Day 27

I got new safety inspection and registration stickers for my Defender 90 today. I remember when you used to take your car in for a safety inspection, a mechanic would poke around under the hood for a while and make his own determination about whether the vehicle was roadworthy or not. Now the entire process in computerized. Sensors are placed in the engine and tailpipe and a computer in Austin, Texas decides whether you pass or fail. I was lucky today. Usually, when I take my car for a safety inspection I have to sit reading old magazines in the garage for an hour or so. Today, we were in and out in less than twenty minutes.

I wasn't so quite lucky when I went up the street to the neighborhood Tom Thumb to get my new vehicle registration sticker. The clerk told me that I needed to go downtown and get new license plates this year because the plates on my car were seven years old. Damn! Another long line to stand in. When I finally got the new plates several hours later, they looked pretty flimsy. Evidently prisoners don't make license plates anymore. These looked like they were printed on tin foil at a local Kinkos store. I wish I could have just kept the old plates. It took me four years just to remember the number.

After wasting quite a few hours making my car legal again, I stopped by Aaron Brothers to pick up a framing order. The picture looks wonderful, but I have no idea where I am going to put it. All available wall space was used up years ago.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 26

Another busy Sunday. We're trying to organize a Valentine's Day fundraiser for Dalmatian Rescue. Since the group did so well taking Santa Paws pictures over the Christmas holidays, we thought we might be able to expand the pet picture idea to other holidays as well. Unleashed invited us to take Valentines Day pictures down at their facility on February 6 and 7. Back in December, this seemed like a good weekend to schedule the photo session. Now that we're thinking more clearly and have realized that this is Superbowl weekend, we're wondering if anyone will show up. After the Dallas Cowboys beat the Eagles last night, some of our Dalmatian Rescue volunteers are convinced that Dallas is actually going to be playing in the Superbowl as well. It won't be easy to find volunteers on February 7.

Janet and I went down to the dog park this afternoon to see if we could reschedule the fundraiser for another day, but we couldn't find anyone who could give us a definite answer. Hopefully, we can find an alternate date to take the Valentines pictures, since I've already purchased a 10x20 pink muslin backdrop for the shoot. Volunteer work is every bit as complicated the as the work I do for my regular clients. The only difference is that I'm working for free. Sometimes it seems like I'm working for free for my regular clients as well, but that's another story.

I just noticed that the safety inspection sticker on my car is due again. One more thing I've got to find time to do next week. I wonder what percentage of my life is spent just paying bills, running routine errands and answering calls from telemarketers?  Whatever the percentage, it's way too high. At least the days are starting to get longer again. During December, the dogs usually got their evening walk in the dark. Now, we're beginning to see the sun again. We noticed another sunset bridal shoot along the lake on this evening's walk. Sunset photos must be popular with brides. I see them often.

Dot and Dash must be popular as well. I was surprised as how many people mentioned to us today that they'd seen the dog's picture in yesterday's paper. In a world where RSS newsfeeds update your computer every few minutes, it's easy to forget that people still read the newspaper.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 25

Breaking news! When I looked through this morning's paper, there were Dot and Dash, featured as promised, in a Metro Section article about the chilly weather in Dallas. I really didn't think the dogs pictures would get published, since Dot was barking so much when we were being interviewed yesterday. The story looked great, however. Thanks, Dallas Morning News!


Later today, Janet and I drove to Flower Mound to take Spot's wheelchair to a women who wanted to borrow it to see if, Kendall, her aging Dalmatian could use it. The wheelchair didn't fit Kendall, who was larger than Spot, but we showed the woman how she could use a Walkabout Harness instead to help her dog regain a little mobility. I can't say enough good things about the people who make the Walkabout Harness. When our dog Spot got old and began to lose the use of his rear legs, the Walkabout Harness gave him an extra year and a half of freedom and mobility. Kendall reminded me so much of Spot. It's sad to see a dog who still has a strong desire to live slowly fade away. They just don't understand what is happening to them. Probably people don't understand either. Near the end, my Dad seemed just as perplexed about what was happening to him as Spot did. I'm not looking forward to getting old.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 24

Global warming? I don't think so. It's 16 degrees outside today in Dallas. Add in the wind chill factor and it feels like it's below zero. The dogs still want their walk, of course. They actually looked quite stylish this morning when I bundled them in two layers of dog coats. Dot wore a bright red coat over her black sweater and  Dash wore his matching blue coat. During our walk, the colorful pair caught the attention of a Dallas Morning News reporter who was out looking for human interest stories. She was writing a feature about what people in Dallas do in freezing weather. She got our names and took a lot of pictures as we walked along the bike path near White Rock Lake. I don't know if we'll make the Saturday morning papers though. Dot barked at the reporter during the entire interview. Maybe there'll be one good picture though. I noticed the reporter was using a top-of-the-line Canon ESO camera and shooting in burst mode. Shooting at a rate of 5 frames per second, you can literally take hundreds of pictures in just a few minutes. Maybe she managed to capture a few good frames between all the barking.

