Day 2492

I didn't even realize that it was Columbus Day until I took some letters to the post office and discovered it was closed. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who didn't know that this was a holiday, because the slot where you could drop off mail appeared to be full. The door to the drop off was jammed, but there were still people trying to cram their letters through the broken door. "I don't like this," said an old woman standing next to me, and she turned around with her handful of letters still in her hand and left. This seemed the best course of action to me, so I turned around with my letters and left as well. I can always go back to the post office tomorrow.

I'll need to go back to the vet tomorrow as well. When I stopped to pick up Dot's prescriptions, they weren't ready yet. My outing wasn't a complete failure though, because I stopped at the vegan take-out store and bought an entire week's worth of meals. I got some Chana Masala, Black Bean Soup, Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers, and Chili. Before I tried this place, I wouldn't have believed these things could taste so good without meat, but I'm becoming a convert. I've always liked the idea of eating more vegetables, but constantly buying them in small quantities and cooking for one has seemed more trouble than it's worth. This clever store takes care of this problem.

My attempt to seal the shower stall with silicon didn't really work. Evidently the shower wasn't completely dry, because the silicon didn't stick to the tiles very well. The last time I tried to attempt this type of repair was back when we had our big water leak under the concrete slab and the water to the house was shut off for a week. I shower got nice and dry then and my repairs lasted over a year. Now it's going to be more difficult. I really need to have a tile guy re-do the entire bathroom, but that's expensive and a bit intrusive. I don't want a bunch of workmen in the house while the Dot is sick. I need to find some type of sealant that can be applied when the tiles are wet.

There were some minor website revisions that needed attention this morning, but other than that, it was a typical slow Monday. It's amazing that work seems so slow and yet my day still seems busy. Helping Dot achieve some semblance of a normal life takes an enormous amount of time. I follow her around like a shadow, holding up her rear legs when she feels like moving. Sometimes when we're out in the back yard, I think she forgets where she is. We wander around aimlessly for long periods of time until she eventually discovers the back door and goes inside again. I encourage this kind of activity, because it keeps her on her feet and active. It takes a lot of patience though. I've never been known for patience, but I'm learning.

As expected, both sides claimed that they won the debate last night. Maybe I should have watched. I still think that Gary Johnson and Jill Stein should have been allowed to participate. If more people knew who they were, they would get a lot more votes. I think this is what the established political parties are afraid of. They want to avoid another Ross Perot situation at all costs. I used to do a lot of work for EDS and always thought Ross was a good man. He would have made a better president than the choices we're faced with today.

Neo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2101

Nobody won tonight's debate. Everyone on stage made a few good points and everyone seemed equally frustrated by the way questions were asked. Just like the first debate, the moderators tried everything they could to provoke a fight between the candidates on stage. The whole format was wrong. If a candidate mentioned another person's name, that person automatically got time to respond even if the moderator's question was dumb in the first place. The moderators really wanted tonight's event to be about personalities and conflict. I don't know why I bothered watching. That being said, Carly Fiorina did a great job within the strictures of the ridiculous format. Maybe she did run Hewlett-Packard into the ground, but the woman is smart and very quick on her feet. I'll give her the win, although I did get bored with the whole thing and quit watching long before it was over.

I made my bi-monthly trip to the mall this afternoon to get a haircut. Every time I go to Northpark, I feel like I'm in Las Vegas. The temperature and humidity are carefully controlled. Each store has it's own scent pumped through the ventilation system. The merchandise is beautifully displayed. People in Dallas even seem to dress nicer when they go to the mall. The whole thing is completely artificial, but that's OK. I spend a lot of my time tramping through nature with the dogs. I get bit by fire ants. I need to keep an eye out for snakes. It's always too hot or too cold. There's a lot to be said for artificial. The mall is pleasant as long as I can find a parking place. I always like to visit the Apple Store and the Tesla Store when I'm at Northpark. I'll probably never be able to afford a Tesla, but it's fun to dream.

I know I spend way too much for a haircut, but in the grand scheme of things it's a small indulgence. I don't drink anymore. I rarely go out to dinner. I can't even remember the last time I took a vacation that wasn't work related in some way. Hey, I think I can afford a nice haircut. My stylist likes to talk about animals and travel. I do pretty well holding up my end of the conversation when the subject is dogs and cats. I'm coming up short on travel stories though. I just don't go anywhere anymore.

