Day 1001 - 9/11

I wonder why the bad memories are the most indelible? While many of my most pleasant memories have faded away, I'll never forget the day the dogs and I were attacked by another dog and Dash was almost killed. I still vividly remember hearing six shots right outside my front door back when Janet and I were first dating, as police shot and killed an intruder in the neighborhood. Although it was many years ago, it seems like yesterday when I sat alone for 45 minutes in the mortuary with my Dad shortly after he died. 9/11 is like this for me. On a Tuesday morning eleven years ago the unthinkable happened and I will never forget it.

That fateful day changed our lives in ways that most of us still don't fully appreciate. An innocence was lost that morning that I don't think will ever be recovered. That was the day that privacy became an anachronism as well. We don't even question the cameras on every street corner now. We don't question being poked, prodded and scanned at airports. These intrusions have just become part of life as we know it. The two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan didn't really accomplish much, but they did set the stage for something much more effective.

Robotic drones were developed that quietly observed everything and just as quietly eliminated the bad guys one by one. Nobody seemed to mind the drones. They have been so successful that they are starting to be used domestically. The border patrol uses them. So do some police departments. As technology improves, these drones will continue to get smaller and more sophisticated. There will be a day when the drones are as small as mosquitoes and will be used to quietly poison their victims. No bombs required. I have mixed feeling about all this. I like the idea of being able to selectively and almost invisibly eradicate evil, but it puts a huge responsibility on the folks flying these things. We are still human. One day, a distraught controller will go rogue and use a drone to kill his ex-wife and then everything will start to unravel.

When I took this picture of the New York skyline looking out my hotel window at the UN Plaza in the mid-1980's, the world was a simpler place. I wish I could go back to those days. I was much less cynical when the twin towers were full of life. I couldn't afford to go to Windows on the World, but I liked to ride the elevators to the top of the towers and look out over the city. The last time I was in New York, I just looked down at a deep hole and mourned.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1000

1000 days ago, I became a blogger. I didn’t really have much to say, but I was determined to say it anyway. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was convinced that if you looked at the ordinary closely enough, it would become extraordinary.

Day after day, I recorded the trivial and the absurd in my life. Even in the beginning I knew that a blog needed pictures. Each evening I showed you a different Dalmatian. They all had spots and looked very similar, but I understood they were completely unique. I knew these dogs. I had photographed each of them and had helped to find them homes.

The watches were different. I didn’t find homes for the watches. They found a home with me. I collected them all. The reason you see a new Dalmatian and a new watch every day is quite simple. I have lots and lots of pictures of both. Since I’m a visual person, I instinctively knew that every watch and dog I showed you told a story. I wasn’t so sure about my days.

On the surface, my life is extremely boring. If you were a fly on the wall, watching my daily routine would be like watching paint dry. At least that’s what I thought at first. I wondered why anyone would even bother to read this blog. Lets face it. Not much happens.

People did begin to read however, and I began to discover that even the most uneventful existence is full of mystery and nuance. The simple act of writing things down has allowed me to see things I normally never noticed. Maybe it wasn’t such a boring life after all. I had built a little business that had survived for almost 25 years without going bankrupt. I had learned to understand what goes on inside the heads of dogs. Perhaps most surprisingly of all, I was still alive.

Without the trail of breadcrumbs the blog now provides me, I probably would have already forgotten that I’ve been interviewed twice by the local news during the past 1000 days. I’ve been featured in ads for Paypal and was even flown out to San Francisco for a big photo shoot featuring two Dalmatians and me. Honeybees built a huge hive in our roof one Summer and threatened to invade the house. Another Summer I shot a video about a goat that became friends with a Great Dane for the National Geographic Channel. You may have seen it. There have been cancer scares, tornado alerts, sick dogs and much more. Through all this, I never missed a day. I posted on the same day I had surgery. I kept posting through power outages and computer failures. Hell, I had a story to tell. It was a good story too. You could even make a good case that I’d been leading a pretty interesting life after all.