I think the reporter would have had a lot more interesting story for the paper if she'd asked why all my pockets were filled with self-winding watches. (pockets are a lot cheaper than a watch winder and work just as well) If she was interested, I could have told her about the pack of Coyotes who live in a thicket of trees about fifty yards behind where she was interviewing us. I might have even given her my recipe for the delicious sausage scramble I was going to make for breakfast as soon as I got home. Of course, in today's online world, interviews are always a two way street. I could have had a lot more interesting blog entry today if the reporter had told me why she was sitting out in the freezing cold waiting for a story in a completely empty city park, just in case some idiot like me happened to walk by.

I'll have to go out and buy a paper tonight and see if we made the news.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 23

I had a meeting with my new financial advisor this afternoon. Hopefully this will work out better than it did with my last financial advisor, who convinced me to sell all my Apple shares at 166 on his firm conviction that the dreaded "double dip" pullback I kept hearing about was just around the corner. Apple shares closed at 210 today.

I don't think I'd enjoy being a financial advisor. Your job is to make rational decisions about people's financial future in a world that has become increasingly irrational. It's all just a guess, but still you're held accountable whenever you guess wrong. I've just about given up on trying to predict the markets myself. Stock prices certainly aren't behaving very rationally. Prices continue to go up at the same time that volume continues to decline. It's all very discouraging. Two years ago I felt quite comfortable about being able to retire whenever I felt like it. I managed to convince myself that I was just working for fun. They keep saying the financial meltdown is behind us, but I still have this sinking feeling that I'm going to have to keep working forever.  Like BB King says, "The Thrill is Gone."

To improve my spirits, I stopped by Culwell & Son on the way home from my meeting to do a little shopping. What a fabulous store. You can actually buy clothes that aren't made in China here. I'd probably enjoy wearing nice clothes even more if I had any reason whatsoever to dress up. The dogs certainly don't care what I look like. Now that everything has migrated to the Internet, I don't even go to business meetings any more. These days I just answer e-mail.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 22

Every Wednesday evening we take Dot and Dash to the ABOTC Obedience Class on Flagpole Hill. Dash has actually won four ribbons over the years - all on nights with terrible weather when the better behaved dogs stayed home. Maybe he'll win another ribbon tonight. It's cold and gloomy outside and attendance is sure to be low. Dash is a lot like me. He knows all the commands, but just can't be bothered half the time. Dot, on the other hand, is quite the performer. She graduated to the advanced class several years ago and would be an obedience superstar if she could just learn to sit without raising one paw in the air.

It's surprising who you run into at dog class. We usually see Scott Hadden and his dog Tanner. I've known Scott for years, since we are both in the video production business here in Dallas. Until we started going to dog class however, I never realized he had one of the best trained dogs in town. Robert Rogers and his wife Cindy take their two German Shepherds to class every Wednesday as well. Robert is a fantastic mechanic and takes good care of my aging Citroën Maserati. The car has been sitting in his garage in Nevada, Texas for several years now. I hope it stays there for several more years, since it is a lot safer there than if I was driving it in Dallas traffic.

Wednesday is also Martini Night. I think the tradition started when Janet and I got hooked on watching Project Runway after dog class. We've continued drinking long after the show moved from its original Wednesday night slot on Bravo to an entirely different day on Lifetime. Why not? There are many days when I feel like every night should be Martini Night.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 21

At this time of the year I often see photographers down by the lake when I take the dogs on their morning walk. They're bundled up in parkas with their cameras on tripods, waiting for just the right moment. Sometimes I feel like walking over and congratulating them for discovering exactly the same spot I discovered with a camera years ago. It's a bit humbling to realize that none of your visual ideas and insights are all that unique. It's also kind of neat to think that there are all these other people out there, completely independently following a very similar path. I've spent years photographing the lake behind my house. It can be quite spectacular on cold Winter morning like this. The Pelicans have returned. There is often a thick mist rolling over the surface of the water before the sun burns it off. Almost every morning there is something unique and interesting to see.

