Day 3053

I was hoping that the weather would improve today, but I didn't get my wish. We got more rain. It was far too wet this morning to take Dash on a morning walk. I guess I could have gone out for breakfast, but it seemed too wet for that as well. I made myself a large bowl of oatmeal and listened to the rain on the roof as I drank my morning coffee.

It's easy to get cabin fever on days like this. Work doesn't keep me busy anymore. Daytime TV is terrible. And you can only do so much laundry. I wish I could go to sleep as easily as Dash. Since I was wide awake, I absentmindedly flipped back and forth between the news and business channels, looked at Facebook, and perused photo and electronics catalogs in search of new gear that would change my life.

Janet subscribes to Netflix, Hulu, and Acorn.tv, but I can't bring myself to watch a movie. There are thousands of books lining the walls of my office, but I can't bring myself to read a book either. The last book I really enjoyed was A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. I'm sure there have been great books since then, but few have reached out to me. I think a lot of reading is instigated by recommendations from friends. Dash doesn't recommend many books.

I didn't feel like getting groceries today, but when the rain finally subsided late in the afternoon, I went out and picked up a pizza for dinner. There's a neighborhood pizza place that makes pretty good thin crust pizza. I'll probably have heartburn tonight, but who cares. On a rainy day when you can't find any motivation, sometimes a pizza is the only thing that will do.

It would have been a good day to go to the storage warehouse and organize the collection of trains. Like I've said before, I can talk myself out of virtually anything on a rainy day. I don't have any choice tomorrow. I've run out of time. I'll be glad when I put this chore behind me. It's depressing. I felt the same way when I had to sell my beloved Citroën SM. There are so many things that I was planning on dealing with later. Unfortunately, it's only a matter of time before "later" becomes now.

Dash finally did get a walk when Janet came home from work. I even saw a patch of blue sky just before sunset. Lets hope we get a few more weeks of mild Spring weather before Summer arrives. The only good thing about Summer is that my roof might finally get fixed.

Crosby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2962 - Ground Hog Day

I felt better this morning, but I still didn't go out for breakfast. A bowl of oatmeal seemed just fine. After breakfast, Dash and I had a nice long walk before I got started on an equally long day.

I called the vet who prescribed Carprofen for Dash and expressed my concerns. He said that there was another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory that didn't have Carprofen's side effects, but that he wasn't very familiar with it. We decided to just discontinue the drug until next month's exam and then see what our options were. Since the Carprofen has very little to do with Dash's heart condition, this seemed like a good plan to me. Next, I talked to a different vet to ask some questions about Dash's eye infection. It's getting better, but we ran out of eye drops before the infection cleared up. She said to continue the drops until the infection goes away and renewed his prescription.

I felt a little more comfortable about Dash's health, so it was time to deal with the refrigerator again. I called the sales guy at Nebraska Furniture Mart to see if the model we are currently looking at is really out of stock until the middle of March. It was. Since this same model is also for sale at Home Depot, I drove over to our neighborhood store to check on its availability. I didn't get any answers because there was no one available in the appliance department to answer my questions. Somebody in the plumbing department told me to come back tomorrow.

Even though I was busy today, it's doesn't seem like I accomplished much. The vet convinced me yesterday that Dash was uncomfortable, probably as a result of arthritis. Since his solution to the problem was Rimadyl, I still don't know what to do. I really don't think Rimadyl is a safe drug. Janet seemed surprised that I haven't bought a refrigerator yet. I tried to explain that it wasn't that easy, but I don't think she liked my answer.

I'm really disappointed that the stock market dropped 666 points today, although I don't think this inauspicious number is a sign of the beast. I just think a lot of people are nervous and wanted to take some profits while the market was near an all time high. Jeez, I'm nervous myself, but I can't think of any rational reason to sell. The business climate is good around the world and most companies are optimistic about the year ahead. That being said, I still wish that the stock market wasn't ruled by fear and greed. Irrational fear is at the root of most market sell offs.