The blog has taught me that almost everything you do has implications. The Dalmatian pictures have made people more aware of Dalmatian Rescue and the importance of saving these wonderful dogs. Dot and Dash now have dozens of new friends from all around the world.

Amazingly, the pictures of watches on the blog have actually made me a little money. As a result of my daily watch pictures, I am now considered a watch expert in certain circles and have written more than 300 articles and press releases for major brands like Fortis, Eterna and Versace. Who would have thought?

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. On September 10, 2001 I had no idea of what was going to happen the next day. If the blog has taught me one thing, it is this. Even after 1000 consecutive days of posting, I still can’t tell you what is going to happen tomorrow. You’re going to have to just keep reading.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 999

I think Fall has finally arrived. Maybe it's just a passing cold front, but it certainly felt like Fall this morning. The dog park was packed with pooches and their people, all taking advantage of the cooler temperatures. Dot and Dash had a great time catching up on new smells and old acquaintances. It's been a while since we've been to the park. We've either been out of town or dealing with sick dogs. I thing both the dogs and I are relieved that everything is back to normal again.

When we got home, I set about building web pages for the three new Dalmatians I had photographed yesterday. I also did some minor website revisions for other clients, but it didn't really feel like work. With the crisp Fall temperatures, nothing was going to spoil the feeling of a lazy afternoon.

We tried out a new iPad GPS mapping app this weekend. The thing only cost 99 cents to download from iTunes and it was much more sophisticated than in-dash GPS systems that cost thousands of dollars. Not only did the app have a pleasant voice that told you where to turn and a map that showed the direction to your destination, it also showed you the speed limit on every single street and told you whether you were going faster or slower than you should be. It's probably only a matter of time before apps like this send a secret message to the DMV when you are speeding and then you wind up getting a speeding ticket added to your next Mastercard bill. It's a brave new world out there. It makes you wonder how much your phone really knows about you.

It's hard to believe that I'm on the eve of the much anticipated Day 1000. I don't have the world's longest attention span, so doing anything for 1000 days in a row is a rare accomplishment. More about Day 1000 tomorrow. Today was just a nice, relaxed Fall day. Probably the best thing about today is that Dot is completely better. After a trip to the dog park, several long walks, and lots of activity, I didn't hear her cough once.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 998

I got this e-mail last night that said "Congratulations, you're one of the top 100 Twitter users in Dallas." What? I wasn't even aware that I used Twitter very much. Curiosity drove me to the website that made this astounding claim and sure enough, I was listed as number 56 among the city's most active Twitter users. I was right up there with the aspiring musicians and over-the-hill athletes. I wondered how this could have happened, and then I realized that since the Twitter API makes it so easy to turn virtually anything into a Tweet, I had a lot more Tweets than I thought. I'll have to admit that I kind of like Twitter. It's the perfect medium for people like me who like to throw notes out to sea in bottles. I've accumulated a lot of Twitter followers and I don't know any of them. I can tell you one thing. It's a lot easier to deal with 20,000 people you don't know on Twitter than 20 you actually do know on Facebook.

Janet and I met some cute Dalmatians today up at the Dalmatian Rescue kennels. The new guys, Delilah, Annie and Eli, were quite small and all three were completely adorable. Two of the three dogs were still being treated for heartworm disease, but when these little guys get well, they should find homes almost immediately. I haven't seen a more appealing group of Dalmatians since the last group we photographed.

When I went to install the new printer ink I bought earlier in the week, I realized, much to my chagrin, that I had written down the wrong part numbers and had purchased colors I already had. Now, I've got to go back to the printer store and exchange these cartridges for the colors that are actually empty. Some of you probably think that I rattle on way too much about this silly printer, but it has become a symbol of life's frustrations for me. When I first got the printer, I was fascinated by the gorgeous prints I could make. I learned how to make beautiful Giclée fine art prints using wonderful archival papers that would last 100 years. Friends saw these prints and started asking me to print things for them. They just thought my printer was a bigger version of their own printers and never realized how much trouble it was for me to prints things for them. I eventuality realized the printer was only good for making fine art prints, so I spent a lot of time printing my best images and was able to use these images to get invited to show in several good galleries. This seems like a story with a happy ending. It would have been a happy ending if I hadn't come to despise the gallery world. Making it in the gallery world made advertising seem like an honest days work. I've never seen anything more phony and contrived than the business side of fine art. So, there you have it. I had become an expert fine art printer with no desire to participate in the art world anymore. I had no desire to make Giclée prints, but my love of machinery compelled me to maintain the bulky printer and keep it functioning. A love/hate relationship if there ever was one.

