Day 647

I got some Chili at Central Market today. I've been hungry for Chili all day and take this as a good sign, especially since I haven't been hungry for anything for the past several weeks. Maybe my appetite is finally returning, one spice at a time.

I got an amazing amount of stuff done today. The only explanation for this productivity I can think of was that there really wasn't much else to do anyway. I finished editing the two videos I shot yesterday and got them both up and running on the doctor's website. I wrote a new watch article and got my monthly writer's group submission finished and turned in as well. This might not seem like a lot of work, but video editing is a lot more time consuming than writing. To finish two commercials in a day is actually pretty good.

When I was walking the dogs this evening, I slipped on some loose gravel. Yikes! My neck didn't like that one bit. I'm so tired of feeling fragile. I'm gaining a little more mobility every day, but this recovery is going so slow. I sure hope this neck problem heals quicker than the dislocated shoulder I had a couple of years ago. That mishap seemed to take months before everything returned to normal. Walking the dogs four to five miles a day has been a mixed blessing. I'm in a lot better shape than I would be otherwise, but the dogs are strong and they've definitely taken their toll on me. When they both see a squirrel at the same time, it's all I can do to hold on to them. Did I mention the dislocated shoulder...

This weekend is the big Dalmatian Rescue Charity Golf Tournament. A lot is riding on this tournament, since the rescue group makes over half of its yearly income on this one event. This year, Dot and Dash are going to the event as "ambassadors." It's kind of a tradition to bring dogs to the tournament. The really well behaved dogs ride around in golf carts and visit the players, while the rest hang around the clubhouse and beg for treats. Dot and Dash are getting a bath tomorrow, so they'll look good at the event. I'll take a bath too, but I'm mostly worried about making sure I have enough fully charged batteries to take the hundreds of pictures I'll need for the dinner presentation. After doing these golf pictures for all these years, I have a lot of respect for sports photographers. Compared to my days of shooting fashion, sports photography is hard work.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 646

I shot some short videos for my physician client today about Pediatric Care and Diabetes Management. While I was at the clinic, I also got some new blood tests done and got a referral for physical therapy on my neck.

Everyone seems to want to add video to their websites these days. On one hand, this is a good thing because I've been producing and editing videos for many years. On the other hand, nobody really values what I do anymore because they've all got HD cameras and are doing their own YouTube videos. Projects that used to require a three day trip to Los Angeles just for the editing portion, are now expected to be completed and on the web in an hour or two. I shouldn't complain though. I'm still working everyday and a lot of people aren't.

The weather was actually cool this morning. At first I wished I'd worn a light jacket, but once the dogs and I had been moving a while, the temperature felt great. It was surprising how quickly the Summer heat wave ended. After months of triple digit temperatures, the hot weather just abruptly ended. From now through the end of October, things should be very pleasant. This is usually the nicest time of the year in Texas. We should have a good weekend for our Dalmatian Rescue Golf Tournament and then it will be time for the State Fair.

Today's market sell-off was totally disgusting. Stocks went down. Commodities went down. Even gold went down. It's getting harder and harder to find a safe haven. It's not very wise to go short anymore when things are so volatile and apparently random. One day the market will be up several hundred points and the next day it will be down by the same amount, even though nothing has fundamentally changed. I keep hearing that this is a good time to pick up some undervalued bargains, but I did that several months ago and everything I bought is lower now.

The dogs have it so easy. They don't worry about any of this stuff. I envy Dot and Dash sometimes. Of course, they probably envy me as well. I can open doors.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 645

Well, I might not feel any better, but at least I look a little more presentable. I got my hair cut today and even though the price still seems way too high, I'd rather pay Betty for making me look a little better than most of the other recurring bills I pay.

I always try to go to Northpark between 2 PM and 4 PM because this is when the mall is the least crowded. I never have a problem finding a parking place at this time of day, but it's still surprising how many people are inside wandering around. I always think that the salespeople at Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo and De Beers have a good job. Nobody is ever inside those stores when I walk by.

