Day 1370

There wasn't enough time to take the dogs to the dog park we like in North Dallas this morning, so we went to another one right in the neighborhood. This park wasn't as well manicured as its North Dallas cousin. The dogs were a bit scruffier too. Dot and Dash certainly didn't seem to care. As long as they got to run around and smell things off leash, they were happy campers. It would certainly be easier to take the dogs to this nearby park, but I've seen fights break out when people brought aggressive dogs to the park, and our vet told us that one of her patients caught Leptospirosis from stagnant water in the park. If we can keep the dogs safer by driving a bit further to a cleaner, more polite dog park, it is well worth the effort.

I mowed the grass for the last time this season. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm sure I'll be mowing the front yard for several more months. There is a slight leak in one of the front yard faucets and I startled a few frogs who had made the damp grass around the leak their Summer home. I wish frogs were all I had to worry about in the back yard. The armadillo has returned every night this week and is making a mess of things. I discovered a large hole that the critter had dug under the fence to get in and out and filled it up with dirt again. Maybe this will keep the armadillo out, but I doubt it. If an armadillo can dig one hole under the fence, it can probably dig another.

I thought I'd install a webserver on my laptop so I could show my client the new Wordpress site I've been building. Much to my chagrin, I had to read the installation tutorial all over again. In less than a week, I'd already forgotten how to do the installation. I had a general idea how to do the installation, but that wasn't good enough. Servers and databases just won't work unless you have all the passwords and permissions set correctly. I finally got everything working properly, but as I have mentioned many times before, I'm not really a detail person.

I keep vacillating back and forth about buying a new car. Some days I feel like keeping the Defender and finding someone who could retrofit a new engine. Other days, I feel like taking money out of savings and getting myself something plush and extravagant. Today, I felt like getting a car just like Janet's. Her car is quite nice, somewhat affordable, and it's certainly been more reliable than mine over the years. If I wasn't obsessed with having something totally unique, this whole process would be a lot easier.

I don't know why I went up on the roof today. It hasn't rained in weeks. What I saw surprised me. The entire roof was covered with a layer of broken pecan shells from the neighbor's pecan tree. I knew the squirrels liked pecans, but I didn't know they liked them this much. I must have swept ten pounds of cracked pecan shells off the roof. Doing this little chore now will save me a lot of trouble later. Pecan shells will turn a puddle of standing water the color of iced tea. There are a lot more pecans that are still hanging on the pecan tree though. It is almost inevitable that by by this time next year, my nice white new roof will be the color of iced tea as well.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1369

I'm getting closer to buying a new car. I went back to the dealership this afternoon and got real prices on three different alternatives. It's been a while since I've done this, but one thing hasn't changed over the years. The actual drive-away price is quite a bit higher than the price you initially anticipate. By the time the dealer adds tax, title and license charges and an extended warranty, the sticker prices is suddenly thousands of dollars higher. If you're foolish enough to ask for something extra, like a towing package or a roof rack, all bets are off. I still think the time is right to trade the Defender while it still runs and the trade in value is high. I may need to rethink my original plan, however. I might not have the money to get the car I really want.

I don't know why I'm surprised. Given a choice, I'll always choose the most expensive, extravagant thing in the room. If wishes were horses, I'd be shooting all my videos using a Red Epic and stills with a Hasselblad H5D. Should I throw caution to the wind and get what I really want? Or should I be practical? This should be an easy decision, but it's not. On one hand, I could save my money for something more important in the future. On the other hand, if the money sits in the investment account too long, it will eventually find its way to another worthless stock that drops like a stone. At least a car could provide some temporary enjoyment.

Dogs don't seem to have these dilemmas.  Janet and I went up to photograph a new Dalmatian today, and the only thing this friendly girl seemed concerned about was where her next dog treat was coming from. I'm not sure if I got any good pictures. It was a hot day and the more pictures we took, the longer the dog's tongue seemed to get. I told her that she'd look much prettier with her mouth closed, but she didn't seem to agree.

It doesn't look like I can avoid mowing the grass much longer. This is the time of year when I try to convince myself that I'm mowing the grass for the last time this season. It usually keeps right on growing though. Sometimes I'm still mowing the grass in December.

Tomorrow, the dogs get their weekly trip to the dog park. There isn't much grass left at the dog park in September, but the dogs don't seem to care. They'd rather dig holes in the dirt anyway.

