Day 2232

Where did today go? I stayed busy all day, but really accomplished almost nothing. It was still dark when we walked the dogs because Janet had to leave for work early. I saw four of the five visible planets, but the illusive Mercury was still hidden by low clouds on the Eastern horizon. I watched the Impossible Planet episode of Dr. Who on the BBC channel during breakfast, which made breakfast take even longer than it usually does. I always liked this episode. When I took the dogs out to pee again before I fired up the computer and started working, I noticed another dead bird in the yard. This explained what the dogs were so interested in last night. The feral cats in the neighborhood do help control the rats, but I hate all the dead things they drag in the yard.

The first thing I discovered when I turned on the computer was that the backup batteries had gone bad in my Uninterruptible Power Supply. Since I wasn't that busy anyway, I took the power supply down to the battery store and had them rebuild the batteries. I think this is the third time I've had to replace the batteries in this particular UPS, but it was still cheaper than buying a brand new Uninterruptible Power Supply.

Dash was low on Phenobarbital, so I stopped by the vet to get a new supply and then returned to the battery store to pick up my refurbished UPS. When I finally did get to work, there wasn't much to do. There are still a couple of unfinished website projects, but no impending deadlines at all. I used my free time to write a letter to the watch winder people expressing my displeasure at their refusal to repair or replace my two broken winders. I don't expect much of a response, but at least I got that off my chest.

I discovered that I could buy The Martian on iTunes for half of what it would have cost to purchase a physical DVD in a store. No wonder stores don't carry many DVD titles anymore. I downloaded the movie and may never buy a DVD again. Why bother. I watch DVD's on my computer anyway and a downloaded file plays more reliably anyway. Half price seals the deal. No wonder Apple isn't making computers with DVD drives anymore. They really want to convince people to buy everything on iTunes. Now, all I have to do it get the little Apple TV box and I can watch my downloaded files on the big TV in the bedroom. Not that it matters, but I did remember to order ink for the large format printer.

The weather has got me confused. I bundled up like I did yesterday, but the minute I stepped out the door I realized was overdressed. As soon as the sun came up, it quickly got even warmer. By the time I was running errands this afternoon, I didn't even need a jacket. I think by the end of the week, temperatures are supposed to be in the mid-seventies. It's strange weather for this time of year, but I'll take it. It certainly beats cleaning up after the East Coast's giant snowstorm.

Unless somebody's website crashes unexpectedly, tomorrow will probably end up being a carbon copy of today. That's OK with me. I've got fresh bag of Fritos and a new movie to watch.

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1884

Today was busy. I finished two new articles and sent them off to their destination. I removed some out-of-date items from a client's website. I ordered some more ink for my insatiable large format printer. I even figured out how to optimize my computer using a bootable external drive. OK, so one of these tasks was just a phone call and another took place while I was walking the dogs. The writing and the website revisions still took a lot of time.

I'm worried that Dot's slow decline might be accelerating. She moves so slowly on her evening walk now that it's becoming a bit alarming. Dot still wants to walk, but we just inch along in slow motion. I don't want to push her too hard, but I also don't want her to just lie around and let her muscles atrophy. It's hard to get the activity level just right. Dot still does fine on her early morning walk and then sleeps for much of the day. Even with long naps, she doesn't have much energy left by the end of the day. Maybe one walk a day is plenty now.

We got back from our evening walk just in time for me to watch the launch of the Space X Falcon 9 rocket in Florida. I continue to be impressed by the sheer audacity of Elon Musk. One day he's showing off a Tesla that will go from 0 to 60 in three seconds and the next day he's sending a weather satellite into orbit a million miles from the earth. Just a few days ago a Space X Dragon capsule returned to earth with cargo from the International Space Station and pretty soon these capsules will be carrying astronauts. In many ways Elon Musk has already put Steve Jobs to shame. The guy is everywhere.

I probably should have saved some of today's workload for tomorrow. So far, it doesn't look like there's much cued up in the pipeline. This is typical of me. My goal is always to rid myself of work as quickly as I can, rather than pace myself and space it out evenly. I did enough today to easily fill two days, but now it's all done. Nothing for tomorrow. Dot does have her physical therapy session tomorrow though. That usually takes up most of the afternoon. I probably need to get some more groceries as well. The refrigerator is looking pretty empty.

It's a little early, but I'm already looking for the first signs of Spring. The weather has been so warm this week that you almost expect to see the trees starting to bud and the first of the Spring wildflowers coming into bloom. This unseasonal weather is actually pretty typical for Texas. Over and over again I have seen everything come into bloom in early March, only to be frozen by one last blast of Winter.