I've missed thousands of Kodak moments walking the dogs in the morning. You can't carry much camera gear when you're walking two very strong and rambunctious Dalmatians who are always on the lookout for squirrels. The dogs have a different agenda than I do. When we see a duck, they would much rather eat it than photograph it. I still keep my eye out for interesting things however, Because I can always go back with a camera later.

I remember what I see and then on those occasional cloudy bright days when the light is perfect, I go back to the lake without the dogs and get the shot. It's an odd way to work. I never really "capture" the moment. I slowly and meticulously recreate it from memory.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 20

Well, Christmas is officially over. I took down the tree this morning and packed up the ornaments for another year. The living room looks a little bare without the festive stockings filled with dog treats and the tree covered with Dalmatian shaped ornaments collected over the years. I wish the holiday season lasted a bit longer. Clients are more forgiving during the holidays. Overeating isn't a vice during the holidays and sleeping in late is almost expected.

Now it's January. There's nothing festive about January. This is the month for pulling together last year's tax information for your accountant. It is the month when you realize your contact list is completely out of date and it's time to start prospecting for new business again. It is the month when you finally have to admit that most of last year's goals were not actually met.

Nevertheless, if you can't be optimistic in January, when can you be optimistic? Maybe the stock market will continue to improve this year and I can finally get back to even. Maybe Technorati will start tracking this blog and I'll get tons of new followers. Maybe iStockphoto will quit telling me that I over-process my photos and start accepting the images I've been sending them. Maybe the Germans who used to give me tons of work will re-discover me on XING and my company will become fashionable in Europe again. Stranger things have happened. January is cold and a bit dismal, but it is not a month for giving up. Reality doesn't usually set in until at least April 15.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 19

Sundays never change. Small variations keep the day interesting however. When Janet and I went up to walk the Dalmatians at K-9 University, Travis was there to help us. Travis is cool. He's still in his twenties and has already started his own media integration company. He was excited today, telling me that Paper City had just run a feature story about one of his new company's recent home theater installations. He then whipped out his iPod to show me photos of a home built ring light he'd made to take pictures of aspiring models. Dalmatian Rescue needs more volunteers like Travis. Most of us are so old, we need to hold the leash with both hands when we walk some of the strong dogs like Kobe and LeBron.

Later, when I took Dash for his weekly bath, it appeared that his reputation had already preceded him. I heard one employee telling another that Dash sings like a bird as soon as he gets wet. Sure enough, Dash didn't disappoint. As soon as I began to bathe him, he started his strange warbling howl which sounds remarkably like a bird singing. It's not a pretty, or even a happy sound, but it is unique. Nobody believes me, but Dash is much better than he used to be. It wasn't that long ago when he made the odd warbling sound every time he rode in the car or when I turned on the vacuum cleaner. Now he saves his odd music for his bath.

When we took the dogs down to Unleashed to have a little play time, we saw Alan Lidji and his daughter with their dog. We also saw Beth Borman, one of our teachers at the ABOTC dog training class we take Dot and Dash to on Wednesdays. Montana, one of Beth's dogs, has learned how to open the gate to the dog park, and one day recently he let all the other dogs out. Maybe someday our dogs will learn to play as enthusiastically as Beth's dogs. For now, there are still a bit overwhelmed by all the activity.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 18

I went up on the roof to see if I could pinpoint the source of the leak that appeared on the living room ceiling last week. What I found was a foot thick pile of water soaked leaves covering the entire roof. The leaves were way too heavy to blow away with the electric leaf blower, so I tried to push them off the edge of the roof with a push broom. After getting the leaves more or less removed from the carport area of the roof, the push broom broke in half and I was done for the day. Now, I have to add a new push broom the the list of stuff I need to pick up at the hardware store this weekend. Sometimes, I think I could spend the rest of my life just fixing the growing pile of broken stuff that surrounds me. Broken cameras, clogged drains, sputtering lawn mowers, sticking doors and literally dozens of little gizmos with dead batteries. This is the legacy of someone who became a bit too fascinated with architecture and technology.