Nicholas is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1368

I wish that UPS could get their Customer Centers on the same page as their website. For the third time this year, I drove over to Mesquite to pick something up at the UPS Will Call desk when the website told me it was ready, only to discover that the package hadn't even arrived yet. The woman at the Will Call desk told me that the website was never right and that I should wait at least four hours after the website said the package was ready before driving over to pick it up. Oh, well. So much for the wonders of modern technology.

Breakfast was quite tasty this morning. My resolve to maintain my strict diet is slipping a bit. I've noticed that meat and cheese are creeping back into my omelets. It's not that the veggie omelets were all that bad. A little sausage just make a meal more satisfying. I know I should be resolute, but I tend to rationalize things. I tell myself that I've earned this sausage, since I'm working out now at the gym. This is probably a poor excuse for my backsliding behavior, since I'm not working out that much.

Even though it was Friday the 13th, nothing bad happened today. I eventually got my package, even though I had to make two trips to the UPS Customer Center. I got caught up on the week's website and writing assignments. I even had time to drive up to the Land Rover dealer later in the afternoon and do a little window shopping for new cars.

There is no rational reason why I'm so loyal to Land Rovers. These cars are in the shop more often than they're on the road. I probably like them for the same reasons I like Olympus cameras and Dalmatians. Some things just feel right. If I do get a new car, I don't think I'll have a problem finding something I like. The difficulty will be finding a decent Land Rover that I can actually afford. At least I will get a good trade-in on the Defender. These cars are still so desirable that somebody came up to me in the Land Rover parking lot today and tried to buy my Defender while I was walking in to talk to a sales guy.

In my younger years, I would have just kept the Defender and gone ahead and bought an additional new car. I've learned the hard way however, that having a bunch of cars is a giant nuisance. At one point, I owned three cars. I could never find a place to park them all at night and the insurance payments were ridiculous. I've finally gotten over my Gemini penchant for having multiple copies of everything. One car is plenty. Astute readers will probably remember that I still actually have two cars, if you count the non-running Citroën Maserati, but I haven't seen the SM in nine years. It ceased being a viable second car years ago and now is just a pleasant memory.

It's finally starting to get a little cooler. The dogs are starting to enjoy their morning walks again. It's still going to be a while before jacket weather arrives, but I think the worst of our Texas summer is about over.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1367

Is anyone else having trouble with passwords? For years everything was fine, but I've noticed lately that websites and applications have stepped up their game. My old familiar passwords aren't acceptable anymore. I am being admonished to create more complex passwords that contain upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special symbols. For me, this is a recipe for disaster. I can never remember these types of passwords. To make matters worse, you are now only given three tries to get the password right before you are locked out. I joined a site that required a complex password a few days ago and forgot it less than 24 hours later. It's all very frustrating. Especially since many sites won't let you use your old password again after you've requested a password re-set.

Our perennial hole digging armadillo has returned. It seems like this critter returns every year about this time to destroy what is left of our back yard grass. There were big holes in the turf this morning and a rustling sound along the fence as the critter ran away from the approaching dogs.  I really don't know how to get rid of these things. They come in the night while we're asleep, and then disappear again the next morning after digging a bunch of ugly holes.

I was real tempted to start looking at new cars today, but work got in the way and I didn't have time. I'm sure I'll succumb to temptation sooner or later, but it's just as well that I kept my nose to the grindstone and didn't go car shopping today. The kind of cars I like are very expensive. I need to pick up a few more clients before I feel comfortable buying a car.

I got a surprise call from an old client this morning, asking me if I'd take them back on a temporary basis. Sure! Why not? What have I got to lose anyway? Evidently, my replacement hasn't worked out all that well. Maybe if I do well on my "temporary" assignments, I can bring these guys back into the fold again. It's certainly happened before. People fire me because they think I'm too expensive and then when they've been paying someone else for a year or two, they finally come to the realization that I was actually quite a bargain.

I'm slowly, but surely learning how Wordpress works. Today I figured out how to add a collaborative calendar to a Wordpress site. Tomorrow, I"m going to explore how to add transaction capabilities. The good thing about an open source application like Wordpress is that just about anything you could imagine adding to a website has already been done before. All you really have to do is look for the tutorials and YouTube videos that explain how to add the functionality you want. I'm still not a big fan of dynamic, server-side websites, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm learning some useful things that will be put to good use in the near future.

