Day 1870

Today was amazing! I got to go inside the ultra high security mission control building at Vandenberg. We visited the tower where the SMAP satellite will be launched early tomorrow morning. We saw the world's last remaining ICBM from the early days of the cold war. There were rockets everywhere. We were even on a live broadcast on the NASA TV channel. Oh, and I capped the day off by wrecking my rent car.

It was only a fender bender, but since it happened near a big Air Force base, three Air Force fire trucks and two MP's came to the scene. The Air Force guys quickly left when they discovered that nobody was hurt,  but I still had to wait on the side of the road for over half and hour for the California Highway patrol to show up. I knew I was going to miss the roll out of the rocket from the tower, but I didn't want to be charged for leaving the scene of an accident. In Texas, people just trade insurance information on minor accidents and go about their business. The other driver wanted to wait for the police though. When the highway patrol finally did show up, the first thing they asked was why we didn't just trade insurance information and leave. You could tell that they thought the whole thing was a waste of their time. Later I learned that the roll out had been delayed and that the other people attending the launch didn't get to see anything either.

The press conference for the launch was broadcast live on NASA TV. Janet said she saw me ask my one question on TV and that I didn't look like a dork. That's always good to know. I usually look like a dork. I learned a lot today. I never knew that there was a launch facility for the space shuttle at Vandenberg. At one point they were planing to launch the shuttle into polar orbit. The huge facility was finished about the same time the space shuttle program was canceled. It was never used. I never knew that at the beginning of the cold war, the USA only had three nuclear missiles and that they was all based at Vandenberg.

The rocket is scheduled to launch very early tomorrow morning. There is only a three minute launch window on Thursday, since it will be launched into a polar orbit. This means that if the launch is delayed at all, it can't be rescheduled until the next day. Hopefully, everything will go like clockwork. If the launch gets postponed, I'll have to return home without seeing it.

I met a lot of people today that worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Goddard Space Flight Center, or directly with NASA. I even met someone who had been accepted into the Mars One program. Every one of them seemed to really love their job. If you gathered a similar group of advertising people together, I doubt that you'd find anyone who genuinely loved their job.  I think I'll never look at "rocket science" the same way again. These people were amazing! We need a lot more of them.

At one point during the day, we had to leave all our phones, cameras, and computers on the bus while we visited a secret location. "Don't worry, your stuff is safe here," said an Air Force Sargent. I imagine it was. The is the most secure facility I've ever been to in my life. It was quite an experience to be allowed to see behind the curtain.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1869

I made it. It was a long travel day, especially considering I was just going to California. I flew from Dallas to Los Angeles, changed planes and then took a little prop plane up to Santa Maria. Santa Maria looked pretty close to Vandenberg Air Force Base on a map, but I discovered that it wasn't that close when I actually got there. As it turned out, Santa Maria was only about fifteen miles from the North entrance to the huge base, but I needed to go to the South entrance. I could have taken a short cut directly through the base to the South entrance, but I didn't have my credentials yet, so I had to take a long circuitous route around the perimeter instead. I'd probably still be driving around aimlessly, if I didn't have GPS in the rental car. I'm certainly glad I didn't decide to drive up Highway 1 from Los Angeles. I was considering doing this at some point, but wisely reconsidered when I remembered what rush hour traffic was like in California.

I was surprised at how pretty the countryside is in this part of California. There are lots of rolling, green hills dotted with what looked like small Live Oak trees. I was expecting urban sprawl, but this is a lot closer to wilderness. As I approached the base, the terrain flattened and the hills turned to farmland. The soil must be good here, because all the crops looked lush and green. It was weird to see crops growing in January. There was almost no signage on the farm roads that led to the base. Without the GPS in the car and some very explicit directions, I doubt that I would have ever found the elusive South entrance to Vandenberg.

Today's visit to the base was just a dry run. I have to get up very early to check in at the South gate tomorrow morning. This is where I pick up my credentials and join the other media mavens who will be attending the launch. If I'm late, they'll just leave without me. That's why if you have to get lost, it is a lot better to do it today than tomorrow.

I was hoping to have dinner with some of the others attending the SMAP launch this evening, but after driving around endlessly trying to find the correct entrance to the base, I didn't have the energy. I drove back to the hotel in Santa Maria, ate some dinner, and tried to get the WiFi to work instead. I brought a little WiFi hotspot with me, but the hotel seems to block it. It works when I'm driving around, but as soon as I get to my room, it quits.

I think I'm going to be on NASA TV sometime tomorrow, but I doubt if you'll see it. Very few cable companies carry this odd little channel. Tomorrow will be a bucket list kind of day. I'll get to see the rocket up close, talk to the scientists who designed the SMAP mission, and visit all sorts of interesting restricted areas on the base. I think the whole idea is that we're supposed to live Tweet about our experiences. You can't really say much in 140 characters though, so if you really want to know what happened, you'll have to read tomorrow's blog.