Luckily I have no such ambiguities when it come to Dot and Dash. I dearly love these dogs. They ought to have fun at the dog park tomorrow. A cold front blew through last night and it is at least twenty degrees cooler today. Finally, it feels like Fall!  I'm looking forward to the changing of the seasons. This Summer has been a hot one.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 997

A hunger for over-easy eggs on a bed of spicy pulled pork lured me back to the cool restaurant this morning. This place has delicious food and I'd go there a lot more often if it weren't for all the cool people. I'm sorry guys. Your breakfast is good, but I find the cacophony of plastic flip flops, yoga pants and tattoos a bit jarring. Would it kill you guys to wear decent shoes and put on a little makeup? Maybe I'm different. I'll take a crisp white hotel tablecloth, a quiet dining room, an attentive waiter, and some well prepared Eggs Benedict any day of the week.

Today a saw a little kid pulling cookies and muffins out of a rack case at the restaurant and throwing them on the floor. His new age mom didn't even reprimand the kid. She just gave the guy at the register an isn't he cute look and handed him her credit card to pay for the mess. My mom would have whipped my butt if I ever did something like that.

It was a slow work day, but I did manage to get my September invoices posted and in the mail. I wonder if I'll ever get out of the endless cycle of paying bills and then earning just enough money to pay the bills all over again the next month? There's a good chance I'll be locked in this cycle forever if I can't overcome my lust for electronic gear. I got an e-mail from Sound Devices today with a preview of their latest and greatest field mixer. I have an earlier model mixer from this company. It has served me well and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Why do I want this new model then? I certainly don't need it. I dread the day the iPhone 5 is announced later this Fall. There nothing wrong with my current iPhone. In fact, the only thing I use it for is sending pictures to Instagram. I'm sure I'll figure out some reason why I just have to have the new improved model though. That's just the way it is with me. While you guys are reading a good novel, I'm reading catalogs filled with page after page of gear I don't really need.

It was 105 degrees outside today. That's pretty hot for September. Luckily, there's supposed to be a cold front headed our way. If it's cooler tomorrow, Janet and I plan to go take pictures of the new dalmatians in the rescue program. I think there are at least three dogs who aren't on the website yet. Taking dog pictures will break up the day a bit. Otherwise the day will just be a long list of chores.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 996

I'm feeling a bit snarky today. It made no difference whatsoever having the U-verse technician come out yesterday. I continue to experience intermittent dropouts in the broadband signal, just like I have for months. I don't think the problem is something a technician can fix. The equipment is working fine. The problem is that the whole U-verse concept isn't ready for prime time yet. AT&T won't admit this though. They're making too much money signing up people who have become disgruntled with cable.

An armadillo tore up our yard last night. The same thing has happened every September for the past three years. The poor grass was struggling to survive anyway. Now, the back yard is pretty much decimated. I think the armadillo was looking for white grubs. It didn't find any, but that didn't stop him from trying.

I had to pick up a coffee filter and a Sodastream CO₂ canister at Bed Bath and Beyond today. When I got to the checkout counter, I finally remembered I had forgotten to bring one of those big blue Save 20% coupons that seem to arrive in the mail every other day. There is a stack of these coupons in the kitchen and I can never remember to bring them with me. Janet says I could save a lot of money if I would start using coupons, but they just don't seem important to me.

Printer ink does seem important, although I don't know why. I rarely print anything on my large format printer anymore. I still need to buy the ink though. Epson, in their evil wisdom, uses the expensive pigment ink to clean out the lines and keep the printer from clogging. Somehow, I've managed to empty all eight cartridges on the 4880 printer just running the cleaning cycle periodically. I don't think I've actually printed much of anything this year. Since I had to renew my monthly prescriptions today as well, I found it ironic that the printer ink cost me more than the pills that keep me alive.

