Day 4428

Peanut has been adopted. When we saw this six month old puppy last week, we knew it wouldn't take long for him to find his forever home. There were still three Dalmatians at the kennel however. Today we met the newest member of the rescue program. Jo Jo is a three year old male Dalmatian mix who is still getting used to his new surroundings. We took some pictures for the website, but didn't spend a lot of time playing with this handsome boy. He needs some time to relax and get settled. Charlie and Oliver were certainly relaxed. They look forward to seeing us now and always enjoy the toys and treats we bring.

Visiting the kennel is really our only activity on Monday. Dawn got her sunrise walk, but I didn't take mine until later in the afternoon. I wanted to wait until it got warmer. It's hard to decide when to walk in the Winter. I have more energy in the morning, but don't have to wear as many coats in the afternoon. Either way, I usually have problems with my feet. I probably should start going back to the gym and try a different type of exercise. These long walks don't seem to be helping things.

I wonder when the trash is going to get picked up. The ice storm threw the sanitation department off schedule and last week's trash is still sitting out on the street. I don't think any trash got picked up last week because the dumpster at the kennel was full and so was the one at our vet. It's kind of amazing how much trash we all generate. In our neighborhood most of it is Amazon boxes. No wonder a lot of shopping malls are going out of business. Everyone is buying their stuff on Amazon.

I've been watching the power company tree crews slowly get closer and closer to our house. I wonder how cooperative they are going to be this time? We are going to ask them to take down the two trees near the alley. After many years of power line trimming, they have totally butchered these trees. Since they are right next to the power lines, there isn't much left when the trimming crews are finished with them. I wish now that we'd removed the trees seven years ago when the power company offered to cut them down. Now, they seem to be doing minimal trimming, so they might just make them really ugly again. We'll see. They'll probably be here later this week.

I didn't pay any attention to the eagles today. I didn't pay any attention to the star tracker either. I did a load of wash and ate a lot of snacks. That was about it. Other than meeting the new Dalmatian it was really an uneventful day. I wonder what I'm going to do with myself this year. I'm not nearly as obsessed with going to Kennedy Space Center or McDonald Observatory as I was in previous years. Covid restrictions have taken a lot of the fun out of traveling. I don't have the energy I used to either. I guess that's why I keep walking. It would be so easy to slip into doing nothing.

I still need to make an appointment to get my hair cut. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I can't believe I wore my hair long for so many years. It just seems like a nuisance now. A lot of things seem like a nuisance as you grow older. I'm glad I started this blog a long time ago. Today my attitude would be more like "why bother." Writing something every day is definitely a nuisance.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3291

Today started oddly. As I was getting ready to go to breakfast, I noticed that the garbage truck was parked right next to my can on the street. The driver appeared to be texting someone or maybe he was having an Egg McMuffin for breakfast. When he finished he drove away, completely forgetting to pick up my trash. Damn. I was the only can of the street he skipped. I quickly ran out to the street and pushed my can to an adjacent street to catch the truck on it's return through the neighborhood. I'm glad my hastily improvised plan worked because I have no place to store two week's worth of trash.

A little later at the hotel restaurant I noticed that a well dressed older man sitting next to me was eating a meal that definitely wasn't on the menu. I was intrigued, because this guy's breakfast looked really good. I asked my server if I could order something off the menu too. She gave me an odd look and just said no. How did the old guy get to order whatever he wanted when I couldn't? I'll probably never know because I didn't want to make a scene. The old gentleman was very polite and clearly was accustomed to privilege. This odd little incident made me realize that I'd love to live in a world where I could walk into a restaurant and ask the chef to whip up whatever I wanted. "Menu? We don't need no stinkin' menus," I'd say.

I've totally lost track of what day it is. Probably everybody else has too. The time between Christmas and New Year's is an amorphous mess. I only remembered it was Friday because of chasing the garbage truck this morning and I only remembered to take the trash out last night after Janet reminded me. Basically every day kind of feels like Saturday.

Cleaning up poop doesn't help me remember what day it is because it happens all the time. It's almost easier that Dash poops in his sleep now because I can place a puppy training pad under him. The poop has been landing on the pad pretty consistently now. When I change the pad and put a fresh one under his butt, he often wakes up and decides he needs to pee. I'm still getting up in the middle of the night but the whole process seems more organized.

I got a lot of things done today, but none of them were important. I repaired several of Dash's boots with Shoe Goo. I calibrated and unclogged the large printer. I updated software on my laptop and recharged a bunch of batteries. By the time I was finished it was time for dinner. Janet is always dusting things around the house and told me that refusing to dust is a sign that you've given up. That hurt. I never dust. I actually think dust protects things from scratches.

As a sign that I never give up, I thought I'd go to the gym tomorrow. Hey, in my own dusty way, I'm determined. This plan lasted about thirty seconds because I eventually remembered that tomorrow isn't Sunday. Everything needs to happen on the correct day whether I can remember it or not.

Dot & Petey are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2675

I stayed home and made French Toast this morning. As expected, Dot remained active after her morning walk. She needed to go outside twice while I was fixing breakfast and then just as I thought things were settling down, she pooped and made a big mess as she struggled to get up. I took everything off the stove, got some wet rages to clean her up, and fitted her with the spare harness we have for occasions like this. After I got everything cleaned up and started a new load of laundry, I warmed up my breakfast in the microwave and finished my meal. Basically, it was just a normal morning.