We had another incident in dog class tonight where a large aggressive dog went after a smaller dog. Dash was terrified because he knew exactly what was happening. Personally, I think people with aggressive dogs ought to be banned from the training class, but they seldom are. Often the people with difficult dogs seem to work the hardest with their dogs and the teachers like to cut them some slack because they are really trying. Dash and I don't try as hard, but I still don't think it is fair to be put in the same class with a dog that might bite mine. These people in class are way too casual about biting dogs for my taste. I doubt that any of them have been bitten as badly as I have in the past.

I'm going to take some new videos for my doctor client tomorrow. I think I'll ask him to do a thyroid test while I'm there. There's got to be an explanation for my current lack of energy. Now that I think about it, having my physician as an advertising client might not have been a wise idea. Whenever I go for a visit these days, our conversations get hopelessly tangled up between marketing the clinic and managing my own health. I'm hoping that someone will fix me while the clinic folks are focused on fixing their website.

I got another dead cat job today. Every time an office cat dies, one of my veterinary clients commissions me to make a large gallery print of the cat for their memorial wall. I've done quite a few of these pictures, so I have a feeling that this clinic picks some pretty old kitties to be their office cats. In truth, these people are very kind. I think it's great that they've chosen to give some old cats that few people would ever adopt a nice, loving place to spend their final days.

Rover is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 644

The nice weather continues. It's not quite jacket weather yet, but something has definitely changed for the better. When the dogs return from their morning walk these days, their tongues aren't hanging out anymore. I don't feel like I need a change of clothes just to eat breakfast either. Today, I continued to see examples of flowers that popped up out of nowhere after yesterday's rain. The rain has been good, but lets wait a week or so before we have another downpour. That's not too much to ask, is it? I need to clean the pecan shells off the roof and discover where the recent leak is coming from. We also need to have a nice day for our Dalmatian Rescue Golf Tournament this weekend. It's hard to guard against rain when you make arrangements for these tournaments a year ahead of time, but I hope our luck continues. This will be Dalmatian Rescue's tenth annual charity golf tournament and so far we've had great weather every single time.

I finally made an appointment with Betty to get my hair cut tomorrow. I should have done this a month ago, but somehow other things always got in the way. This entire month has been this way. I'm behind on just about everything because other things keep getting in the way. At least I'm staying current with my writing assignments. I wrote two watch articles today, so I'm just about back up to speed with this client. Just about all the website revisions that accumulated while I was on vacation are finished now as well. All I need to do now is find some sort of resolution to my neck problems and I'll be good to go.

If you haven't tried Google+ yet, you ought to give it a whirl. I noticed recently that it's open to everybody now and you don't need an invitation anymore. I've never learned anything on Facebook, other than that people I know in real life hate my Twitter feed. In contrast, I learn something interesting and new almost every day on Google+.

Tomorrow's another day. Maybe I'll get a check in the mail. Maybe I'll wake up feeling wonderful. Maybe I'll feel like drinking coffee again. Who knows...anything could happen.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 643

We got a much needed rainstorm late last night. I could tell from the way the rain was beating on the roof that it was just a matter of time before it started leaking inside. Sure enough, just before I got ready to go to bed, I heard water dripping on the living room floor. I got out the buckets and placed them under the leak and listened to the drip, drip, drip of the water as I went to sleep.

This morning, the blue bucket was about half full, but the water had stopped dripping. After taking the dogs on their morning walk, I climbed up on the roof to survey the damage. Going up on the roof was the last thing I wanted to do with my ongoing neck problems, but when you've got standing water on a leaking flat roof, it simply can't be ignored. I swept away the standing water, but I'm still not sure where the water is coming from. The entire roof was covered with half eaten pecans. Our pecan tree must have had a bumper crop this year. I've tried to harvest these pecans on good years like this, but it's hard to get ahead of the squirrels. They are relentless. Judging from the debris on the roof, our local squirrel population must be eating these things 24x7. They never eat the entire pecan. They just nibble enough so that you'd never want to use the nut to make a pecan pie or anything.