Apparently ground hogs are just as divided on the issues as humans. Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of Winter, but Staten Island Chuck predicted an early Spring. I wasn't aware that there were so many of these prognosticating rodents. Six predicted a longer winter, and four predicted an early spring. One of the prognosticating ground hogs isn't even alive. Washington, D.C. relies on Potomac Phil, who was taxidermied quite a while ago. Why am I not surprised that Washington, D.C.  would use a dead ground hog for this all important task?

I don't think our neighborhood squirrels could predict anything. Their only interests are tearing up the yard and pestering the dogs.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1668

We were out of oatmeal this morning, so instead of going to the store and getting a new box, I just went out for breakfast instead. I hadn't been to this place for a while, so I was curious if it was still the same. The menu looked the same, but when I ordered my familiar omelet, something looked different. Yup. There was less of everything. Another restaurant had discovered portion control. Everyone seems to be doing this these days. They'll put a little less in the box, or a little less on the plate and hope you won't notice. Retailers and manufacturers seem to know that their customers hate price increases, but will readily accept getting a little less for the same amount of money. Personally, I'd rather pay a little more and get a decent sized portion, but that's just me. As I continue to grow poorer, maybe my attitude will change.

I spent most of the day working on my new website project and getting my July invoices out. There were short trips to the post office and pharmacy to pay bills and pick up prescriptions, but that was about it. It's hard to get very excited about doing websites these days. It seems like every new project I get is less profitable than the previous one. I know I need to stay competitive to stay busy, but pretty soon these things won't even pay the electric bill.

It's not just traditional website design that's in decline. I saw an article the other day that said the average annual income for published authors showed the sharpest decline ever recorded during the past five years. There are well respected authors all over the world who are making less than the receptionist at an average law office. I think it's pathetic. Indie music, self-publishing, ready-made Wordpress themes, high resolution phone cameras, and a host of other innovations have created a tidal wave that is washing away folks like me. I think my financial adviser is tired of hearing me complaining about money. "Why don't you just switch to designing apps for the iPhone," he asked me the other day. It was hard to explain that creating apps was a completely different business model than being a graphic designer. Even if I was able to master the coding issues, I think my head would explode if my role in life was to come up with the next Angry Birds or Candy Crush Saga. 

I remember one year while I was going to college, I has a Summer job working on an auto assembly line. The pay was pretty darn good. I think now that the era Henry Ford ushered in with the birth of the assembly line might have been the best of times. There was a genuine need for lots and lots of people to put things together for people to buy. People bought tons of the newly affordable refrigerators, cars and light bulbs that were flooding the market, creating more jobs and more assembly lines. Wages gradually went up, since there were no robots to replace the people. The people and the jobs were actually necessary. This is what created the middle class.

Now everything is different. I've been inside huge factories where I hardly saw a person at all. Robots did everything. Automation systems are replacing people at every level. Your job is next. Sometimes I think the only thing people actually make these days are more people. We're still having babies, but what are they going to do when they grow up? They can't all be artists selling handmade jewelry on Etsy.

I'm not sure what my answer to living in an automated world will be. It's easier to think about tomorrow. I'll definitely be going back to my favorite restaurant, where I'm fairly sure that the quality and portion sizes haven't declined. I'll pick up some tasty food for the weekend at Central Market. I might even do some work.

Today's Dalmatian of the Day was one of ours. She went to the Rainbow Bridge on this day in 2004. Rest in peace Greta. You were one of a kind.

Greta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1630

The long awaited SXSW Cookbook arrived in today's mail. The book was printed in China, which might explain why it took so long to be published. The well designed, hard cover cookbook looked absolutely beautiful. It was well worth waiting for and I was proud to be included. I am without a doubt, the least famous person in the star studded book, which seemed to include recipes by every millionaire start-up tycoon in Silicon Valley. My recipe is simple and unpretentious. So were my talks when I was asked to be a presenter at SXSW back in the 90's. I'm still kind of amazed to be included among this compilation of A-list multimedia luminaries. I need to save this book. It proves that for a brief moment in time, I was a mover and shaker too.

