Day 3426 - Mother's Day

20,000 steps today. I'm doing a pretty good job of staying active although I'm not sure what it all means. I'm going to the gym earlier now, so I have plenty of time to walk. I need to take advantage of days like these because they won't last long. The air seemed free of pollen and the temperature was perfect. The wildflowers are at their peak right now as well. It was a good day to be outside. These long walks give me plenty of time to think, but my mind is usually blank. It's relaxing to turn your mind off and just observe. I count birds. I try to remember the names of flowers. When I hear footsteps behind me, I try to guess whether the person is male or female by the sound of their steps. I'm right about 80% of the time. The landscape changes rapidly in the Spring. Almost every day I see a new variety of flower. Some of the early bloomers are already gone.

There were lots of family gatherings in the park today. I'm sure this was because it was Mother's Day. It's hard to believe that it's been almost thirty years since my Mom passed away. She was younger than I am now. My family memories are really starting to fade. Truthfully, they were never that good to begin with. I remember we had a Boxer named Pepper. We used to take trips to visit national parks in the Summer. I read a lot of books and wanted to be a physicist until I realized there was math involved. I always thought that I had a completely normal childhood until I learned later in life that Mom was manic depressive and had been going though some really rough times while we were growing up. Either my Mom was exceptionally good at hiding things or I was completely oblivious to what was going on around me. I suspect it's the latter. It's probably a good thing that I didn't have a clue back then. If you think you're normal when you are small, you probably wind up normal as an adult.

I experimented with shoes today. I wore one pair of shoes to the gym. Another pair on my first walk. And a third pair on my evening walk. The third pair was surprisingly comfortable. I'd never worn them before. I bought these boots two or three years ago and was planning to use them as dog walking shoes. Then I completely forgot about them. They've just been sitting in a box all this time. The shoes were a little snug, but I think I wore thinner socks back then. All I need to do is buy some thinner hiking socks and I'll be back in business.

I should have mowed the grass and cleared the remaining water off the roof this afternoon. I just didn't feel like it. I spend way too much time fighting a losing battle with this house. Sometimes it's more satisfying to just let your mind wander and count ducks. I'll still have to go up on the roof and mow the grass eventually. Like it or not, my Mom did teach me to be responsible.

This weekend has gone quickly. Janet and I may go visit the rescue dogs again tomorrow. We seem to be welcome at the kennel and the dogs definitely enjoy the attention. In lieu of long range plans, I guess we'll just stick with short range plans for the moment.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2836

I stayed home this morning and made pancakes. Every time I put a pancake on the griddle, Dash went to the back door and scratched to get out. Even though the pancakes got burnt, Dash still took his sweet time to do his business. Yup. It was another rainy day.

Dash wasn't eating dry food today, but he was eating wet. I got him to eat most of a can of Castor & Pollux stew that he likes while I was finishing my own breakfast. I remember asking the vet yesterday what I should be feeding Dash. "Let him eat whatever he wants," the vet said. I'm convinced that this is vet code for "your dog is going to die."

By the time I finished breakfast, the rain had subsided to a gentle mist and I decided to take Dash on a walk. "Slow walks are good, overexertion is bad," the vet told me yesterday. I didn't think this was going to be a problem. Dash always walks slowly now. I put on his protective boots and off we went. About halfway through our walk, I noticed that one of the boots was missing. I wanted to turn around so we could find it, but Dash stubbornly wanted to keep moving forward. Before we made it home, he lost the second boot as well. I realized then that protecting Dash wasn't going to be easy.

After Dash had gone back to sleep, I retraced my steps through the park and managed to find both missing boots. Dash's dewclaw has healed, but in addition to the small rubber boots he'll be wearing on walks, I still have him wear the cone when I leave the house. Now that he's taking Plavix, I don't want him licking or injuring anything.

I had to go pay my storage warehouse rent today because my year is up tomorrow. I always pay a year in advance because I get the thirteenth month free. I was complaining to the manager about the relentless rent increases I get every year and he tried to convince me that I was actually was getting a good deal. "Almost everybody pays month-to-month and we raise their rent every nine months." "Your rent only goes up every thirteen months," he said.  As he was trying to figure out how to give me the thirteenth month free on the company's new accounting software, we both started complaining about all manner of things. That's just what old men do.

The manager told me that he was working at the storage warehouse because he'd been laid off from his last two jobs because of his age. "You don't fit in with our corporate culture anymore," one of the companies told him. "I'm right there with you," I told the manager. It sucks to be cast aside because someone thinks you are too old. Maybe I'll end up working at a storage warehouse someday myself. If you're not already a Walmart greeter, that's where most of the old people seem to wind up.

