Day 1390

Dot was back at the vet this morning. She started vomiting during the night and continued throwing up until well after sunrise. If Dash throws up, it's generally safe to assume that he ate something he shouldn't have. Dot is a proper lady though. She almost never eats other dog's poop, garbage, or dead things in the park. When Dot gets sick, you've got to take it serious. I kept thinking that her vomiting might have something to do with her recent seizure, so we got her to the vet as soon as possible. We ran another battery of tests, but the results were largely inconclusive. All I can say for sure is that something is wrong.

I was still half asleep the first time Dot threw up. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get her out of the bed in time, so I cupped my hands into a bowl and used them to catch the first round of vomit. Unfortunately, I didn't know what to do with it after that. I couldn't open the toilet seat, since both of my hands were occupied. I ended up throwing the mess in the bathroom sink, which resulting in clogging it. It wasn't a good night.

Dot seems fine now, but to play it safe, I canceled going to the Dalmatian Rescue fundraiser and stayed home to watch over the dogs instead. It's a good thing I did. We're riding out an unexpected  thunderstorm right now, and leaving two seizure prone, storm phobic dogs home alone in this kind of weather is not a good idea.

In between today's rain and unexpected dog emergencies, I managed to get some grocery shopping done and did my best to get caught up with yesterday's unfinished website updates. There was a lot of laundry to do as well. There always is when a dog throws up in the bed. I re-washed all the blankets, comforters and sheets I had just cleaned a few days ago.

Who knows what tomorrow has in store for us. I sincerely hope nothing at all. It would be nice to get a good night's sleep tonight as well. Maybe if the rain clears up, we can all go to the dog park and enjoy the cooler weather in the morning. I think Fall is officially here. The leaves are all dropping off the trees and the temperature dropped 25 degrees today. Even though she is old and tired, Dot still loves the cooler weather. It makes smelling things off-leash at the dog park even better.

Lightning is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1389

I only made it to the gym one day this week. I just didn't have the time. It's not that I have any new clients or anything. I'm busy because my old clients keep asking me to do harder and harder things. I feel like a guy who owns a kite shop and has been making beautiful kites for all these years. All of the sudden, people come in the store and start asking me to make remote control helicopters instead. Hey guys, I'm trying to keep up, but just because you see something cool that you like on Facebook, doesn't mean I can instantly add the same thing to your own website.

I actually got a lot done today. I doubt that it matters though, because I left an even longer list of things undone. Maybe I'll get caught up this weekend. On the other hand, I might never get caught up. Since I was sitting at the computer all day, I paid special attention to how Dot was acting. Something wasn't right today. She seemed excessively needy and would occasionally stare off into space for long periods of time. When we went outside, she snapped right back to normal though, so maybe nothing was wrong.

This is the problem with trying to diagnose the dogs or my own condition over the Internet. There is such an abundance of conflicting opinions that after a while, you start to see almost everything as a sign that something dire is about to happen.  It is obvious that something is wrong with Dot, but there's a good chance that simple old age has as much to do with her condition as anything.

When I was eating breakfast this morning, I overheard the restaurant manager explain to a new hire how to up-sell the breakfast menu to customers. I suspected that this was what was going on when waiters asked me if I wanted orange juice, a side of bacon, or fresh fruit with my order. I always gave them the benefit of the doubt though. Hey, maybe they were just being nice. What happens, according to my overheard conversation, is that the core menu items are low priced loss leaders designed to be paired with more profitable appetizers and add-ons. The theory is that when the customer orders the extra items the waiter recommends, they are happy with their meal, but still remember the low price of the initial core item they ordered. I guess this theory works, because when a waiter ask me if I want toast, juice, or fruit with my order, I just say yes or no and never even look at the price.

There's another Dalmatian Rescue fundraiser tomorrow night, but I'm nervous about leaving Dot alone for so long. Of course, if I skip the fundraiser and stay home with Dot, I'd be nervous about Janet driving on the freeways late at night. I'm just nervous about everything these days.