Today was certainly simple and unpretentious. I wrote two press releases, balanced my checkbook, and picked up some more phenobarbital for Dash at the vet. I got up early to take advantage of the still cool mornings. It's getting too hot for long walks in the afternoons, but I like to make sure that Dot and Dash get at least one good outing before the park turns into a humid furnace.

I read an article today that said Leptospirosis vaccinations for dogs were not effective and maybe even dangerous. This was unsettling, because Dash just got his annual Leptospirosis shot last week. I am increasingly frustrated by a lack of consensus about just about everything in this world. You can pick just about any subject and find well reasoned, but radically diverging viewpoints. Nobody agrees about anything these days, especially when it comes to medicine. I have yet to read the definitive article about what causes diabetes. People can't even agree on whether sugar is the culprit. Nobody can agree on the best food to feed your dog, whether eating wheat and grains is OK, or whether vitamins and supplements do anything at all. I know vegans, people who swear by a Paleo diet, and people who eat whatever they want. All of them think they're right. It's even worse when the subject is politics. I'm convinced that this once great melting pot of a country will remain hopelessly divided for the rest of my life.

I've completely given up on people, but I do wish that everyone could agree on what is best for dogs. Dogs don't get to choose their own healthcare plan, so I think we owe it to them to look out for their best interests. I always want to do what is best for my dogs, but occasionally it occurs to me that everything I know about dogs is just somebody else's opinion. Vets used to says that dogs needed rabies shots every year. Now, it's every three, or in some cases, five years. Is this why Spot got cancer?  I'll probably never know for sure. Doctors will probably never completely agree about my own health either. The playing field is always changing.

In an uncertain world, I would appreciate a calm and uneventful Tuesday. I've grown tired of all the drama and disagreement. To get this uneventful day off to a good start, a big bowl of oatmeal would be just fine.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1505

Although I spent my teenage years in Alaska, I don't think I could take Northern Winters anymore. This morning was brutal. The temperature was in the teens and there was a stiff wind that made the wind chill feel much worse. The dogs have both learned to do their business very quickly, so we can return to the warm house as soon as possible. I'm glad Dash has finally overcome his reluctance to pee in the yard, but I think this cold spell has made him a bit too casual. This evening when he went outside, he quickly peed on the patio furniture on the back porch and immediately came back inside.

I found myself daydreaming about retirement today. Although I am very busy, the relatively small amount of money I make for my efforts is hardly worth the trouble. I've depended on the stock market to make up the difference for quite some time. If I could still make a reliable 10% total return year-in and year-out, I'd probably have retired already. My financial adviser isn't too keen on the idea of retirement though. He's a realist. He is convinced that there will be other years like 2008, and that it's always a good idea to keep a few irons in the fire. I reluctantly agree. My business changes so quickly that if I abruptly quit, I wouldn't have a clue what was going on within three years. So here I am, competing with a bunch of millennials who just don't don't know how to price things. I'm holding my own, but it feels a lot like treading water.  I wonder how these young wordsmiths and design wizards are ever going to get rich if they keep undercutting everybody's prices.

Since our dog walks were cut short by the cold, I spent a little extra time in the gym today. My biceps are getting bigger, my core is stronger, and it is clear I'm making progress. My shoulder still hurts, unfortunately. I have a feeling that I should see a good physical therapist, or maybe even get an MRI scan of my shoulder. Something is really wrong. After today's workout, I couldn't lift my right arm above eye level. The shoulder always hurts and I'm seldom able to lift this arm above my head, with or without weights. The dogs continually pull this shoulder out of joint on our daily walks, so most of my rehabilitation efforts are futile. Hey, everything else is going well though. I'm a one armed wonder.