I thought I'd forget a lot of things on this trip, but so far all I seem to have forgotten are spare batteries for my wireless mouse and the password for my mobile hotspot. I thought the password was already loaded on my laptop keychain, but apparently it isn't. Oh well, I can always use my phone until the battery runs out. Oops. I forgot the little charger that fits into the car's cigarette lighter too.

I'm tired, but I feel like the day was a success. If you're reading this, it means I've figured out a way to get online. I just put in an early wake-up call at the hotel and I'm looking forward to meeting my fellow space bloggers just before sunrise at the Vandenberg South Gate.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1868

I'm glad I don't live on the East Coast right now. Blizzard conditions have closed all the airports, making travel to Vandenberg Air Force Base impossible for a couple of people from New York and Boston who were planning on attending the SMAP launch this week. The weather is much better in Dallas, so my only problem will be getting up at 4 AM to go to the airport.

I'm a terrible travel planner, but I knew if I didn't get started today, I would run out of time. I always run into something unexpected when I'm packing. Today, I couldn't find a small tube of toothpaste that the TSA wouldn't confiscate. I couldn't get my laptop to boot up either. It turns out that I forgot to power the computer down several weeks ago and the battery ran out while the computer was still on. When I got this issue resolved, I had trouble setting the second time zone on a radio controlled watch I was planning to wear on the trip. The watch is supposed to set itself using a radio time signal, but somehow I screwed up and ended up with the dial showing the time in London. I probably should take a simpler watch with me. I packed some socks and then noticed that most of them had holes in them. I still can't figure out how to get the WiFi feature working on my new little point and shoot camera. If I can get the WiFi working, I'll be able to send pictures directly from the camera to Facebook and Twitter. Travel never used to involve so much technology. My boarding pass is on my phone. I sure hope this works, because sometimes it doesn't.

One way or another, everything will get done. It always does. I got all my meds packed away in one of those plastic pill containers that old people use. Oh wait, I am one of those old people. I super-glued my comfortable tennis shoes back together and packed a second nicer pair of shoes just in case I decide not to embarrass myself. I still don't know what kind of coat to take. I never get coats right and am always either too hot or too cold.

I did manage to get the camera equipment from yesterday's video shoot put away, but I haven't finished all of my website updates yet. I've got one more to go, which I should be able to finish before bedtime. I thought I'd be able to get caught up on things with time to spare, but I never dreamed that I'd waste an entire hour trying to set a weird Japanese watch and another hour simply trying to turn on my laptop. You might be wondering why I didn't finish my work first. I guess it was a matter of priorities. I'm always confident about meeting my work deadlines. Not so much with technology. Inexplicable software glitches, poorly written instructions, and the occasional catastrophic failure all drive me nuts. I depend on my high-tech tools, but I often hate them as well.

The dogs loved today's unseasonably warm weather. We took a long walk before breakfast and another toward the end of the day. In between, Dot and Dash sunned themselves in the back yard while I struggled to get organized. I wish I didn't wait until the last minute with everything I do, but it's in my blood. I've always been this way. Perhaps it's for the best. If I knew what I was doing ahead of time, I'd probably just worry more.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1867

I think the video I shot today will be a success. The sound was good. Exposure was good. Everything was in focus. What's not to like? My new LED lights performed a lot better than the old quartz variety. I was pleased with the wireless mics too. I'll have to use this stuff more often. Considering how I was dreading this shoot, it couldn't have gone better. Most importantly, I didn't break anything.

Video production seemed a lot easier when I shot with a full crew. Back in the day, I never had to transport, configure, and set up all this heavy equipment myself. With today's budgets, doing as much as you can yourself is a necessity. Maybe the Miller tripod and Century Stands were always this heavy, but I don't remember struggling with them like I did today. Clearly, Carpal tunnel, a bad shoulder, and arthritis have taken their toll on my aching bones.

I never did find time to do a practice run through before I loaded the car this morning. Necessity is always the mother of invention and I figured out the last remaining equipment mysteries on the set. I need to buy a bigger camera case so I can leave the rails and matte box permanently on the camera. Assembling this gear and attaching everything to the camera and tripod can eat up a lot of time. When I can afford it, I'm going to get more wireless mics too. Wireless mics are great. I don't know how I lived so many years without them.

Although the video shoot used up most of the day, we still had a nice long walk with the dogs this morning. Janet was looking out for me and fixed bacon and eggs for breakfast, along with Cowboy Burgers for dinner. If you've never had Cowboy Burgers, you need to pick some up at Central Market sometime. These are without a doubt the best hamburger patties in the universe.

It will take a while to edit the footage I shot today into something coherent, but I think the material is there. Now it's time to turn my attention to the upcoming SMAP launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base. I have no idea what to take or what to wear. I guess I need to start checking the weather in California. I have a feeling that it's going to be a lot warmer out there than it is here.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I'll start logging and cataloging the footage I shot today. There are already a number of website updates I need to make as well. At least today's work is complete. It's always nice to know that I won't have to go back later and re-shoot everything.
 