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1388

Dot is much better today. With both dogs, if you didn't actually see the seizures, you'd never believe they actually happened. When the dogs have recovered from the seizure, they are completely normal again. Even though I have experienced multiple seizure episodes with both Dot and Dash, it is still hard to know what to do while the seizure is happening. It is important to leave the dog alone during the seizure, but equally important to get them to the vet immediately if the seizure lasts too long. Where do you draw the line? I guess the next step with Dot is to schedule an MRI scan of her brain. It would be nice to be able to rule out a brain tumor as the cause of these seizures. Of course, if she does have a brain tumor, what do you do then? I'm not sure subjecting a very old dog to aggressive chemotherapy is the answer either.

It's a good thing I don't fret about my own health as much as I worry about the dogs. There's so much wrong with me that I'd probably be totally dysfunctional if I worried at all. The dogs are different though. I feel like I'm their protector. You want to do everything you can to keep them healthy, but there's only so much you can do. Unfortunately, life is just as unpredictable for dogs as it is for people. The pretty little flowers I photographed today are called Crow Poison. They are toxic and should never be eaten. Of course, these little flowers bloom everywhere in the park right after a rain. One more hazard, in a long list, to watch out for.

Recent events have made me realize that life is chock full of unexpected hazards. You shouldn't have to worry about being attacked by a motorcycle gang while you are minding your own business driving home with your wife and two year old child. You probably shouldn't be shot and killed either, just because you forgot to take your meds and happen to drive your car into the White House gate. I was really surprised today to discover that the cause of all the panic in Washington DC was a 34 year old dental hygienist driving alone with a small child. She didn't even have a gun. Couldn't the police have just shot out her tires?

It's probably a good thing that I spend most of my time sitting at a computer and writing. If I knew what was really going on around me in Dallas everyday, I would probably be appalled. Janet and I hope to retire to an idyllic, small town with no crime someday. The only problem will be in finding such a place.

Until then, I'll just keep on working. I did some major website updates today and then wrote an article that will have to be completely re-written tomorrow because I managed to get all my facts wrong. Oh, well. At least I have something to do tomorrow. I had an out-of-the-office meeting this afternoon where I found myself actually recommending Wordpress as a solution to the client's problem. I was astounded and somewhat mortified to hear the words come out of my mouth. Was I possessed by the devil? Jeez, I hate Wordpress. Too bad it works so well

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1387

Dot had another seizure this morning. This one was more severe than her previous seizures and exhibited some of the symptoms commonly associated with a stroke. I was worried. It was very discouraging to realize that our theory that her previous seizures were caused by taking Trifexis were probably wrong. Dot hasn't been taking the Trifexis heartworm medication since we switched her back to Sentinel over four months ago.

Dot's seizure began before she even got out of bed this morning. I was getting dressed to go to my Wednesday morning business networking meeting, but quickly changed my plans. Since our veterinarian's office opens at 7 AM, I immediately put Dot in the car and took her over to see the vet. They took some X-rays and kept her the rest of the morning for evaluation. By the time I returned to pick her up at noon, she was completely back to normal.

I have no idea what is causing these seizures. Dot's seizures are very different from the more violent epileptic seizures Dash has. Dot sits quietly and appears to be suffering from a severe case of motion sickness or vertigo. Since there is no longer a strong case that her seizures are caused by Trifexis, there are now more serious things to rule out. She probably needs an MRI to determine if she might have a brain tumor. I have my suspicions that today's seizure might have been caused by the herbicides I saw park workers spraying around the park last week. Seizures can be caused by exposure to the Organophosphate herbicides that are commonly used to control weeds in public parks and recreation areas. It would be hard to prove that herbicides caused Dot's seizure and even harder to avoid them. The park grounds crews sprayed the stuff with such reckless abandon last week that it is almost impossible to avoid.

We skipped Dot's acupuncture session today as well. I called her physical therapy vet right after the seizure happened and she said it would be best to give Dot a rest this week. With no place to go, I stayed in the office and kept a watchful eye on Dot for the rest of the day while I got caught up on my writing assignments. The only other thing I did today was lots of laundry. Dogs frequently lose control of their bowels during seizures, so there were lots of sheets and blankets to wash.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a normal, uneventful day with no further medical issues. Today didn't start normally and it didn't end normally. We thought we'd go ahead and take the dogs to training class tonight, but just have them do the easy exercises. Unfortunately, our regular teacher was gone and his replacement was a maniacal drill Sargent type who aggressively put the dogs through their paces and stressed most of them out. When a fight broke out between two stressed dogs, Janet and I decided that our dogs didn't need any more of this and we left the class early.