Someone asked me the name of today's flower on Twitter this morning. It's called a Prairie Verbena. For years I've just been calling the thing a blue ring flower. I'll probably forget the real name as quickly as I forget those blue Bed Bath and Beyond coupons. I won't forget that Dot is almost back to her normal self though. We returned to our regular long walk this morning and she didn't cough a bit.

April is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 995

Well, today was a complete waste. I waited and waited and waited for the U-verse guy. When I finally lost my patience and was about to give up completely, I get an automated call from AT&T. "Your technician has been delayed," the message said. No shit! It would have been nice if they told me this about five hours earlier. I waited a couple of hours longer and the technician finally shows up. He can't find anything wrong. This isn't surprising, since there wasn't anything wrong today. The problem is intermittent. "You know there is a problem," I told the technician, "because AT&T always does a line check before they will dispatch a service technician. The technician agreed and kept looking around. When he got to the modem, he asked "Did you add these line filters?" "No," I said. "The last technician added them." "Well, he shouldn't have," the technician says. "This modem has built-in line filters."

This is so typical. I think Obama learned to blame everything on George Bush from service technicians. They always blame any problem on the previous service technician. Don't these guys ever have staff meetings so they can get on the same page? The last guy thought the line filters were real important. This guy just tells me that the last guy was an idiot. I guess time will tell. Everything is working now, but it's only been a few hours.

Dot is probably going to have relapse of her bronchitis after barking at the service technician for several hours. I just can't get her to stop. She apparently doesn't want anyone in the house except for Janet and me. Usually, this isn't a problem. I lead a pretty solitary existence. Often, we go for months between visitors.

Dot and I skipped training class tonight because Dot is still coughing a bit and if she does have kennel cough, she might be contagious. Janet took Dash to the class, while Dot stayed behind to help me with the blog. I'll be curious to see if Dash is any more obedient with Janet than he is with me. If I were a betting men, I'd bet against seeing any dramatic changes. Dash learned all the commands years ago. He's just stubborn.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 994

I'm finished with my WWD Magic assignment. All my articles have been submitted. The videos have been edited and shipped off to their final destinations. I'm sure I was the oldest blogger at this prestigious show. The halls were filled with young girls who had their own fashion blog. Out of curiosity, I visited a few of these blogs and they all had a much larger audience than a certain blogger who writes about Dalmatians all the time. These kids were the new media you hear people talking about all the time. I was impressed. They each had a large, attentive audience. They had good connections within their industry. They were re-writing the rules of journalism. Every time I hear people whining about high unemployment and lack of opportunities for young people I just shake my head and wonder. There are literally tons of opportunities for young people, and these ambitious, very successful fashion bloggers were living proof.

I was a dinosaur by comparison. While I was at the show, I wandered through Avril Lavigne’s Abbey Dawn booth and didn't even recognize Avril Lavigne. I didn't even know that Avril Lavigne had a clothing line until later when I saw something on Joan River's Fashion Police show about how trashy Avril looked at WWD Magic. In my defense, I did recognize Betsy Johnson though. As Dr. Who would probably have said, Besty Johnson is cool.

I took Dash to the vet today for his regular antigen shot. His nurse was all excited about her upcoming wedding later this month. She and her husband to be are going to Tahiti for their honeymoon. They started saving for the trip over a year ago and are paying for the whole thing themselves. Is this a great country or what? Teenage fashion bloggers are rewriting the rules of journalism and young vet techs are vacationing in Tahiti. I don't care what people say. This is still the land of opportunity. The fact that I'm still making a decent living is practically an economic miracle in itself.