The good news is that Dash seems back to normal. His appetite has returned and he didn't seem nauseous at all. By 10:30, both dogs were ready for a nap. I made sure they were sleeping soundly and then ran my morning errands. While I was at the bank, a teller asked me if I was trying to get everything done before it started to rain. "It's going to rain," I asked? She told me that there was a severe weather warning and that there was going to be hail in the afternoon.

Since I avoid rain at all costs, I hurried to get everything done before the bad weather started. I picked up dinner at Central Market and swung by the vet to get Dash's blood pressure medication on the way home. It really didn't look like bad weather was on the way to me, so I checked the weather radar as soon as I got home. The only storm clouds I saw were in Oklahoma. I wonder where the bank teller got her information? She seemed convinced that something bad was about to happen.

The only bad thing that happened today was that the automated garbage truck driver crushed my can again and failed to empty all the trash. There were still two bags in the bottom of the badly dented can when I went to retrieve it. I hope we haven't lost our good driver. For the past three months we've had a very good driver who knew how to operate the high tech truck properly. Now we're back to square one. I hope today's driver was just a temporary replacement. From the looks of things he made a mess of the entire street. After making sure the dogs were still asleep, I took the abandoned trash bags to a dumpster. I'll have to ask the city for a new can again too. I wish the sanitation department could master these new trucks they've got. It shouldn't be that hard to get the trash in the truck.

Dot slept for a long time today. She didn't wake up until mid-afternoon, but after that, she kept me busy for the rest of the day. Dot was eager to walk this afternoon, even though she can barely move. I really hope we are successful at fitting her for a wheelchair next week. Her rear legs have been weak for a long time, but now she is starting to lose muscle coordination. If I don't hold her up properly using the harness, her rear legs start to drag. It's amazing that she still wants to walk, because it seems so difficult.

It's been a long day, but at least we made it through another week. Next week is going to be busy. Dot has a major cancer recheck and we've got a lot of questions for the oncologist. Hopefully Dot will have a new wheelchair next week as well. At least we will test her to see if she would benefit from wheels. If I have time, I'm going to replace the hard drive on my office computer with a higher capacity drive. I'm out of space. I found a place that offers same day service on drive upgrades. I'm sure I can go a day without a computer these days. That's all in the future though. All I'm worried about tomorrow is making sure Dash holds down his dinner and Dot can swallow her pills.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2510

The roofers came today and my trash got emptied. I'd call that a success. I probably didn't even need to go up on the roof to show the repair crew where the damage was. It was pretty obvious. The roofers admitted that they'd been having some problems with the material they initially coated my roof with. you're not the only one with this problem," the foreman told me. This material had only one job" to keep out water. "We're discovering that the elastomer begins to dissolve if it's under water for any length of time," the guys told me. Oops. Hopefully, they used something tough and durable this time. I'd really like to get this problem solved.

I wonder if the sanitation department had a talk with the driver on our route. For the second week in a row, all the trash on our street seems to be getting collected. I have a new lucky spot to place my rolling cart on Thursday evening. I hope that nobody starts parking their car here. My special spot is one of the few places on the street without overhanging tree limbs that might confuse the robotic arm on the truck.

I didn't get to go out for breakfast this morning, but this was a small price to pay for getting the roof fixed. I found some Jimmy Dean sausage to go along with the toaster waffles in the freezer and had a lovely breakfast, punctuated by the sound of Dash barking at me. He seemed mad that there weren't any bananas this morning. I hate to miss my Friday breakfast outings. They are a little oasis of calm in a hectic week.

I downloaded Microsoft Word and Excel for my new iPad and then discovered that they are practically useless unless I also subscribe to to Office 365. I hate these subscription models that everyone is going to. I have to subscribe to my anti-virus software. My website development platform requires an annual subscription. Then there's Hulu and Netflix. It adds up. Software subscriptions are just like leasing a car or renting an apartment. I'd really prefer owning this stuff.

It looks like the big news of the day was that the FBI reopened their investigation of Hillary Clinton.  I find it hilarious that after using sex in an attempt to bring down Trump, the Clinton campaign may ultimately be derailed by Anthony Weiner of all people. Jeez, if Huma Abedin is such a powerful person, what on earth was she doing sharing a computer with her pedophile husband? Trump certainly doesn't have a monopoly on bad judgement in this election. There is plenty to go around. I still think we need a do-over. If this election were a movie, people would say it was too farfetched to be believable.

Dot seemed to be feeling better today. She certainly was vocal and active. Every time I tried to take a shower, she'd start barking for attention. This wasn't aimless random barking either. Most of the time when I got her up and took her outside, she promptly peed or pooped. I didn't get to take a shower until late in the afternoon, but I was glad to see Dot's mind working normally again.

Janet has to go into work tomorrow morning, so the dogs will just think it's another workday. That's probably for the best. Dot and Dash don't like surprises. I'm starting to feel the same way.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2509

It took a lot longer than I thought to get the new iPad ready to use. There ought to be a red big button at the start of the configuration process that says skip all this stuff. I'll do it later. Since no such button exists, I spent a long time answering dumb questions, trying to remember various passwords, and learning how to make a readable fingerprint scan. I should have selected the option to configure a new iPad rather than restore an old one, because I ended up transferring a lot of old apps that I don't even use anymore. Eventually, I got the all clear to use the freshly configured tablet, but I wasn't done yet. I had to take the iPad down to the AT&T store and add it to my wireless plan.

