Day 1807

It did seem a bit like Friday today. I took the dogs on a leisurely walk and then went out for breakfast. I was surprised that the restaurant was more crowded on a Wednesday than it is on Friday. This seemed a bit counter-intuitive. There were also different cashiers and servers than there are on Friday. I guess this makes sense. Everyone is on flextime now. I know very few people who work a traditional 40 hour week anymore. Breakfast was good though. I'm sure it was just a prelude to all the overeating I'll be doing for the next two days.

When I took Dot for her physical therapy session later in the day, everyone was in a holiday mood. Some of the nurses had family coming in for the holidays and others were planning to visit friends and family out of town. I wished them luck on their journey. The traffic was so heavy when I drove to the vet this afternoon that it appeared as if everyone in Dallas was already on the road.

I'm happy that the days of Thanksgiving road trips are behind me. To say my family was dysfunctional would be an understatement. This was always a stressful holiday back in the day. It is so much nicer now that Janet and I just go out to a nice restaurant and have a relaxing meal. If the weather is warm enough, we usually take the dogs to a dog park when we return. There is no cooking, no cleanup, and no arguments. There will be no Black Friday shopping either. Even though I like a bargain as much as the next guy, I don't understand that tradition at all.

I didn't think there would be much work today, but I did get a few assignments. The website revisions were minor and I finished them quickly. None of the writing assignments were even due until after Thanksgiving, so I didn't even bother to start them. Hey, if I get bored on Friday, there will be something to do.

When I was driving home from the vet this afternoon, I listened to an interview with Ray Davis of the Kinks on the radio. They were releasing a special five CD boxed set to mark the band's 50th anniversary. Jeez, it's been 50 years? You Really Got Me was the first song I ever remember playing in public. I played the song in high school. I played it in college. I think I've played it in every band I've even been in. It doesn't seem like 50 years though. It seems like yesterday. It also seems like all the eventful things in my life happened in 1964. Well, not really. We landed on the moon in 1969. That 50 year anniversary will be coming up pretty soon as well.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. I love a huge buffet in a grand hotel. Janet and I started this tradition about fifteen years ago and never looked back. This is so much better than arguing about politics, religion, and the state of the world with family. I wish we could bring the dogs. Dot and Dash would love a huge buffet in a hotel.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1152

I'm going to have to change my approach to problem solving. My caller ID disappeared earlier this week and my first thought was that there was something wrong with the phones themselves. The phones were fine. Next, I thought it was a problem with the line and called AT&T. The lines were fine too. Finally, a U-verse technical support guy in India asked me if I'd tried re-booting the modem. Apparently, re-booting the modem is the U-verse universal solution for everything. I re-booted the modem, just like I do when the TV goes out, and my caller ID service returned. I keep forgetting that my television, Internet, and phone service are all the same stream of broadband data.

Janet and I got our blood tested at the neighborhood health food store this morning. Traditionally, I treat myself to a huge gut-buster breakfast after fasting for these early morning cholesterol screenings. Not today! Janet and I did go out for breakfast, but I had a veggie omelet filled with red peppers, portabella mushrooms, fresh herbs and goat cheese instead of my usual sausages, bacon, pancakes and maple syrup. The veggie omelet was delicious. Who knew?

It was a gray, misty day. The dogs didn't want to go outside and neither did I. We took our regular walk anyway though, because that's what we always do. Something must have been going on at Erykah's house when we walked by. It looked like babysitters, hairdressers, public relations people, and the rest of the entourage had all gathered for something special. I have no idea what goes on in that house, but it all seems pretty exotic to me. Maybe it's because I used to be a musician myself and still occasionally fantasize about what it would be like to be a rock star. My own days as a bass player weren't glamorous at all. On those nights when I was loading the PA system back into the trailer at 2 AM and realized the entire band had only made $100 for playing a four hour set, advertising definitely seemed the more desirable career choice.

I took another jacket to the tailor this afternoon to get a new zipper sewn in. Zippers all seem to be total crap these days. I can remember when strong metal zippers were made by Talon in Meadville, Pennsylvania. These reliable zippers lasted longer than the jackets they were attached to. Now, it's all cheap plastic made-in-China zippers that don't even last a single season. Sign of the times, I guess.

I hope the weather gets a little warmer tomorrow. Dot and Dash are supposed to be in a Mardi Gras parade. Janet is putting the finishing touches on their costumes right now. If the weather gets any worse, they'll be wearing raincoats instead.

Jazz it today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1094

Did any of you see that 12/12/12 benefit concert on TV last night? What an amazing group of musicians on the same stage. The concert certainly brought back memories. I hadn't seen Pink Floyd perform in years and they reminded me of a time long ago when dimly lit rooms filled with marihuana smoke were the order of the day. The Who's extended set reminded me of a time in the mid 70's when I saw the group perform live in Seattle. Times were good. Both the Who and I were at the top of our game in those days. The Rolling Stones looked a little worse for wear, but so do I. Ever since I heard "Satisfaction" playing on a local radio station when I was in high school, the Stones have been the sound track to my life. I joined a band and bought a tear drop shaped Vox Mark VI guitar just like the one Brian Jones played. Later, I remember producing an advertising jingle for a sea food restaurant in the same recording studio where Mick Jagger had re-recorded some vocals a few days earlier. Light years separated us, but I still thought it was cool that we used the same studio. Eric Clapton provided the impetus for me to learn to play a musical instrument decently when he was in the Yardbirds. Eric was so good and I was so bad. I simply had to get a little better.

Since I stayed up way too late watching the concert last night, I had a bit of trouble getting up this morning. The dogs made sure I didn't dawdle to long however. Dot and Dash like everything on schedule. After returning from our morning walk, I got a call from the printer repair store, saying that Janet's printer was ready. The repair was quite reasonable. It actually cost less to fix the printer than to fill it with ink. I'm convinced that Epson is really just an ink company that makes various types of gizmos that force you to buy their expensive ink.

I lost another website maintenance client today. Once again, it was a large, industry specific web developer who lured the client away with a sophisticated and very inexpensive template site. People don't seem to care about having something unique these days. They just want all the bells and whistles at the lowest possible price. Increasingly, I feel like the large template shops are Walmart and I'm the little store on the town square that they're forcing out of business.

I wonder what's next for me. I've always been able to roll with the punches and re-invent myself when necessary. This chameleon-like quality has served me well over the years. Things are different now, I suppose. I used to be excited by the future. Now, I find myself repelled by it. Kind of puts me between a rock and a hard place, don't you think?

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day