Until then, I'll continue to enjoy wearing shorts in February.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1882

Today was absolutely gorgeous. With clear skies and 75 degree temperatures, it was hard to believe it was February. When we were coming home from our morning walk, I noticed that the neighbors were taking large bags of leaves and bulky trash to the curb. It must be big trash day this week. Since it was a nice day, I thought I'd follow the neighbor's lead and managed to get rid of some my own back yard clutter while the dogs lounged in the morning sun.

After breakfast, I thought I'd get started on organizing my tax information and was appalled to discover that I'd completely forgotten to send in my quarterly estimated taxes this year. Oops. I guess there might be some sort of penalty for this, but it probably won't be much since my income was so low last year. My accountant asked me a couple of years ago why I even bothered to do quarterly taxes anymore and I guess it sent some sort of subliminal message. I certainly didn't bother this year. Every time I forget something like this, I wonder what else I've forgotten.

I did remember to send out my February invoices today. Such a small pile of letters, compared to what it used to be. Janet's retirement was a big deal. Mine will be a non-event. One day I will be sitting at the computer and realize I haven't done any work in three months. I'm still relatively busy, but the writing is on the wall. My peak earning years are so, so over.

So, what happens next? Honestly, I don't have a clue. Some days I still want to design websites and make films. Other days, not so much. I really ought to go buy a more powerful pair of reading glasses and start reading books again. I could easily fill a couple of years just catching up on my reading list. Janet and I are both realizing that when you base your life around work, it can be kind of disorienting when the work disappears. What I don't want to do is spend my time doing a succession of smaller and smaller meaningless jobs. If you follow this path, you eventually reach a point where you are totally consumed with doing nothing at all.

What the hell. I miss being the Wizard of Oz. It's not as much fun spending your days doing the high tech version of Yellow Pages Ads. I do enjoy writing this blog, but it's not War and Peace. Even if I live long enough to extend my run to 5000 days, this will still only be a curious blip on the literary horizon. Don't worry, I'll figure something out. Until then, there's laundry to do, dogs to take care of, and if I'm really good, some bacon and sausages for breakfast.

azz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1879

Today was consumed with the minutiae of everyday life. Everywhere I turned there were nagging little details that refused to be resolved. There were medical bills that were sent directly to me instead of my insurance provider. Nobody knew why. There was a glaring imbalance when I tried to reconcile my bank account. Did I forget to record a check? Were there electronic transfers that I didn't remember? The difference between the bank statement and the checkbook weren't large, but what was causing things to add up differently? I still don't know.

I did finish an article today, but even that was harder than I anticipated. Sometimes it can be quite difficult to write 500 words when 50 would suffice. I'm used to writing about nothing, but occasionally I run out of adjectives. How many times can you say exceptional, superlative, exquisite, and iconic? These words are almost mandatory when you are writing about luxury goods however. It can get boring.

The best thing about today was breakfast. Now that she has retired, Janet has started joining me on my Friday morning breakfast outings. She likes the food too, but I don't think this is the high point of her day. Actually she'd rather be working. I don't think retirement suits her. She's already looking for another job. Not me. I'd love to officially retire. Freelancers and small business owners never retire though. I don't have much of a retirement plan, so I just keep working and hope that the stock market  eventually turns around. My holy grail is a booming stock market, $100 a barrel oil, and high interest rates. That's the only way I'll ever make any money.

The weather was weird today. It was in the low thirties when we got up this morning, but by mid-afternoon it was almost Springlike. By the time I took the dogs on their evening walk it was 70 degrees. I'm not complaining. I hope it is 70 degrees again tomorrow. If it stays warm, maybe I'll wash the car. It seems pointless to wash the car when it's cold and wet. Even more pointless when the water hose is frozen.

I'm trying to decide whether cleaning up dog poop in the back yard or cleaning my office is more onerous. Both jobs seem pretty unpleasant at the moment. My office has really gotten out of hand. Every available surface is covered with clutter. Most of the clutter is old mail that has been put in various "I'll deal with this later" stacks. In addition to the mountains of junk mail, healthcare notices, and bills, there are the Anton Bauer camera batteries that won't re-charge anymore, the large printer that still clogs every two days, and a leaking shower pan in the second bathroom. At least there is no water on the roof today.

I need to get back to the gym this weekend. It's been several weeks since I've had a serious workout and that's not good. Even though I'd rather sleep in late, eat a big mid-morning plate of waffles and bacon, and watch movies for the rest of the day, there are things that need to be done. Discipline can be a real bitch sometimes.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day