Oh well, the worst is over and tomorrow is another day. I say this hopefully at the end of every day.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1386

Today didn't get of to a good start. I got up late. The dogs were exceptionally slow on their morning walk. Even though I rushed through my normally tranquil breakfast, I felt like the day was half over before I began to immerse myself in a long list of projects with immediate deadlines. It might have been brain fog, but the articles on my plate today seemed more difficult than usual. Then there was that troublesome Wordpress site I'm developing. Even though I'm learning more and more about Wordpress with each passing day, it is still a thorn in my side. Today, I learned that my favorite Javascript applets don't work in Wordpress. I haven't really mastered the art of editing Wordpress themes in Dreamweaver either. I guess you're just supposed to buy a theme and leave it alone.

I got so tangled up with work problems today that I almost forgot about Dash's vet appointment. Luckily the vet was flexible and I was able to re-schedule his regular 2 PM appointment for 3:30 PM. Sometimes I feel like a full-time dog nanny. Dot has her own vet appointment tomorrow.  Taking care of the dogs takes a lot of time, but it's still the only thing that seems genuinely important. Everything else is basically BS.

Are you guys as tired of Congress as I am? This whole attempt to shut down the government to protest Obamacare is absurd. Hey guys, just leave things alone. If Obamacare works and people end up liking it, so be it. If Obamacare doesn't work and people end up hating it, it's not going to last very long. I've been in business long enough to realize that sometimes things just sink under their own weight. You don't even have to try to sink them.

Tomorrow looks like it will live up to its reputation as the busiest day of the week. I've got my 7 AM business networking breakfast to attend. Dot has her afternoon water therapy appointment. And it looks like I've got at least two new articles to finish. Hopefully, I won't even think about Wordpress tomorrow. At least the weather is nice. October is typically the prettiest month of the year here in Texas and if today is any indication, the month is getting off to a great start.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1385

I finally upgraded to IOS 7 today. Janet kind of shamed me into the upgrade, since she already upgraded her own phone a few days ago and experienced no problems. I used to be the first to adopt any new technology, but lately I've been dragging my feet. When I get familiar with something now, I'd just as soon keep it forever. Now that IOS 7 is up and running however, I'm wondering what all the fuss was about. I don't particularly like the new flat page layout, or the way apps open and close, but other than that, everything seems to work just as before. They say that Siri works a lot better with the new operating system. I wouldn't know. I never talk to my phone.

Monday seems to be the one day I can always make it to the gym. I can tell that I'm getting stronger, since I can do more repetitions on the resistance machines now. There are still no signs of increased muscle mass however. If anything, I seem even thinner than before. Several people at the golf tournament yesterday said I looked way too thin. Who knows? For the most part, my doctors have applauded my weight loss, because it reduces the risk of diabetes, but maybe I've gone too far.

I continue to experiment with a variety of cloud based widgets and apps to improve the websites I manage. Today, I replaced several manually created calendars with Google calendars. I don't know why I never tried this before. Now I've got self updating calenders that I don't have to mess with. For years, one of the first things I did every month was go and create new HTML code for the sites that had calendars. These Google calendars are so much easier. I can even designate someone else to update them and add upcoming events.

It's hard to believe that it's October already. Where has this year gone? Now, there's just Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in quick succession and the year will be over. Time goes by so quickly now. There have been a lot of superficial changes this year, but it doesn't feel like anything has changed. I still get up every morning and do exactly the same things as I did last year. Hey, the dogs are still healthy. That's the important thing.

Friends are telling me that I've become way too negative. It's weird that my own perception is so different. I just like to think that I have an perversely ironic sense of humor.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1384

What a busy day! I removed yesterday's rain water from the roof as soon as I got up this morning. When the roof was dry, we ate breakfast, and then it was off to the Dalmatian Rescue golf tournament. This year's tournament was held at a course where every hole was a replica of some famous golf course in Scotland. The clubhouse was supposed to be a replica of a famous Scottish clubhouse as well. You certainly couldn't have proved it by me. The golf course looked just like every other North Dallas golf course to me. There must be hundreds of golf courses scattered throughout the Dallas suburbs. They all are designed so that people can buy homes overlooking the course. Why anyone would want to live in a gated community overlooking a golf course in the middle of nowhere is a mystery to me. The club we played at today was so far away, it seemed like we were halfway to the moon.