Dash was moody today, but he eventually did end up eating enough. I had trouble writing my article, because every time I sat down at the computer Dash started slapping at my leg. He wanted me to come in the bedroom with him and take a nap. A nap sounded good, but I had lots to do today. I'm still waiting for the vet to tell me what to do in case Dash starts bleeding. I'm not sure what to feed him anymore either. Today seemed like the first day in a new long march. I'm determined to give Dash the best chance possible to stay alive. A lot of his future is up to luck, unfortunately. The blood clots in his heart could move or break apart at any time.

Sweet Pea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2761

It's weird to feel bored and tired at the same time. I want to get out and do something, and yet I don't feel like doing anything at all. Resting with my feet elevated is completely mindless, but it sure beats walking around for any length of time.  My legs still hurt. The swelling in my right leg is almost gone and the swelling in my left leg continues to subside. Even though the inactivity is driving me nuts, I'd better not tempt fate at this point. Judging by the way things are progressing, I have a feeling that I'll be good to go after one more week of rest and limited activity.

The neighbors mowed my grass this morning. This was a nice gesture and I really appreciate it. I'm glad they were able to quarantine their dog at a veterinarian's office instead of being forced to take it to the city pound. Although it was painful being bitten, I'm not mad about the whole incident. It was just one of those things. If the neighbors were home at the time instead of an inexperienced house sitter, I doubt that anything would have happened. If you have a dog, you need to remember that any dog can bite, given the right circumstances. This is why I'm nervous whenever I see loose dogs in the park. You never know what might happen. Years ago, I was responsible for a foster dog who bit somebody. I had the dog well controlled on a short leash while I was talking to a friend about fifteen feet away. For some unknown reason, the dog suddenly ripped the leash out of my hand, lunged and bit my friend. It was all over in less than a second. To this day, I am super cautious around dogs. I wish everybody was.

I really hope I can get my car back tomorrow. Dash has an appointment at the cancer center on Tuesday and the dealership frowns on having dogs in their loaner cars. If I'm forced to take a dog to the vet while I've got a loaner car, it takes forever to carefully remove all the dog hairs so you can say there was never a dog inside. Dash rides better in my car anyway. Truthfully, Dash doesn't ride well in any car, but he is familiar with my car and we've learned to make things work.

With any luck, the landscapers should arrive tomorrow morning. Dash will have to stay inside, because even though I tell the landscapers a million times to keep the gates closed, they always tend to leave them open. We'll just put Dash on a leash and take him down to the park when he needs to pee. We should be able to handle this, even though we are becoming forgetful. The landscapers are very noisy and hard to ignore, and since Janet and I are both home, we can remind each other not to let Dash outside unsupervised.

I worry too much. Worrying isn't very productive, but it is hard to avoid. I don't worry about nuclear war and global warming much because I think the human race is doomed anyway. The planet will survive. We won't. On a good day I think we've got maybe 30,000 years before we become extinct. On a bad day, I think 300 years is optimistic. We have become an invasive species, just like Kudzu Vines. In just a few years, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Think about that for a minute. Unless we can all agree to quit having babies for a couple of generations, I think the planet is doomed. If I can't get you to change your mind about something so basic, I think I'll limit my worries to things much closer to home. Will Janet and Dash stay cancer free? Will I stay healthy? Did I save enough money to survive whatever lies ahead? Why knows? Life is such a mystery, but I do feel blessed to have the opportunity to think about what it all means while I'm drinking my fruit smoothie tomorrow morning.

Laura is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2623

I'm not so sure about the Gabapentin. Dot slept soundly last night after her first dose, but within an hour after receiving her second dose this morning, her entire body seemed to go limp and she could hardly stand up. Later in the day when the drug started to wear off she started to return to normal. There is no room for error with Dot. If the side effect of a drug is to make a dog sleepy, it will probably knock Dot out cold. The doctor did say that the Gabapentin might make Dot a bit lethargic. She didn't say it would turn her into a wet washrag. I don't want Dot to be in an pain, but she does need to be able to walk. Maybe we'll just give Dot the Gabapentin before bedtime. I'll call the oncologist on Monday, but I suspect that she'll just say that Dot needs time to get used to the drug. That's what doctors always say.

The app that lets me bypass the checkout line at the grocery store crashed while I was shopping today. So much for technology. I had to check out the old fashioned way and I'm still wondering whether the purchases I made before the app crashed are floating around in the cloud somewhere. Before the app crashed I noticed that there had recently been a software update. Why do people keep "improving" things that already work perfectly. This happens again and again with software and apps on my phone. I'll have an app that I really like and then an automatic software upgrade will ruin it.

