Day 2787

When I went to breakfast this morning, a waiter immediately came to my table and brought me a tall Diet Coke. When I told him that I didn't order a Diet Coke, he got kind of snippy and said "That's funny, you asked for one just a minute ago." I didn't feel like arguing. I had only arrived at the restaurant a few minutes earlier and the guy with the Coke was the first person to approach my table. I just told him that I'd prefer some coffee and left it at that. Was this guy stoned or just a jerk? I probably just sat on the wrong side of the restaurant. I usually sit on the empty side when I eat at this place. Today I sat on the side full of people. This was a mistake, I'll go back to the empty side next time and let the bartender serve me breakfast.

I was sure it was going to rain when I walked Dash this morning. There were ominous looking clouds in the sky all day, but it was always raining elsewhere. I was actually hoping for rain this morning to lower the water bill a bit. No such luck. When I got home from breakfast, I turned the sprinklers on and started my day.

Watching grass grow was about as exciting as it got today. I glued the tail back on a ceramic Dalmatian that sits on the coffee table in the living room. I don't know how long the tail had been broken, but fixing the broken figurine has been on my to-do list for the past several weeks. Since the repair job was a success, I thought I'd try to repair the band of one of my favorite watches. Rubber from the 70's must not have been very good, because almost everything from that era with any rubber in it has disintegrated. This repair wasn't quite as successful. The watch looks fine sitting in a case, but it would probably break again if I ever wore it anywhere.

I had a conversation today with the creative director of a company I've worked with for a long time. He indicated that the company was moving in a new direction. I don't know if this means I will have different responsibilities, or just gradually be phased out. I said that I have always enjoyed working with them and hoped I would be able to help them in the future. What else could I say? When a bunch of young people want to move in a different direction, it often doesn't include someone my age.

Dash is still eating well, but he is becoming very bossy. If he doesn't get his meals or even his pills at what he considers to be the appropriate time, he starts barking incessantly. He wants to eat his dinner earlier now and that means that he wants his evening meds earlier too. You can't really shift the meds around too much, since they need to be given at specific intervals, but Dash is definitely a force to be reckoned with. We are having to shift our entire day around just to keep him from barking.

Tonight is supposed to be the best time to view the Perseid meteor shower. They will be visible from midnight until just before dawn, but I don't know if there will be much to see. We saw some pretty impressive storm clouds rolling in when we were taking Dash on his evening walk. It looks like we still might get that rain they've been forecasting.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2065

It almost rained today. I could see rain clouds off in the distance. I even heard a little thunder at one point. It didn't rain though. Not a drop. Some parts of town got lucky. There were small storm cells all over the place late in the afternoon. I could see them on the radar, but they weren't headed our way. The rain only lasted a few minutes in the parts of town that did get wet, but that was enough to get people buzzing on Facebook. It has been a very dry Summer and any rain at all would be a major news story.

Dash's new meds are working. When I took him for his exam this morning, his blood pressure was almost back to normal. This was a big improvement from two weeks ago. I was kind of surprised to see the normal reading, since Dash barked and seemed agitated the entire way to the vet. He doesn't like to ride in the car. Maybe during those rare times when Dash is actually calm, his blood pressure will be even lower. Since Dash has always had a mild heart murmur, our vet wants us to start keeping track of his breathing rate when he is resting or asleep. If he takes twenty to thirty five breaths a minute, everything is fine. If we notice him consistantly breathing faster over time, we will need to bring him in for an echocardiogram and further testing.

I need to get my car safety inspected this week. People in Texas have always had two stickers on their windshield. One of the stickers was your vehicle registration and the other was the safety inspection. Now Texas has decreed that there will only be one sticker. But which one is it? Do I get a sticker for the inspection, or for the car registration? You still have to register your car and have it inspected, but you only get one sticker. This is one more case where the government has made something more complicated in order to simplify it. After making a few phone calls, I determined that the procedure is to get your car safety inspected first and then you present the piece of paper saying your car has passed inspection to the folks who register your car and they give you the sticker. Personally, I liked the old way better.

Dot didn't seem noticeably stronger today, but she was more active. She got up on her own and wobbled around the house unassisted half a dozen times today. I'm sure that some of what I saw today was just wishful thinking, but I'd like to believe that she is beginning to get stronger. We'll see if this continues. It's really hard to tell if Dot is getting stronger during this heat wave we're having because the heat really makes the dogs tired. The only time they go outside now is early in the morning and later in the evening. If it continues to get hotter, we're going to have to shorten Dot's morning walk. We got started well before sunrise this morning and it was still uncomfortably warm. We're doing the best we can, but for Dot's sake, we need some relief from this incessant heat.

Work has been so slow this Summer that life has been reduced to a single event per day. Tomorrow I go back to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. Thursday Dot has her physical therapy day. And Friday I get my car inspected. In between, I'll decide what to have for breakfast. French toast and sausages sounds good tomorrow.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day