I made it to the gym late in the day, but that's probably it for the week. Tomorrow's another busy work day and the small amount of free time I do have will be spent having a delicious breakfast at my favorite restaurant.  In my world, Eggs Benedict trumps time on the treadmill any day of the week.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1366 - 9/11

I wonder how long it will be before the "We will never forget" tributes that honor this day are forgotten themselves. I'm already seeing fewer flags flying at half mast and the once ubiquitous wall-to-wall remembrances on the major news networks have been replaced with a few short feature stories that are interspersed between segments about Syria, forest fires in California, and the upcoming Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alverez fight. Sadly, a quick Google search will garner just as many conspiracy theories about 9/11 these days as thoughtful tributes.

The events that shaped my life are slowly being forgotten. Do a search for November 22 and you will find more articles about the upcoming Xbox One launch than about the Kennedy assassination. Even though I remember the day well, it is ancient history to a majority of the population. The last time I visited Dealey Plaza on November 22, I noticed that the conspiracy nuts selling books about what really happened were growing very old and the crowds were quite sparse.  Jeez, the Apollo astronauts are senior citizens now and Woodstock memories have been replaced by Burning Man memories. It is almost inevitable that 9/11 will eventually be forgotten as well.

I don't think I'll ever forget that fateful morning when the towers fell twelve years ago, but it could happen. I've certainly forgotten plenty of other important things already. I can't even remember close friends birthdays anymore without the help of Facebook. I did remember to go to the Dallas Business Alliance breakfast meeting this morning. I still find it difficult to get up this early, but I'm already finding these meetings interesting.

Wednesday is quickly turning into the busiest day of the week. With a breakfast networking meeting in the morning, Dot's physical therapy sessions in the afternoon, and dog training classes in the evening, it's hard to find time to do anything else. Not surprisingly, I didn't finish any of my writing assignments today, but I did find time to set up a test Wordpress site on my local server. So far, configuring the server correctly has been a lot more difficult than working in the Wordpress environment. Wordpress is a lot different than building a site in Dreamweaver, but I'll figure it out eventually. Since this is probably the only new thing I'll have to learn this year, it would be embarrassing if I can't master things fairly quickly.

I just got my car back and now Janet's Land Rover has to go to the shop for repairs. The air conditioning abruptly quit working today and it's still pretty hot outside. With such terrible repair histories, you might wonder why we're so fond of these cars. Sometimes I wonder myself.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1365

I was busy from dawn till dusk, but now that the day is over, I'm having trouble remembering what I actually did. The entire day was a succession of necessary, but not very memorable tasks. I got my September invoices out today. I retrieved a large banner from the storage warehouse in preparation for upcoming Dalmatian Rescue events. I picked up some clothes from the dry cleaner. I did some research on the best way to install Wordpress on a Macintosh. There was more, of course, but these were the memorable things.

I definitely didn't rush out to place an order for a new iPhone though. I was totally underwhelmed by today's product introductions. I think I can live without a button that identifies me by my fingerprint. The irritating thing about all new Apple phones is that they always change just enough to force you to buy a new case. I like the case I have now. Even though the new iPhone 5S is the same size and shape as the current model, there's that pesky round biometric fingerprint button. It's pretty clear that current waterproof cases, like the one I have, won't work with that thing.

My vet wants to keep Dash on phenobarbital for the time being. I was a little disappointed to hear this, but the logic makes sense. She said the best reason to keep Dash on phenobarbital was that it works. Alternate medications might work too, but you wouldn't know until you tried them and that would involve a long, drawn-out process of gradually reducing the phenobarbital dosage while introducing the new medication. The vet acknowledged that there was a potential danger of liver damage using phenobarbital for extended periods of time and recommended frequent blood tests to monitor liver enzyme levels. This made sense too, since I do exactly the same thing myself.

A new cutting board I ordered from England came in the mail today. This one looks exactly like the one I would have made myself if I had the time, tools, and patience to do it myself. The new cutting board is well made, has a built-in colander, can go in the dishwasher, and fits perfectly in its allotted space. It still has to pass one final test though. We have to see if Janet likes it. Sometimes she likes things I buy for the kitchen and sometimes she doesn't. Whatever happens, it's a safe bet that the nice slab of Mahogany I bought a few weeks ago will probably wind up in the storage warehouse.

I'm going to begin attending those Wednesday morning business networking breakfasts I've been invited to, starting tomorrow. We'll see which is going to be more difficult: going to the gym three times a week, or getting up early every Wednesday.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1364

I closed out an old safe deposit box today. I'd almost forgotten I still had the box. The contents included a household inventory from 1990, a deed to some property I no longer owned, an out-of-date will that gave everything to the wrong people, and two music publishing contracts with companies that no longer exist. Just about the only useful documents were two ancient car titles for my two equally ancient cars.