I'm getting behind on paying bills again. To stay current, I spent a good part of the afternoon paying a large stack of bills that had accumulated on my desk. I used to pay these things the same day they arrived, but I've grown disgusted with them. Anyone who tries to tell you that inflation isn't a problem must not have many utility bills. The water bill seems four times higher than it was five years ago. Ditto for the gas and electric bills. The real problem though is all the phone bills. Do I really need a fax line anymore? Do I need to keep a 4-G hotspot when I only use it several times a year? I probably don't need half the telephone services I currently have, but it's hard to decide which ones to drop, since I use all of them from time to time.

It's amazing how resilient nature is. As I was walking the dogs this evening, I noticed that last night's rains had already spawned a brand new crop of flowers. The flowers weren't there yesterday, but they were in full bloom today. All it took was one good rain. Things like this are encouraging to me. Life is full of sudden reversals and often bad news can turn back into good news again a lot quicker than you think.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 642

The dogs got their weekly trip to Wagging Tail Dog Park today. Dash has finally figured out where we are going every Sunday, so he has gotten a lot better in the car. He was so quiet going to the park today that I almost forgot he was in the back seat. When we arrived, we were greeted by a convention of Corgis. There must have been half a dozen Corgis in the park this morning. Dash seems to like dogs of this size, so he even played with a few of them.

When we got home, I decided to mow the grass. I was a bit worried that I'd hurt my neck again, but the yard looked terrible and I knew I couldn't put mowing off forever. As it turned out, my neck wasn't the problem. I just don't have any energy these days. I don't know what the problem is, but things that used to be routine wear me out now. By the time I got the yard looking decent again, I was drenched in sweat and totally exhausted. I don't know whether I need to find a different doctor or what. When I mentioned my lack of energy to my regular doctor last week, he didn't really take it seriously. All I know is that I'm tired of living this way. My normal week takes a lot of energy and it's hard to get things done when all you want to do is take a nap.

The Dalmatian Rescue Golf Tournament is next weekend. I've got to get feeling better by then, because my main job during the tournament is to go around in a golf cart and take hundreds of pictures of all the participants. We put these pictures together in a slide show that we project in the clubhouse during dinner. Over the years, I've gotten better at capturing the ball just after it's been hit by the driver. People like to see a good tee off shot. They also like to see a shot of a really good putt with the ball right on the lip of the cup, but these shots are a bit harder to come by.

I've discovered that Dalmatians are really good companions when you're sick. Every time I've taken a nap this weekend, both dogs have been right there with with me. Maybe they're just lazy, but I'd prefer to think they're both good little nurses.

Puppies are today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 641

We took the dogs to the Wags and Waves event at Hawaiian Falls today. Somehow, I thought that Dot and Dash would really like the water this year, since they were curious about it last year. No such luck. When we would get in the water with them, all they wanted to do was get out again as fast as they could. There were hundreds of dogs splashing around and having a grand time, but our two wanted nothing to do with the water.

A video crew wanted to get an interview with Dot and Dash at the Dalmatian Rescue booth. Ann and Janet didn't want to do the interview because they don't like being on camera. I didn't want to do the interview because my neck is still stiff and I look like a zombie. Lucky, Travis was there. Travis is usually up for anything, so with any luck, his interview segment with Dot and Dash will be on TV somewhere this evening. Even though the event lasted all day, we all left a little after 2 PM. Lots of dogs were having fun, but we didn't make much in donations today. Anyway, when Dash is ready to go, you might as well just go.

Even though Saturdays are busy errand days, I really didn't do much today. I got my grocery shopping done when we returned from the water park and used the rest of the day to take a nap. I wish I'd start feeling better soon. Right now, a nap is about the only thing that seems to work.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 640

When I woke up this morning, I was surprised to discover that it was already 9 AM. Either I was really tired, or Janet was very quiet getting ready for work this morning. I didn't hear a thing. The dogs aren't very good about getting me up in the morning either. They'd already had their breakfast and everything before Janet left for work, but when I woke up there was a dog sleeping on either side of me.

I feel so run down that I don't even feel like eating anymore. I didn't even make coffee this morning and last night my dinner consisted of half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The neck pain continues to get a little better every day, but at this rate, it will be weeks before I'm back to normal. It would be so nice to just wake up some morning feeling great again. Maybe someday.

