Day 3850

When we were walking with Dawn this morning we passed this large warning sign that said "Raptors Ahead." I didn't see any dinosaurs, but maybe they're out there. It's definitely been that kind of year. It's pretty warm at sunrise now, but at least we had a nice breeze. We were able to complete our full five miles today before returning home to fix breakfast.

I don't know why I was worried about my dental appointment. Everything went smoothly. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, my dental hygienist always wore a mask and face shield when cleaning my teeth. I told the dentist that I now know why I can never find Clorox Wipes at the grocery store. They were wiping things down every five seconds. Unlike the folks at Home Depot, doctors and dentists know how to keep things sterile.

The folks at the dental office told me that they hoped the governor wouldn't shut them down again. They've had a difficult couple of months and are just starting to get the practice running smoothly again. I was impressed with these guys. They took all the chairs out of the lobby so nobody could sit down. You called when you arrived, and then they called you back when it was OK to enter the office. Only one patient was ever in the practice at a time. At soon as you arrived you went straight to the dental chair. It was all very efficient. In addition to getting my teeth cleaned, the dentist also smoothed out a rough spot on a crown that had been bothering me. It was a good visit and I'm glad I kept the appointment. Now I've got to decide whether to get a haircut before they start shutting down salons again.

The longer this pandemic goes on, the more I realize that the problem isn't which businesses are open or closed. The problem is human nature. A lot of people seem compelled to congregate and talk to each other. Why? If more people acted like me, this pandemic would be over by now. I'm comfortable walking alone, shopping alone, and eating at a restaurant alone. If I feel like drinking, I would never go to a bar.  It's so much easier to just get a cold beer out of the fridge, sit on the back porch, and let my mind wander.

All the news channels today were talking about today's Supreme Court decisions regarding the president's taxes. Almost nobody mentioned that the Supreme Court also decided today to give half of Oklahoma back to the Indians. What? I would think that this would be huge news. From what I can tell, government and business leaders in Oklahoma seem comfortable with the idea of living under tribal law because they think it will mean a ton of new Indian Casinos and lots of tourist dollars for the state.

I've been wanting to see Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise in the morning sky, but so far its been cloudy or raining when the comet is above the horizon. I've got one of two more day to hope for clear skies before the comet disappears behind the sun. It will reappear in the evening sky later in July. Maybe I'll have better luck then.

I doubt that I'll see anything exciting tomorrow. It is Friday though and I still have enough fruit left to make one more smoothie. I've taken this week's trash to the curb and am ready to start looking for Raptors in the morning.

Greta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3101 - Summer Solstice

It certainly seemed like the longest day of the year. I didn't get that much accomplished, but I've been busy all day. It takes me so long to get things done now. By the time I walked Dash, ate breakfast, paid a few bills, and watched last night's episode of The Expanse, it was time to get my hair cut. I'd made the appointment for 2:15 this afternoon, thinking that it would give me plenty of time, but I was almost late.

By the time I got home again, it was already time to feed Dash his dinner. I always feel better after a haircut. I may not look any younger, but at least I don't look like a madman. Maybe if I cut my hair more frequently, the transformation wouldn't be so severe. I used to go shopping when I made this periodic trip to Northpark Mall. Now, I don't even bother to stop at the Apple Store. I never thought I'd grow tired of computers, but I think the day has finally arrived. I certainly don't need any more clothes. After taking three bags of stuff to the Goodwill the other day, my closets are still filled with things I've never worn.

Dash is back to normal again. I'm glad he is able to bounce back from these frightening vestibular episodes. His appetite has returned and the nausea has gone. It makes a huge difference when Dash is willing to eat. Some of his meds are absolutely essential and when he has an upset stomach, it is nearly impossible to give him his pills. After a while, you really learn to appreciate the good days.

Summer Solstice in Texas just means that the heat lasts a little longer in the evening. There was a time though, when this day was pretty special. When I was growing up in Alaska, my Dad packed the family in the car and we drove to the Arctic Circle one Summer to see the midnight sun during the solstice.  It was a long time ago, but I still remember how cool it was to see the sun above the horizon at midnight. With 24-hour days in the summer and auroras almost every night in the Winter, it's not surprising that I developed a lifelong interest in astronomy.

I was really disappointed to hear that the Supreme Court is going to allow states to collect sales tax from online sales. For many years, I've bought all my computers and cameras online primarily to avoid the sales tax. Buying online has saved me a lot of money over the years. I feel sorry for small Etsy businesses. It's going to be a nightmare for them to calculate all the different tax rates that various different municipalities are charging. I'm glad I was around at the beginning of the Internet. Ten years from now, it's not going to seem very special at all.