I finally made it back to the gym. The same people were still there, doing exactly the same things they always do at the gym. It didn't look like I missed much last week. Actually, I did miss something, because my workout seemed a bit harder this week. I really need to discover a way to make working out part of my regular daily routine. Just going to the gym when I'm completely caught up with everything else doesn't seem to be working.

I heard a loud thump in the bedroom this morning when I was doing my website revision assignments. My first thought was that Dash had another seizure. When I got to the bedroom, he wasn't having convulsions and it's didn't look like he'd had a seizure. He was just standing very still with a perplexed look on his face. When I asked him if he wanted a cookie, he became alert again, so I knew nothing was wrong.  Dash likes to sleep near the edge of the bed, so I suspect what happened was that he just fell off the bed when he was having a dog dream. Since we have a low platform bed, all that was hurt was his dignity.

American politics have become surreal. On one side you've got John McCain and Barack Obama joining forces to go to war. And on the other side? Well, on the other side you've got the American people. So far, the only person making any sense is Vladimir Putin. To top things off, a survey came out today saying that more people were upset about the Miley Cyrus VMA Awards performance than about the use of gas in Syria. Strange days to say the least.

I have yet to discover why people have become so enamored with Wordpress. So far, creating a site in Wordpress seems a giant pain compared to what I've been doing in Dreamweaver all these years. I have a feeling that a lot of people who think Wordpress is cool are just buying ready-made themes and not even trying to develop their own themes from scratch.

Tomorrow Dash gets an evaluation to see if the phenobarbital he's been taking is having the desired effect. Everything certainly seems to be working, unless today's odd behavior was some sort of a seizure. I'm still hoping we can come up with a plan to gradually wean him off the phenobarbital and substitute a safer anti-convulsive drug instead.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1363

It was time to give Dot another medicated bath today. She was so good about taking her bath this time that I wondered if I had the right dog. Dot has never been fond of water and giving her a bath is usually an ordeal. Today, the whole process was a breeze. Maybe she just likes this new dog bathing place better. I'll have to admit that the new place is quieter and the water is much warmer. Who knows. Maybe that's all it takes to change a dog's mind.

The dog park was almost empty today. It's still unnaturally hot for mid-September and most people probably had the good sense to stay indoors. We didn't stay at the park long. We only go on hot days like this to give Dash a chance to be off leash for a little while. These opportunities to race around unhindered are one of his favorite things.

Since tomorrow looks like it's going to be a busy day, I used my afternoon to catch up on bookkeeping and pay some bills. Although paying bills has never been my idea of fun, it certainly beat my other alternative: mowing the grass. I'll save mowing the grass for a cooler day. I did water the yard though. It was so hot and dry that the plants seemed to be crying out for water.

I reluctantly laid the groundwork for becoming a Wordpress developer this afternoon. Since Wordpress is a server-side application, I needed to install a web server and a database management system on my computer before I could begin. I downloaded the Apache server software and MySQL for the database. Now, I'm ready to install Wordpress itself, but I'll save that for another day. I guess it's time for me to embrace dynamic websites. I've avoided them for years. I still prefer nice looking, simple static sites built using easy to understand HTML code, but time marches on. Clients are dragging me kicking and screaming into the brave new world of dynamic, database driven sites. Oh, well. I'll just have to grit my teeth and get with the program. I've already had to retire my beloved Nikon F-2 film cameras and my next car probably won't have a manual transmission either.

Dot is really slowing down. She still insists on taking her daily walks and enjoys going to the dog park, but when she gets home again, she immediately goes to her bed and sleeps for hours. She looks so tired when she is sleeping. I hope I can continue to strike the right balance between letting her enjoy the things she loves and keeping her from overexerting herself. I think the best way to age gracefully is not to be aware you are aging at all. I'm pretty sure I can create an easygoing and enjoyable environment for Dot as she enters her senior years. I'm just not sure how to do the same thing for myself.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1362

The Defender isn't exactly filling me with confidence. The engine vibration seems just as bad, or even worse, than it was before I took the car in for repairs. If the rattle wouldn't get any worse, I could easily live with the rough ride, but what if it does get worse? Since we have already eliminated all potential problems outside the engine, it's a safe guess that something inside the engine is causing the problem. Is it a worn main bearing? Has the crankshaft become unbalanced? Will the engine just seize up on a busy freeway someday and leave me stranded? Have I mentioned that I don't like uncertainty?

