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

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Day 1173

When I was out shopping today, I stopped by a gluten free bakery to look for alternatives to wheat. I'm supposed to seriously cut back on my consumption of wheat. There's only one problem. I love bread. For most of my life my favorite meals have included French Toast, BLT sandwiches, and all forms of Panini. I don't even know what I was looking for at the new age bakery, but I definitely discovered something I'd never seen before. It was called Paleo bread. The stuff is gluten free, grain free, yeast free, dairy free, and soy free. The loaf looked like bread, but it definitely wasn't. There wasn't a single bread-like ingredient in it. I learned later that the odd bread took its name from the Paleolithic diet, which is basically eating like the cavemen did. None of this stuff is new. It's all been going on behind my back while I've been eating cheeseburgers.

I've noticed that my little activity tracker wristlet has started challenging me to walk further. What's that all about? How stupid do these app designers think I am? Do they think I'm just a Pavlov's dog who will walk longer because a silly iPhone app tells me to set a goal of 12,000 steps a day. Jeez, isn't 10,000 steps enough?  I did take a longer walk with Dot and Dash this evening though, so maybe I am just a Pavlov's dog. I'm secretly irritated that Janet somehow manages to take 20,000 steps a day. That's much more than me. I think she just takes smaller steps.

Wasn't all hell supposed to break loose today when sequestration went into effect? So far, I haven't noticed any changes at all. Personally, I don't think much is going to change whether the folks in Washington ever come to an agreement or not. I don't even know why this thing is even a big deal. Just about everyone in America has had to trim 2% off their family budget as a reason of this dismal economy. You just give up a few things and life goes on. If ordinary people can trim their household budgets, why can't the government do the same thing?

Do any of you guys use Angie's List?  I joined the website several months ago, in hopes of finding a first rate roofer. So far, I've never used the list though. I've become suspicious of the whole thing after I started receiving booklets of Angie's List coupons in the mail every few weeks. How can Angie run ads on TV saying that no amount of money can buy a good review on the list, and then turn right around and sell ads to anyone who wants one in her magazine. I may be forced to use the list anyway though. I still can't find the roofer I'm looking for. I've had plenty of friends recommend friendly roofers, honest roofers, and reputable roofers. So far, nobody has actually recommended a good roofer though.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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