My sister Judy doesn't like technology. She doesn't even use e-mail anymore and prefers to write almost illegible letters to me in longhand. You'd think she'd have plenty of time on her hands, since she isn't spending her entire day fixing broken stuff like me. Nope, not a chance. She started planting a vegetable garden a few years ago and now that the garden has grown to almost an acre in size, it consumes just as much time as my leaking roofs and dead batteries. I guess everyone chooses their own poison.

It's no surprise that I often prefer to tidy up my virtual life and postpone the problems of the physical world for another day. After all, it's a lot easier to de-fragment a hard drive than it is to de-fragment a life.

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Day 17 - New Year's Day

I'm not real big on New Year's resolutions. I know that change is good for the soul, but for the most part I enjoy things the way they are. I certainly don't need to lose weight. After all these years, I can still wear the same 32"x32" Levis I wore in college. I'd hate to give up drinking either, because I definitely enjoy a well-made Martini or a fine Scotch. Now that I finally have my blood pressure and cholesterol under control, I don't feel I need to do anything drastic like giving up bacon again. I still miss bacon, but don't get me started about missing things. I miss being able to buy leaded gas for 35 cents a gallon. I miss being able to buy Polaroid film for my beloved SX-70 camera. I miss the days when the Internet was a small private club for a few geeks that knew Unix.

Those days are gone though. What I really need to do this year is resolve to quit looking in the rear view mirror and start looking forward again. I may not need to worry about getting fat, but I do need to worry about becoming irrelevant.

The K-9 University Kennels are closed for the holidays, so we're on our way up to walk the rescue Dalmatians again. It's a clear sunny day and I've already finished the laundry. The year is off to a good start.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 16

It really didn't seem that long ago that we were awaiting the arrival of a new millenium. Ten years ago tonight, I was optimistically awaiting the year 2000. In 1999, even the Tech Bubble hadn't crashed yet. The Internet was the new frontier and there was money to be made everywhere. In 1999, we toasted in the new year with Dom Pérignon. In 2009, we bought a bottle of Cristalino at Sam's Club. I never dreamed the entire decade would be such a downhill slide. My health deteriorated. My wealth deteriorated. Almost everything I thought was a sure thing in 1999 has been turned upside down.

Greta died in 2004. Petey died a few years later in 2006. Animal companions weren't the only losses however. I also ended the decade with far fewer human friends than I started out with.

There's not much point in looking back though. I'm not Dr. Who. Even though I ocassionally wish I could go back in time, I can't. You've got to keep looking forward. There's really no other choice. Who knows. Maybe I'll learn to text next year. Then again, maybe I won't. The way I see things, I'm texting right now. What would be the point of writing shorter, more garbled prose from a mobile phone?

I know it is going to be a better year in 2010 for three Dalmatians. We went down to VCA Loop 12 and took pictures today of Humphrey, Spot and Nick so we could add these new orphans to the Dalmatian Rescue website and find them a home. Maybe finding homes for dogs is as good as it's going to get. Not a bad life really. And on that note, a wish a very Happy New Year to anyone who might be reading this.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 15

I don't think anyone is reading this blog. How would they even find it? Sometimes when I'm bored, I click on the "next blog" button at the top of my Blogger layout, just to see what's out there. It's amazing. There must be millions of blogs. So many people with something to say. Blogging is all about sharing, but I'm not even sure who I'm talking to.

Basically, there are two types of people in the world. First, there are the searchers. These are the people who spend their lives looking for meaning. They're always looking for something more. They read a lot of books, they travel, they take classes on just about any subject imaginable. Then, they go to Starbucks and compare notes with other searchers. Searchers are not usually happy people, but they are almost always interesting.

The second type of people are the believers. These people have already found what they are looking for and are determined to share their revelations with the rest of the world. Obviously, a lot of believers are religious, but the world of the believer goes far beyond traditional religion. Non-smokers are believers. So are runners. Vegans are believers. People on both sides of the abortion issue tend to be believers. Interestingly, most believers didn't start out as searchers. True believers had the answer they wanted all along.

I don't know where I stand. I like bacon, but I certainly don't believe in it. I find a certain pleasure in learning new things, but most things I've learned I just stumbled into. I've never spent time actively searching for them. This new "social Internet" that everyone keeps talking about seems ideal for both searchers and believers. They can Twitter about their Facebook pages until their heart's content. I still don't get it. The social Internet seems as awkward to me as one of those tiny cell phones with even tinier buttons that are impossible to see. I've never really believed in anything and I think I stopped searching years ago. I'm just an observer these days, seeing the world at a distance through thick glass.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 14

Don't count on a dog to get you up in the morning. I didn't set the alarm last night and the dogs didn't wake me up until almost 9 AM. By the time I fed Dot and Dash their breakfast, walked them in the park, made some pancakes for myself and did the dishes, it was time for lunch.