I don't play golf myself. My job at these events is to take pictures of all the golfers and put together a slide show that the players can watch during the dinner and awards ceremony that takes place after the tournament. I get in a cart and drive from hole to hole until I have captured all the golfers doing something that looks like they know what they're doing. Some of the golfers are quite good. Others, not so much. Everyone seems to have fun at these charity tournaments though.

A lot of people bring their dogs to the Dalmatian Rescue golf tournament. The dogs are initially excited by the fresh air and large expanses of green grass. They think they are going to a dog park. When nobody will let them off leash to race around the golf course, the dogs turn their attention to the buffet table. Dot and Dash got to eat all sorts of things that aren't on their regular menu today, but they still got bored quickly. Golf tournaments last a lot longer than a dog's attention span. By the time the day was over, Dot and Dash were so tired that they slept all the way home in the car.

Occasionally, I think it might be interesting to learn to play golf, but I don't really think it's my game. I'm a lefty for one thing, and can't even hit the ball off the tee with right handed clubs. It's an expensive game as well. I can think of dozens of things I'd rather do with my money. It's definitely a game of skill, but I get bored spending an afternoon on a golf course. Even taking pictures of golfers gets boring after eighteen holes.

I'm glad today's tournament was a success. The weather was perfect. All the golfers seemed to enjoy themselves and many of them said they'd return again next year. Most of the silent auction items got bids. This is Dalmatian Rescue's big fundraiser of the year and when the event is a success, it goes a long way toward helping the group continue to rescue dogs like Dot and Dash.

Sweet Pea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1383

I knew we were inviting trouble when we took the dogs for a bath this morning. There was rain in the forecast. A few hours after we took the clean dogs home, the downpour started. The dogs got dirty. The new car got dirty. And there is probably 800 pounds of water sitting up on the roof again. At least the roof doesn't leak anymore. That certainly makes life easier.

I doubt that the rain wouldn't even matter anymore if the dogs didn't panic at the sound of thunder. The storm got so bad this afternoon after I returned from grocery shopping that I was forced to get under a blanket with the two dogs and wait the weather out. This seems to be the only thing that works during stormy weather. Under the blanket, Dot and Dash almost immediately stop shaking and shivering. I actually welcomed a nap with the dogs today, since the only other things on my agenda involved work.

The rain eventually quit. Dot and Dash got their evening walk. I got some writing finished that I'd been meaning to do earlier. After cleaning the dogs up again, putting clean sheets on the bed, putting the groceries away, and hosing the road mud off the car, it was time for dinner.

The golf tournament is still on for tomorrow. Hopefully we will wake up to clear skies and cool breezes in the morning. You can't tell what will be happening from listening to the weather reports. Some stations say the rain will linger, while others predict cleaning skies and nice weather. We're certainly hoping for the latter.

It looks like I'm going to be paying more for gas and car insurance in the future. I got an amended bill from my insurance agent today and it seemed to take a lot more gas to fill my tank when I was running errands this afternoon. None of this came as a surprise. It was expecting the damage to be worse. Actually, there was nothing surprising about the entire day. It was just a regular rainy day with two dogs.

Spanky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1382

I fired up Quark Express today to put together a print ad. It's hard to believe that I used to use this application almost every single day. Now, I can go months without using Quark or InDesign. Print may not be completely dead, but it certainly appears that way. Client meetings revolve around social media now and I can't even remember the last time someone I know actually ran an ad in a newspaper. Although it was kind of enjoyable to have total control over fonts and image placement again, I don't think I'll upgrade to Quark 10. What would be the point? I doubt that I'll be asked to design many print ads in the foreseeable future.