I don't think I can skip tomorrow's networking breakfast, like I did last week. I have to give a progress report on the website I'm designing for the group. Yes, there is a website and it's almost done. I wonder if these guys realize that I'm just coming to these meetings for the food. Now that I've become serious about staying healthy, enjoying the occasional tasty meal has become a big deal. I was just getting ready to to make my morning oatmeal today, when I discovered a leftover bacon and mushroom quiche in the refrigerator. That little quiche made my day.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1479

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, it was almost seventy degrees outside. Today it was below freezing with a fierce wind that made the temperature feel much lower. At least we didn't have snow like a lot of folks in the East. I put two sweaters on each of the dogs this morning, but they didn't act like they needed them. I always think Dalmatians are going to freeze in cold weather, since they are short haired dogs. Dot and Dash seem to relish the cold however. They were certainly perky on their walks today.

Dot had her weekly acupuncture session today, but will return to her regular Wednesday schedule next week. Hopefully, I'll return to my regular schedule as well. This mid-week holiday season has left me totally confused. Most of the time, I don't know what day it is.

All in all, it was a pretty boring day. I got some writing work done, went to the bank, and attended to Dot on her spa day. That was about it. The day was so boring that I found myself wondering about trivial things. Janet got a different brand of oatmeal at the store last week and it said on the box that the cooking time was twice as long as my regular oatmeal. I set the timer for the recommended time, and stirred the mixture like I normally do. I was surprised to discover that this new oatmeal took exactly the same amount of time to cook as the regular "quick" oatmeal I normally eat. I'd never timed this meal before. Why bother? It's so simple that Dash could prepare it. I guess I never realized I was cooking my "three minute" oatmeal for eight minutes. I just keep the pot on the stove until the coffee is ready.

There's a little bird that's driving me crazy by pooping on my car every single day. It's an evil bird. I can see it doing its business through my office window, but I can't make it stop. I don't know why people keep birds as pets. They are filthy creatures. Even if you love birds, it makes little sense to keep one in a cage. When you clip a bird's wings, you are basically crippling it so it can no longer do the one thing that makes birds unique: fly. If I were a bird, I would despise the person who kept me in their living room in a cage. Oddly, the people I know who have birds, also seem to inevitably have a cat. The cat is always trying to get the bird.

I continue to find it amusing that friends of mine who thought ObamaCare was a wonderful idea are now shocked to discover they have policies with ridiculously high deductibles that cost even more than they were paying before. I used to tell these people that if the government can't make the post office work, it certainly couldn't make the healthcare system work. I think I'm going to have the last laugh on this one.

I know that I've already had my weekly poached egg and pulled pork combo, but maybe if I go back to my breakfast restaurant again tomorrow, it will get me back on schedule again. It certainly doesn't seem like tomorrow is Friday. I did remember to take the trash out tonight though. I wrote myself a note.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1448

I wonder if any of you would even notice if I occasionally substituted a post from a previous year for my daily missive? Pride prevents me from doing this, but to tell the truth, I wouldn't know the difference myself. The days all run together. After 25 years of walking a succession of Dalmatians in the park while writing a steady stream of endlessly similar advertising messages, I not only forget what day it is, I forget what year it is.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't enjoy days like today. I just have trouble telling them apart. The falling leaves look the same as they always do in early December. The dogs still remind me that it's time for dinner precisely at 4:30 PM every day. The Version 14.1.4 of Microsoft Word that I opened to complete this morning's writing assignments seems remarkably similar to the very first version I bought for my Mac in 1989. Jeez, I've been sitting in the same Herman Miller Aeron Chair for so long that I've worn out three of the comfortable mesh chair backs.

Today certainly wasn't a day to break the mold. I came up with an interesting new landing page for a very old website that I initially designed in 1997. I wrote another article about luxury goods. Before the end of the year, I will have written over 500 of these articles. I fix my oatmeal and fruit. I make the bed. I count the hours and I wonder why.