The dogs and I will have another opportunity to deal with a repairman in the house tomorrow. The U-verse technician is coming over to see if he can get our broadband service working properly again. I guess there's no three strikes and you're out rule in the telecom business. All of these companies continue to sign up new customers as fast as they can, while simultaneously doing their best to drive their existing customers crazy. Probably people like me are part of the problem. I used to be happy with a simple 300 baud modem. Now, I'm pissed if I can't upload a 10 MB file in two seconds.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 993 - Labor Day

So, what did I do on Labor Day? I worked.The sad thing was that I didn't have to work. I just couldn't think of anything fun that I wanted to do. On the plus side of things, I did manage to finish a charity website the I've been postponing for months. I'm getting closer and closer to getting caught up on everything.

Dot continues to get better. I'm thinking now that she actually did have kennel cough, but since the treatment for kennel cough is exactly the same as she is currently receiving, I don't think it matters what the vet actually called her condition. I think that kennel cough can turn into acute bronchitis, which in rare cases can turn into pneumonia. At her worst, she was probably somewhere between kennel cough and bronchitis. The meds are working though and she is definitely improving.

I'm about to give up on AT&T U-verse. When it works, it's great. The only problem is that it doesn't work properly very often. I've already had tech support out to the house three times. Next week will be service visit number four. The problem is always the same. I lose the broadband signal for the TV, phones and Internet. The router automatically reboots and the signal returns. About five minutes later, the whole process begins again. I've even lost phone service while I was talking to tech support. The technicians have certainly been nice enough. So far, they've replaced the router, added special line filters, and done some repairs to the wiring at the switch. The problem always returns. One particularly honest repairman told me "You know, your distance from the switch puts you right at the limit for this type of connection." I think that is the problem, even if AT&T won't officially admit it. I was too far away for DSL, and I'm probably still too far away for U-verse. Maybe U-verse just is DSL with a new name.

AT&T wasn't the only technology problem today. I'm having some problems with my hard drive. I have an invalid directory item count and I can't get my normally faithful Apple Disk Utility to fix things. Sometime when I wasn't looking, Apple in it's infinite wisdom moved the disk repair utilities to the Cloud. Now, you're supposed to be able to boot your computers from Apple's remote servers and let them fix things. There's only one problem. It doesn't work. I can't even access whatever is in the cloud. I hate the cloud.

Oh, well. Tomorrow is another day. Unfortunately, it's just a regular work day. I shouldn't have squandered my vacation working on websites. There will be plenty of time for that later. I think Dot appreciated me being her nurse this weekend though. I'm a pretty good dog nurse.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 992

Jeez. I feel like I've spent the entire day doing laundry. In the short amount of time between when I got up this morning and when Dot got up, she managed to throw up on the sheets, the bedspread, the pillows and the bedroom carpet. We have a house where the floors are mostly brick, but somehow both dogs prefer to throw up on soft fuzzy things. I even had to throw the mattress pad in the washer this time to clean up all the mess. Happily, Dot is feeling a little better though. She managed to hold down her breakfast and isn't coughing as bad as she was yesterday.

In  between the endless loads of laundry, I found time to mow the grass and straighten up the house a bit. Janet said that Dash enjoyed being on his own at today's rescue event. I could tell that Dot wanted to go too, but she needed to rest.

I enjoyed the Dr. Who season opener last night. Rumor has it that Jenna-Louise Coleman, the girl in the crashed spaceship in last night's premier, will end up being the doctor's new companion sometime during season seven. I don't know how that's going to happen, because she was turned into a Dalek in last night's show just before the planet she was on blew up. Strange things happen on this show however. I can't even count how many times Amy and Rory Pond have died and come back to life.

It's too bad that Dot feels under the weather. It would be nice to take the dogs somewhere tomorrow, since we have the day off. I'm not sure what dogs like to do on Labor Day, but if it involved food and a chance to run around off leash and smell things, they'd be all for it. We'll see how Dot feels in the morning. If worse comes to worse, she and I can just watch old stuff on TV that we've already seen. That's what we did today.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 991

How do you keep a Dalmatian completely calm? I think it's impossible. Dot woke up sick this morning. She seemed to be having some trouble breathing and was coughing a lot. When she was completely calm, she appeared just fine, but as soon as she got excited about anything, she started coughing, gagging, and throwing up what looked like mucus. I made an appointment to take her to the vet right away, but it wasn't easy to keep her calm until her appointment. It just isn't in Dot's nature to be calm. When she looked out the living room window, she got excited and started choking. When she thought she was getting breakfast, she started coughing. Of course, she still wanted her walk too, even though she really needed to be sleeping.