I don't know what the dogs were thinking today. They started barking for their dinner around 2:30 this afternoon, and kept bothering me until I finally relented and fed them early a few hours later. I would have appreciated a little quiet this afternoon, because I was still trying to figure out the mysteries of Wordpress. So far, I'm not a huge fan of this popular blogging platform. It's super easy to throw something together using the hundreds of readily available themes. When you try to modify those themes in Dreamweaver though, you're dealing with an entirely different animal. I haven't even tried to create my own themes yet. The frustrating thing for me is that most Wordpress files reside on the server. It's hard to show a client a local, in-progress version of a site without actually putting it online.

Whenever I try to make thing easier on myself, I usually end up making things worse. Now, I've got to go up on the roof before it rains and get rid of all the accumulated pecan shells so they won't stain the puddles of standing water that still accumulate when the roof gets wet. I've already lost the battle to keep the new roof sparkling white. Just about any form of tannin stains the white coating an ugly brown. Since dead leaves, pecan shells, and tree bark usually litter the roof, there's quite a bit of ugly brown already.

Janet wants to give the dogs a bath tomorrow, so they'll be clean for the Dalmatian Rescue golf tournament. They probably won't stay clean for long, since it's supposed to rain tomorrow. I hope the rain moves on and the skies are clear again on Sunday. We've managed to avoid rain on tournament day for over a decade. Last year, it was raining when we left the house, but by the time we actually arrived at the golf course. the skies had cleared and it ended up being a beautiful day. We need this kind of luck again this year.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1381

I spent most of the day wishing I could take a long nap. It wasn't excessive activity that was so tiring, it was quite the opposite. There are times when boredom can be exhausting. It certainly wasn't that there was nothing to do. I had plenty to do. Unfortunately, my to-do list was exactly the same as it is everyday.

I got caught up on all my writing assignments. I made some cosmetic website changes for clients. I did a load of laundry. The dogs got walked. I had my bowl of steel cut oats and fresh fruit and did the dishes. I tried to stretch these things out, but there was still plenty of time left over.

Instead of using my left-over time to do something new and adventurous, I went to the gym. Going to the gym usually consists of twenty minutes on the hand bicycle, twenty minutes working through the line of resistance machines, ten minutes on one of the rowing machines, and a few minutes on the court shooting baskets. I always do the same things over and over. I haven't talked to anyone at the gym yet. Maybe I will someday, but there's no hurry. According to my doctors, I should continue a regular exercise regime for the rest of my life.

I should have finished painting the Sheetrock repairs in the living room today, but I cleaned up dog poop in the back yard instead. This gives you a good idea of how much I like painting. Sadly, there are probably a lot of repairs like this that will continue to languish on the back burner until it's time to sell the house. I tell myself that I could finish all these repairs at any time, but this is a lot like the alcoholic who tells himself that he could quit drinking at any time. Truth be known, I have simply lost interest in the house.

At least I haven't lost interest in breakfast. I'm already looking forward to my regular Friday breakfast outing tomorrow morning. I still don't know if tomorrow will be a busy day, but if I have time left over tomorrow, I need to start getting my camera gear ready for this weekend's Dalmatian Rescue Golf Tournament. It's hard to believe we have been doing these tournaments for twelve years now. Of course, there's very little that I haven't been doing for at least twelve years now.

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1380

Even though I'm never going to like getting up early in the morning, I'm starting to enjoy the Wednesday business breakfast group. The food is great and I always learn something new. Today I listened to a presentation by the CEO of the city's largest public hospital. What an eye opener. Now I know where all my tax money is going. This hospital is huge. There are 57 operating rooms and over 900 people are admitted to the ER every day. I think the hospital has a larger budget than the rest of Dallas county combined. The really amazing thing is that only 8% of the hospital's patients are covered by normal employer health insurance plans. Almost 50% are indigent and never pay at all.

I sincerely hope I never wind up at this hospital. It all seems pretty grim to me. I'd much rather stick with private hospitals like Baylor and Methodist. Actually, I think my dogs receive better health care than most of the people I know. Dot and Dash have fabulous, extremely knowledgeable vets who always seem to have the latest techniques and equipment. My vets converted to electronic records way before my human doctors. They were the first to get advanced digital x-ray and diagnostic equipment. Now, they are already offering sophisticated stem cell therapy, while my human doctors continue to promise similar services sometime in the distant future.