I have no idea where I'm going for breakfast tomorrow. I wish I still enjoyed this little Friday morning adventure. Like the early Internet, it was fun for a while. What I can't figure out is if I'm losing interest in food, why am I still gaining weight?

Barley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2414

Sometimes I think I'm mildly autistic. I fixate on minuscule details that others don't even think about. When I shoot baskets at the gym, there are eight basketballs to choose from. Only one of them is properly inflated. It bewilders me that after three years, nobody has bothered to pump up the other seven basketballs. The one good ball looks scuffed and worn, because I'm probably not the only one who has noticed that the other balls are worthless. Why has nobody fixed this?

When I'm using the treadmill I don't try to achieve a targeted heart-rate. I don't necessarily try to walk a certain distance either. I just try to create a perfect triangle on the LED display by increasing the inclination and speed every time the blinking light moves to a new row. I don't even know what this means, but the display looks very pretty by the time I'm finished.

I don't really have a horse in the race, but I find myself being drawn to the ongoing political debate like a mosquito to a bug light. Maybe I'm just watching the conventions because I like a circus. So far, I haven't been disappointed. Ted Cruz gives a lengthy speech were he fails to endorse the nominee and is booed off the stage. Melania decides she likes some of Michelle's words better than her own and the resulting plagiarism controversy just causes everyone to comment on how beautiful she is and compare her to Jackie Kennedy. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is forced to resign in disgrace after leaked e-mails reveal that Bernie was right all along. The system was rigged. Instead of apologizing immediately for trying to use the fact that Bernie is a Jew to undermine his support in the South, party leaders immediately try to blame the Russians for the leaked e-mails, claiming that Putin is trying to get Trump elected. You really can't make this stuff up. Then, Obama's own brother joins the fray, saying that he is going to vote for Trump because he's mad that Obama killed his friend Muammar Gaddafi. And of course you can't forget that Nordstrom sold out of the dress Ivanka was wearing in just a matter of hours when the Instagram girls all decided they had to have it. In a country where people obsess over the Kardashians and Kanye West and can't even name all fifty states, I guess this is all pretty normal.

I am cursed to have an almost equal number of friends on both sides of the political fence. All of these people are freaking out about the Supreme Court. I find this troubling. I'm convinced that politicians and their followers are obsessed with the Supreme Court because they basically don't trust the voters. If you can pack the Supreme Court with people who agree with you, you don't have to worry about the fickle voters anymore. I really think that all these politicians should pay a lot more attention to voters. They should learn from history. There are consequences when you go around saying "Let them eat cake."

I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It is one of those routine annual exams where they make you wait in the lobby for an hour and spend five minutes with you when you finally get in to see them. I'm not going to the doctor as much as I used to. Maybe I'm actually healthier, or maybe I've just grown tired of doctors. It's hard to tell. Dash got a bath today, but I didn't bother vacuuming. At least something is a little cleaner.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 926

I was surprised at the Supreme Court's decision this morning. It wasn't what I was expecting. This just goes to show that what I was telling you yesterday is true. Nobody, including myself, can predict the future. I've got a lot of mixed feelings about health care. Health insurance is my biggest single expense. I would love to have a high quality, affordable health care system. Somehow, I don't think what we got today is the solution though. Human nature says otherwise.

I'm convinced that health care is so expensive because hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and everyone in the entire flying circus we call the healthcare system knows that people are scared of dying and charge accordingly for their services.  They could charge less, but they don't, because we will pay exorbitantly to live.

How do I know this? Well, for starters I take very good care of our dogs. They get CAT scans, MRI's, complex orthopedic surgery and more. They get whatever they need, no questions asked. Since I have had some of the same procedures myself, I know what things cost. The difference in cost for an MRI for your dog and an MRI for yourself can be staggering. The imaging equipment is exactly the same. The technicians have exactly the same training. Some vets even have more extensive training than their physician counterparts, because they have to deal with a multitude of different species. The difference in the cost of care is almost entirely due to the fact that hospitals and doctors know they can get away with charging more to people.

If there were no insurance and everybody knew that the money was coming out of their own pocket when they went to the doctor, most medical procedures would cost a lot less. If people didn't sue their doctors at the drop of a hat, things would be even less expensive. I trust my vet more than I trust my own doctors. My vet provides top quality care at a reasonable price. Isn't that what we all want?

Vets aren't free though, and health care shouldn't be free either. I've worked hard all my life and I don't mind paying a fair price for health care. I don't like footing the bill for totally irresponsible people who don't even try to do the right thing though. This drags us all down. Remember that old Seinfeld episode about the Soup Nazi? I feel that way sometimes. Everyone should have access to quality health care, regardless of their income or circumstance. This doesn't mean that health care should be free however. I've got only one thing to say to those people who think they are entitled to completely free health care: "no soup for you."

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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