Unfortunately life is full of uncertainties. I've actually had more car problems with brand new cars than with old ones like the Defender. The problems in life that I anticipate never seem to materialize. I'm always blindsided by something out of left field that I totally failed to consider.

Cars. Health. Work. It's all the same. You worry. You plan. You try your best to keep your ducks in a row. Whatever you do, life just continues unabated on it's predetermined course. Some days you get lucky. Other days you get screwed. I'd probably be a lot better off if I buried my nose in a complex project and didn't have time to fret about whether my car or my liver was going to fail in the near future. Historically, work has always been a refuge for me. I need to find something to throw myself into again. But what? I really don't know. I've got a real bad case of "Been there, done that."

Maybe it's just the heat. It shouldn't be this hot in September. I must have let the dogs outside ten times this afternoon. They'd go out in the back yard, immediately discover how hot it was, and want to come back inside again. Once inside, they'd look out the living room window and decide that it looked pretty nice outside. Back and forth we'd go. I know they wanted the sunshine and fresh air, combined with the cool air conditioning from the living room. I don't think they ever figured out that they couldn't have both.

I'm kind of the same way. I want a lot of mutually exclusive things. Rationally, this kind of attitude doesn't make sense. If you want to make a lot of money, you don't simultaneously do your best to avoid all contact with other people. If you like to write songs, it doesn't make sense to never listen to music. If you love go anywhere vehicles like the Defender 90, it doesn't make sense that you never actually go anywhere. Hey, I've never let rationality stop me before. Why start now? I'm about as rational as a Dalmatian on a hot day.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1361

The good news is that I got the Defender 90 back today. The bad news is that after a month in the shop, it still isn't fixed. Truthfully, I don't think it will ever be fixed. A car with 100,000 miles on the odometer just isn't going to run like a car with 100 miles on the odometer. I was so discouraged about my engine vibration problem that I got a quote for the Defender's trade-in value while I was at the dealership. The good news is that Land Rover Defenders hold their value better than any other SUV. Period! There isn't another vehicle that even comes close. The bad news is that I don't really want to trade the Defender for anything. I just wish it ran like new.

I guess I share the sentiments of another Defender owner who wrote "What can I say. Rain leaks in. Oil leaks out. The car requires constant maintenance and the interior is trash. But I love it." I feel the same way. The only other current vehicle that is even in the same league is the Mercedes G-Class.  Unfortunately, a Mercedes G-Class costs twice as much as a Defender.

My doctor's appointment later in the day was almost as disappointing as my trip to the Land Rover dealer. My lab reports have grown into such a large, complex document that I think even my doctor is confused. Many tests appear to contradict each other. Many others are inconclusive. There's still enough data which indicates that there are plenty of things wrong with me, unfortunately. Today's new lab reports were a mixed bag. There were a few new things to cheer about. And there were a few new things to worry about. When things are this inconclusive, the doctor and I just agree to schedule some more tests in a few months.

I've bought things online for so long that I kind of take the whole process for granted. Evidently, not everyone has perfected the art of online selling however. A got an e-mail today saying that a recent order of mine had shipped. When I checked the FedEx tracking number, I discovered that my order had already been delivered to Sedona, Arizona three days before I ordered it. When I called the company to find out what was wrong, I got a recorded message saying that the company was closed for the day due to an unexpected emergency. Maybe my order wasn't the only thing that had gone wrong.

There were quite a few website revisions for a Friday. Employees had quit and needed to be removed. Hours had changed and needed to be updated. A Google map pointed to the wrong location. Someone noticed, after looking at it for over a year, that their name was misspelled. I fixed everything and then did a little research on Wordpress. I read a review about a cool add-on that made it possible to develop Wordpress themes within a Dreamweaver environment. Great! This was just what I needed. When I went to download the clever app, it didn't exist. It had been discontinued two years ago because of licensing issues. Oh, well. I guess everything was too good to be true today.

April is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1360

I spent the afternoon in a MRI machine again. Today's scan seemed to take longer than usual, but maybe I'm just not as patient as I used to be. I like the technician who does my scans. He used to be a race car driver, but switched to medical technology after he got married to provide a more stable life for his family. The only vestige of his racing life that still remains is the best selection of car magazines ever in the MRI changing room. The only thing I dislike about these scans is that I have to fully extend my hands behind my head before they slide me into the narrow metal imaging tube. Yikes! With my dislocated shoulder, I think waterboarding would be a less traumatic torture than spending an hour with my arms extended this way.