The vet agreed that Dot had a nasty cough, but didn't think it was anything serious. She didn't have bordetella. She didn't even have a fever. It appears that she severely irritated her throat last week while the dogs were being boarded. I think she just barked all the time at the kennel. We left the vet with some antibiotics and a cough suppressant. Hopefully, she will get better soon. I tried my best to be a good nurse today, but Dot is not a very good patient.

While I was trying to keep Dot calm this afternoon, I did get a chance to watch a couple of Dr. Who episodes I hadn't seen before. The new season premiers later this evening and there was an all day Dr. Who marathon on the BBC Channel leading up to the big season opener. I wonder how I completely missed two of last season's shows. I've seen virtually ever episode of Dr. Who at least five or six times. At any rate, as soon as I post tonight's blog entry, you know what I'm going to be doing.

It doesn't look like Dot will get to go to tomorrow's rescue event. She needs the rest anyway, but we couldn't take her to a public event when she was coughing like crazy. People would think she had kennel cough and probably wouldn't even come near our both. Dash will probably be happy that he'll have all the attention to himself while I stay home and nurse Dot.

At least all the dog activities today allowed me to postpone mowing the grass a for a whole. The grass in the front yard is getting pretty long after last week's rain. I guess I get a reprieve. Nobody expects you to mow the grass when a you've got a sick dog around the house.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 990

When I was eating breakfast this morning, I noticed that the waiters knew sign language. "That's cool," I thought. I hear waiters speaking to customers in Spanish all the time, but I run into very few who sign. I actually wish everybody used sign language. The world is way too noisy. Year ago, when I worked on the American Airlines account, I proposed that the airline scrap their smoking and no smoking sections on the planes and substitute talking and no talking sections instead. As you might expect, that went over like a lead balloon. I still think it is a good idea though.

Lots of older people go to the restaurant I visited this morning. I've noticed that the older women tend to eat in groups of three or four and are almost always happy and smiling. The old men almost always eat alone and look miserable. The only time when the old women seem to look miserable is when they are dining with their grumpy old husbands. There were a few younger people in the restaurant too. One young woman was wearing a t-shirt that said Kiss Me in the Dark. A bright shaft of light was shining directly on her through the restaurant window. I thought that was funny.

I didn't really get caught up today, but I feel more or less up to speed again. There's only one article left to write and it isn't due until sometime next week. All my websites are current again. My clients are happy with the stuff that I sent out by FedEx yesterday. It seems like a good time to slack off a bit and enjoy the Labor Day holiday.

Dot and Dash have a rescue event to look forward to this weekend. They've both turned out to be good little ambassadors for the breed. Dot likes these rescue events because she gets to be bossy and act like she's running the show. Dash, always the social butterfly, just likes to get petted by strangers.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 989

I knew this was going to happen. I've finally used up the stack of pre-printed FedEx forms that's been sitting in my desk drawer for ten years. Without the forms, I have no idea what my FedEx account number is, so I take my packages down to the FedEx office to find out. They've never heard of me. "But I've been coming to this office for almost fifteen years," I tell the woman at the desk. "I must be in your computer somewhere," I say. "I've used up a two inch thick stack of pre-printed forms mailing stuff with you guys." "We have no record of you." says the woman. "Would you like to set up an account with us?" "But I already have an account," I say. "When was the last time you shipped something," says the woman? "I know I shipped something last year," I say. The woman starts laughing. "You're an inactive account," she says. "We deleted you."

I finally get my packages shipped and go home to feed the dogs. They both want to lay outside in the backyard after lunch, but the mosquitoes are back. After all the spraying the city has done this Summer, there are still just as many mosquitoes as there ever were. Two friends of ours in the neighborhood have already caught the West Nile Disease. They said for them it was like a bad case of the flu. I wonder if I've been infected as well. Some people just don't show any symptoms. All I know is that I've been bitten by a ton of mosquitoes this Summer. I guess I'll find out when I have my annual physical next month. West Nile Virus antibodies do show up in blood work.

