Day 2526

Well, the moon didn't look that super tonight. I guess it was a little bigger and brighter than usual, but it was hard for me to tell the difference. I think tonight's rare supermoon was supposed to look about 14% larger than usual. If the moon was twice as big, I'm sure that I'd notice the difference, but 14% doesn't even compute for me. Would I notice if Cheetos were 14% larger, or if there was 14% more coffee in a Starbucks cup? Probably not. The moon was pretty though. I always enjoy seeing the moon.

I'm sure you know what I did today already. Sunday's are always the same. I went to the gym, vacuumed the house, and walked the dogs. On sunny days like this, the gym is practically empty. I think there were only seven people working out. I did my usual routine and finished in 63 minutes, just like last week. The house is cleaner now and there are fresh sheets on the bed. The days seem so short now. I never notice the extra hour of daylight in the morning, but I definitely notice how quickly it gets dark in the evening. I'm always walking Dash at sunset now.

I need to resist the urge to get drawn into political arguments on Facebook. I've inadvertently joined these discussions a couple of times and instantly regretted the decision. You're not going to change anyone's mind at this point. As a writer, it's tempting to want to have the last word, but you've got to resist the temptation. The world is not going to end and the country's many problems are not going to be resolved overnight. As usual, the answer will lie somewhere in between.

I actually learned something about the election today. I was curious why both sides were claiming to have won the popular vote. This seems like a no-brainer to me. Either you did or you didn't. As it turns out, absentee ballots aren't even counted in most states unless the election is close. For example, if there are 50,000 absentee ballots, but a candidate won a state by 60,000 votes, the prevailing wisdom is that it is not worth the trouble to even tabulate the extra ballots since they wouldn't make a difference in the outcome. This allows both sides to claim victory in a close popular vote by making their own projections about the uncounted ballots. I never knew that absentee ballots weren't typically counted. I learn something new every day.

I never knew the moon's orbit wandered all over the place either. Why did I always think it is was a nice circular path around the earth? I guess if I looked up at the sky more often, I would have figured out the answer years ago. Sometimes a full moon is directly overhead. Other times it is low in the southern sky. I wondered about this occasionally, but never gave it much thought.

So far, it looks like it's going to be a slow week. Dash needs a thyroid test before he can get his thyroid medication renewed. I need a visit with my own doctor before I can get all my prescriptions renewed for another year. No wonder the pharmaceutical industry is so huge. Our lives today revolve around the pills we take.

The chores are done. The dogs are resting peacefully. I've got a supply of fresh strawberries and bananas for tomorrow's breakfast smoothie. I'm ready for another week.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1737

Dash went to the vet to get his blood tested today. Unfortunately, we will need to repeat the whole process next week. Dash's blood sample contained lipids, which meant the thyroid test he was having would show inaccurate results. Dash needs to fast for at least 12 hours next time so the lab can get a better sample. When I have problems with lipids, the doctors refer to it as bad cholesterol. When a dog has problems with lipids they just call it fat in the blood. I guess it's more or less the same thing.

Ever since my doctor convinced me to start taking Foltanx to improve cognition and prevent memory loss, I have been having very active dreams. I haven't noticed any difference whatsoever during the day, but my dreams are much more complex now. This isn't exactly what I wanted. I think my cognitive abilities are just fine. I make my living using them. The only reason I went along with the doctor and started taking the drug, which is basically just an expensive multi-vitamin containing Folate, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, was that I'd read it was effective at combating some forms of neuropathy that cause numbness in your extremities. I still feel numbness in my feet occasionally, so I really don't know if this stuff works at all. There are lots of reasons for weird dreams, including waking up five times each night to see if Dot has peed in the bed. Maybe this is just one more junk pill that does nothing.

The trouble with meds is that you have to trust the person who prescribed them for you. Unfortunately, doctors don't agree on much and some of them are nuts. Pick just about any drug and you'll find ten different opinions about it. It's frustrating to say the least. Is Niacin a great way to lower bad cholesterol, or will it just increase your chances of getting diabetes? Why am I taking Carvedilol to slow my heart down when it's ticking pretty slow already? Some doctors think Statins can cause memory loss. Other doctors think Statins actually help with brain function and are prescribing them for Alzheimer's patients. I just wish everyone could get on the same page.

A paid some bills today and did a little bookkeeping. As usual, I made a few incorrect entries in Quickbooks Pro and couldn't get everything to balance. I wish there was some equivalent of spell-check in Quickbooks that would warn me about entering payments incorrectly. Sometimes it takes me fifteen minutes just to find a fifty cent error.

Dot seemed tired today. Maybe it was just a reaction to the rabies shot she had yesterday. We all went to training class this evening, but Dot mostly sat on the sidelines and watched Dash and I go through our paces. I think Dot still enjoyed being included in the activities. She seemed happy just sitting in the grass and watching the other dogs. Dash did pretty well, but I think he would have preferred to sit in the grass as well.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1736

It's almost inevitable. When I'm busy, I always wish things would slow down. Conversely, when things are slow I wish I was busier. In the Summer I can't wait for Winter and as soon as the cold weather arrives I want it to be Summer again. I don't know why it is so difficult to just accept things the way they are, but it's been this way for a long time. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

I only mention this because I was busier than usual today. There was a small website crisis that needed to be addressed immediately. There was a new writing assignment that needed attention. And of course, Dot had her annual exam at the vet. Back in the day, a schedule like this would have seemed like nothing, but I think I've slowed down considerably. I still like to stay busy, but I think my definition of the term has changed.

Dot got a glowing report at her exam. Her vets are just as impressed with her progress as I am. If you didn't know better, you could easily mistake Dot for a much younger dog. The only time Dot seems like a senior citizen is when she is sleeping. She sleeps so soundly now that I have to look carefully to make sure she's still breathing. Dot got her three year rabies booster today, along with her annual Leptospirosis vaccination. We'll give her the DAPPV combo shot next week, just to make sure she doesn't have a bad reaction from getting too many shots at once.

When Dot's nurse asked me how she was doing today, I started to bring her up to date on Dot's incontinence and physical therapy issues. "Oh, I know all that already," she told me. "I read your blog." This happens frequently now. I tend to think my readers are just the small group of people who leave comments regularly. In reality, a much larger group of friends and acquaintances seem to read with some consistency. They just don't tell me about it.

I finally figured out how to get my new phone paired with my car again. This Bluetooth connection is really handy because you never have to take your phone out of your pocket. If you get a call, you hear the phone ringing on the car radio and answer by touching a little green button on the steering wheel and just start talking. I couldn't figure out why it was so difficult to pair the phone, but I was determined not to go to the dealership for assistance on something so simple. I eventually remembered, as is often the case with Apple, that I needed to power down the phone completely and then turn it on again before the pairing process would work properly.

I think I might have been just busy enough today. I managed to get everything on my list done without stressing about it. Tomorrow, I will take Dash to the vet for another periodic thyroid test. I'm sure there will be other things to do as well. With any luck, I may be able to keep my life in balance for two days in a row.

Phantom is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day