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1866

The days just aren't long enough. After walking Dot and Dash this morning, I went up to Lewisville to photograph the new arrivals to the Dalmatian Rescue program. We've accepted quite a few new dogs recently and they all need to get up on the website. Gretchen was supposed to be aggressive toward men and I was a little worried about getting bitten. She turned out to be very sweet and I had no problems getting a cute picture. Charlie was one of the most nervous dogs I have ever seen. This handsome one year old pup was surrendered during a messy divorce and had probably spent his entire life listening to people yell at each other. No wonder he was wary of people. Elsa had probably been a breeding dog in a puppy mill and it was obvious she had been a mom far too many times during her young life. Her next home will be much, much better. Starr was another owner surrender, although I couldn't even imagine how someone could take this beautiful, sweet dog to the pound and dump her. We will make sure that all these dogs find a great home where they will get a second chance. It's still very sad though that they were so unlucky the first time around.

Photographing rescue dogs takes a lot of patience and the whole process took longer than I thought it would. By the time I returned home, there wasn't a lot of time left to go get groceries, fill the car with gas, and retrieve some additional equipment from the storage warehouse for tomorrow's photo shoot. The instruction manual for the production camera has been my bathroom reading for the past several days, but I'm still not completely comfortable with some of the more advanced features. I'm charging batteries now and I'm sure everything will work out fine. I only shoot a few of these videos a year now. When I shot and edited a video once a week, my confidence level was much higher. This is not really like riding a bicycle. You do tend to forget things.

I wanted to edit some of the Dalmatian pictures I had taken earlier in the day, but my own Dalmatians were insisting on dinner. I set up a pump on the roof to begin removing some of this week's accumulated water, fed the dogs, and we went on our evening walk. On weekends, I have to keep a watchful eye out for loose dogs in the park. On Saturday and Sunday there are always idiots who let their dogs off lease and you can never tell whether they are friendly or not until it is too late. I've learned from experience to avoid these dogs. If I see unleashed dogs up ahead, I immediately turn and go in a different direction.

It was almost dark before I climbed up on the roof again to finish removing all the water.  It was a very long day. I didn't even get around to taking a shower until after dinner.  I still haven't gotten around to testing the wireless microphones. Maybe I'll take a pair of wired lavaliers with me tomorrow just in case. I guess I've still got some time to test some things tomorrow morning, but I'd much rather sleep in late. I'm very tired.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1865

Have I mentioned that Janet retired at the first of the year? Since she's no longer working fourteen hours a day, we've been going to more movies. Today we saw American Sniper. I can understand why this movie has become a box office hit, but fail to grasp why it is so controversial in certain circles. This is a well made film in the tradition of Saving Private Ryan and Hurt Locker. I find it sad that we live in such a polarized society that everything from the car you drive, to the food you eat and the movies you watch is seen as a political statement. It's a movie! Get over it.

While waiting for the feature to start we sat through half an hour's worth of trailers for upcoming features. Each one was a more violent version of a movie I'd seen ten or fifteen years ago. There was a new Terminator movie, a new Mad Max movie, and a new movie by the director of District 9 that seemed exactly like District 9. Doesn't anybody like movies like Secretariat and Remains of the Day anymore? I'd rather see Old Yeller again than any of these apocalyptic blockbusters.

Dot worried me today. She fell on our morning walk and I had to help her up. She lost her footing when her rear foot landed on a loose rock and just fell over. I have to remember that even though her energy levels have improved and she acts like she wants to chase squirrels again, she is still pretty fragile. It's a tough job to let her feel like she's a young dog again while still carefully watching every single step she takes. Dot's OK now. I just need to remember where that loose rock is.

Dash is nearing the end of his chemotherapy treatment and now that there aren't many Palladia pills left in the bottle, I noticed that I was short by five pills. These pills are so expensive that you'd think that they could count them correctly. I called the cancer center and when they checked their records, they discovered that they were short a few pills when they renewed Dash's prescription three months ago, and just gave me the pills they had. I wish they had told me this at the time. At any rate, I went up to the cancer center to get the remaining five pills and then picked up some food for dinner at Central Market on the way home.

I only have one more day to familiarize myself with all the mysterious buttons on the production camera before my video shoot on Sunday. It's not like I have been consciously putting off this important dress rehearsal. I just keep running out of time. Walking the dogs, doing my physical therapy exercises everyday, meeting my work deadlines, getting the water off the roof, and even writing this blog takes a lot of time. Some days I take it all in stride. Other days, I get really tired.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1864

It was one of those days. Shortly after we woke up this morning, the power went out. The power grid is so bad in our part of town that a feather can knock the power out. It rained last night, but there was no real reason for a power outage. Usually, it's an ice storm or severe winds that knock the power out, but this time it was just a very rainy night. Without power, there is no hot coffee in the morning, no fried eggs for breakfast, no television, no furnace, no lights, and no e-mail. Miraculously, we still have hot water though, since the water heater is fueled by natural gas.

As soon as the rain let up a bit, we took the dogs on a walk. Even though it was quite cold outside, walking was better than waiting for the power to come back on in a dark and drafty house. Janet and I didn't see lights in any of the other houses, so it looked like the power was out in the entire neighborhood. When a power outage is widespread, we're usually the last to get electricity back. They restore areas near schools and hospitals first, and eventually get around to the people who aren't near anything special, like us.

