Day 1416 - Halloween

Halloween is a non-event at our house. I don't eat candy anymore, because I've got to watch my sugar intake, and all the kids in our neighborhood have grown up anyway. I didn't even buy a pumpkin for the front porch this year. I usually get a couple of pumpkins and leave them sitting on the porch until they eventually rot in mid-February. I finally realized that this is pointless. Now, the only pumpkins you'll find at our house are those that wind up in a pie. I do like pumpkin pie.

Our beautiful Fall weather has returned. When I walked the dogs this morning, the blue sky was dotted with puffy white clouds. As the sun rose, the landscape looked spectacular. This was one of the last mornings I'll be able to enjoy the Sunrise at a decent hour. Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday and starting on Monday morning, the sun will almost certainly be high in the sky before the dogs and I venture outside.

Blue skies always put me in a good mood. The dogs had a nice long walk this morning. I finished all my work by 2 PM, and went to the gym again. Today, other people were using the basketball court, so I put on some boxing gloves and hit a punching bag for ten minutes. Much to my surprise, this was quite satisfying.

The local health food store sent me a reminder that they're having another cholesterol screening this Saturday. I just had a blood test at my doctor's office last week, but I think I'll go to the cholesterol screening anyway. I've got to confess that I've become addicted to blood tests. If insurance would pay for them, I'd have one every week. These tests are just about the only way to see if the meds I take and the many changes I've made to my diet and lifestyle are actually working. I always want to see good lab results, because I'd hate to be doing all this work for nothing.

This week has gone quickly. I've got a rare out-of-the-office meeting tomorrow, but I think I've still got time for a nice breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants. Who knows what November will bring? Hopefully, lots of interesting work and a continuation of the nice weather the dogs and I enjoyed today.

Roxy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1051 - Halloween

The scariest thing about today was the total lack of activity. I felt like I'd fallen into a black hole. No calls. No e-mail. No work. I'm not even close to the hurricane either. Usually I'm pretty busy in October, but this entire month was pretty dead. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Our dog training class had their annual Halloween party this evening.  Everyone dresses their dog up in costumes to compete for prizes in a variety of categories. Sometimes we go to a lot of trouble to make our own original costumes and win nothing. Other times we just buy a cheap costume from a party store and win. There's no rhyme or reason to this thing. Dot won tonight in the Diva category wearing a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader outfit. Dash went as a fireman, but won nothing.

I'm always amazed at how much trouble some people go to for a party that seldom lasts over 45 minutes. Tonight one family dressed their dogs up as Ghostbusters, complete with very realistic proton packs on their backs. There was also a Great Dane wearing a saddle and two German Shepherds dressed as wolves in sheep's clothing. Their owner, Little Red Riding Hood, said she made the sheep costumes using the seat covers from her car. The dogs didn't get candy, but there were plenty of dog biscuits to go around. I'm sure your kid's Halloween party was very similar.

I think I made a big mistake ordering something from New York during the hurricane. The store says my order has been shipped, but FedEx begs to differ. They say their trucks aren't even operating in certain parts of the city yet. It appears my lens has fallen into a black hole as well. I'm sure I'll get the order eventually, but I sure wasted my money on FedEx second day delivery.

I didn't get a pumpkin this year. Every time I get decorative pumpkins for the front porch they end up rotting and I have a big mess to clean up around Christmas. Nothing to clean up this year. It's onward to November. I've already voted, so next Tuesday is no big deal. When Thanksgiving rolls around I'm sure everyone will be thankful that all the political ads have finally disappeared from our televisions and phones.

Roxy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 429

I hope I never become one of those people who feel compelled to tell their life story to bank tellers and pharmacists. I always seem to wind up behind someone like this when I'm in a hurry and all I want to do is quickly make a deposit or pick up a prescription. All you have to do is say "How are you today," and the floodgates open with these people. I'm patient though and wait my turn. I know that the only thing more irritating than holding up a long line by telling total strangers what your grandchildren had for breakfast this morning is complaining to other strangers about what the person ahead of you is doing. I don't want to become one of those people either.

Maybe I was in a hurry today because I'm falling behind again. I need to go get a haircut. The leaves in the back yard are really starting to pile up. It's time to take the Land Rover in for maintenance again. Tax time is fast approaching. And I guess it's time to get rid of the pumpkins. There are still several very pathetic looking pumpkins on the front porch that were left over from Halloween.

That's the problem with life today. If you spend your time doing things that bring in money, there is very little time left over for tending to rotting pumpkins. I do what I can. The trash is out on the street, waiting for tomorrow's ridiculously early trash pickup. The checkbook is balanced again, after a few mystery purchases were finally identified. Maybe I'll go up on the roof again tomorrow. It's probably dry enough to pour some more patching compound on the leaky areas before it rains again.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day