For diversity, I had a Greek salad instead of my usual Kale. The dogs and I walked over a small hill instead of around it. Even though there was a pretty sunset, I took a picture of a leaf instead. This is really all the diversity I need. I'm going to the gym tomorrow. I'll make some oatmeal with strawberries again for breakfast. I'll watch the business channel and check my stocks while I'm eating. The dogs will sleep most of the day. David Byrne said it best way back in 1981. "Same as it ever was..."

Gretta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1310

I had to give Dot the Heimlich maneuver today. She eats her food so fast that she occasionally chokes on it. This has happened before and I'm not really sure how to prevent it. I've tried putting some of her food inside a big rubber Kong to slow her down. I've tried putting a couple of rubber balls in her bowl so she has to push them around with her nose to get at the food. Nothing works very well. She always eats as if it was her last meal. Dash, on the other hand, it a very slow eater. This is probably one reason why Dot is in such a hurry. I'm sure she'd like to eat Dash's food as well.

There were still a few scattered showers today, but the weather is definitely improving. We were lucky and were able to get to Dot's acupuncture appointment and back without getting wet. Dot likes her acupuncture treatments now. I think she even looks forward to them.

Next week we're going to start alternating water therapy with the acupuncture treatments. This type of physical therapy is great for older dogs that are starting to experience some muscle atrophy. The dog is placed in a special harness and walks on a treadmill submerged in a tank of water. This low impact stress resistance helps to build the dog's leg muscles back without causing additional joint problems. Dot doesn't like water, but we'll give it a try and see how things go. I didn't think she'd like acupuncture either and that's worked out quite well.

I wish somebody would pay me. Bills are stacking up and way too many  invoices are past due. If you get a regular paycheck every two weeks, consider yourself lucky. Wild fluctuations in cash flow are all a normal part of owning your own business, but it's not a part that I particularly enjoy. I put up with the hills and valleys though, because it's still a lot better than having a boss.

The dogs did a good job of putting up with training class tonight. They actually did quite well this evening. I was proud of them. With nothing on the agenda tomorrow, I'm sure they'll quickly revert back to their stubborn ways, but they seemed like well trained dogs tonight.

I just noticed that I'm out of oatmeal. I could either go to the store after I walk the dogs tomorrow morning and get some more, or I could just go out to eat instead. Hmm. Tasty veggie omelet or oatmeal? You can probably guess what I'm going to do.

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1280

Janet is home again. The new roof has been paid for. I didn't even get stung by a bee today. For the most part, all is well with the world.

The day did start off with a humongous Summer rainstorm, but the dogs and I are learning to adjust to these storms. Instead of walking the dogs right after I get up, as I usually do, we all had our breakfast instead. Dot and Dash love to eat, so postponing their walk was no big deal to them. I am so slow fixing my own breakfast that by the time I was finished eating and had done the dishes, the rain was over. Problem solved. The sudden downpour cooled things down by at least fifteen degrees, so we actually had a very enjoyable walk. Our afternoon walk was another story entirely. Once the sun broke through the clouds, the moisture in the ground turned to steam and the air became a sauna.

Considering that it was a Monday, I was surprisingly busy today. I completed a couple of website revisions and wrote an article or two. I remembered to pay my quarterly estimated taxes too, so I can cross that off my list. I was actually so productive today that I feel I should be entitled to take Tuesday off. That will never happen though. There is always work to do on Tuesday.

Janet's flight was delayed by weather this evening, so I found myself out at the airport watching the bags go round and round at the baggage claim carousel. I like bags and it's always interesting to see what other people are carrying. At least half the bags are dull, utilitarian looking Samsonite models, but occasionally I see something interesting. My favorite bags are made by PortaBrace. These distinctive blue bags are made by hand in Bennington, Vermont and used almost exclusively by film and video production crews. I frequently use mine as suitcases. They are almost indestructible.