Spent the afternoon updating various websites I manage and learning how to use a new printer. This printer will print directly on printable CD's and DVD's, which looks a lot more professional than the paper labels I've been using. I got my company added to the Cvent Supplier Network. Hopefully, being a vendor on their website will bring in some additional event photography business.

The year-end East Lake Pet Orphanage meeting was this evening. I can't even remember how long I've been working with this group, but I'm still amazed at how successful it has become. The Internet wasn't always as important to the group as it is now. Animal Rescue used to be about taking three or four dogs to a local Petsmart on a Saturday afternoon. Now it's about Facebook and Twitter and putting video clips of all the adoptable pets on the website. I'm the technology guy, and I can't even keep up with it all anymore.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 13

I looked up this morning while I was eating breakfast and noticed that another roof leak had appeared on the living room ceiling. Roof leaks have become the bane of my existence. Let me warn you. If you have your heart set on an authentic mid-century modern home, you can expect the roof to leak. Flat roofs just leak. There's nothing you can do about it. I own two mid-century modern homes and one roof or the other is always leaking. Mid-century Modern certainly doesn't mean "new" anymore. Both of these houses are old enough to be featured on This Old House. If the roof isn't leaking, the plumbing is.

I used to do things with friends. Now, I have become a full-time servant to inanimate objects. If you like stuff, eventually the stuff overwhelms you. It's hard to remember a day where something I needed wasn't broken. The Epson 4000 printer in the office seems to have perpetual ink clogs. There's almost always a watch that needs a battery replaced. Some things break because you use them too often and other things break because you don't use them often enough. You can't win. When the weather is too cold, I worry that the vintage guitars in my storage warehouse are going to crack and get ruined. When the weather gets too hot, I worry that my aging Defender 90 is going to overheat and leave me stranded somewhere. I'll really be stranded too, since I don't have a cell phone anymore. I used to have a cell phone that I really liked. This reliable, brick like, Oki 900 felt like a proper full-sized phone in my hand and had a keypad I could actually see. I used it until it became difficult to find batteries. Like many new technologies, this phone became obsolete long before I fully learned how to use it's many features.

 

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Day 12

Nothing is easy anymore.  I stopped by my vet on the way home from walking the rescue Dalmatians to get some more food for Dash. Like many Dalmatians, Dash needs a low purine diet. We're been feeding him Hills u/d and I pick up a large bag about every three weeks. I've always thought the u/d prescription diet was a common item, since there were bags and bags of the stuff every time I needed some. Now, it is apparently a special order item, since even smaller businesses have discovered the benefits of inventory control. Damn!  One more thing to add to a growing list of things I need to plan for in advance.

It's irritating how much the world has changed in the past ten years. Not that long ago, the rent property I own in Oak Lawn always had a waiting list of people wanting to lease the place. I just assumed that it was always going to be this way. The building was designed by Bud Oglesby and won a major AIA Award the year after it was built. It's a beautiful place in a desirable part of town. Nevertheless, for the first time I can remember, the property has sat vacant for months. Tastes have changed. People want something larger. They want two bathrooms. They want a laundry room. Oddly, these things never mattered before during boom times. In the middle of an economic depression however, they seem to be deal breakers.

My doctor wants to do a EGD test on me this coming Wednesday. I can't even find anyone to drive me to the hospital. It's kind of pathetic. We start out in life with dozens, even hundreds, of friends that we mostly take for granted. By the time we arrive at the other end of life's journey, we're lucky if we have even one or two real friends left.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 11

Got up early this morning to take Janet to the airport for her flight to Pittsburgh. We arrived with over an hour to spare, but when we went to check her bags at the lower level of Terminal B at DFW, the skycap said we were two minutes too late for her flight and that the bags would have to fly to Pittsburgh on a later flight. It didn't matter that we were standing in line behind a family on a ski vacation with over a dozen bags who were totally confused about their flight arrangements. The skycap said there was nothing he could do. I remember a day, not that long ago, when there would have been at least three skycaps at the express check-in counter and things like this wouldn't have been a problem. Flying is always a problem these days. When my Dad was alive, he missed his plane several times because they made him take his shoes off at security and he couldn't get them on again fast enough to make it to his gate.  The man was 80 for Christ sake! This is just the way the airlines are these days. So, when Janet gets to Pittsburgh, she has two choices - wait four hours for her bags to arrive on the next flight or pay $85 to have American Airlines deliver them two days later.