Since I can't function without coffee in the morning, I drove to a nearby restaurant to get take-out. Eventually, the power was restored, but a big chunk of the day was wasted. Every time something like this happens, I wonder why we don't pay more attention to improving our power grid. Politicians are always talking about creating jobs and about the growing threat of cyber-terrorism. They could create tens of thousands of well paying jobs by making a commitment to refurbishing the country's power distribution network. Put all the lines underground. There is just no reason for the power system to be so fragile, especially in a world where you are dead in the water without electricity.

It was hard to get Dot out of bed to go to her therapy session today. I understood completely. I didn't feel like doing my stretching exercises either. We both persevered though, driving to the vet in the cold rain for her weekly conditioning session. Dot did well in the underwater treadmill, as she usually does, but as soon as we got home again she curled up on a warm blanket and went to sleep. On days like this I wish we had a fireplace. Today would have been a perfect day for sitting in front of a warm fire.

I'm so forgetful lately. I left my phone at the vet this afternoon and had to turn around on our way home to go back to retrieve it. I probably never would have remembered the phone if a warning light hadn't come on in the car, telling me that the phone was no longer paired with the Bluetooth connection. It's sad when my car has a better memory than I do. I almost forgot to take the trash out to the curb this evening too, but Dot always remembers when it's trash day.

I hope tomorrow seems like Friday. I usually look forward to Fridays, but all the days have seemed exactly the same this week. It's disorienting. Maybe a tasty meal at my favorite restaurant will get the compass pointed in the right direction again.

Raider is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1863

I'm going to miss going to physical therapy. It's nice having someone telling you what you are doing right and doing wrong. I don't need help with writing or taking photographs, but apparently I do need people to remind me not to destroy my body. It should be easy to continue on my own. I've got enough exercises now to last me for a year. Success is pretty easy to measure too. If I can move my shoulder more, I have succeeded. We'll see how it goes. They want to re-evaluate me this Summer. You can't cheat with physical therapy. Your progress is surprisingly easy to measure. The therapist actually takes a protractor and ruler and measures how much further I'm are able to move my arm. At any rate, I've got my marching orders. Hopefully, when I reconnect with these folks later this Summer, I won't shame myself by revealing my many lazy tendencies.

Our extended string of beautiful, warm days is sadly coming to an end. Our early morning walk was nice, but the temperature began to drop right after breakfast and conditions continued to deteriorate throughout the day. The dogs and I were both disappointed to get rained on this evening. It's been almost two weeks since we've been caught in the rain. It looks like I'd better get out some bath towels to dry the dogs off tomorrow morning and be prepared to clean the mud off my boots again. It's going to be wet.

The small group of bloggers and social media mavens I will be joining at Vandenberg Air Force Base seems like an interesting bunch. Some are coming to the launch from as far away as London and one guy is even flying his own small plane to the event. I think the only thing that ties us all together is an unabashed inner geekiness. Everyone I've heard from so far seems absolutely delighted to have an opportunity to get close to a rocket. As much as I hate to travel, I really think I'm going to enjoy this.

I've got a big video shoot coming up this weekend, so it's time to get out the instruction manuals again. I've gotten so used to shooting with GoPro's and automated consumer cameras that I've kind of forgotten what some of the dozens of cryptic buttons on my big production camera do. There is no auto-focus on most cinema lenses either, so I'd better practice the fine art of keeping things in perfect focus as well. If I shot as much video and film as I used to, none of this would be a problem. Unfortunately, the old adage use it or lose it still applies. I've got some work to do.

It's raining pretty hard now, but I hope the weather improves a bit before I take Dot to her physical therapy session tomorrow. Cold rainy weather makes Dot's arthritis act up and she doesn't do as well in the underwater treadmill on rainy days. The vet can warm up the water in the tank though, so maybe that will help. Nothing will help me until I see the sun again.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1862

Dot sailed through today's cancer re-check with flying colors. Her oncologist was delighted with her progress and told me that she was amazed at how much stronger Dot had become since her last visit. Since Dot's ultrasound imaging showed nothing abnormal and all her vital signs were excellent, she's good to go for an other three months. We'll probably have to continue these periodic re-checks for the rest of her life, but as long as Dot stays healthy, that's fine.

While Dot was getting her sonogram, I had my own medical issues to deal with. Today's trip to the dentist was primarily to fit the Essix retainer the dentist made for me last month. I have to wear the retainer at night after my wisdom teeth have been extracted, so the upper teeth won't continue to grow downward to fill the gap. I like this dentist because he is so careful and methodical and convinced him to coordinate my treatment with the other two dentists. I want to make sure that everyone's on the same page. It's driving me nuts to have one dentist tell me that I'll need a bone graft if I have implants, while another dentist tells me this is unnecessary. I'd like all three dentists to agree on whether a tooth can be saved too. It's a little late once the tooth has been removed.