After a week of feeling like I've had too much to do, I've just about caught up with my workload. By this weekend, I think I will have caught up completely. With a three day weekend coming up, having nothing to do appeals to me. Maybe Janet and I will think of something fun to do with the dogs on Labor Day. 

Since things are more or less back to normal, I'll be looking for somewhere interesting to have breakfast tomorrow. I may even venture out of the neighborhood.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 988

A guy came out to look at the tree on the roof today. The first thing he said was "I should have brought my saw. This will only take me twenty minutes or so." Too bad he didn't bring his saw, because he had plenty of time today. The tree guy was very talkative. Nothing happened with the tree, but we spent the next hour up on the roof solving the world's problems. The guy wanted to talk about politics, which is probably my least favorite subject. At first I thought he was a Democrat. Then I though he was a Republican. Then, I finally figured out that Ron Paul was who he really liked. I kind of like Ron Paul myself, but he could never get elected president. He is just too blunt and too honest. Even though a lot of time was wasted chatting on the roof, I liked the tree guy. Too bad he can't  trim my trees until the middle of September.

I had to print some DVD labels today and discovered, much to my surprise, that my label printing software didn't work any more. It used to work. I haven't really changed anything. What's the problem? This kind of thing happens far too often. Probably some minor system upgrade conflicted with the Epson printer driver and the whole thing went kaput. I tried to look on the Internet for a solution, and the most recent reference to the problem I was having was dated 2004. I think it was probably a different problem back then. Now I'll probably have to go buy a whole new kind of label printing software and hope that it works. Of course, I could always just write the title on the disc with a laundry marker, but I like to look professional.  Oh, well.  One more unsolved problem to deal with tomorrow.

I'm finally getting caught up with my work. I added a bunch of Boxer puppies to a rescue website. I added a page about a Halloween party to another website. I think I've only got one unfinished article to write. Things are definitely looking up.

I know it's still Summer, but it seemed like a pleasant Fall evening at dog training class tonight. There was a nice breeze. The temperature wasn't bad. The only thing that put a damper on the evening was that it's starting to get dark again during class. I think the dogs would agree that our class is much more enjoyable when the sun is up.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 987

Has your life become a poor re-make of Groundhog Day? You remember that movie, don't you? Bill Murray is forced to relive the same day over and over again until he finally gets it right. I feel that way sometimes. I look for a flower, or something vaguely interesting to photograph for the blog on my morning walk with the dogs. I stay in the shower until the hot water runs out. I eat breakfast while watching an old episode of Dr. Who that I've seen five times already. Then I go to work. The work is almost always the same. It's usually slow and tedious. I add something to a website. I subtract something from a paragraph of text. I blend something together in Final Cut Pro. I crop something in Photoshop. I rarely talk to anyone. My marching orders typically come in the form of terse e-mails sent from smart phones. I don't even bother to answer these messages. The results will be on the web soon enough anyway. I just follow my instructions and move on to the next task.

I wonder if I will ever get it right. It would be nice to move beyond the boredom of endless repetition. The lesson of Groundhog Day was that even in the most boring of scenarios, there is plenty of room for improvement and personal growth. In theory, what I do should be fascinating. The problem is that I've done it all too many times already. This is the challenge of daily life. How do you take something that you have done 1000 times and make version number 1001 fresh and new? I don't have the answer, but I'm working on it. Let's just call it a work in progress.

Maybe I've become fixated on repetition because I've seen a lot of it on TV today. There's a political convention going on right now. It's exactly the same as every political convention I can remember. There's a hurricane headed straight for New Orleans. How many times has this happened? I don't know how the people of New Orleans have the tenacity to keep rebuilding on the same spot over and over again. Maybe they will never get it right. I would have moved to higher ground right after the first hurricane and never returned. That's just me though. I'm always looking for the practical solution. Could it be that being practical is right at the root of my boredom?

