Day 1601

I got tired of being tired today. I finally got my ass in gear and went down to Fair Park to catch the last day of the Dallas Guitar Show. It was a good day to go, since Janet was home most of the afternoon to keep an eye on the dogs. If you've never been to a guitar show, it's a lot like a classic car show. You'll see a hundred middle aged men before you'll ever see a woman at a guitar show. Lots of guys go to these events, but they're all of a certain age. You'd think that every man between 35 and 60 secretly wanted to be a rock star, because this is who you see at guitar shows. Younger guys go to Comic-Con. Guys like me go to car and guitar shows.

I enjoyed listening to over-the-hill rockers like Andy Timmons and Gary Hoey today. These players aren't exactly household names, but they are revered by other guitar players. I listened to impromptu outdoor concerts by both Andy and Gary this afternoon and discovered why they are both considered to be among the top 100 guitarists of all time. Guitar show concerts are very casual. It's easy to sit right up in front at the frequent concerts and workshops and nobody minds if you come and go as you please. Johnny Winter was the big name on today's bill, but he didn't go onstage until after my dinner time. We all have our priorities.

If I had hung on to the guitars I owned in high school, I could probably retire now. I saw several guitars at the show that were identical to ones I used to play in high school bands. Most were worth at least $4000 now. I can't recall ever paying over $100 for a guitar in high school. I paid for them with money I made mowing lawns. My friends and I never even conceived of the concept of vintage guitars back then. How could we have known that these things would become collectable some day? In high school, guitars were just inexpensive things you bought and sold and occasionally lost or destroyed. My mom gave one of my best guitars to the Goodwill store when I moved out of the house to go to college. Several others suffered equally ignoble fates. Maybe this is why I save everything now.

Dash had a good day. The burn on his neck wasn't quite as red and inflamed today, giving us hope that the ugly wound on his neck will eventually heal and become normal again once he has finished with his radiation treatments. Both dogs had lots of energy and took nice long walks this morning. They didn't want to go anywhere this evening though. It was way too hot. The temperature was over 102 degrees at one point this afternoon. Even in Texas, this is pretty darn hot for early May. Like I have said many times, you can never predict the weather down here. Every day is a new day.

Tomorrow is a milestone day. Dash will receive his very last radiation treatment. They call it graduation day at the cancer center. It's hard to believe that we started this journey back in February. Hopefully, when all is said and done, we will have been able to give Dash back the normal life he deserves. The chemotherapy will continue through the Summer, but the radiation was the roughest part. So far, Dash has shown no side effects whatsoever from the chemotherapy pills. I hope this continues. I need more days like today. I got out of a rut and did something different. Dash got stronger and gave me hope. I didn't even attempt to do any work today. That's the way it ought to be.

Crosby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1594

Janet and I went on the home tour today. All the homes were right in our neighborhood, so we didn't have to leave the dogs very long. We both like mid-century modern architecture, so whenever this era is featured on a tour, we tend to go. Over the years, the exteriors of these home all seem more or less the same, since most of them were built in the 1950's. The interiors and landscaping change according to what is currently in style however. This year, concrete driveways seem to be out and gravel and crushed granite are in. I guess this makes sense, since concrete work has gotten horrendously expensive. Shallow basin sinks and big tile showers without shower doors seemed popular as well. There are fewer extravagant houses and more creatively frugal ones. Most of the homes we visited today were pretty small. I suspect that this is all a sign of the times. Our entire society is downsizing.

We will have lots of questions for the oncologist when we take Dash back to the cancer center tomorrow morning. The more I read, the more I realize that moist dermatitis and non-healing wounds are common during the latter stages of cancer treatment. The radiation breaks down the tissue over time and makes it harder for wounds to heal. Optimistic websites said that most of the skin sores tend to heal within two weeks after ending treatment. Pessimistic websites said the process could take six months or longer. The key to a successful outcome seems to be in keeping the damaged area as clean and dry as you can and not allowing the dog to scratch or lick the area. We are lucky in a way that Dash's surgery was in his neck, which is a difficult area for a dog to reach. People who have dogs where the front or rear leg is receiving radiation tend to have a harder time controlling things. At any rate, I hope our oncologist can help us find an effective way to help Dash's wounds heal quickly. It is discouraging to encounter a setback when we are so close to the finish line.

