Day 1178

What a busy day! I started things off by taking my car to the Land Rover dealer for some much needed service. I should have done this several weeks ago when the problems began, but I was stubbornly holding out for a Land Rover loaner car. These nice loaners are always in short supply. Luckily, sanity finally prevailed and I decided to settle for a Toyota Corolla. I have no idea what is wrong with my car, but I told the service representative that four quarts of oil had leaked out before I topped it up again, that the engine periodically stalled at stoplights, that the car was hard to start on cold mornings, and that the engine didn't seem to have much power above 4000 rpm. I am confident that the Land Rover folks will find some sort of problem. They wouldn't be able to overcharge me for repairs otherwise.

The real reason I took the car in today, instead of waiting for a better loaner car, was that I didn't want to miss my doctor's appointment. My team of liver specialists is booked so far in advance that I knew it might take months to reschedule my appointment if I had to cancel due to car problems. The Toyota isn't flashy, but it certainly is reliable. Today's visit was very encouraging. The doctors were pleased with my efforts to modify my lifestyle and diet. Better yet, lab results showed that some of the things I've been doing were already starting to show some positive results.

One of the cool things about being treated at a world class research hospital is that you get to participate in clinical trials and research experiments. Today, I got to try out a brand new machine that has the ability to detect fibrosis and cirrhosis scarring in the liver with almost the same degree of accuracy as a biopsy. The machine isn't certified by the FDA yet, but the doctors seemed very impressed with it. A representative of the company that manufactured the machine did the test and told me that I had no evidence of fibrosis in my liver. I asked how long it would take to get this technology approved and the factory guy said it was hard to tell because the FDA was so slow. Then I asked how the technology had been developed. Apparently, it has been around for several years and is already in use in European hospitals. The sophisticated scanning machines were originally developed by the French to determine when cheese had fully matured during the ripening process. I guess somewhere along the line, somebody got tired of pointing the machine at cheese and decided to look at their liver instead.

Despite all the running around I did today, I still managed to get my writing assignments finished. I think a few more things will land on my desk tomorrow, but I have high hopes for finishing the week with absolutely nothing to do over the weekend. One final bit of good news! My European client only took two days to pay me for the waste-water treatment article I wrote recently. I wonder why it takes some of my American clients over two months to do the same thing?

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 973

Klout has been monkeying around with its algorithm again. My score went from 48 to 64 overnight. I can't put much credence in this newly elevated score however. I remember the last time Klout changed their algorithm, my score dropped from 60 to 30 overnight. You just wonder if anybody takes this seriously anymore. This company has reinvented itself so many times in the past two years that it makes your head spin. My Klout "style" has gone from Feeder, to Networker, to Specialist, to Broadcaster. I haven't changed a thing. I pretty much still ignore everything except for the blog. Even though the company is silly, I will admit to liking the Klout perks. Klout perks are custom made for a solitary person like me who measures the success of his day by what comes in the mail.

My primary contact at one of my clients has left to take a new job. I wonder what this means for me. Sometimes the new guys are pleased to find someone already in place who knows the ropes. Other times, they want to bring in their own suppliers and you get unceremoniously dumped. This one could go either way. I'll just have to wait and see.

While I'm waiting, I can occupy myself by re-learning how how to use a piece of gear I need for an upcoming job. I haven't used this gadget in over a year and I don't think I even remember how to turn it on. Remind me to never buy anything that comes with a 100 page instruction manual again. As my ability to handle complexity slowly diminishes, I find that I am using my iPhone for just about everything. Hey, the pictures are pretty good. The sound is pretty good. It even takes movies. Most people couldn't tell which pictures came from the iPhone and which came from the Nikon anyway.

I was amused to notice that one of the checks I deposited today was dated July 10th. Nice try guys. As if that was actually going to convince me that the check wasn't two months late. Oh, well. Tomorrow is another day. Will I still have Klout tomorrow? Will my memory for technical details return? Will I manage to finish anything at all? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day