AT&T marketing materials always make everything they offer seem easy and affordable, but I learned a long time ago that this isn't always the case. There's always a surprise that makes your plan much more expensive than you thought it would be. I have no idea why they felt justified in charging me an exorbitant activation fee when I was just adding the tablet to an existing plan. There was no need to try to pressure me into buying more data either. "But you'll need more data now that you're using two devices," said the pushy sales representative. "No I won't," I said. "I'm only using one at a time." We went back and forth for a while and ultimately she failed to sell me anything extra.

The roofers are coming out tomorrow. Well, they promised to come out tomorrow anyway. We'll see what happens. Since the roofers typically get started early, I won't be able to go out for breakfast in the morning. I definitely want to be here while they are working. This time I want to make sure that all the bad areas get repaired, instead of just some of them. I've already eaten this week's supply of fresh fruit, so I won't be able to make my regular smoothie tomorrow. Hopefully, there's still a package of toaster waffles in the freezer. If that doesn't work out, there's always oatmeal.

I've gotten really superstitious about taking out the trash. Since the trash ultimately did get picked up last week, I tried to place my rolling cart in exactly the same spot this evening. Maybe I need to mark the spot with chalk or something. I had a hard time remembering where I put my can last week. If you're looking for a lucky spot, a foot or two in the wrong direction could make all the difference.

Maybe I'll write the blog on the iPad tomorrow. Since I rarely do serous video editing anymore, I could probably use this high octane tablet for most things I do. I like the idea of a slim, powerful tablet replacing my computers, but I'm also a creature of habit. I've spent so many years sitting in front of this giant monitor that it might be too late to change.

My SiriusXM free trial ends in a few days. I need to decide whether to subscribe or not. I like listening to NPR in the car, but I really don't drive much anymore. I don't really need satellite radio, but then I don't really need Hulu or Netflix either. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between wants and needs. I do need a leak free roof and reliable trash pick up. If I can get those two things taken care of tomorrow, I'll be a happy camper.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2502

What was Cardinal Dolan thinking when he invited Donald and Hillary to speak at the Al Smith dinner tonight? Somebody forgot to tell these two that last night's debate was over. I usually love the self-deprecating humor at these events, but this was the most acrimonious and least funny roast I have ever seen. George Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Regan have all been hilarious at these type of events. Trump and Hillary were pathetic. They both told a few jokes and then launched into their stump speech. This was a take no prisoners evening. No wonder so many people are disgusted with this election.

I put my trash can on the opposite side of the street this evening. This isn't much of a plan, but it was the best I could come up with. Who knows. Maybe a different truck picks up the trash on the right hand side of the street. I went back to using my original rolling cart, because the robotic arm on the truck pretty well demolished my new can last week. We'll see tomorrow morning whether my talk with the sanitation department had any effect whatsoever. If my trash isn't emptied properly in the morning, I'm going to be well beyond frustrated.

Actually, I'm already frustrated because  today's rain ruined my chances of getting the roof repaired this week. The last time I called the roofers, they promised me that they'd be out again toward the end of the week. Now, they have the perfect excuse to keep ignoring me for a while longer. The coating material can't be applied unless the roof is completely dry, and the rainy season is approaching. It's going to become harder and harder to find a time when the roof is dry and the roofers are available.

The dogs were unusually needy today and it was hard to get anything done. If Dot wasn't demanding attention, Dash was. Dash always gets nervous on rainy days and it was hard to get him to go outside until the skies finally cleared. I knew he had to pee when I got up this morning, but it took four or five attempts to get him out the door. Dot didn't even bother. She just pooped in the house. It seemed like every time I tried to fix breakfast of dinner, there was another mess to clean up. There's nothing like the smell of dog poop when you're trying to enjoy your dinner.

I got another writing assignment this afternoon, but there was no need to finish it today. This will give me something to do tomorrow. If the weather cooperates, I'll look forward to going out for breakfast again. It's been a long week and I need to get out of the house for a while.

Emily is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2499

A lady from the sanitation department called me this morning. She listened politely as I explained the problems I've been having with trash collection. I thought we were getting somewhere when she told me that the city had hired a lot of new drivers recently and seemed to agree with my theory that the driver didn't know how to operate the fancy robotic garbage truck. When I finished my story and asked what was going to happen next, I instantly became disappointed. "I'll talk to my supervisor about this," she told me. This is going to end like every other encounter I've had with a large bureaucracy. Maybe this supervisor will talk to his supervisor, or maybe it won't even get that far. I doubt that anything will happen. The drivers are probably protected by their union and can't be fired anyway. The driver might not even be at fault. There's always the chance that the city added fifty extra streets to his regular route and he is just doing the best he can to keep up with the added workload.

A little later, a representative from SiriusXM  called and asked if I was enjoying my free trial and wondered why I hadn't activated my subscription yet. Normally, I don't even answer these type of telemarketing calls, but this guy surprised me by calling my cell phone. I explained that I only listened to one channel in the car and their package prices seemed pretty expensive if all I was going to use satellite radio for was to avoid having to listen to all the annoying pledge drives on the local over the air public radio station. I took this opportunity to complain about the tinny, compressed quality of all the voice offerings on SiriusXM. The guy thanked me for my input and agreed that I probably wasn't the target audience they were looking for. I don't know why companies like these don't adopt an à la carte pricing structure. If I could just pay for the stations I actually listen to, I'd gladly subscribe to SiriusXM. I feel the same way about my AT&T U-Verse account. Why should I have to pay for hundreds of channels when I only watch ten at the most?