Dot did quite well during her physical therapy session today. The combination of acupuncture and water therapy seems to be working. She has more energy now and for the past several days, she has actually seemed stronger than Dash. I wonder how Dash would do using the water treadmill? He might freak out when the treadmill started moving. On the other hand, he might think that the whole thing was a game and have a lot of fun. Maybe I'll bring the boy to the clinic someday just to see how he does.

I got quite a few of my writing assignments completed today. If I could convince even a few of those guys at the breakfast meetings that what I do could be valuable to them, I would have more business than I'd know how to handle. I've started calling what I do "content creation" instead of "copywriting." Nothing has really changed, but it sounds better to a world obsessed with social media and the cloud.

Wednesday has definitely turned into my busiest day of the week. Now that we have returned from our evening dog training class and the day is winding down, all I really want to do is get a good night's sleep.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1379

I thought I'd catch up on my bookkeeping today. I was sure that this little task would only take about thirty minutes, but it took hours. Oops! I had mistakenly entered a few items incorrectly in Quickbooks this month and I couldn't remember what they were. Eventually, I discovered my mistakes and got everything to balance again, but the whole process was a lot harder than it should have been. I sure hope that this isn't how Alzheimer's begins.

I have a new theory about how Dash injured his leg yesterday. I watched him closely on our morning walk to see if there was still any sign of a limp. The thing that struck me was how hard Dash scratches the ground after he lifts his leg and pees. A lot of male dogs scratch the ground with their rear legs. Dash does this ritual with all four legs. Dot and I have to make sure we're out of the way, or we'll get sprayed with dirt and grass. Sometimes he hits a hard patch of ground and one of his legs gets momentarily stuck. Watching him in action this morning, it seemed like he could have easily strained or sprained a muscle yesterday. Just a theory anyway.

My phone is starting to ask me to update to IOS 7. I don't really want to upgrade, since I'm perfectly happy with IOS 6. I'm probably out of luck though. I noticed this morning that IOS 7 had already downloaded itself through the cloud to my phone and is just waiting for me to install it. Sooner or later, I'll click on the wrong thing by mistake and IOS 7 will start installing itself whether I like it or not. That's kind of the way Apple is these days. You get accustomed to doing things Apple's way, or else.

The members of this business networking group I've started going to on Wednesday mornings encourage you to wear "Business attire" to meetings. For me, that would be a bathrobe, but to fit in, I've started digging my old suits and dress slacks out of the closet. Since I've lost so much weight this year, almost none of these clothes fit anymore. They're all too big. After a lifetime of seeing my clothes gradually become too small, I never anticipated something like this happening. I guess I could take some of the nicer clothes to the tailor and get them altered, but I'm not sure if there would be any point to this. As soon as I got the suits taken in, I'd start gaining weight again.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1378

We got off to a late start this morning, but it didn't really matter since the temperature has cooled down quite a bit. You never know what is going to happen with the dogs. Dash started limping today on the way home. At first I thought he had stepped on a thorn or a burr, but I could find nothing when I examined his paw. Since he was limping on his left front paw, I knew he hadn't torn his anterior cruciate ligament. Something was really bothering him though. We would walk about ten steps and the stop for a while to rest. It took forever to get home again. I thought about trying to carry him home, but he's too heavy to carry very far. Since Dot was with me too, carrying Dash was pretty much out of the question. Eventually we made it home and I gave Dash a Benadryl and called the vet. After a two hour nap, Dash got up and started walking normally again. I still don't know what was wrong. Maybe he got stung by a bee.

On the way to the gym this afternoon, I stopped by the dealership and got some rubber mats for the new car. Hopefully, this will make it a little easier to clean up the mountains of dog hair. Dog hair was never much of a problem when Dot and Dash rode in the Defender, since they always rode in the large dog crate I kept in the back. While I was getting the rubber mats, I discovered that I'm supposed to put nitrogen in my tires instead of air and that there is a special button that will lower the car two inches closer to the ground to make it easier to load packages, or large dogs.