I've decided to go ahead and buy Avid Media Composer while they are still having their special promotion for Final Cut Pro users. Work has declined for just about every video producer I know, but I don't think you can give up. I'm a good video editor and I have to think that I will continue to get production jobs if I am ready when the need is there. For the moment, I am going to use this slow period to learn all the ins and outs of my new Avid software.

It rained again today. It wasn't a long rain, but it did cool things down a bit. Maybe the worst of our long Summer heat wave is finally over. I'm glad I got the dogs walked this evening before the rains began. I could see dark clouds on the horizon at our halfway point, but we managed to make it back again before Dot started panicking. Luckily, there wasn't much thunder and lightning this time, so she's fine. Both dogs are sitting on their dog beds now, waiting for us to call it a day.

Phantom is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 639

It was twenty degrees cooler today. I was really surprised when I took the dogs out this morning, because there wasn't much to explain the mild weather. No overnight storms. No big cold front. It was just nicer today. I wish I could convince Dash to take it easy on these walks. He tugs and pulls on the leash and is making it an uphill battle to get my neck back to normal. At least my neck pain isn't getting worse though, so maybe I can learn to deal with my rambunctious dogs.

I went to another seminar about the Panasonic AG-AF100 camera this afternoon. I'm getting closer and closer to purchasing one of these cameras because it meets my needs almost perfectly. Too bad I don't have a big video job in the pipeline to make the decision a little easier. This is really a good camera. It records high definition video to an SD memory card. It can use all the Olympus lenses I already use for my still camera. It has time code, professional microphone inputs, a built-in vectorscope and much more. For the purchase to make sense, I just need some more of the corporate video jobs that used to be my bread and butter business.

My bread and butter business now seems to mainly consist of low budget, quick turnaround website design and equally low budget writing assignments. It's weird to actually be making less money than I was ten years ago, even though I'm much busier than I was then. This seems to be a common problem though. Everyone from other photographers and advertising freelancers to the guy who frames my pictures tells me they are having the same problem. Basically, this economy totally sucks.

I had to rewrite an article I did yesterday, so that means that the article I was supposed to write today gets put off until tomorrow. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly tomorrow because now I've got two articles that need to be written, plus at least four websites that need changes. If only I could trade places with the dogs. They just slept on the bed all day.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 638

I have a compressed disc in my neck. This isn't quite as serious as a slipped disc, but it goes a long way toward explaining my recent neck problems. My doctor showed me a variety of exercises I could do to relieve tension and rebuild strength in my neck muscles, but it's going to be a long, slow process, whatever I do.

I didn't have much luck getting my meds reduced. Apparently, one set of pills is helping to keep plaque from building up in my arteries and another set is keeping me from developing diabetes. Since I wouldn't welcome either a heart attack or diabetes, I will be a good boy and continue to take all my meds. Since statin drugs do have a tendency to cause muscle loss over time, my only alternative might be to join a gym and work on building those muscles back again.

I couldn't wait to get finished with dog class tonight. Dash was just fine, but I wasn't quite ready for the evening's exercises. My neck is still pretty stiff and any exercise that involved running was still a bit painful. I should have just stayed home, but it's hard to take one dog to class when the other doesn't get to go. It's easier to deal with a little neck pain than it is to deal with Dash if he was the one who got left behind.

It looks like I've got quite a few writing jobs for the rest of the week. My doc says I need to work on my posture while I'm at the computer and take longer breaks away from the monitor as I work. This is easier said than done, but I'll give it a try. I spend so much time staring at a computer screen for my work that I can easily imagine that stress and bad posture were part of the problem. Here's to a relaxed, stress free working environment. Now, if I can just keep from falling asleep on the job.

Nicholas is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 637

Apparently, our heat wave isn't over yet. It was 107 today. This doesn't seem right for the middle of September. When we take our walks, there are a few hardy Sunflowers here and there, but most of the vegetation is burned and brown. I've noticed that the trees are already starting to turn. Maybe they're just starting to die. I certainly don't see any of the usual Fall color. Just shades of brown this year.