I went to the vegan take-out store to buy enough meals to augment the leftovers in the refrigerator for the rest of the week. I love this store and hope they manage to stay in business. There is no way I could cook all these interesting meals myself. Cooking for one is hardly worth the trouble. It's hard to buy small quantities of vegetables and if you buy larger quantities, the stuff goes bad before you get around to eating it. I talked to the lady who started the store today and she told me that she got the idea when friends of hers kept saying that they'd love to become vegetarian, but that it was so much easier to just get a burger. This store is easier than going to McDonalds. I'm hooked.

On my way home I dropped off one of my favorite watches at my local watch repair place to get the band fixed. It doesn't matter if your wear the watches or not. Eventually, they all just fall apart by themselves. I doubt that I'll wear this watch anymore, but it was an old friend that deserved some respect. I have no idea how the watch broke. It's been sitting in a drawer for years.

Dot seemed so tired today. I don't think the Tramadol pills are having much of an effect. I had hoped that they might help her walk a little easier, but that isn't happening. We'll continue the pills for a few days longer in case there is some sort of delayed reaction, but I think this is just an experiment that failed. I wish it were easier to transport Dot. I think the water therapy still might help, but I hate to put Dot through the ordeal of getting her to the vet and back on a regular basis if all it does is cause her stress.

Maybe something interesting will happen tomorrow. I'm not counting on it though.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2496

I'm confused. When I took Dot to the cancer center today, I was prepared for bad news. To me, Dot seems to be growing weaker. She stumbled a lot this week and seems to be having a harder time walking without assistance. What do I know though? The oncologist, the ultrasound technician, and two nurses all thought Dot looked stronger and more alert than the last time they saw her. Her lab work and scan seemed to confirm their opinion. Dot's tumors are stable and haven't grown at all since her last scan. Her blood work is actually better than it was a month ago. This is all good news, but I still wonder why she seems so weak around the house.

I'm really mad at the city. For the fourth week in a row, the trash truck has failed to empty my trash. Not only was my bagged trash not removed from the can, the robotic arm on the truck actually damaged my brand new trash can. Now, there's a big dent in the can and the lid won't close. I piled the trash in the back of my car and went looking for a dumpster again. I'm tired of this. I called city services when I got home and after a long wait on hold, explained my problem to someone. Nothing got resolved today, but I did get assigned a case number and was told that someone from the sanitation department would be calling me next week.

I didn't get to go out for breakfast this morning, since a thunderstorm was headed our way. I could see lightning on the horizon and hear distant thunder, but we managed to get the dogs walked before the rain actually arrived. The short walk around the block with both dogs went just fine, but Dash almost got me struck by lightning when he refused to curtail his longer walk as the rain continued to get closer. Dash can be pretty stubborn sometimes. By the time we returned home, the sky was looking dark and ominous. I found another package of frozen waffles in the freezer and listened to the rain pounding on the roof while I kept telling Dot that everything was going to be OK.

I've been worried that the new Tramadol pills were going to make Dot constipated, but she put those fears to rest by pooping in the car on the way home from the cancer center. Poor car. Today, it's been pooped in and full of garbage within the same day. It's harder to clean Dot up after she's had an accident in the car. Since she's in a confined space, she can't move away from the mess. Sometimes, it takes me a while before I can safely pull off to the side of the road and attend to her as well. Such is life. It's hard to imagine a trip in the car without one of these accidents these days.

I picked up some Chinese take out for dinner and was dismayed to see that the restaurant had taken all the small sizes off the menu. I used to have a choice of small or large on everything. Not anymore. Absolutely nothing stays the same anymore. Oh, well. At least the restaurant is still in business. I hope we have a quiet, uneventful weekend. I need some time to rest and recharge my batteries before I resume my battle with the city over trash pickup. I'm beginning to think that the robotic arm on the truck has some kind of sensor that rejects my can when it discovers it is full of dog poop.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2493

The city delivered a new garbage can to our house today. What a surprise. I wasn't expecting them to be so responsive. The new can looks suspiciously like the old can, but we'll give it a try this Friday. If this can doesn't get emptied properly, I may have to paint a sign on the side, telling the trash truck driver to "give it a shake,"

It was discouraging to go up on the roof today and see that the special coating the roofers applied continues to deteriorate. I don't know if the problem is with the elastometric coating itself or with the way it was applied. Something is definitely wrong. I'm kind of at the mercy of the roofers, since I don't have the knowledge or ability to fix this problem myself. I need to call the roofers again, because all it's going to take is a few more good rains and my potential leak is going to turn into an actual leak.

I picked up Dot's pain pills at the vet this afternoon. The receptionist said they were still locked in the safe. I didn't know that Tramadol was a controlled substance like phenobarbital. I guess it makes sense, since it is a synthetic opiate. Dot's vet thinks that a low dose of Tramadol might help with the weakness in her back legs. I'm a little nervous, but this is a very low dose, so we'll give it a try.

I made our Thanksgiving dinner reservations. This elaborate holiday brunch has gotten very popular and the price seems to go up every year. I guess it's worth it though, since neither of us feels like cooking. Hopefully, we'll have better luck than we did last year when an unexpected dog emergency forced us to cancel our reservations at the last minute.