I think we're having an early Spring. It's only the middle of February and the temperature is getting close to 80 degrees. Judging from the number of people in the park today, this unusually warm Winter is pretty popular. I'm not sure the dogs agree. They both like the cold weather and days like this make them uncomfortable. I had to run the air conditioner today to keep Dot from panting. The sweet spot for Dot is very small. The weather has to be just right. She can't overexert herself, but she still needs to keep moving to prevent further muscle atrophy. Too many drugs knock her out and too few leave her painful. It's a delicate balance.

My new WiFi scale that measures everything indicates that my stress levels are continuing to rise. I don't know what to do. I feel responsible for the dogs and almost every day there is a new surprise. My diet is deteriorating too. That doesn't help. When everything is going well it's easy to eat Quinoa and Kale. When I'm under stress I gravitate toward comfort foods like ice cream and waffles.

I definitely need to go to the gym tomorrow, but the weather forecast says there are going to be thunderstorms. If it rains, I seldom go anywhere. I don't like to drive in the rain and I worry that my two storm phobic dogs are going to freak out. I suspect that my sweet spot is even smaller than Dot's. I can function well in almost any circumstance, but everything needs to be perfect before I'm happy.

Dash wouldn't eat his breakfast this morning, but then took a long, energetic walk. This evening he enthusiastically ate the same food he refused this morning, but refused to leave the back yard when it was time for his evening walk. I don't know what is going on. I keep thinking that the doctors might have missed something important when he was sick, but than again this odd behavior might just be Dash's normal personality.

Maybe the weather forecast is wrong. I'm hoping that it doesn't rain. The roof is clean and dry and the dogs are happy. Rain will spoil everything.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2135

I lost another website management account today. There isn't much left to lose at this point. Janet tells me that I just need to go out and get more business. I tell her that she ought to feel very lucky that she still has a skill that isn't easily replaced by a 99 cent iPhone app.

I probably could go out and build up my writing business if I wanted. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has come up with an app that will automatically write good original content for you. Website design is another kettle of fish. There are already so many sophisticated WordPress templates and pre-built solutions available for almost nothing, that very few people see any benefit to starting from scratch anymore. When I lose a website account, it is not because someone is doing better work than I am. It it almost always because someone has offered their services far cheaper than I ever could. There just aren't many economies of scale when there is only one of you. I'm learning the hard way that it's hard to compete with dirt cheap. As my once loyal client told me this morning, "Thanks for understanding. This was such a fantastic deal, I just couldn't pass it up."

The world has fundamentally changed. I miss the days when my clients started every other sentence with "I'm not very creative, but.."  Now, everyone thinks they actually are creative. Truthfully, there is probably an abundance of creativity out there, but life was better when I had a monopoly on this activity. It's no fun being the Wizard of Oz when the whole world is behind the curtain with you. People are so pleased with their Instagram filters and slow motion iPhone videos, that I don't see a huge demand for my services in the future.

Dash's vet had an emergency when we arrived for our appointment this morning. We had to wait a while in the lobby and I noticed that there were a lot of new faces at the clinic. This is another way the world has fundamentally changed. Nobody stays at a job very long anymore. Everywhere I go, there are always lots of new faces. Luckily, Dash's vet is still a familiar face. Dash has been seeing her for years. I asked about the emergency and evidently a dog had come in with symptoms of a seizure and kept falling over. After ruling out epilepsy and vestibular disorders, the vet thought the dog had ruptured a disc in it's neck. They would need to do an MRI to make sure however. If it was a ruptured disc, the dog would need surgery. The dog's owner apparently didn't want to spend the money and was thinking about putting the dog down. This happens a lot and it always makes me sad. Personally, I don't think you should even have a dog, or a kid for that matter, if you can't afford to take care of it properly. A dog is a big responsibility. So far, we've been able to provide everything that Dot and Dash need, but there could easily come a day when the piggy bank is completely empty. It happens.

It would be nice if someone called tomorrow and wanted me to do a video project that would keep me busy till Christmas. It would be nice if Dot woke up and started walking on her own again too. Some things just aren't going to happen. I wish Dot would tell me her secret. Maybe she doesn't know what lies ahead, or maybe she doesn't care. She just seems happy.