Today I mostly did the things I promised to do yesterday. Catching up is taking a little longer than expected. I did get my "difficult" website revisions done though. These are the requests that force me to think, because I don't automatically know how to do what the client wants. It's good to have difficult requests from time to time, because this is how I learn new things. I don't think as much as I should. I'm way to busy doing repetitive things that require a lot of time but little actual thought.

It was time for Dash's antigen shot again today. While I was at the vet, the nurse said that Dot and Dash were both very good while they were being boarded. I don't know whether to believe this or not. Whenever I looked at the dogs on the kennel webcam during our vacation, all I usually saw was Dot barking as loud as she could. Maybe Dash was a good dog. Even that is doubtful though, since all he wanted to do today was go after the clinic cat.

I've got an appointment with my doctor tomorrow. When I made the appointment, I wanted to talk about my neck pain, but that's been improving day-by-day. What I really want to do now is see if I can reduce the number of meds I have to take every day. Before I started taking all these meds, I felt strong and could go all the way up to level five on a cardio stress test. Now I just feel tired all the time. My blood work looks better, but I'm convinced that the side effects of the drugs have taken my energy away. Convincing a doctor to take away the pills is going to be a tough sell. Just about every doctor and veterinarian I know really believes in the pills they prescribe.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 636

Today it was back to basics. There's always a lot to catch up on after a week away. I answered phone messages from clients who apparently still don't believe in e-mail. It seems a bit odd to deal with website changes over the phone, but on the other hand, the people who prefer the telephone save me a lot of time typing. Whatever they want to do is OK with me.

The dogs got a nice long morning walk and then I spent the rest of the day making website changes and getting my September invoices in the mail. Invoicing would go a little quicker if I could just sent PDF files, but most people still want two copies on paper mailed to them. The second copy gets mailed back to me with the payment. I've done things this way for years, but still don't really understand why.

Dalmatian Rescue is going to have a booth at Wags and Waves this weekend. Every year when the area waterparks close for the season, they set aside their final weekend just for dogs. We took Dot and Dash to the Hawaiian Falls event last year and they both had a great time. Dot rode down the lazy river in a tube and Dash chased balls in the wave pool. We didn't even think our dogs liked water, so they sure fooled us. These Wags and Waves events attract thousands of dogs and their owners, so we're hoping we'll be able to raise a little money for the Dalmatians at our booth. Probably a lot of other area rescue groups will be there as well.

I did several loads of laundry today and picked up some clothes from the dry cleaner. Tomorrow, it may be time to get myself cleaned up as well. I think it's time for a haircut.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 635

I was looking through some old Ektachrome slides the other day and was surprised to discover that I'd taken several pictures of Engine Company 18. I used to do a lot of work in New York in the 1980's and I must have taken this picture of the historic West Village station while I was walking from my hotel to the recording studio. Who would have known then that Engine Company 18 would become a specialized HazMat unit known as Squad Company 18 in 1998 and subsequently be put to the ultimate test a few years later on September 11, 2001. Squad Company 18 lost a huge number of firefighters for such a small station on 9/11. When I look at this photograph, I can't help but think that the world will never again enjoy the innocence it felt when I walked by this station on a cool morning in 1985.

When all my other memories have faded, I will still remember the day President Kennedy was shot, the day Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon, and the day the towers fell. These are days that changed history forever. I think the changes set in place by 9/11 aren't over yet. Today's economy has something to do with 9/11. The Arab Spring with its unprecedented fall of dictatorships has something to do with 9/11 as well. History is funny. It's hard to see it when you're right in the middle of it. Maybe in thirty years or so, we'll have a better idea of what opening this particular Pandora's Box has brought us. I just wish we could somehow recreate the sense of unity and determination we all felt on September 12, 2001. If we could do that as a society, we could accomplish anything.

I don't know how to make sweeping changes. I don't think anybody does. That's why I stick to small things. I try to help dogs and avoid being a burden to others. That's about it. Today we took the dogs to the dog park. We did some laundry. We reflected on what we saw on TV. Tomorrow will be a brand new day.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 634

OK. We just got back from Vegas and what's on the agenda for tonight: another Dalmatian Rescue Casino Party. After this fundraiser is over, I think I've had enough with gambling for a while.