When I took yesterday's letters back to the post office, I mailed out my October invoices as well. My monthly billings are so small now, compared with what they used to be, that it seems pathetic to even send them. The monthly bills are relentless though, and every little bit helps. It's been a long time since I bought an expensive camera lens or piece of electronic gear on a whim. I really have to plan my frivolous purchases now and it it often takes months to save up the money. Oh, well. It was good while it lasted. I have to remember that I started my company in 1990 and twenty five years is a long time in my line of work. A lot of my contemporaries bit the dust long before I did.

I got a surprise text from a high school friend who was in town for the day and wondered if I wanted to meet him downtown. It might have been fun to catch up on things, but going downtown for a long lunch is out of the question these days. I'm glad I didn't go. Dot had kind of a bad day today. She does best when she takes her walks and then rests for most of the day. Sometimes she gets frustrated and tries to stay active and ends up tiring herself out. That's what happened today. I could tell she was getting exhausted and starting to stumble as I walked her around the house, but she just didn't want to sleep. It happens sometimes.

I have no plans for tomorrow, but I'm sure it will feel like a busy day anyway. I"m convinced that those hamsters who spend their day spinning a hamster wheel inside their cage feels like they've been busy too.

Katy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2489

I wasn't expecting rain this morning, but that's what we got. Dash refused to go outside and pee. Dot, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the rain and drug me outside in the rain as she slowly wandered around the yard looking for the perfect place to pee. By the time I changed my wet clothes and dried Dot off, it became obvious that the dogs weren't going to get a morning walk. I wasn't going to get to go out to breakfast either, because I kept hearing thunder off in the distance. Dot and Dash are fine in a gentle rain, but thunder and lightning throw them into a panic. I found a package of frozen toaster waffles in the freezer and resigned myself to spending the rest of the day with my two storm phobic dogs.

When I went out to retrieve my trash can after breakfast, I discovered that the truck didn't pick up my trash for the third week in a row. I'm trying to figure out why this keeps happening and the only thing I can think of is that there's a new driver on our route. I remember I used to see the robotic arm stop at the top of it's arc and shake the cans before lowering them to the ground again. This was to make sure that everything gets dumped into the truck. The mechanical arm swings the cans in an arc very quickly to position them upside down on top of the truck. As the arm is moving, I have a feeling that centrifugal force keeps the trash bags pressed against the bottom of the can. If the arm doesn't stop long enough at the top of its arc and allow gravity to empty the cans, then that might explain why my trash bags are still inside the can even after the truck has picked up my can. This driver is in a hurry and isn't stopping to shake the cans.

Since I'll never be able to explain my perfectly reasonably theory to the driver, I went on the City of Dallas website and requested as new garbage can. Maybe a new can will help. My neighbors all have newer trash cans than me and they don't seem to be having the same problems I'm having. I have my doubts that the city will even respond to my request. I've requested services on the city website before and never got a response. Who knows. Maybe the online forms don't even work.

Dash can be incredibly stubborn. He kept refusing to go outside and pee until the rain eventually stopped. He didn't get his walk in the park until almost noon, but that was apparently what he wanted. Poor Dot didn't get a walk at all. After the dogs had been taken care of, I loaded the trash bags in the car and went looking for a dumpster. I'm getting sick of this. After decades of reliable trash service, I don't understand why this is happening now.

I didn't sleep well last night. I remember having very lucid dreams that had people I know in them. I remember my dreams about fifteen or twenty seconds after I wake up and then they're gone. It's too bad that the dreams are so fleeting, because I'm sure they're more interesting than my day-to-day life. My fitness tracker tells me that I get lots of REM sleep but very little deep sleep. If REM sleep and dreaming help to consolidate memories, maybe I don't have to worry about Alzheimer's after all.

I wonder if that hurricane on the East Coast had everything to do with all the rain we got today. Probably not. I'm glad we don't have to worry about hurricanes here in Dallas. Tornadoes are bad enough.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2488

I had to move a client's website from one hosting company to another today. In theory, this should be an easy process, but it never is. There is always some weird configuration issue when I'm trying to access a new server with my FTP application. I spent hours on the phone with technical support trying to figure out how to upload the site. We finally figured out that the login information the client had provided me with was incorrect. This happens a lot. I finally got everything working correctly, uploaded all the files to the web server, and was getting ready to point the DNS to the new name servers when I got an e-mail from the client. He told me that he had just gotten a better deal from his old hosting company and he didn't want to move after all. What a wasted day.

Sometimes I think that my Internet clients are just trying to drive me crazy, but in reality, they are nice people who just aren't very technically savvy. That's all I've got left. My sophisticated clients left long ago, moving their complex and growing sites to big interactive agencies that provided all kinds of fancy services I wasn't able to offer. This consolidation within the industry has just about destroyed small shops like mine. When I hear politicians say they are going to bring back jobs, I wonder how they are going to do it. Big companies continue to swallow up smaller companies that don't have the same economy of scale. Customers aren't very loyal and continue to take their business to whoever can offer the most for the least. If service jobs like mine are disappearing, manufacturing jobs are never coming back. People are so eager to get a huge flat screen TV for $200 that they don't care how many jobs are destroyed in the process.

