Day 3528

Sometimes simple things can take forever. I was trying to add some software to my laptop that was already on my desktop computer. I've had the software for a while so it was hard to find the disk image I'd downloaded years ago. When I eventually found this, I discovered I needed the authorization code that came with it as well. Where was that? I still prefer the old days when your software was on a CD. The codes you needed were usually printed right on the box. Downloaded software and more complex licenses are a pain. I finally had to call customer support and sit on hold for quite a while to get the information I needed. Everything works now, but something that should have taken ten minutes ended up taking two hours instead.

I was planning to take some pictures of the Milky Way while we are out in West Texas but it has been so long since I've attempted night sky photos that I'd forgotten the procedure. There's no point to doing this in Dallas. You can't see many stars at night anyway due to light pollution. I see these spectacular night sky pictures on the Internet and wonder how they're done. Basically you need a fast wide angle lens, a tripod, and a fifteen to thirty second exposure using a self timer. I imagine you need a certain amount of luck as well. I'll give it a try and see what happens.

The Sweet Autumn Clematis has started to bloom along the shoreline. I always thought these vines were a wetland weed, but apparently they originated in Japan and escaped into the wild a long time ago. They are more or less a native plant now. At this time of year I see them everywhere near the lake. Hey, something new to photograph. Even the hardy Texas Thistle flowers have gone to seed by now.

The only useful thing I did today was cut apart the big cardboard boxes for the toaster oven and dehumidifier that have been sitting on the back porch for over a week. After the boxes were broken down, I added them to the trash and took the can out to the curb for tomorrow's trash pickup. I don't save boxes anymore after finally realizing how much space they were taking up in the storage warehouse. I used to save boxes in case we moved. I doubt that this is going to happen anymore. Moving is way too much trouble and Texas is a good place to live anyway.

This heat is relentless. It's hard to believe that the observatory told us to bring some light jackets for our visit. I can't imagine wearing a jacket in August in Texas, but apparently the weather is much cooler in the Davis Mountains. The thought of temperatures in the 70's in the evening sounds very appealing right now.

A good night's sleep sounds appealing too. I still wish I was sleeping longer at night. Maybe I shouldn't take so many naps during the day.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2746

It takes longer and longer to do less and less. I distinctly remember getting more accomplished during the day, but I'm not exactly sure how I did it. Maybe traffic wasn't as bad. Maybe I didn't spent so much time rinsing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Maybe there was a time when the dog's paws weren't always muddy. Whatever the reason, life used to seem simpler, even though what I actually did was more complicated.

It rained most of the night. The storms were loud enough that I had trouble sleeping. The sound of thunder would wake me up and then the sound of Dash snoring next to me made it hard to get back to sleep. I was glad that Dash slept through the thunderstorm, but I wish he was a little quieter. It was still raining this morning, so the day was basically planned around the weather radar. Eventually, Dash got walked and I made French Toast with a loaf of leftover bread I found in the refrigerator. The day got off to a slow start, but at least I didn't have to mow the grass. It was way too wet for that.

I helped Janet run errands again this afternoon. This actually works out pretty well. Janet gets to get out of the house for a while and I don't need to remember exactly what to pick up at the store. I've offered to do the shopping for her, but this seems to work out better. Janet is definitely a more efficient and organized shopper than I am. I'm glad my responsibility is limited to going to the hardware store and buying all the bulk items at Sam's Club. I don't think I have the patience to go from store to store looking for bargains. There's a whole world of coupons that appear on your iPhone and little rewards program identifiers that fit on your key ring that I'm not even aware of.

When the errands were complete, I resumed upgrading my computer. With the latest operating system installed, I now need to find out which of the many applications I use can be upgraded as well. I started with the front of the alphabet which brought me straight to Avid. Avid products are always difficult to upgrade because of the complicated licensing arrangement they use. I finally managed to get the newest version of Pro Tools working, although it took forever for the software to recognize that I actually did have a perpetual license. Maybe tomorrow I'll upgrade Media Composer. At this rate, it's going to take me a long time to get to the Microsoft products.

I think the weather is supposed to get better tomorrow. If it's a nice day, I'll go to the gym and see if there's anything cool on sale at the REI store. I'm not even going to bother going up on the roof until the rainy season is over. There is no point to sweeping all the water off if it's just going to rain again tomorrow. I know there's a lot of standing water up there, but nothing is leaking. Let's just hope we get some dry days soon.

It's dragonfly season again. I'm surrounded by dragonflies when I walk Dash in the park. These critters are hard to photograph because they are small and never stay still. I managed to catch one sitting on a blade of grass this afternoon. It only rested there for about a second and then it was gone. I didn't have time to focus perfectly, but at least I got the shot. I usually only get one good dragonfly shot a year. This one isn't it. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2549

Sometimes I wonder why you guys continue reading. Very little happens these days. I'm OK with that because I'm afraid the next big news will be bad news. I still have the occasional writing and website assignments, but mostly life revolves around keeping Dot comfortable. She continues to slowly deteriorate and there is very little I can do at this point to change the outcome of this story. Although Dot is weak, she still seems happy. Often, I think she is happier than I am. I could learn a lot from her determination and resilience. I don't have many strong desires anymore, but I'm determined to help Dot continue her journey as long as she's willing. Who knows. Maybe she'll make it to her 17th birthday.

Today was mostly spent avoiding the rain and trying to stay warm. In the Summer I always think it would be nice to move to Wyoming, but when cold weather arrives I have second thoughts about northern Winters. Maybe I've already found the best place to live. Texas has a low cost of living compared to many states. It only snows a few times a year. There are bugs and snakes here, but it's not nearly as bad as Florida. I really think the perfect place to live only exists in my imagination.

One of my Dalmatian Rescue friends gave me her old UP band when I lost mine last weekend. She said it was broken, but thought I might be able to fix it. It didn't want to sync with my phone at all and there were some weird error lights flashing. I'd seen these error lights before on an earlier UP band I'd owned and thought I'd try a hard reset. The reset made the error lights go away but it still wouldn't sync with my phone. Since this looked like an early model band, I thought I'd try the very old Jawbone app on my first generation iPad. This worked like a charm. The fitness band synced with the old app and started counting steps again. It was actually kind of enjoyable to work my way through this process. I like fixing things.

Since it is nearing the end of the year, renewal notices are starting to arrive for the subscription software I've been forced to use. The main two I need to decide whether to renew are Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer. I renewed my license last year, but never used either application all year. Will I use Pro Tools next year? It's hard to decide these things. The software licenses are kind of pricey, but much less expensive than letting them lapse and having to buy the software all over again. I've been keeping current on business software because I refuse to acknowledge that my business is dying. It is basically finished though. Kaput. It's hard to imagine finding new clients at this point. Someday, I'll have to come to grips with this.

I paid some bills today and made a few quick calculations to make sure I still have enough left over to pay my property tax later this month. Christmas is coming and Dot has another big exam at the cancer center next week. Those bills won't come until January though, so I guess I'm OK. It would be nice to have a month with no big bills at all, but that's not going to happen.

Hopefully, the weather will improve a bit tomorrow. It was hard getting either dog to walk today. Rain or shine, tomorrow will probably be very similar to today.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day