Saturday's are usually busy errand days anyway, but a Saturday after you've been away a week can seem even busier than usual. I've gotten my bags unpacked. I've taken the dirty vacation clothes to the dry cleaner. I've gone to the grocery store and filled the car up with gas. There's still cleaning and laundry do be done, including a dirty bedspread that Dash somehow managed to track mud on within the last ten minutes.

Just out of curiosity, I looked on the Tramadol website last night to see what Contraindications were listed. Right on the website, it said the drug should never be given together with muscle relaxers like Skelaxin. Why would my doctor not know this? In fairness, I never saw my real doctor about my neck episode. He wasn't available. The technicians that took care of me should have known better though. There is simply no excuse for giving me a prescription for two drugs that should never be taken together.

The house is finally nice and cool again. It takes a long time to cool down a house in Texas after you've left the AC off for a week. Maybe tomorrow, I'll have some time to clean up the yard. A possum or an armadillo totally destroyed the back yard while we were away. The critter must have been looking for grubs under the soil. In it's search for food, it dug literally hundreds of 3 to 6 inch holes all over the yard. Things weren't going all that well anyway, because of this Summer's head wave. This was the final nail in the coffin though. It's too late in the season to do much this year, but next Spring is a total do-over.

Hopefully, we'll make a lot of money for the Dalmatians tonight. Wish us luck...

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 633

We’re in the air and on the way home. I hope that what happens in Vegas really does stay in Vegas. Pain is such a relative thing. Everyone has their own threshold. Maybe I’m a total wuss. On the other hand, maybe I’m a total idiot who took a Vegas vacation when he should have been in a neck brace. At any rate, I think I may have passed my own personal threshold when I found myself spending several nights in an expensive hotel, sleeping in an upright chair because it was the most comfortable place I could find.

We had a lovely dinner at Canaletto last night. I think it was a signal that the worst was over. The Northern Italian Ravioli was light, fresh and satisfying. I ate everything and actually felt like doing something after dinner. We went outside again to see a beautiful sunset, and then it rained. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by Madame Tussauds. I'd never been to a wax museum before and it was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. You never get a sense of how large or small people are by looking at pictures. The wax figures are absolutely accurate. A lot of famous Hollywood people turned out to be much smaller than I thought they'd be. At some point, I came face-to-face with Richard Petty and I was stunned. I'd spent some time with Richard in the mid 90's when I was making a series of Pepsi commercials that featured the legendary NASCAR driver. I stood a few feet away from the wax figure and the effect was so real that I almost expected Richard to start talking. Not all the wax figures were this real, but this one brought back some fond memories.

I think Janet is going to be mad at me for a while for turning into the Howard Hughes of the Mirage. I seldom left the room, but that’s just the way it was. Things didn’t really start getting better until I gave up on the pain pills in total disgust and decided that “cold turkey” couldn’t be any worse. Almost immediately, I started feeling better. All the pills were doing was making me loopy. I was starting to see bugs flying around the bathroom that weren't even there. I’m so mad that my doctor gave me a big bottle of Tramadol when this medication obviously had no effect on my type of neck pain at all. Janet told me that she was worried sick that she’d come back from the casinos and find me OD’d on the floor. It probably was a very good thing the pills didn’t work, because if they actually did what they were supposed to do, I would have taken a lot more of them.

It will be great to see the dogs again. We’ve both really missed them this week. Dot and Dash always looked happy enough when we looked at them on the webcam, but I’m sure they’ll both give us one of those “how could you” looks as soon as we get them home. Luckily, dogs forgive very easily; especially when you remember to put dog treats in your suitcase.

Janet’s been having trouble with her computer and I told her that I’d take it to the Apple Store for her after she went to work tomorrow. “It’s Friday John,” she told me. “What day did you think it was?” Lord only knows. I don’t think I left anything at the hotel though.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 632

Rod Stewart was fantastic! I clapped my hands, I stomped my feet. I cried like a baby. For two hours, I totally forgot that I was in terrible pain. Stewart is an amazing survivor. The guy literally survived throat cancer and kept right on singing; some say even better than before. There aren't many original A-list rockers left who could still put on this kind of a show. Rod started his working career as a gravedigger and went on to make music history. He was friends with Ray Davies and briefly played with the Kinks. He joined Jeff Beck's band right after the Yardbirds. Stewart and Ronnie Wood were famous friends and wrote many songs together. He still tells people he learned to play the harmonica by watching Mick Jagger play in Newport Street clubs.