Maybe it's just as well that my business isn't what it used to be. Taking care of an incontinent, senile old dog who can't walk anymore is an enormous effort. I could never leave the house for half the day to go to meetings like I used to. Business travel is out of the question. As much as I hate to admit it, my little writing jobs and the few remaining website clients I have left are just about all I can handle.

Dot got a lot of rest today, but still had trouble standing and walking. She was very shaky on her morning walk around the block and stumbled several times. The accidents are getting more frequent too. When I ask the vets how to slow down this inevitable decline, they sometimes suggest pain pills, but seldom offer any real solutions. You just can't stop the aging process. I still wonder if the water therapy might help, but I hate to keep dragging her around town and making her miserable.

I wonder if my trash will get picked up tomorrow. I switched to a different garbage can and tried not to pack the big black trash bags so tightly. I have no idea if this will work, but I'm getting tired of taking my trash to a dumpster. Complaining to the city is worthless. They just ignore you. As far as they're concerned, the new robotic garbage trucks are great. It's a brave new world out there. I can't depend on the garbage man. My mail carrier doesn't bother to deliver the mail at least one day a week. Nobody seems to give a shit anymore.

Cassie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2482

I had a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich for breakfast. That's as close to a walk on the wild side as you're going to get from me. I was ready for something different today. By the time I arrived at the restaurant, I was already late. The garbage truck failed to pick up my trash again and I had to load the trash bags into the car and look for a dumpster. When that task was finished, I returned to the house and did my best to get Dot to poop. I knew that she would go in the house as soon as I left for the restaurant, and I didn't want any more bad news this morning. I walked her around and let her smell things for a long, long time and eventually she did go. Maybe I had the sandwich because it felt closer to lunch by the time I finally got underway. A BLT actually makes a great breakfast. I love bacon for breakfast. I like toast. I often eat tomatoes for breakfast as well. I think I'll try this again.

I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with my garbage. The robotic arm on the truck picks up my can and lifts it above the hopper, but nothing comes out.  The driver just assumes that he's done his job and drives away. Maybe I need a new can. My can does look a bit different than a lot of the neighbors cans. I guess I'll have to call the city and complain. Then I'll have to wait months and months before they deliver a new can to my house. It's frustrating. The recycling truck, which comes by later in the day, refuses to take my trash, since it is in the wrong color can. The recycling truck will only pick up trash from the blue cans. Gray cans are apparently off limits.

The new batteries I put in the lawn mower apparently aren't any good. I tried to mow the grass this afternoon and the mower died. I think the batteries are still under warranty, but now I have to drag them down to the battery store and get them replaced again. These aren't flashlight batteries either. They are big, heavy 24 volt batteries that are definitely supposed to last longer than three months. If it weren't for the fact that I used to have even more problems with gasoline powered mowers, I'd just give up on this electric mower.

Even though almost nothing went smoothly, it was a beautiful day. I wish Fall lasted a little longer. This is the only time of year when I can leave the windows open. Actually, I can't leave the windows open very long, or wasps will fly in the house, but it's the thought that counts. Dot enjoyed being out in the sunlight. She'll go outside and wander around aimlessly for a while, come back inside, go to her water bowl, and then repeat the process all over again. We'll go back and forth like this until she gets tired and then she'll eventually go to her bed and sleep. I wonder if dogs can get Alzheimer's? Dot's mind definitely isn't what it used to be. I have a lot of respect for anyone dealing with a loved one who has Alzheimer's Disease or dementia. It takes a lot of patience to understand someone who is not entirely there. Dot still has her lucid moments, but she's starting to remind me of my Dad as he got older.

It's been a long day. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I'm hoping that everyone else in the family is as tired as I am this evening. One of these days I'd like to wake up refreshed and ready to go.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2454

How did I go from being curious about everything to being irritated at everything? It all happened pretty quickly. Today, I was particularly irritated at the garbage man. Ever since the city switched to these new robotic garbage trucks, my garbage can fails to be emptied about half the time. The robotic arm on the truck picks up the can and lifts it above the truck to dump the garbage in the hopper, but the process happens so fast that none of the bagged garbage actually falls out of the can. The truck thinks it has done its job and just drives away, leaving a full garbage can for me to live with for another week. This never used to happen when real people emptied the garbage and threw the trash into the back of the truck. The city loves these new robotic trucks because they are very efficient and only require a single person to operate. Unfortunately, the trucks just don't work very well.

It's bad enough that the city only picks up the trash once a week now. Playing Russian roulette with the garbage truck every week only makes the process worse. Today, I'd had enough. I loaded all the garbage in the back of my car and went looking for a dumpster. A lot of dumpsters are locked away now, because they don't want people like me using them. Hey, it's not my fault. If the garbage truck did it's job, I definitely wouldn't be driving around with trash in the back of my car.

Breakfast was crowded today. I would have gotten an earlier start if I wasn't looking for an empty dumpster. I probably should have gone someplace else, but I was in the mood for pancakes and the cinnamon pancakes at the overcrowded restaurant are particularly good. All the regular tables were taken, so I had to sit at a long communal table that everyone tends to avoid. The inconvenience was worth it though, because the pancakes and sausage were delicious.

Today was particularly busy. I finished a lengthy website update that involved adding and changing out a ton of new photos. When that task was finished, I started writing my new article. In the old days, this type of workload would have been considered completely normal. I probably would have finished everything before noon. Today, I felt a bit overwhelmed. I haven't had this much to do in weeks. I got everything done though and still had time to do a load of laundry and clean up Dot's poop.