I'm glad I stayed in Dallas.  All I have to do today is walk and feed the dogs and watch the latest episode of "Dr. Who" on BBC this evening.

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Day 10 (Christmas Day)

Heard on the radio this morning that this is the first White Christmas Dallas has seen in over 80 years.  I've lived here a long time and I certainly have never seen another one. It was actually quite pretty outside. When we woke up this morning, the sky was clear and blue and a blanket of snow still covered the meadow behind our house. After opening gifts and giving our two dogs a walk in the snow, we went up to K-9 University to give each of the rescue Dalmatians a boiled chicken breast. This is their special treat every Thanksgiving and Christmas. They wolf down the cubed chunks of fresh chicken in about ten seconds and then look up at us like they are expecting more. The stray Dalmatians liked the snow too. What was left of it anyway. By the time we arrived at the kennels in Garland, most of the snow had already melted. Nevertheless, we had a real White Christmas.

Janet made a Crown Roast for Christmas Dinner while I installed a new printer for one of the computers. It's hard to believe that another year is almost over. With each passing year, it seems to take longer and longer to accomplish less and less. I don't know if the things I'm doing are growing more complicated, or if I'm just getting slower. Probably the latter. All I know is that I can never seem to get caught up on things anymore.

Janet leaves for Pittsburgh to visit her sister tomorrow.  She's making me a long list of things not to forget while she's gone.  Most things on the list involve dogs. Now I'm starting to understand why Google thinks my website is about dogs, even though it is supposed to be about my own business capabilities. If you made a list of what I do every day, it's pretty easy to come to the conclusion that most of my life actually is about dogs.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 9

It's Christmas Eve and it's snowing outside in Dallas.  Actually, the snow is more like sleet and the roads will all be a sheet of ice tomorrow morning, but it's still about as close to a white Christmas as we ever get down here. I'm tired. Janet and I spent the day wrapping last minute Christmas gifts at a Barnes & Noble store in Plano. Gift wrapping during the Christmas holidays is one the many ways Dalmatian Rescue of North Texas uses to raise money to help the rescue dogs throughout the year. I used to be terrible at wrapping packages, but now all the other men like me, the ones who who wait till the very last day to do their Christmas shopping, marvel at my skill and dexterity. Gift wrapping on Christmas Eve is almost exclusively for men. It is one of our most successful fundraising days during the Christmas Season. The men tip well and are almost universally grateful not to have to wrap the packages themselves. By the time I get home, I'm usually so sick of wrapping packages that I just toss my own into one of those easy, colorful gift bags you get at the Container Store.

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Day 8

I'm so sick of having continual heartburn that I finally went and saw a specialist today. Lots of questions and tests, but no definitive answers. They're going to stick a video camera down my throat next week...kind of the opposite of having a colonoscopy. I'm sure that I have some form of GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). Ranitidine and Zantac used to control the symptoms pretty well, but not anymore. The only way I can get a decent night's sleep anymore is to keep my entire body elevated at about a 10 degree angle. I tried Prilosec and it worked great. After I finished the first 14 day course of pills, I began wondering why in very tiny print on the side of the Prilosec box was an obscure little notice that said you should only take these pills once every four months. They couldn't be harmful, right?  Hey, Prilosec isn't even a prescription drug anymore. You can get it over the counter. A quick Google search revealed why the manufacturer recommended taking the pills only once every four months. Take a look at the "Rate this Medicine" database sometime. Prilosec is a horror story. It appears that just about everyone who ignored the "once every four months" message on the side of the box and kept taking the medicine long-term had some sort of dire side effect.

I hate the whole idea of depending too much on meds. Excessive medication killed my Mom and certainly subtracted a few years from my Dad's life as well. I know that some meds are necessary.  I take Benicar to control my blood pressure. I take Pravistatin to control my cholesterol.  I also eat more sensibly than I used to. As much as I love bacon, it is now a rare treat. Most importantly, even on days when I'd like to sleep in an extra hour or two, I get up and walk two rambunctious Dalmatians five miles a day. I don't work out. I don't go to a gym. I just make sure to walk the dogs every day - rain or shine.  You really couldn't ask for a better exercise routine - especially when there are squirrels on the trail.

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