I had a good workout at the gym this afternoon. I'm almost back to my old routine, even though I'm only able to go once a week now. I always do the same things. I spend 20-minutes on the hand bicycle to help strengthen my dislocated shoulder. I spend 20-minutes working my way through a line of ten different resistance machines to build muscle strength. I spend about 10-minutes using free weights. And then I spend my remaining time shooting baskets on the basketball court in the center of the gym. If I did this three times a week, I'd probably be in great shape, but once a week is better than nothing.

Next week looks like a busy one. I've already got several projects cued up for Monday. Toward the end of the week, I am scheduled to have my exit interview with my team of liver doctors. I hope that they just pronounce me cured and send me on my way. I won't be seeing the doctors much after this, but they have already told that they will monitor me periodically for up to two years, just to make sure that the disease doesn't reappear. I'm hoping that when all is said and done, Dash will have the same successful outcome that I seem to have received.

Chance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1593

Dash threw up last night. This hasn't happened since he started his cancer treatments and I was hoping that it wouldn't happen at all. Since it is important that he always has his phenobarbital pill, I instinctively looked through the mess on the carpet to see if the pill was still there. He had just taken his night time meds an hour earlier, so there was a good chance that it would be. While I was looking for the illusive pill, I remembered that the cancer center folks told me in the very beginning that if Dash ever threw up, I was supposed to consider it as toxic waste and not to touch the vomit with my hands while I was cleaning the mess up. Oh, well. Too late now. It seems almost inevitable that I will eventually poison myself before Dash is finally finished with his lengthy chemo regime. Since Dash has eaten two regular meals today and has seemed fine all day, I don't think the episode last night had anything to do with his cancer. We just ate dinner and fed the dogs way too late yesterday and Dash drank a lot of water just before he went to bed. Dogs frequently throw up for no reason at all. I just wish he would put this behavior on hold until we manage to get through with this cancer treatment.

When I was taking the groceries out of the back of the car this afternoon, I happened to look up and noticed that there were little spots of blood all over the headliner. Damn. I immediately knew what had happened, but it didn't help much. You know how dogs shake when they get out of the water? Well, Dalmatians shake like this after they do anything at all. One day last week, Dash had "happy tail" when he came home from his radiation treatment. Dalmatians often wag their tails very vigorously and end up hitting things with their tail that get in the way. If the wagging goes on too long, some times the tip of the tail starts to bleed. Usually when this happens, I just put a little Hydrogen peroxide on the tail and everything is fine a few minutes later. I guess I forgot that Dash always does this shaking routine right after he gets in the car. He must have ended up shaking little drops of blood from the tip of his tail all over the white headliner. So much for the new car look.

The scar on Dash's neck was still moist when he woke up this morning. This is not good. I need to figure out a reliable way to make sure the wound gets lots of air so it can dry out, while still keeping the area well protected from any attempts to scratch the incision site with a rear paw. Everything is fine if I make sure Dash is always nearby whereI can see him,. Unfortunately, he likes to wander off where I can't see him. I haven't come up with a good solution yet.

Dalmatian Rescue is having another of their periodic casino party fundraisers tonight. This is the first time in quite a while that I stayed home and won't be spinning the roulette wheel. It's just too long to leave the dogs alone. Ever since Dot ate the carpet, I've been penning her in a small brick area in the hallway where she can't get into trouble. I don't leave blankets, pillows or rugs in the area, just in case she might decide to chew them. Unfortunately, the bricks are pretty hard on her tired old bones and I hate to leave her here for very long. Since Dash threw up last night and has a scar that seems to be turning into an infection, I don't want to let him out of my sight at all. Hopefully, Janet won't get overwhelmed running the roulette table by herself.

I've been really tired and probably pretty irritable lately, The entire Spring has seemed like a long journey to an uncertain destination. I keep looking for the finish line, but I don't see it yet.

Brady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day