I wish tomorrow was Friday. It's not like the workload is all that terrible this week. I think I'm just getting tired of oatmeal for breakfast. Even mixed with strawberries and blueberries, it's still oatmeal.

Bali is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1153

I shouldn't have been this tired today. We had a leisurely breakfast and attended a pet parade. That was about it. Maybe I just didn't get enough sleep. The dogs woke me up during the night, frightened by a passing thunderstorm. By the time I got back to sleep again, it was morning. The first thing I did when I got up was sweep the water off the roof. Since we were going to be away at a Mardi Gras parade for most of the day, I didn't want to give the water the upper hand.

After breakfast, we loaded the dogs and a bunch of Dalmatian Rescue stuff into the car and drove 32 miles north to McKinney, Texas. It took longer to drive up to McKinney than it took to parade around the town square. This was a very short parade. I think the dogs enjoyed themselves, but they were quite tired when they returned home late in the day.

Janet liked the little tracking wristlet I got the other day and bought one for herself. Not surprisingly, she is more active than I am. We both walked more than six miles though. Not bad for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Most of my walking was taking stuff back and forth from the car to where the Dalmatian Rescue tent was set up for the event. I'm glad this is the last event for a while. Like I said, I'm tired.

I've got to find a more effective way to get rid of the bugs that are finding their way into the house. This had been the worst Winter for bugs that I can remember. Other people we know are having the same problem. Maybe it's the warm Winter, or maybe the bugs are just getting tougher. They're certainly hard to get rid of this year. Especially, when you can't spread copious amounts of poison around the house. The growing population of feral cats in the neighborhood has pretty well taken care of the rat problem we used to have in the neighborhood. I guess these cats don't like bugs though. Or maybe the rats used to eat the bugs. I don't really know how the critter food chain works in the park.

It looks like a busy week ahead. It's time to start working on my taxes again. There are several writing jobs to complete. The house could use a good vacuuming too. I still don't know what to do with all the extra time I've unlocked by eating oatmeal. My elaborate breakfasts used to be one of the best time wasting activities I had.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1151

It was surprisingly busy for a day when nothing actually happened. I decided to try out somebody else's oatmeal on my Friday restaurant outing this morning. It was exactly the same as mine. Then I went to the grocery store and got more healthy food for dinner. When I got home, the liver institute called to schedule a MRI for later in the month. About an hour later, another doctor called to remind me of a blood test tomorrow.

At first glance, this may not seem like a very exciting life. My challenge these days is to make these new routines exciting. I have a feeling that my future may depend on them.

There were quite a few website revisions to make today. I have a feeling that all the websites I manage are slowly slipping away from me. A lot of what I do these days is making sure that the client's websites keep up with what they've already posted on Facebook. It's so easy to change stuff on social media sites that people start thinking their websites should be the same way. I shouldn't complain though. I would have been out of the website business a long time ago if it weren't for all these silly changes.

I finished a couple of writing jobs as well. I needn't have hurried though. My client had already left for the weekend by the time I turned them in. I don't know if I'm a better writer than I used to be, but I'm a much faster writer now. I amaze myself sometimes at how quickly I zip through these assignments.

The dogs are invited to another Mardi Gras parade this weekend. This one is a small local parade in McKinney, Texas. All we really do is walk the dogs around the block while we are circling the courthouse in the town square. It's fun when the weather is nice, and a little chilly on the years when Mardi Gras comes early. Whatever the weather is like this weekend, it's bound to be a lot nicer than what people are experiencing in the Northeast right now. Every Winter, I'm glad I live in Texas. Of course, every Summer I start to think otherwise.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1150

I spent most of my day answering questions. There were e-mail questions. There were telephone questions. And then there were lots of questions around a conference table at a meeting during the afternoon. I don't really like answering questions. The questions themselves aren't so bad. It's the fact that nobody listens to my answers that gets old. Everyone acts like they're listening, but two or three days later I usually notice that the final outcome has nothing to do with anything I may have said. Usually, when people ask you questions, they just want you to agree with them.