I don't know if I'm ever going to get caught up with work. There are upcoming video production projects, photo shoots, writing assignments, and website designs that all have to be completed before the end of February. I would be a lot happier with all this work if I was making any money. Budgets  have dwindled to the point where they are laughable. If anyone had told me in 1990 that I would be doing exactly the same thing 25 years later for half as much money, I would never have believed them. That's what it's come to though. In a world where even accountants and plumbers are creating elaborate YouTube videos, what I do isn't valued as much as it used to be.

I went to an animal rescue meeting after I walked the dogs this evening. I used to go to this 6 PM meeting every month, but the rush hour traffic in front of my house gradually got worse and worse until it was almost impossible to get out of the driveway. I've pretty much given up on getting out of the driveway at 6 PM, but I thought I'd give it a try tonight just for old time's sake. Not surprisingly, the traffic was worse than ever. I still think all meetings should be at 10:30 AM or 2:30 PM, unless there is breakfast and bacon involved.

I have my last physical therapy session tomorrow. It will be a lot harder to do the exercises without the therapist insisting that I do them correctly.

April is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1861

My physical therapy is drawing to a close, so I thought I'd ask my therapist if I was doing my regular workout correctly. Nope. Not even close. Apparently, I am running through the routines on all the machines I use way too fast. Instead of doing the allotted number of reps on each machine as quickly as I can, I should be adding more weight, and doing fewer reps in a slow measured way. Jeez. If I do things correctly, it will add 45 minutes to my workout. It soon became obvious that I just wanted to do the resistance routines as fast as I could and go home. When I explained my time constraints to the therapist, she seemed to give me a troubled look that clearly said "You're doing this all wrong."

The dogs got a bath this morning. Usually we bathe the dogs on a Saturday, but Monday morning is much better. Dot and Dash both got a tub at the dog washing place immediately, with no waiting at all. Dash was calmer too, since there weren't a lot of other dogs barking and creating a commotion. I'll have to remember to save Monday mornings for dog baths. This is the first time I can remember that bathing Dot and Dash wasn't an ordeal.

After the dogs got their bath, I drove down to the UPS regional service center to pick up the little point-and-shoot camera I ordered last week. It's weird that I find it so much easier to pick up a package at a UPS facility, rather than have them deliver it directly to my house. Home delivery sounds like a good idea until you have to wait around all day to sign for a signature required package. I'm the same way about the post office. Even though I know that our mailman will pick up letters if I leave them in the mailbox, I always drive them down to the post office instead. Mail is a one way journey at our house. It arrives in the mailbox, but it never leaves that way.

I finally made an appointment to have my crooked wisdom tooth removed. I'm in no real hurry to have this surgery after trying my best to avoid it for twenty years. I just asked for the first day when the dentist could remove the tooth at 10:30 AM. I have an appointment with a different dentist tomorrow to fit the retainer he had made for me a few weeks ago. I've kind of forgotten why I even need this retainer. I don't think I'd need it at all if I had all four wisdom teeth removed like the oral surgeon suggested. One tooth is plenty though. This has all become very complicated. Dot has one of her periodic cancer rechecks tomorrow as well. She gets an ultrasound scan every three months to make sure that no new tumors have re-appeared. Maybe someday I'll do something that doesn't involve doctors, dentists, or vets.

My anti-virus software is expiring soon, so I looked on Google to see where I should go to renew it for another year. When I clicked on the link to the software company, the anti-virus software told me that this was a dangerous and suspicious site and blocked me from going there. I thought this was funny and a bit ironic. Evidently dentistry isn't the only thing that is becoming too complicated.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1860

We started out the day by moving some stuff from Janet's storage warehouse to my storage warehouse. I'm not sure what this accomplished, but it did keep Janet from throwing a few things away. She is trying to de-clutter, while I have apparently still failed to grasp the meaning of the word.

Today was even nicer than yesterday.  We were graced with another day of clear blue skies and 70 degree temperatures.The park is a mine field on days like this. The dogs amuse themselves by trying to grab all the chicken bones and barbecued ribs that picnickers throw on the ground. They can smell food scraps from fifty feet away. They can smell horse poop from even further, and there's plenty of that as well. There are stables in the area and a nice Sunday afternoon ways brings out plenty of riders. Somehow, we managed to negotiate all these pungent smells without Dot and Dash eating a bunch of crap. Although I enjoy walking a lot more on days when the park is empty, I don't think the dogs agree. They see days like today as a treasure hunt.

Since it was a pretty day, there was nobody at the gym. I counted only five people in the huge building, which was fine by me. I almost always prefer to do things when other people are doing something else. Maybe this is why I tend to prefer a matinee to an evening movie. In an empty movie theater you can always find the perfect seat. I hate rush hour traffic and always try to schedule meetings at either 10:30 AM or 2:30 PM. I studiously avoid trendy restaurants. I discovered long ago that the food is just as good after the bloom is off the rose and the trend-setters have moved elsewhere.