So many people I know tell me how much they enjoy things like running, cycling, zumba, and weight lifting. I have yet to discover the allure of these sweaty activities. I think I have been successful at incorporating a regular exercise regime into my weekly activities. I just don't enjoy it. I'm still waiting for the endorphins to kick in and I suspect they never will. So far, going to the gym seems a lot like mowing the grass indoors. Don't get me wrong. I thing the exercise is good for my health and I'm going to stick with it. It's just no substitute for photography or playing the guitar.

Other than Dash's unexplained limping, it was a fairly normal day. I went to the bank and the grocery store. I got some website work finished that I should have done over the weekend. Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a busy day, so I guess I can postpone painting the ceiling a little longer. Every time I look up, I realize that the Sheetrock repairs I made a month or so ago won't be complete until I re-paint the ceiling. Since painting is right up there with exercise on my list of things I could do without, finishing this little chore could take a while.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1377 - Autumnal Equinox

You couldn't have picked a better day for Fall to officially begin. Everything was picture perfect. The grass in the park is coming alive again after Friday's big rain. The sky was clear and free of haze. The temperature was in that rare sweet spot that makes opening the windows a pleasure. I just wish the days would stay this way a little longer. If memory serves, the rainy season is already just around the corner. I guess I ought to just relax and enjoy the Halcyon Days of Autumn while I can.

We had our first family drive in the new car today. Much to my relief, everyone likes the car. This hasn't always been the case. Once I bought a diesel Ford F-350 pickup and Janet and the dogs hated it so much that they refused to ride in it. I don't know what the dogs problem was, but Janet said the smell of diesel fumes made her sick. Hey, how was I to know? I always kind of liked the smell of diesel.

Janet told me that this was the best car that I've ever purchased. It shows you how long we've been together that she actually remembers four cars that came before the Defender. Dot and Dash seemed to approve as well. Finicky, car phobic Dash rode actually quite well on our trip to the dog park this morning. The only mishap was the humongous pile of dog hair in the car when we returned. I never really noticed dog hair in the Defender, since the interior was kind of the color of dog hair.  Since the interior of this car is black, the dog hair shows up quite well.

I watched a bit of the Emmy Awards on TV while we were eating dinner this evening and was appalled at the number of nominated shows I'd never even heard of. I guess I don't watch TV much anymore. I mostly watch TV to go to sleep at night and 50 year old shows like Perry Mason are perfect for this purpose. Just about the only current shows I enjoy are the British version of Top Gear and Dr. Who.

Even though I should have spent the entire day outdoors enjoying the near perfect weather, I did spend some time in the office, cleaning the large format printer. As I often do, I waited too long to run the cleaning cycle and ended up wasting half the new ink I bought last week. This printer always reminds me of the futility of so many things I attempt. I haven't given up on the printer though. I haven't given up on anything.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1376

What a beautiful Fall day. We woke up to blue skies and temperatures in the 70's. Best of all, it has stayed this way all day. Fall is my favorite time of year. The dogs don't get overheated on their walks. There is an abundance of interesting things to photograph. Occasionally, the weather is nice enough that I can actually open the windows in the house.

I made breakfast while Janet walked the dogs this morning. I wonder why I like breakfast so much? I never eat lunch and dinner doesn't interest me all that much either. Just about eery recipe I know is a breakfast meal. I was trying to think this morning when the last time I attempted to cook dinner and I couldn't even remember. It's been a long time. Breakfast was good. I made one of those skillet scramblers with eggs, pork sausage, sauteed vegetables and grated cheese.

There's nothing like a new car to make me aware of how bad drivers are in Dallas. They say that 20% of the people on the road in Dallas are driving without a license and I certainly believe it. Everywhere I turned today, I was confronted by people who looked like they wanted to hit me. Of course, the roads weren't any different than they ever are. I just had a different perspective on things.

We're doing another casino night to help Dalmatian Rescue this evening. The rescue group has been doing these casino parties long enough now that many of these events reoccur year after year. This is the third or fourth year we've been invited to put on a casino party for the organization that hired us tonight. This party usually takes place at a country club in an older part of town and there is frequently an Elvis impersonator. I need to remember to eat something before we go, since I don't think the hired help can eat the food at this event.

