Day 2418

I finished my writing assignment and got a thumbs up from the client shortly after I submitted it. By the time I get paid a few months from now, I'm sure that I'll have completely forgotten about this project. Such is the nature of my work. I've written a staggering amount of words over the years, and very few of them are of any consequence. I keep hoping that this blog has meaning, but maybe it is just like all the forgettable ads. They say that writing keeps the mind agile, but it certainly doesn't do much for my long term memory. Occasionally, I'll pull out an old portfolio from the 1970's and it will seem like the ads were written by someone else. Did I really do these things? Old award show books have my name on them, so I guess I did.

I'm sure I'll read something one of these days where researchers prove that a lack of sleep causes memory loss. I'm still not doing very well in the sleep department. It takes longer to write the blog than it used to, so I rarely get to bed before midnight. Dot wakes me up at 3 AM almost every night when she poops. And Janet gets us all up very early, so we can walk and feed the dogs before she leaves for work at 7 AM. I guess I could go back to sleep after I eat my breakfast, but I'm wide awake by then.

Dot has added a new wrinkle to our daily routine. Se has decided that she doesn't like me putting the disposable pad under her butt while she is resting in her bed. When I try to position the pad, it makes her mad and she gets up and wanders around aimlessly for a while. I have to follow her around while she does this, because she can't walk ten feet without my assistance. After we have repeated this process three or four times, she finally settles down and goes to sleep. I try my best to accommodate Dot's moods, because stress is not good for her. Actually, most of the time she is very relaxed. It is me who is under a lot of stress.

I had trouble picking up Dash's phenobarbital today. There was a new pharmacist and apparently his records were out of date. I'm glad we got everything straightened out, because Dash was completely out of pills and it's not a good idea to skip medications that are designed to control seizures. I have these type of problems with my own prescriptions as well. I have a few medications that I know I'll need to take for the rest of my life. Why do I constantly have to renew these things or get a new prescription from my doctor every six months? It would be so much easier if they'd just give me a giant bottle of pills that would last the rest of my life.

Maybe I'll ask for a giant bottle of pills when I go to review my blood test results tomorrow. I hope that none of my test results have deteriorated because I'm in no mood to change my diet and lifestyle again. I'll be really mad if my doctor asks me to give up sugar to prevent diabetes. I went without sugar for over two years and it wasn't very fun. There are days when you really need a bowl of ice cream. I think today was one of those days.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1578

Dash is back on schedule again. The cancer center called at 6 AM this morning and said the radiation machine was working again, so we resumed the treatments. He's slightly more than halfway done now and is starting to show a bit of what the oncologist euphemistically calls sunburn. They say this skin redness is normal during radiation therapy, but truthfully, nothing seems very normal about this whole process.

Work was slow today so I finally got up on the roof and removed all the standing water from last week's rains. You'd think that the water would have evaporated by now, but it was still there.  I should have gotten the water off the roof earlier, because pollen and debris from the budding trees had turned the water into a dark brown mess. The energy saving white roof was kind of pointless, because all the junk that falls from the trees every Spring has already stained the roof, turning the reflective white into a rich brown sienna color. I don't think Burnt Sienna is a very energy efficient color.

I need to find something new to eat for breakfast. I'm growing tired of all my Friday favorites. The only things that appeal to be now are wheat products like pancakes and french toast that are still on the forbidden list. I've done such a good job at eliminating sugar from my diet and keeping diabetes at bay, that I really hate to return to eating french toast and waffles again. My body seems to convert wheat products directly into sugar, so I'm better off without it. Bread sure sounds good though.

I still get lots of trade magazines in the mail. In fact, trade magazines and bills are just about the only things I get in the mail. I avidly read all the magazines with reviews about new gear. I love reading about the latest and greatest guitars, cameras, microphones, lenses, and recorders. The other magazines are filled with business tips about improving productivity and streamlining business processes. These magazines bore me and I throw them away. I have no interest in improving my business processes whatsoever. Actually, I think I started my company just to give me an excuse to buy lots of cool gear. It worked for quite a while, especially when I was doing a lot of radio and TV commercials. Now, I mostly just write things and this requires virtually no gear at all. What a shame.

It looks like it's time to get the lawn mower out of the greenhouse. If I don't get the front yard under control soon, weeds are going to overpower the Bermuda Grass and I'll have to ask the landscaping guy to come back again. The big Yazoo gas mower isn't going to start without a major tune up, but I've still got the electric mower. The electric mower should start just fine, because I've been keeping the heavy 24V battery nice and warm under my desk all winter.

