast is wrong. It's hard enough getting Dot to her physical therapy session when the weather is perfect. Dealing with the dogs various storm phobias in the car is not a pleasant experience. I know I can't cancel or reschedule everything I do when it rains, but I'd like to. Rain is problematic. I think the only thing you should do when it rains is get under a blanket and watch a movie.

Livy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1354

I decided to make a kitchen cutting board today. You would have thought this endeavor would have involved a quick trip to Home Depot, or better yet, an even quicker trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for a ready-made cutting board. Nope. Nothing is this easy with me. We've had trouble with cutting boards warping or splitting apart in the past, so I wanted something that was impervious to water. I thought mahogany would be a good choice, because people make boats out of the stuff. I discovered very quickly that not many companies sell select quality mahogany lumber here in Dallas. Even fewer will sell you a single small piece of wood about the size of a cutting board. After much searching, I finally found a specialty lumber company that said I could look through their scrap bin and see if I could find a piece of mahogany that met my needs.

Too bad this odd little lumber company was a long way away.  I'm glad I still have the loaner car. My Defender would have never made the journey in this heat. School is back in session and the route to the lumber company was peppered with school zones. Throw a few broken stop lights in the mix and traffic just crawled along. Eventually, I reached the lumber company and found a nice looking piece of mahogany. I'm glad I wasn't building a boat. Select grade mahogany is a lot more expensive than I'd thought. Now I've got to sand the board, round the edges, and then cut an oval hole in the center so I can fit a small colander to drain food when I place the board over the sink. Alternately, I could forget all this and just use the board like it is.

It's always something with the dogs. When I was walking the pair through some tall grass, Dash let out a yelp and acted like something had bit him. I looked at his paw and found nothing. There were no cuts or abrasions and he hadn't stepped on a thorn either. When I extended his leg, there was no sign of pain or discomfort. I don't know what happened, but Dash limped periodically during the trip back home. The boy seems fine now. Maybe he's just a big baby.

I think most of my clients have already started their Labor Day holiday. Work was non-existent today. I didn't even have any website updates to do, which is rare for me. I'd like to tell you that I did something exciting with my free time, but all I've got to show for myself is a 10x21 inch piece of mahogany. I did try something new for breakfast though. That was nice.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 451

When I went to bed last night, I never dreamed I'd wake up watching a disaster of biblical proportions in Japan. Events like this make you realize that we don't have nearly as much control over our lives as we think we do. I know we are supposed to live each day as if it is our last, but I still tend to live each day as if I have an unlimited number of days ahead of me to correct today's mistakes. I really need to pay more attention to making each day count.

While I was watching the news from Japan on TV, I got a surprise call from Germany. Would I be interested in coordinating social media coverage for a huge multi-national company while they were attending a week long international trade fair in Houston later this Spring? You bet I would! I've got about a week to put together a team and submit a bid for the project. If I get the job, I will be blogging about the company during the trade show and directing a series of short daily video segments that will be uploaded to YouTube and Facebook during the event.

Just so I don't get a big head about this huge opportunity, I need to remember that tomorrow afternoon, I'm taking the mobile studio out to take a photo of someone's puppy. What an odd little company I have. Do you need an elaborate multi-national advertising campaign. Hey, I can do that. Or maybe you just need a picture of your cat. I can do that too.

We've just got a new Dalmatian in the rescue program. His name is Pringles and he came from the Collin County pound. It's going to be a busy weekend, but I need to get up and take some pictures of the new boy as soon as possible, so we can get him up on the Dalmatian Rescue website. This guy is cute! I wouldn't be surprised if he gets adopted before I get the pictures taken.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day