Since I feel so comfortable going against the grain, I spent a portion of this warm and sunny afternoon sitting in my office catching up on writing assignments. Why not? I'd already had a nice early morning walk before the rest of the world got out of bed. I had a good workout in an empty gym. I even organized my storage warehouse a bit and Janet fixed steaks for dinner. It was a good day.

Tomorrow is a holiday, but I bet I'll have work to do anyway. Banks are closed and government workers get the day off, but almost everything else seems to continue as normal. I'm not sure about my schedule, but I know I still have a physical therapy appointment. If the rest of the day turns out to be just like today, that would be fine by me. I'm not a huge football fan, but I still can't figure out how Green Bay lost that playoff game today. They were ahead the entire game and all of the sudden they inexplicably lost. That's life, I guess.

Dovey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1859

It felt like the day before Superbowl Sunday today, but of course it wasn't. The stores were probably just crowded because it was the first weekend after a payday. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with full parking lots and long checkout lines. This congestion is becoming normal and I find it kind of sad. I still prefer the city as it was in 1977 when I initially moved here from Seattle. Truthfully, I'd probably prefer any city as it was in 1977. Technology has advanced a lot in thirty years, but manners and basic civility have actually gone backwards. I don't think many people realize how much more relaxing it was to live in a world without the Internet, smartphones, and a 24-hour news cycle.

A few days ago, I was bundling up in coats and sweaters to cope with sub-freezing temperatures. Today it was 70 degrees outside and I was considering wearing shorts. I don't know how long this unseasonal warmth will last, but people were certainly taking advantage of it today. Joggers and cyclists returned to the park in droves. There were lots of families having picnics while other people were walking their dogs. The park was almost as busy as the grocery store. It was all good though. For the first time in weeks, I didn't have to clean a lot of mud off my boots.

I did have to clean the bedding though. When I let Dot out to pee after I woke up this morning, I discovered that she'd left a little trail of poop pellets that led all the way from the back of the bed to the back door. It wasn't her fault. We've been adding pumpkin to her diet to soften her stools a bit so she doesn't have to strain as much when she squats with her weak back legs. It's difficult to get the recipe just right though. Too little pumpkin and her poop is too hard. Too much pumpkin and it just falls out of her as she's heading for the door to do her business.

I was planning on writing today, but I got sidetracked by weekend chores instead. By the time I'd finished fighting the crowds at the pharmacy, post office, grocery store and bank, I didn't feel like writing anymore. Luckily, you don't need a lot of brainpower to use the washing machine, so I got all the laundry done instead. I suppose I could catch up on writing assignments tomorrow, but I'll probably just wait until Monday. Monday is a holiday. Work holidays are always a good time to catch up on things.

I need to go to the gym tomorrow to spread the soreness equally around my body. Right now, just my right shoulder is sore from all the physical therapy. I like symmetry. Maybe I would feel better if the soreness was spread around equally. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? I don't have a plan yet. The dogs need a bath, but they'd much rather go to the dog park. The weather should be nice for a trip to the dog park, but the last two times we've been, there have been bad encounters with aggressive dogs. I need to take some stuff to the storage warehouse too, but I'd really rather have a long leisurely breakfast with lots of bacon.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1858

I got a lot done today. I attribute the day's success to seeing the sun again. We had a great walk this morning. It was still chilly outside, but with shadows on the ground and the sun on my face, it all seemed reasonably comfortable. My shoes were still muddy when we returned, but it was no big deal. All is forgiven when there's lots of sunshine. Janet went to breakfast with me for the first time in recent memory. She liked the food, but I don't think she'll become a regular. My go-to meals have too many calories.

I was a little surprised that I've never heard anything further from the new client that was supposedly headed my way. The initial inquiry was from an ad agency, which probably explains everything. Ad agencies are notorious about not following up on things. I probably won't hear from them again until late on a Friday afternoon when they have some kind of rush deadline that will ruin my weekend.

On days like today, I'm not sure how many new clients I could handle anyway. I was almost late for my physical therapy appointment because I had trouble finishing my writing assignments. I got a lot done, but I'll still have to do some additional writing this weekend. When I returned from therapy, I had a big website update to complete. There were 24 new pictures that needed to be resized in Photoshop, plus captions and bios under each picture. Everything was uploaded to the server just in time to begin feeding the dogs their dinner and give Dash his Palladia chemo medication before taking our evening walk.

I'm glad the weekend is here, although Saturday and Sunday aren't much different than any other day when you're freelancing. I like to think of the weekend as a restful time, but I'm not kidding anyone. All my clients know that I'm still here, and if they need something, they're not shy about asking me. The oral surgeon initially wanted to remove my wisdom teeth on a Friday, so I could have the weekend to rest. Rest on weekends? You've got to be kidding. I tried to explain that my office didn't shut down at 2 PM on Friday afternoons, like his did and that weekends were often the busiest days of the week for me. I don't really care when they do the surgery, as long as they do it at 10:30 in the morning. Any earlier and I won't be able to walk the dogs. Any later and I'll get hungry, since I can't eat before surgery.