Emily is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1872

It's Friday and I'm back in Dallas. I'm not much of a traveler, but when you do get me out of town, I always hate to come back. My Friday breakfast outing didn't seem so special today. Since my memory is like a sieve, I quickly forget all my responsibilities when I'm away and learn to enjoy living on the road. It's kind of nice having a maid make your bed everyday and clean up after you. Eating out in strange new cities is usually an interesting change of pace from my usual fare as well. I never listen to the news when I travel and seldom use my phone. It's kind of peaceful staying in a nice hotel. The only thing that would make the experience better would be if the credit card bills went to someone else.

Even though I enjoyed my trip, I'm glad that I didn't end up staying in California another day. The launch didn't happen this morning after all. It ended up getting postponed until Saturday morning and some of the people who ended up going to a lot of trouble getting their airline reservations changed, just so they could come back to the viewing site on Friday, still won't be able to see the launch. When the launch was scrubbed yesterday, one of the NASA folks standing next to me said, "This is what NASA is like. It teaches you patience."

I do have the patience, but I also had other things to do. I have a big photo shoot tomorrow and there isn't that much time to get ready. I spent the morning unpacking from the trip to California and the afternoon gathering my gear together for tomorrow. Our house is so small that I can never keep everything in one place. Backdrops and props I don't use very much often get lost in the storage warehouse when I throw other stuff on top of them. As most of you know, I'm pretty forgetful too. When I was in California, two people retrieved my reading glasses for me after I'd inadvertently left them someplace. The rental car agent had to remind me that I'd left my laptop on the counter. When I went to return the rent car on my way out of town, I couldn't find the car keys. I was just about ready to go back to the hotel and ask them if they let me back in the room again to search for the keys when I eventually found them in a jacket pocket. The reason I thought I'd lost the keys was that I always keep car keys in my left front pants pocket. Lord know how they got in the jacket pocket, but I never thought to look there.

I spent quite a while today answering the messages that had accumulated during my trip. There was nothing as urgent as the voicemail messages made it seem. In fact, there was nothing urgent at all. I could have easily gone another week without checking my voicemail and the world wouldn't have come to an end. I'm convinced that some people like a crisis. If there isn't a handy crisis available, they will invent one. It isn't just clients that like a crisis either. My bank seemed worried that I hadn't picked up my new checks yet. Jeez, I still have some of the old checks left. Why would I need the new ones now?

Whenever I fly, I'm struck by the fact that much of the country is still completely empty. Everybody is crammed into a few crowded cities surrounded by thousands of miles of nothing. Why do we even need these cities anymore. As soon as Elon Musk gets his network of cheap internet satellites launched and Amazon perfects it's drone delivery service, we could all live in the middle of nowhere without giving up much at all. More and more corporate people are working out of their homes already and GoToMeeting software has almost completely replaced sitting around a conference table. I'd love to live in an isolated area like the countryside around Vandenberg, as long as I had good broadband service and FedEx delivery. A helicopter to take the dogs to the vet would be nice too.

Malcolm is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1040

You'd think that on Day 1040, I'd be working on my taxes or something. Nope. Just another day full of weekend errands. Every weekend, we stock up on groceries and supplies. Then, we methodically use everything up during the week, so we can repeat the whole process the next weekend. I'm always amazed at how much trash two people and two dogs can generate. We lead a simple life, but somehow there is always a huge amount of trash to take to the street every Friday. I think it is the packaging. Even the simplest thing comes shrink wrapped and boxed in layers and layers of packaging. Even though I hate all the boxes, I save a fair amount of them. I've been told so many times that if you save the packaging, you will get a lot more on eBay if you decide to sell it later. Maybe so. In the mean time, I've got tons of boxes I don't need.

I'm still a little puzzled at how best to go about getting more blog readers since the demise of Entrecard. Reading doesn't appear to be very popular anymore. My other social media efforts, which rely more on pictures, seem to be doing fine. My Google+ page is mostly pictures. I post a lot of pictures on Twitter too. I have a sneaking feeling that a lot of people come here for the pictures too. It would be interesting if Google Analytics had a way of tracking people who actually read the articles. I bet that number would be very small.

While I'm on the subject of Google, I saw the Google Street View car drive by my house today. I wonder how often they update those Street View pictures?  This is the third time I've seen the Google photo car in my neighborhood. One of these days I'm going to be quick enough to wave at the car as it drives by. Maybe then, I will actually be in the Street View picture.

I stopped by an animal rescue resale shop in my neighborhood while I was running errands this afternoon. There was a young couple trying to give their puppy away to the store manager. It was sad to watch. Why do people get pets they aren't willing to keep and take care of? The manager was trying to direct the couple to no-kill shelters in the area. The couple was acting like it was the most normal thing in the world to get rid of their dog. I just don't understand people.

Emily is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day