I'm glad the weekend is here, although I don't really know why. It's not that different from the rest of the week.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1467 - Winter Solstice

Although today was the shortest day of the year, it certainly seemed long enough to me. For most of the day there was a steady, cold rain that kept the dogs and I confined indoors. With the exception of several attempts to get the Dot and Dash to go out in the rain to poop, I didn't even leave the house.

A lot of people might use a rainy day as an excuse to curl up with a good book, bake a pie, or go to a movie. Not me. I almost inevitably end up cleaning something. I vacuumed. I dusted. I did laundry. I sorted through piles of junk mail. It was all pretty boring.

I'm having increasing difficulty maintaining my no sugar diet during the holidays. Everywhere you look, there are cookies and pies nearby. It is especially hard to ignore the cookies when there's nothing better to do anyway. Needless to say, I ate quite a few Christmas cookies today.

Eventually, the rain stopped. Dot and Dash got their long awaited morning walk about three in the afternoon. The stubborn dogs absolutely refused to go out and pee during the rain, so they were both about to explode when I finally got them down to the park. You'd think a long mid-afternoon walk would be enough, but apparently it wasn't. As soon as they'd eaten their dinner a little later in the afternoon, they insisted on their regular evening walk as well.

Since it was a warm day, I made sure I got all the standing water off the roof before sunset. Now that the temperatures have gotten colder, I don't want to be faced with a huge heavy block of ice over my head again. This was pretty much the extent of my day. I went from cabin fever with the dogs in the morning to exercise on the roof in the evening.

After Janet's horror stories about shopping at the mall today, I don't think I'll be doing any Christmas shopping tomorrow, no matter how nice the weather might be. I've probably missed my opportunity, but maybe the crowds will thin out a bit on Monday when people go back to work. I'm already looking forward to the new Dr. Who Christmas Special. Hey, that's the kind of guy I am.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1327

Janet and I photographed some more homeless Dalmatians today. It's hard to imagine how today's brother and sister pair wound up in the pound in the first place, but hopefully they are on their way to a good home now that they are safe and in the rescue program. The two litter-mates were only eight months old and both dogs were cute as a button. It would have been tempting to adopt this friendly pair ourselves, but two Dalmatians is enough for anybody.

I don't know if we set any temperature records today, but it certainly felt like it. It was so hot outside that I was dreading running my normal Saturday errands. Staying inside with the dogs seemed like a much better option, but there's no rest for the weary when there's a shopping list involved. If I didn't get these things today, I'd have to get them tomorrow anyway.

Even the squirrels were too hot today. They were stretched out on tree limbs and didn't even bother to move when we approached them. Since the dogs were moving in slow motion too, we didn't get any closer to the squirrels than we usually do. I wonder how these animals get enough water on days like this. It is bone dry now and squirrels don't have an air conditioned home to retreat to.

Luckily, the dogs and I did have the option of air conditioned comfort. I decided to put all thoughts of yard work aside for today and reorganized some photo gear instead. It was time to unclog the large format printer too. All I ever do with the thing now is make small test prints to keep the ink lines clear. I used to make large Giclée prints for gallery shows with this printer. That train has left the station though. I'm just not interested anymore.

It looks like the heat wave will continue through the weekend. We need to get to the dog park early tomorrow, before the heat becomes unbearable. The dogs still enjoy these outings, but the park is not quite the same as it was in March or April. The dog park is still better than our own back yard, which seems to becoming a haven for wasps. The hotter is gets, the more wasps I see buzzing around. They're even trying to build a nest by our back door, so I have to be careful that they don't fly inside when I let Dot and Dash out to pee at night. Bug spray seems irrelevant to these wasps. No matter how many nests you knock down during the day, there's always a new batch of insects rebuilding things the next morning.

It's hard to stay away from sugar in the Summer. I'm starting to miss ice cream and lemonade almost as much as beer.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1172

I was writing an article about business reorganization today and it got me thinking about how difficult it is to actually transform a company. I've tried to transform my own company several times, but I always ended up with something that looked exactly the same as the original company I started over twenty years ago. Maybe it would be easier to change if I had no real convictions about what I did in the first place. The problem is that there are certain things I like to do and other things I don't. Don't get me wrong. I'm no prima donna. I do plenty of things I don't particularly like. I just don't go out of my way to find them. Why should I go out of my way to adapt to the needs of a changing market in a world where Duck Dynasty and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo are two of the most popular shows on television. I feel sorry for that guy who is trying desperately to transform J.C. Penny into another kind of Apple store. It just isn't going to work. People who shop at J.C. Penny watch Duck Dynasty and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

I've noticed that maple syrup, whipping cream, Mallo Cups, and other sweet treats are lasting a lot longer around the house. I've really cut down on my sugar consumption. I didn't always have a sweet tooth, but one of my doctors told me that when I quit drinking my body was determined to get the sugar that it used to quickly convert from alcohol any way it could. I'm sure that this battle isn't over yet, but for the time being, I think I'm winning.