I had a different therapist today, since my regular therapist had a scheduling conflict. This therapist was stronger and gave my arm some serious tugs. I actually think this approach might be better. My shoulder got this bad in the first place because I was always trying to avoid pain. If the therapist tries too hard to avoid causing pain as well, I probably won't accomplish much. It's a fine line though. Too much discomfort will cause more inflammation and make the whole situation worse. Maybe I just need pain as a yardstick to measure things. I've kind of lost the whole concept of pleasure.

I did manage to find Comet Lovejoy last night. I couldn't see it with the naked eye because of the city lights, but it was fairly easy to spot with binoculars. Right below the Pleiades was a soft luminous smudge that had to be a comet. Either that or my binoculars were dirty.

Selby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1857

I saw the sun today. It's amazing what a little sunlight and blue skies can do. It was still cold outside and I had way too much work to do, but today was much more satisfying than yesterday. Let's hope the clear skies continue for long enough for the ground to dry up. Although the sun made me happy today, cleaning my muddy boots didn't. I don't know how Northerners keep their houses clean. It all seems pretty hopeless to me.

I've heard that tonight is an ideal time to try and see Comet Lovejoy. I doubt that I'll be able to see the comet with all the city lights, but since I didn't even think I'd have the opportunity, I'm going to go out with a pair of binoculars and give it a try. The comet is located near the constellation Orion. This is something even I can find in the night sky, so maybe there's hope.

I called the oral surgeon's office today to confirm my surgery appointment and discovered that the estimate they gave me was for having all four wisdom teeth removed. Whoa! I thought that estimate was too high. The last thing I want is to go to the dentist thinking I'm having one tooth removed and wake up to discover that four are gone. The receptionist explained that almost everybody has all four wisdom teeth removed at the same time, so they just assumed I was going to do this too. "That's not what the dentist and I talked about," I said. Jeez. If I ever have to have all my wisdom teeth removed, I prefer to have them removed one at a time at ten year intervals.

Dot did great at her physical therapy session today. I'm amazed at how much stronger she seems than last January. Since a large part of the year was spent recovering from cancer, her new found strength and stamina seems even more remarkable. I keep thinking that if Dot can do this, maybe I can too. Hopefully, after a year or so, my own physical therapy efforts will start paying dividends as well. I've got to remember that nothing dramatic ever happened during Dot's therapy. There were no decisive moments. She just very slowly began to improve over a long period of time.

There are articles to write tomorrow, broken websites to fix, photo shoots to schedule, and a pile of bills to pay. I'm still going to have a nice breakfast at my favorite restaurant though. I deserve it.

Betty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1856

I think we're setting some kind of Texas record for unrelenting grey days. It's been colder before, and I can remember a January or two with more snow. This is the gloomiest January I can remember though. The combination of dark, grey skies and cold, damp temperatures just saps your energy. All I really want to do these days is crawl under a very warm blanket.

The naps will have to wait however. Not only is my plate full of writing assignments, I think I may have acquired a new client as well. New clients are a rarity these days, since I'm no longer looking for them. This doesn't stop things from falling in my lap occasionally. If this new deal works out, it will involve more writing about luxury goods. I actually enjoy writing about luxury goods, mostly because it is infinitely superior to writing about Walmart or Dollar General.

I've decided I need a little point-and-shoot camera. I've virtually stopped using my big professional cameras for personal photos, because they are just too much trouble to lug around. It's almost embarrassing how often I use my phone instead of a "real" camera these days. The camera on my iPhone is about as good as professional digital cameras were fifteen years ago, but on the plus side, it's always in my pocket. The frustrating thing about the iPhone camera is that there is no optical zoom, and it is almost impossible to focus on certain subjects. I still don't understand why the wizards at Apple aren't able to come up with a phone camera that offers manual focus and exposure control. Maybe nobody else wants these things. At any rate, I think if I had a small cigarette case sized camera with a 30x zoom in my pocket, I could capture a lot more interesting images.

Just when I was about to tell my physical therapist that I had too many exercises to remember, she gave me three new ones. Each of these stretching exercises serves to remind me just how weak my right shoulder has become. It all happened so gradually that I wasn't really aware that I was losing both mobility and muscle tone. The shoulder doesn't hurt when I'm not trying to lift things, so inch-by-inch I just quit using it and began relying on my left arm instead. I never should have done this, but hind-site is always 20-20. I think the main reason I'm putting myself through all the discomfort of rehabilitation is that I never want to become one of those people who walks into a supermarket under their own power and then insists on using one of the store's electric scooters to drive around and shop sitting down just because it is easier. That's not me. I'll continue to walk five miles a day with the dogs and climb up on the roof to get the water off until I drop.

Hopefully my creaky body won't give out tomorrow, because I've got lots to do. Dot has her physical therapy day tomorrow and I continue to think that she's making more progress than I am. Dot probably still has energy because she sleeps sixteen hours a day. As someone who rarely gets more than six hours of sleep, sixteen hours sounds pretty good. I'd probably have insomnia though.