There's a lot more to this guy than Maggie May, even though everyone on the 4,000 seat auditorium knew all the words and were singing along on this one with tears in their eyes. The guy is a master at getting emotion out of a audience. I really wished I'd brought my camera to the concert. I never bring electronic devices to concerts anymore because they always get confiscated when you arrive and then you have to wait for an hour after the show to get your stuff back. Rod didn't care about cameras. He said he liked people taking pictures during the show. I actually recall him saying "Hey, it's your show guys. Have a party...dance on stage..do whatever you want." You have to be careful when you say that sort of thing in Vegas. It didn't take long before a large group of women actually did storm the stage. They were all quickly whisked away by security, although in fairness, Rod did personally invite them up there. The women were persistent though. Throughout the evening they would throw bras and even expensive Jimmie Choo shoes on stage. Rod seem perplexed about the shoes. He picked one up and sang to it at some point. Then he shouted out to the audience "Why do you just throw one shoe? One shoe is totally useless. Throw me the other one too."

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening last night. This is my kind of rock n' roll. I never cared about totally fabricated PR creations like Lady GaGa. I never cared much for self proclaimed blues legends like Amy Winehouse who sing a few song and go kill themselves. Jeez guys, the blues is people like B.B. King and John Lee Hooker. You live a long, hard life and you sing about it. You don't sing a few songs and kill yourself.

I don't know what this world is coming to. I'm convinced though that it would be a much better place of there were a lot more Rod Stewart's and a lot fewer Mark Zuckerberg's. Sure, Rod isn't perfect. The guy's been married a million times. At least he's honest about his life though. I'm sure a lot of uber-geeks are still with their first wife because they're terrified of how much they'd lose in the divorce settlement. A true rocker is never terrified. One of my favorite Rod Stewart quotes is when he told somebody, "I not getting married again, I'm just going to go find a woman I can't stand and buy her a house."

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 631

If I told a veterinarian that one of my dogs was showing signs of pain in the spinal area, they would tell me to bring the dog in immediately for a CAT scan so they could identify the pinched nerve. When my doctor finally called me back and I explained my condition to him, he told me to put an ice pack on it. This, in a nutshell, is what is wrong with out medical system today. Veterinary Hospitals are for profit businesses that attract customers by providing the advanced services people want at prices they can afford. Doctors and hospitals operate by a completely different business model. Their customer isn't the patient. It is the insurance company that ultimately pays them. They know exactly what the insurance companies will approve and what they won't approve and design their care accordingly. I certainly don't blame the doctors. They're just trying to make the best of a very bad system. It is the insurance companies that are the bad guys.

I didn't tell my doc that I'd already tried an ice pack yesterday. The ice really didn't deaden the pain very much and the ice bag leaked as well, soaking my shirt with cold icy water. I think I'll stick with Bengay rub and my pain pills till I get home.

We had breakfast at the Bellagio this morning. I've always thought this was one of the prettiest hotels in town. The fountains are a work of art in themselves, and if you look up over your head in the main lobby, you'll see the most spectacular blown glass chandelier you could ever imagine by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly. Today, there were giant umbrellas hanging all over the place. I have no idea what the umbrellas meant, but they were quite pretty.

We're going to go see Rod Stewart tonight. Jeez, this guy makes me seem young. The guy's a senior citizen and he's dancing around the stage like Mick Jagger....who is also a bona fide senior citizen. Go figure. At any rate, I wish I had a little of whatever they're taking. Most of my memories of Rod Stewart are from the earlier years when he was playing in the Jeff Beck Group with Ron Wood. I also remember Every Picture Tells a Story being one of the best albums of the early 1970's. It will be fun seeing if the guy still has his chops tonight.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day