Day 2064

I never thought I'd say this, but I actually like my dentist. I got my permanent crown today and I was impressed by the meticulous care the dentist took to make sure that it looked and felt exactly like the rest of my natural teeth. They took really good impressions a month ago and the new crown fits perfectly. The most surprising thing about today's visit, other than the fact that the chair I sat in was giving me a back massage, was the small Japanese woman who came in with a set of miniature brushes and painted the tooth with a special porcelain enamel so it would be an exact match with the adjacent teeth on either side. When she got the color blended just right they removed the crown and fired it in an oven for thirty minutes to fuse the enamel and make the color permanent. Dentistry has come a long way since the last time I had a crown put in. That was twenty years ago. I doubt that I'll wait twenty years between dental visits now. I probably don't have twenty years left.

It took a lot longer to fit and attach the crown than I had anticipated. I thought that they would just remove the temporary tooth, glue in the new crown and I'd be good to go in fifteen minutes. I was actually at the dentist's office almost two hours, but I have no complaints. I appreciate attention to detail and I was very impressed with everything they did. Now, all I have to do is have my teeth cleaned later this week and my dental journey is over for a while.

It used to take forever to get my monthly invoices posted and in the mail. It doesn't take long anymore, since my client roster has shrunk quite a bit. I got my August invoices in the mail today and the whole process, including a trip to the post office, took me less time than I spent at the dentist office. It's kind of sad that my once thriving business had come to this, but it's not easy to be an old man in a very young industry. The millennials that are in charge of ad agency creative departments now just aren't all that excited about hiring their grandfather. Most of them weren't even born yet in the heady Mad Men era where I learned my trade.

The temperatures continue to creep a little higher with each passing day. We've had a full week of unrelenting triple digit weather and it's been almost a month since we've seen any rain. The dogs don't like this at all. The mornings are bearable, but the thermometer seldom dips below eighty degrees anymore, even in the middle of the night. The possums and armadillos in the neighborhood must be hungry, because they are really tearing up the yard at night. Every morning, I have to replant some liriope that critters have dug up during the night.The Asian jasmine at the back of the yard is being covered by a thick layer of spider webs. I don't know what this is all about, but it happens every August. August is not kind to the yard.

Dash gets tested tomorrow to see whether his new blood pressure medicine is working. Hopefully, these new meds will keep his blood pressure under control. I definitely don't want him to have a stroke while he is barking at me for more bananas at breakfast. When I get Dash's blood pressure straightened out, I need to do something about my own. I switched from Benicar back to Zestril a few months ago because I became alarmed at all the 1-800-BAD-DRUG commercials I was seeing on TV directed at Benicar users. I may have to go back to Benicar though. The nagging cough I had while taking Zestril fifteen years ago has returned. It's really irritating. Bad drug or not, I prefer taking the Benicar.

We'll see if tomorrow brings any surprises. The only surprise I'd like at this point is a little rain.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2063

Sunday has become one of the busiest days of the week. Things that tend to get postponed or forgotten about during the rest of the week usually get tended to on Sunday. This is when the house gets cleaned, the gardening gets done, and most of my bookkeeping for the business takes place. When you add in a trip to the dog park for Dash and a trip to the gym for me, it can become a very busy day.

Now that we get up extra early to take Dot on her pre-dawn walk, it seems like I've added an extra two hours to my day. I've never been a morning person, but I might eventually become one at this rate. I've always been a light sleeper. Now, instead of putting my head under a pillow and refusing to admit that I'm awake, I just get up. I've grown to enjoy these early morning walks. It's really the only time a sane person would even want to be outside in August. There's usually a nice breeze before the sun comes up and Dot enjoys smelling things and barking at the occasional rabbits and squirrels we see along the way. We are usually able to take Dot on her exercise walk, feed the dogs, eat our own breakfast, take Dash to the dog park, and still be back home before 9 AM.

This leaves a lot of time to do laundry, change the sheets on the bed, water the plants in the back yard, vacuum the carpets, recharge batteries in the electronic gadgets, and go to the gym. If I time things right, I'm even able to listen to Ted Talks on the radio on the way to my workout. This seems like a good way to spend a Sunday to me. Things get done. I'm able to start the week fresh on Monday morning. And by staying busy, there is little time to brood about how boring my life has become.

I'm not nearly as exhausted as I initially was when I started my Sunday workouts, so maybe it's time to add a few more things to my routine. The hand bicycle and treadmill provide a pretty good cardio workout. I still enjoy shooting baskets from the free throw line, and there are several resistance machines I always use. Maybe it's time to start working with free weights again. Adding an extra twenty minutes to my workout probably wouldn't kill me.

Tomorrow, I'll finally be done with the dental work that started in January. The dentist will remove a temporary crown I've had in my mouth for over a month and replace it with a permanent porcelain crown. Hopefully, now that all my major dental problems have been corrected, I'll just need to go in for a routine cleaning every six months or so. Maybe with these big dental bills behind me, I'll finally have money for something fun. I kind of doubt it though. Life is always full of surprises.

I really hope that Dot's weak leg will start to improve, now that she's off the Palladia for a while. I'll be watching her closely this week, because if the chemotherapy is what was causing the renewed muscle weakness in her rear legs, we should start to notice a change within four days. I'm not expecting miracles. Even a small improvement would be a huge plus. Before beginning chemotherapy, Dot was getting to the point where she could get up and down on her own around the house without assistance from me. This gave her a feeling of independence and made her much happier. Maybe we'll get there again. Like I said, life is full of surprises.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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