Kasey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1855

I did end up going out for breakfast this morning in an effort to add some life to this cold, grey day. My meal was delicious, but the weather remained absolutely awful. The dogs and I have reached a consensus not to walk quite as far in the mornings. What is the point? All we get for our efforts are wet paws, muddy boots and a strong desire to take a nap when we return. When I returned from breakfast and opened the back door so the dogs could go outside and pee, they just glared at me from their dog beds. They had no desire to go outside again. I certainly couldn't blame them, since I was planning on spending the rest of the day inside as well.

I didn't have to worry about being bored today. There was plenty to do. I spent most of the day writing, and when I was finished with my assignments, there were the inevitable website updates as well. The work isn't rocket science, but I really can't complain. With all its drawbacks, I still prefer staring at a computer in a quiet house to working in an office. I don't think I could ever go back to an office again.

I hate to admit that I'm a little nervous about having my wisdom teeth removed on Friday the 13th. I need to think of a better excuse than pure superstition before I call the dentist and change the date however. I hate to think of myself as a superstitious person, even though I am. A regular blog reader told me today that he's lived with a dead tooth for over 40 years. That sounds good to me. All I really need is twenty-five years. No self respecting dentist would ever leave a dead tooth in your mouth though. They'll fill your head with dire warnings until you're convinced that you're going to die if you don't have the tooth removed immediately. I don't know why I have such a fear of dentists. I was in far greater danger when I had Hepatitis C, but the fear of having a tooth removed has always trumped everything.

Even since I got my new Bluetooth UP 24 band, I've been noticing that my phone battery has been draining almost twice as fast. This is irritating, because I hate to charge my phone more than once a day. Any decent battery ought to last at least a full day. I tried all sorts of schemes to extend battery life until I stumbled on the obvious. I just turn the phone off at night. Works like a charm. When the phone is completely powered down, the battery doesn't seem to discharge at all. So far, I see no downside to this technique. If anyone calls me in the middle of the night, I don't want the call anyway.

I think I need to tell my physical therapist to back off on the stretching exercises. Every time I go for my therapy appointment, the therapist adds three new exercises. If I did all these exercises faithfully, I'd spend half my day stretching. I have gained some mobility, but it comes at a price. I'm constantly sore these days.

I'm hoping for warmer weather tomorrow. I've got a lot of writing to do so I won't be outside much anyway, but it would still be nice if I didn't feel like I was heading toward the North Pole when the dogs and I head off on our morning walk.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1854

I really wish doctors and dentists would agree on things. Most people just find a doctor they can trust and go along with the diagnosis. Since I don't really trust anyone, I find this difficult. I'm looking for a consensus. If a lot of people come to the same conclusion, I'll tend to believe they are right. On the other hand, if three dentists look at the same x-rays and each reach a different conclusion, I'm confused and a bit nervous. I saw the oral surgeon today and came away with the distinct impression that I could lose from one to three teeth. Everyone agrees that one of my wisdom teeth has to go, but the fate of the other two teeth depends on who you talk to. I told the surgeon that I didn't want to do anything until I returned from my trip to California and got caught up on several work projects. That seemed fine and we settled on the 13th of February. Yup. You guessed it. When I got home and looked at a calender, I'm having dental surgery on Friday the 13th.

On the way home from the dentist, I stopped at Office Depot and got a new 12-month accordion folder for this year's receipts. Why are these paper folders $18 now? It's ridiculous. When I started keeping receipts in accordion folders for my accountant, they were only $8 each. And people still say that inflation isn't a problem. At least shoes don't seem to be going up in price. I also picked up a new pair of waterproof work boots for walking the dogs while I was out today and they were the same price they were five years ago. Of course, nothing is as well made as it was five or ten years ago, but what are you going to do? I still have an Eddie Bauer goose down parka from the early 1960's that is better than anything you can buy today. When I wore this coat to high school in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1963 there was a real guy named Eddie Bauer in Seattle who outfitted expeditions and designed some of the world's best outdoor gear. When he retired, the company was bought and sold multiple times and now the brand is just licensed to other manufacturers who make furniture, bicycles, and lots of clothing made in China. I hate the whole concept of brand extensions and licensing. When I was shopping for boots this afternoon, I saw some with the Caterpillar brand. Caterpillar makes bulldozers, not shoes. Harley Davidson doesn't make sunglasses either. I like Red Wing because they still just make shoes. My new Red Wing boots are pretty decent, but they're probably made in China now too.

Since I don't multitask very well, work kind of stacked up on me today. This means I'll be busy tomorrow. It's just as well because the weather is still so cold that staying home and doing writing assignments and fixing websites seems like a better alternative than anything else I can think of. It's certainly better than more stretching. I think I need to curtail the stretching exercises for a while. My right shoulder seems permanently sore now. I'm sure this is a "no pain, no gain" situation, but personally I'd rather just not lift my right arm very high.

I need to do something to snap myself out of the cold weather doldrums. Maybe I should go out for breakfast tomorrow. Maybe not though. When you sit by the window, the restaurant is cold. I could just turn up the thermostat a bit here at home, but Janet and both dogs like things just the way they are. I'm the only one that's cold. I'm definitely ready for Summer.
 

Murphy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day