If our spectacular Fall weather continues, the dogs should have a great time at the dog park tomorrow. I wonder if Dot and Dash would enjoy a ride in the new car?

Rowe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1375

I said goodby to the Defender today. I've had this car for seventeen years and it's hard to imagine life without it. There has always been a full size metal dog crate in the back. Frequently, the crate was used to take Dot or Dash to the vet. Other times it was used to transport recently rescued Dalmatians from the pound. When it wasn't full of dogs, the crate was often full of photo equipment. I got a lot of use out of this fabulous car.

As regular readers are well aware, the Defender also spent a lot of time in the shop.  As the car grew older, the problems gradually became more serious. I finally decided I'd been towed to the dealership one too many times. I knew I had a window of opportunity where the car was still desirable, even though it wasn't all that reliable anymore. I knew it was time to move on. I'm driving a new car now, with all the bells and whistles that people expect in 2013. I doubt that the new car will last for seventeen years though. I doubt that I will even want to keep a car for seventeen years again. Hell, seventeen years from now, they probably won't even allow me on the road.

I'd forgotten how many papers you have to sign when you buy a car. Cleaning out  the old car and getting it ready to trade and then doing all the paperwork at the dealership to get me into the new car took the better part of the day. I wasn't in any hurry though. It was pouring rain when I arrived at the dealership this morning and I was hoping the rain would stop before it was time for me to drive away. I didn't really want my very first trip in the new car to be a rain soaked obstacle course full of stressed out texting Dallas drivers determined to beat every red light. There are lots of accidents when it rains in Dallas.

I got lucky. It took so long to get all the paperwork signed that the skies were already clearing by the time I got behind the wheel and took the new car on its inaugural drive home. I wasn't so lucky with the roof last night. Sometime during the night we were all awakened by the loud crash of a tree limb hitting the roof. It sounded like a large limb and indeed it was when I climbed up on the roof this afternoon to assess the damage. The good news was that this particular branch wasn't dead and still had lots of leaves on it. The leaves cushioned the blow and I don't think the roof sustained any damage. The bad news was that the branch was awkward and quite heavy, so I had trouble getting it off the roof.

So, that was my day. There a is new car in the driveway and a large old Oak limb out by the curb. I hope I made the right decision getting a new car. You never know with cars. The Defender fit my needs and my personality like a glove. I loved that car, but I've also had my share of lemons over the years. We'll see how this new one works out.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1374

Why do doctor visits take so long? For every minute you actually spend with the doctor, you spend an additional ten minutes sitting in the waiting room. Sometimes, just to create the illusion that something is happening, you are moved from the outer waiting room to a second inner waiting room. It's still a waiting room though, complete with three year old magazines and posters on the wall detailing the symptoms of diseases you never want to catch.

I guess today's verdict was worth waiting for though. I'm still hanging in there. No biopsy required. Just some blood tests and the doctor telling me to keep on doing what I'm doing. The new treatment I've been waiting for won't be approved by the FDA until January 2014 at the earliest. I'm apparently good to go until then.

Since my doctor visit took twice as long as I thought it would, I got behind on everything else. Although I managed to get quite a few things started, nothing really got finished. I dropped some things off at the storage warehouse on the way to see my hepatoligist and got some prescriptions filled at the pharmacy on the way back. That was about it. I'll get caught up on my website work tomorrow. At least I hope I will.

Someone wants to buy my Defender before I trade it in on a new car. Although I might make more money selling the car to an individual, the whole idea makes me uncomfortable. I guess I've heard too many Craigslist horror stories. The dealership knows the car well, since they've been the ones who've worked on it all these years. What they're offering me is realistic. I've afraid that an individual would have buyer's remorse as soon as they discovered the realities of living with a car that has 112,000 miles on the odometer. The truth is that I wouldn't even be considering getting a new car if driving
the Defender was as cool as some people think it is. It's a very old car.

Dash almost caught the armadillo in the yard this morning. I don't know what he'd do if he actually caught the thing, but I don't want to find out. So far, I haven't figured out an effective method of keeping the critter out of the yard. It can dig its way under the fence with ease. Maybe the rain will keep the armadillo away for a while. It's pouring outside now, and of course, Dot is under my desk, convinced that the sky is falling.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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