The satellite radio worked this morning when I started the car. This was odd, because there was a failure message on the screen when I pulled into the driveway yesterday. How did the radio acquire the satellite when the car was off? I don't pretend to know how satellite radio works. I'd rather have a WiFi hotspot in the car instead, but this is a free trial, so what do I care.

We've got a long holiday weekend coming up. Will we do anything festive on Labor Day? What do people normally do on Labor Day? I don't have a clue. As always, I just hope that the dogs act normally and that I can catch up on sleep.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2361

Everyone was glad to see Dot back on the treadmill today. We resumed her water therapy and acupuncture sessions and I was pleased at how well she did. Her vet did an evaluation and thinks it's OK to continue her therapy. The only snag in Dot's therapy plan is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to transport her in the car. Even when I drive slowly and make no sudden moves, the ride is uncomfortable and stressful for her. She almost always poops in the car now. Today she made a huge mess and even though I had planned for this eventually, it was difficult to get the car cleaned up for the return trip home. Dot's vet still thinks that water therapy is very beneficial, but says I'll have to decide whether the stress of riding in the car, erases a lot of the benefits she gets from therapy. It's a tough call. Dot hates riding in the car now. Once we arrive, she's fine. I think she really enjoys the acupuncture. It relaxes her.

Dot had a very busy day. Before our physical therapy session, we met the dog walker who will be helping us while Janet is on vacation. This encounter went better than I expected. Dot initially barked a lot and appeared nervous, but she calmed down within a matter of minutes. I think this is going to work out OK. Dash didn't have any problems at all. He just wanted the dog walker's undivided attention.

My Internet connection hasn't worked this well in months and my new router is still sitting unopened in the box. I wonder what AT&T did? They claim they just set up my account for the new equipment they sent me,  but I'm not even using the new equipment yet. Somehow they managed to clear up all my connection problems without even realizing it. I wish I knew what they did, so I can ask them to do the same thing the next time U-Verse goes down. I don't even think they know. I don't know how long this is going to last, but I don't want to mess with anything now. Almost accidently, I finally have the system I was promised several years ago.

When is this rain going to stop? I just looked at the forecast and it looks like we'll be having daily thunderstorms all the way through the weekend. The only silver lining to this nasty weather is that the temperature has cooled enough for Dot to feel comfortable on her morning walks again. It's been a little problematic to find a thirty minute dry spell to actually take a walk, but so far we've been relatively lucky. There's only been one day where the rain never stopped at all.

Hopefully, I'll get lucky when I take the trash out tomorrow evening. I'm not surprised that the city never did answer my request to come back and get the trash they failed to pick up. There's a fancy website where you can request all types of city services, but the city never responds. I'll take my two week's worth of accumulated trash out to the curb tomorrow, but I wouldn't be surprised it it gets ignored again.

Despite the lousy weather, the poop filled car, and the lack of work, I consider today a success. It is encouraging that Dot is making progress again. She did well today. Dealing with the dogs next week doesn't seem quite as daunting either, now that I have some help. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. It might be a little presumptuous, but I'm hoping for two good days in a row.

Charlie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2356

It was raining so hard this morning that I quickly abandoned my plans to go out for breakfast. It just wasn't worth it. The dogs are always restless when it rains and even more restless when they can't go on their morning walk. They will stand at the back door and just look at you like they expect you to stop the rain. It took about five tries before Dash would venture outside and pee. Dot ended up pooping inside the house while I was fixing my breakfast. Once I got the mess cleaned up, breakfast really wasn't bad.

I made some delicious French Toast with a leftover loaf of bread I found in the refrigerator and cooked a few fresh sausage patties to go along with it. Add some dark roast coffee and real maple syrup and this meal easily held its own with any of my recent restaurant outings. Since there were no bananas today, the dogs even let me eat in relative peace. They go nuts when there's a banana around.

I talked with Dot's oncologist after breakfast and rescheduled her appointment for next week. There actually was an ultrasound technician available today, but not the one the oncologist wanted. There is a specific technician that the oncologist wanted to use who is familiar with Dot's case. Evidently Dot's tumors are located in an area that is difficult to scan and the technician who was sick today was the only one who knows exactly where to look. I was happy to reschedule, because transporting Dot in the car on a wet stormy day is even more difficult than on a normal day.

I got an e-mail from AT&T this morning warning me that there would be a non-returned equipment charge if I didn't hurry up and install the new router they sent me and return the old one to them. Jeez. It's only been one day since the UPS guy delivered the package. Truthfully, I'm reluctant to install the new router, since everything has been working perfectly since the package arrived. This is the first time in a month that I've had no problems and so far I've made no changes at all. I still think the tech support guys fixed something after my irate calls and just didn't tell me. I'd like to just put the new router in the storage warehouse and keep it in case I need it in the future, but apparently AT&T frowns on this. If everything is still working properly in the morning, I think I'm going to call and ask if I can return the package they sent unopened. I'm very superstitious about setting up and configuring a completely new home and office network at this point. Maybe I should just leave things alone.

The city didn't pick up my garbage again. My can was the only one on the entire street this morning that wasn't emptied. This has happened too many times. I don't think the garbage men are purposely trying to harass me, but something is definitely wrong. I'm starting to think that the lid on my can doesn't open properly when the automated truck picks it up. Things worked much better when real people emptied the cans. The robot automated truck picks up the cans, but I don't think it can sense if it has actually emptied them.