If I was smart, I would agree with everything my client's say. It's easier that way. I usually feel compelled to tell my side of the story though, which seldom accomplishes anything. Maybe I just want to be able to say "I told you so," when things begin to go wrong later.

My little tracker wristlet said I only slept 4 hours and 34 minutes last night. I woke up three times and lay awake in bed a total of 2 hours and 18 minutes. That's not good. Only 1 hour and 58 minutes of my total sleep was the deep sleep that restores you for the next day. As depressing as all this sounds, I wasn't really surprised. I know the dogs keep me awake a lot. They're light sleepers and so am I. Janet, on the other hand, can sleep through anything. It's not all bad news though. Even though I'm only getting 57% of the sleep I need, I am apparently getting over 125% of the exercise I need.

When faced with a choice of doing a bunch of mindless website revisions or getting my February invoices out, I opted to do my monthly billing today and get the invoices in the mail. I should have plenty of time to get all the website stuff done tomorrow, since a long morning meeting I'd been dreading got postponed until next Friday. There's plenty to do tomorrow, but I think my most important decision will be what to have for breakfast. This will be my first restaurant Friday since I've adopted my new healthy diet. Pancakes aren't on the list. Neither are waffles. Biscuits and gravy are out. Bacon is definitely a no-no. I guess I could have an omelet, but I couldn't stuff it full of bacon, ham, chorizo, and cream cheese like I usually do. There's always oatmeal, but where's the fun in that? I've been eating oatmeal all week.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1147

My learning journey continues. Oatmeal mixed with fresh blueberries and strawberries and sweetened with a little Stevia is actually delicious. Who would have thought? Maybe I can live without bacon after all. I also learned that the Kale I'm eating in my salad is actually the very same purple plant that I used to buy in pots at the garden store to put on the front porch during the Winter. I always thought these ornamental plants were pretty, but never knew you could eat them. I certainly had no idea they were healthy.

I wish I would discover some equally enlightening things about my chosen profession. I'm really starting to get burned out with what advertising has become in recent years. The stuff I write never was intended to be Anna Karenina or Moby Dick. It's depressing how mindless advertising messaging has become however. For the past three or four years I keep thinking that the Super Bowl ads keep getting worse with each succeeding year. There is no subtlety anymore. It's all rudeness and explosions these days. Coke, GoDaddy, Priceline... there wasn't a coherent idea between them. I didn't even like a lot of the commercials that the young bloggers gave rave reviews on their websites. I thought the Taco Bell spot with the old people escaping the retirement home was kind of insulting and even though I thought the Tide "Stain" spot was clever, it wasn't that great. On the other hand I did like some of the commercials that the young folk thought were insulting. The Volkswagen spot featuring white people talking like Jamaicans was panned by many reviewers who said the spot was racially insensitive. What a bunch of politically correct nonsense. That Volkswagen commercial was one of the few genuinely funny spots I saw all night.

Like many of you, I loved the Paul Harvey "Farmer" spot for Dodge Ram. I was terribly disappointed however to discover that the Dodge Ram ad agency didn't actually come up with this idea. A much smaller Chicago agency had already used the exact same Paul Harvey dialog in another commercial earlier. This is sad to me. Copying has become so mainstream that people don't even think it is wrong anymore. Most of my clients would actually rather copy or emulate something that already exists than to take a chance on something genuinely original. I haven't been asked to do anything genuinely original in years.

I was really busy today, but like I've already mentioned, I wasn't doing much original thinking. That monkey the Iranians sent into space recently could have taken my place today. I changed out pictures on websites. I paraphrased things I found on Wikipedia. I replied to mindless questions with equally mindless answers. Maybe something original will happen tomorrow.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day