Most of my travel stories these days involve going to the vet. Today I picked up some more Allopurinol at the vet for Dash. Tomorrow I go to a different vet for Dot's physical therapy. On Friday, I take Dash to a third vet for his six month cancer re-check. There always seems to be a trip to the vet on the calendar. I'm not complaining. Taking a dog to the vet is definitely preferable to client meetings and other forms of torture. The only time I don't like going to the vet is when Dot or Dash is sick. Then I worry.

Tomorrow is Dot's day, but I'm still going to try to get some work done. I just don't know what I'm going to be working on yet. There were a few website revisions to make today, but I'm basically up to speed on everything again. Hopefully, I'll find a few new assignments when I open my e-mail tomorrow morning. Until then, I just hope that Dot sleeps all the way through the night.

Phantom is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1027

Brrr. It was cold this morning. Since there is still no heat, the inside and outside temperatures at the house have gradually equalized. It's about 64 degrees everywhere now. As much as I hate to deal with the whole situation, I'm going to call the HVAC folks tomorrow and see about getting a brand new furnace. I thought briefly about trying to patch the old furnace up for one more year, but it's hopeless. I know the old furnace needs a new gas valve and they don't even make the part anymore. I've patched up the furnace so many times that I think the repairs themselves have become part of the problem. The whole thing is just a bunch of replacement components installed at very different times, all trying without much success to communicate with each other.

The dogs don't seem to mind the cold nearly as much as I do. I guess that makes sense, because they've got fur. They certainly enjoyed the cooler weather when they went to the dog park this afternoon. Dash wanted to say hello to everyone in the park and even Dot was playful. I'm sure the dogs will appreciate the new furnace as the weather grows colder, but I'm going to have to board them on the day it is installed. I've already learned that the dogs and repair people aren't a good mix.

I watched that Rumble2012 debate between Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly after dinner. It was actually quite good. Both men tackled difficult subjects, were well informed, and still managed to be funny. I actually learned more from this debate than from the real debate last week. I guess real politicians could never be this candid. Real politicians from both parties have a ton of sacred cows they can't even go near for fear of upsetting their constituents. It was refreshing to hear two different points of view without all the pandering.

This whole weekend zipped by. Between yesterday's Oktoberfest and today's dog park outing, there was barely time to mow the grass and get the groceries. It's going to be a busy week. I've got October invoices to get out. There are technical articles to write. Hopefully, there will be a new furnace before it gets any colder.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1024

I lost another website account today. My soon to be former client went to a conference and was pitched by one of those companies that offer standardized, template driven websites geared to a specific industry at very low prices. I patiently tried to explain to my client that all those cheap bells and whistles would be of limited value if their competitors all had exactly the same website. This argument went in one ear and right out the other. Apparently, one of their competitors had actually recommended this web developer to them. They didn't care if their website looked exactly like 100 other websites. They just wanted the cheap bells and whistles.

Inexpensive template websites have become the bane of my existence. I still do everything from scratch, and just can't compete with this mass produced approach. I feel like one of those obscure auto companies who were hand-building cars in a garage right after Henry Ford invented the assembly line. I still have some really good customers who seem happy with my work, but the writing is on the wall. I get e-mail everyday from companies offering to re-design my own website for free. I get other e-mails offering to host the site for as little as $9.95 a month. It's becoming a commodity driven business and I'm becoming a dinosaur.

Maybe I ought to just stick to writing. I think the bloom is off the rose when it comes to comes to photography, video editing, and website design. It's become increasingly easy to do these things yourself. People still don't like to write, however. Hell, they don't even like to read anymore. I actually have more writing jobs than I did a few years ago. I guess there still isn't a convenient iPhone app that will do your writing and thinking for you.

Although I missed the political debates last night, I couldn't avoid seeing everything rehashed on the morning news shows today. The pundits were right. Obama was definitely off his game. The guy looked like he was sleepwalking through the entire debate. The debacle serves him right if you ask me. He's been spending way too much time partying with the likes of JZ and Beyonce.

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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