I think I've finally found someone to help me walk Dot while Janet is on vacation next month. It's been a lot harder to find a reputable dog walker to come over every morning than I thought it would be, but things are looking up. The dog walker is going to come over and meet Dot next week and I think we'll be able to work something out. I've been walking Dot and Dash for over a decade and never dreamed that a simple walk would become so difficult. It's important to keep Dot moving though, so I'll do what I've got to do.

We've got a three day weekend ahead. We've also got lots more rain ahead as well. It remains to be seen whether we'll have a relaxing holiday.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2235

It's taking longer and longer to get Dot ready for physical therapy. You can't rush an old dog. She likes to sleep in the morning, so it's hard to get her out of bed and put her harness on in the first place. When I take her out to pee before we get in the car, she wanders around forever, smelling everything in the yard before she finally does her business. At this point we're already five minutes late. I try my best to get her positioned comfortably, but inevitably she tries to creep towards the side window and ends up getting one of her front paws stuck in the little space between the edge of the seat and the door. When she does this I have to stop the car and re-position her before she panics and starts to struggle. At this point we're usually ten minutes late. Sometimes we avoid construction zones and traffic jams. Sometimes we don't. I wish Dot's vet made house calls. She suggested giving Dot a low dose of Xanax to reduce Dot's anxiety before we get in the car, but that would make me more anxious. I have an irrational fear of drugs like Xanax and Prozac. When I was asking the vet what Xanax does and how it would make Dot feel, the vet gave me a puzzled look and said "You've never taken a Xanax, have you?" Nope. I wish I could ask Dot what she thought about the whole thing.

Personally, I don't think drugs are a good solution for anything. Maybe this is hypocritical, since I do take meds to control blood pressure and cholesterol. These seem different than antidepressants, sedatives, and anxiety medications though. I've noticed that sedatives sometime have the opposite effect on Dash. They make him hyper and anxious. My Mom experienced terrible side effects from the antidepressants she took. I'd rather just learn to become comfortable with being depressed. Who knows. Maybe Dot does need a Xanax, but there's got to be a better way to keep her calm in the car.

The weather was nice again, but the day didn't leave much of an impression on me. I must have done something other than take Dot back and forth to the vet and clean up poop, but I be hard pressed to describe it now. Walk, eat, clean up poop, repeat. That was about it. It's anybody's guess whether trash will be picked up tomorrow after the mystery trash pickup on Wednesday. I took my can out to the street anyway, just in case. The neighbors seemed as confused as I am. There were other cans on the street, but only about half as many as usual. Probably my can will end up being run over and squashed by a piece of road paving equipment.

I didn't bother watching the presidential debate tonight. Been there, done that. Why do we need so many of these debates? Jeez, if you don't know what these guys think by now, you probably never will.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2234

Yay. I finally managed to see all five visible planets this morning. I got up early and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. When I went outside, there was Mercury, right below and slightly to the left of Venus. Saturn, Mars and Jupiter were also easy to see, along with a waning gibbous moon. I continue to be surprised at how quickly sunrise occurs. When I first get up on a clear day, the sky is dark and there are lots of stars. By the time we walk the dogs, the sky has acquired a deep blue-black color with an orange glow along the Eastern horizon. As we walk, you can see the sky grow brighter and the remaining stars grow dimmer minute-by-minute. About halfway through the walk, only the planets remain. Mercury disappears first, then Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Often Venus remains in the sky almost until sunrise.

Today was just as slow as yesterday, but I was in a much better mood, probably since it was clear and sunny outside. After breakfast, I decided to take a camera and retrace my steps in the park without the dogs. It was amazing how many more animals I saw without Dot and Dash barking and scaring them away. I saw a Red-tailed Hawk, several woodpeckers, lots of ducks, and a Great Egret. It was enjoyable to wander around and look for things to photograph. I need to do this more often.

I was having difficulty installing the latest system on my iPhone and then I read that one of the bugs that this new system was supposed to fix was a difficulty in installing upgrades. Hmm. What do you do when the old system doesn't want to let you install the new one. I kept getting error messages over and over again until I tried to do things the old fashioned way by plugging the phone into my computer and making the upgrade using iTunes. How quickly we forget. I used to always add new apps and make system upgrades while connected to iTunes. Somewhere along the line, the phone started upgrading itself and I forgot about iTunes. It's good to know it's still there when you need it.

Dot was restless today. I took her outside for short periods of time over and over again, but mostly she just wandered around aimlessly. After having at least half a dozen opportunities to do her business outside, she still decided to poop in her bed while I was out photographing birds. When I returned , she was standing in her pen, looking at her soiled bed like some other dog had made the mess. I guess Dot's accidents can't be helped. She doesn't want to have accidents, but with all the neurological problems she's having, she just doesn't have that much control. I never get mad at her for making a mess. The same thing is probably going to happen to me someday.

I was surprised to see that my trash can had been emptied this afternoon. Not only was it the wrong day for trash pickup, the trucks never come down the alley anymore. Maybe this has something to do with the road construction that's underway on our street. I wish the sanitation folks had told me they were coming. I would have taken the rest of the trash outside to the can. Maybe this was it for the week. The road crews are getting closer and closer. I have a feeling that the street might be blocked on Friday morning.

This week has gone surprisingly fast, considering how uneventful it has been. Maybe I'm getting better at amusing myself.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day