My German client liked the wastewater treatment article I sent them the other day. Too bad they don't fly me to Germany to write these things anymore. I'm still trying to get them to take me to a big conference in Rio with them this Fall, but chances of that happening are pretty slim. I'm just an e-mail attachment to most people these days.

I got a new set of antique plates for the old Maserati in the mail today. These plates last for five years and this is the third set I've gotten since the car initially became eligible for antique plates. Doing a few rough calculations, I realized that the car has been sitting in the shop for almost ten years now.  Since my mechanic isn't getting any younger either, I have my doubts that I'll ever drive the thing again. I'm not even sure that I even want to drive the car again. If the repairs ever get finished, I'll have to pay for them. On the other hand, if the car never runs again, I'm going to have a hard time selling it. I can't believe that my 1995 Defender 90 is actually my new car. Both of these cars are newer than my Nikon film cameras though. I could start my own dinosaur museum.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 964

I'm looking forward to watching live coverage of the Curiosity rover landing attempt later this evening. This landing seems incredibly difficult compared to the bouncing beach ball landings of Spirit and Opportunity in 2004. Even though I have a short attention span, I was utterly fascinated by these two earlier rovers and would visit the JPL website just about every evening for at least three months to look at the new pictures that had been transmitted to earth. I cheered the unstoppable Opportunity on as it made its epic journey toward the Victoria Crater. I rooted for the intrepid little Spirit as it slowly climbed through the Columbia Hills. When I was in college, I was convinced that there'd be humans on Mars by now. I never dreamed we'd channel all our creative energy into making smart phones instead. At any rate, even though the space program has slowed to a crawl, I still welcome any sort of forward progress. If the Curiosity makes a successful landing later this evening, maybe we'll still make it to Mars in my lifetime.

It was so hot today that I didn't even attempt my normal Sunday to-do list. The dogs got their walks and a little off leash time at the dog park, but that was about it. The yard chores will just have to wait until a cooler day. Since I couldn't find anything good to watch on TV this afternoon, I was forced to do a little website work. This was probably a good thing, because I finally finished the loathsome online form revisions I've been avoiding for weeks. Forms have always been problematic for me because I'm not very good with tedious details. All you have to do is mistype one little thing in an online form and it won't work properly. Hopefully the seven new forms I created today will work perfectly when the client tests them on Monday.

I was eating dessert tonight when something came on TV saying that sugar was increasingly being linked to many forms of cancer. Damn! I've known for years that sugar isn't good for you, but this show made it seem worse than tobacco. According to the doctors being interviewed, you just shouldn't consume any sugar at all. This probably wasn't the best show to be watching while eating chocolate gelato and peach pie. So far, alcohol, salt, sugar, white flour and of course my beloved bacon are all to be avoided. What's next?  Personally, I miss the days when everybody smoked cigarettes and nobody wore seatbelts.

I don't really know what's on the docket for tomorrow. Maybe I'll just wait and see which of the squeaky wheels squeaks the loudest.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 475

The new heat pump was installed at my rental property today. It was a big, day-long production, involving a large crane and a crew of installers. The installation would have been a piece of cake if the heat pump wasn't located up on the roof in a very inaccessible place. True to form, I don't seem to do many things the easy way. At least if it's up on the roof, the unit is a bit harder for thieves to destroy in search of copper tubing.

Hopefully, this will be my last big expenditure of the year. I can't keep depositing little checks in the bank while I'm writing big checks for repairs and health care forever. I'll have to admit that the old heat pump actually did provide pretty good service. It lasted 25 years. That's a lot more than you can say for most things these days.

After the heat pump was safely installed on the roof of my rental property, I returned home to my own roof to sweep off the water from last night's rains. There was a huge storm last night which woke up both dogs and sent them into frenzy of barking. Dot has a terrible phobia of storms, and although Dash could care less, he likes to bark whenever Dot does. Needless to say, we didn't really get a good night's sleep last night.

No pancakes this morning. I've begun my new "no sugar" campaign. Actually, I was so busy today that I didn't eat any breakfast at all. Nevertheless, I won't be having my beloved pancakes, waffles or french toast for a while. I'm trying to think of something I can eat that won't kill me, but is still appealing enough to get me out of bed in the morning. So far, the only thing that really sounds good is biscuits and gravy. My doctors probably won't like that. Something tells me that biscuits and gravy aren't really considered a health food.

Dalmatian of the Day

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