Hey, Wednesday is French Toast day though. I know it's just another part of the endless repetition, but I like French Toast. I look forward to it. Maybe the dogs and I will see something new on our walk.  Maybe I'll get an assignment I've never done before. Something brand new! One can always hope.

Mandy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 986

I hope today wasn't a precursor to what I have to look forward to during the rest of the week. I was way too busy today. I'm still trying, without a lot of success, to work my way out of last week's backlog. Today was video editing day. I cut together several short videos and managed to get one shipped off to the client. The editing would have gone a lot smoother if I wasn't constantly interrupted by other things. I have a feeling that this is the new normal. Instead of having the luxury of working three weeks on a project, I'm given three hours instead. Lord help me if I decide to skip a day. Skip three days and I'm screwed. With a steady succession of small tasks that command equally small budgets, the only way to succeed is to keep moving. I've more of less mastered this treadmill, but I regret that I never realized just how good I had it fifteen years ago.

One thing did please me today. One of the impromptu videos I put together about the WWD Magic show looked just as good as a similar video put together by a local Las Vegas TV news crew. The news crew had a cameraman, a sound man, an announcer, a producer, and lots of expensive equipment. I just had me. When I saw the news crew photographing some of the same stuff I was, I was afraid they would make my own video look pitiful. The two videos ended up looking very similar however. Both were hurried and rushed. I guess nobody has the luxury of a three week deadline anymore.

The dogs are the only ones who still seem to lead the life of luxury. Dot and Dash consistantly get up late, eat frequently, and are always looking to be entertained. Luckily, it's easy to entertain a dog. If people were even half as accomodating, life would be good.

Tomorrow, I've got another video to edit, along with the usual array of short articles and website updates. If I can find the time, I need to look for an arborist to finish the job of removing the tree on the roof. Hmm. I wonder how much that is going to cost?  If experience is any guide, getting rid of the fallen tree will cost me a lot more than I could earn for a similar amount of effort. I can't complain though. I tried to do the job myself and I failed. I'll always hire a pro when necessary. I hope my clients continue to feel the same way.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 985

I wouldn't make a very good lumberjack. I wrestled with the tree on the roof this afternoon with very limited success. It was easy enough to trim away the small leafy branches. Some of the smaller subsidiary branches came off pretty well too. It was when I got the tree whittled back to the trunk that I began to have problems. Each two to three foot log I sawed away from the trunk seemed to weigh about a hundred pounds. I never dreamed that trees were so heavy. When I got to the point that the remaining section of tree trunk was too thick for my humble reciprocating saw blade, I just gave up. From the amount of wood I was able to remove, I would guess that the remaining section of tree trunk weighs about the same as a small car. My poor roof gets no respect. At least the leafy branches cushioned the fall. Without them, the heavy tree trunk would probably be in my living room.

Dot and Dash were delighted to resume their weekend visits to the dog park.  They knew exactly where they were going and were both quite good in the car on the way to the park. The only snag in our little outing was an unexpected rain shower. After about twenty minutes at the park, it started to pour. We got the dogs back in the car just in time and drove home in a downpour.  I wonder if this sudden storm had anything to do with the approaching hurricane? It might have been one of the outermost rain bands. One thing we discovered is that rain in the car bothers Dot just as much as rain at home. She punctuated our journey with lots of frantic barking and shivering.

I still haven't managed to catch up with last week's accumulated workload. It would be nice to have a lot of projects already queued up, if it weren't for the fact that everybody wants their particular project done yesterday. Be patient folks. I'm working as fast as I can.

I fell asleep last night watching Willie Nelson perform with Merle Haggard and Ray Price on TV. I thought Willie looked old until Ray Price came on stage. The guy is in his late 80's and looked like he came straight to the concert from the rest home. The remarkable thing was that his voice still sounded fabulous. I guess the voice is the last thing to go. I remember seeing Pat Benatar recently. She certainly looked a little worse for wear, but when she started singing "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" it was 1979 again. Since I never could carry a tune to begin with, I wonder what will keep me vital and relevant as senility sets in. It certainly won't be my tree trimming abilities.

Cammy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day