I think the Defender 90 repairs might finally be finished. There was a voice-mail from Land Rover this morning asking me to call them. When I did return the call, all I got was their voice-mail. Since Land Rover is even slower about answering voice-mail messages than they are about repairing cars, I'll probably have to drive up to the dealership tomorrow and see what's going on. I was hoping to be able to keep the loaner car until the weather turned cooler, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. This has been the warmest September I can remember. At this rate, it's not going to be cool outside until Thanksgiving. Hopefully, they really fixed the Defender this time. I've still got to take Dot downtown every Wednesday for her physical therapy sessions.

A cool stove-top short-order griddle I ordered came in the mail today. This thing is perfect for quickly cooking up a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and other things I can no longer eat. I'm sure it will make a nice veggie omelet too, so the nifty new utensil definitely won't go to waste. It's weird. The less I am able to eat, the more I am interested in food. This probably won't end well. One day I will use up an entire loaf of Panera Bread making French Toast which I will then drench with half a bottle of pure maple syrup. So far, I'm hanging in there with my oatmeal and kale, but I don't know how long this can last.

It looks like I'm finally going to have to learn to use Wordpress. I've got two clients who want to add things to their websites that can only be accomplished using Wordpress. I've tried to convince them that Dreamweaver is the only development tool in the universe, but they aren't buying it anymore. I don't know what has happened to me. I used to love learning new things, and now I dread the process. The pace of change has simply become too disruptive. I used to get a lot of use out of my skills before they became obsolete. Now, the obsolescence occurs before I even finish reading the instruction manual. Oh, well. Time stops for no one. Not even me.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1359

I had a new business meeting this morning. I am being asked to develop a new website, and before I got started, I wanted to get everybody's input. One guy said the website need to be a lively forum that generated lots of discussion. Another guy said it need to showcase the organization's mission and values. A third guy wanted a transaction site where people could pay for things and make appointments. One group wanted a blog, and a small contingent wondered if there was any point in having a website at all.

I had almost forgotten that this was what beginnings were always like. Most of my clients have been with me for so long that there is seldom any need to talk. My input these days usually consists of "You know our business. Just make it work."

This new project sounds interesting. It also sounds difficult. Sometimes difficulties challenge me. Other times they make me put my head in my hands and start muttering "Why me?" We'll see what happens. At least I'm being given enough time to put some serious thought into this.

Dot was back in the underwater treadmill today. She seems to like the water therapy and did really well today. When I see her move her legs during the interval training sessions, I remember how fast she used to be when she was a young dog. Dot was always a dog who loved to run. It must be hard on her not to be able to do many of the things she enjoys so much. Considering her age, Dot is still remarkably strong and agile though. She is probably the healthiest Dalmatian we have ever had.

It's been such a busy week that I haven't been able to get to the gym at all. If I want to finish my normal writing and website chores, I only have time for one out-of-the-office activity. On days like today, where I pulled out of the driveway to run errands or go to meetings on four separate occasions, keeping on schedule is a lost cause. It seems like I used to do my job much faster, but maybe I'm just imagining things. All I know is that there just aren't enough hours in the day anymore.

I have to have another MRI tomorrow. The imaging is a pretty painless process, but I'm still not looking forward to it. When they inject you with the contrast dye, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I don't like having to put my arms behind my head when they slide me into the tube either. I've still got a dislocated shoulder and one of my arms doesn't really want to go behind my head. It could be a lot worse though. I'll take a MRI over a biopsy any day of the week.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1358

Yeah, I know it is Tuesday, but it sure seemed like a Monday to me. Everything started off slow today. I managed to get everything done on my list, but I certainly didn't set any speed records. Our morning walk was slow. Breakfast took forever. Even my writing assignments felt like I was wading through molasses. The only upside to all this is that it is a four day week and I'm already that much closer to Friday.

Have I told you how I feel about Texas weather? It's always too something: too hot, too wet, too humid, too dry. You get the picture. Today there were too many horse flies. I assume these pesky critters were horse flies, because, unlike common house flies, these flies would bite you. The flies weren't very interested in Dot, but they went after me and Dash with a vengeance. I tried to keep the flies off the dogs, but it was virtually impossible. Eventually, we had to curtail our evening walk and head for home. The flies were everywhere.

My only outing today was taking Dash to see the vet for his antigen shot. I renewed his phenobarbital prescription while I was there. I hate the thought of having him take this powerful sedative for long periods of time, but it seems to be working. Dash hasn't had another seizure since he resumed taking the drug. Since long-term use of phenobarbital can damage the liver, we are going to work with our vet to slowly transition Dash to potassium bromide instead. Potassium bromide has its own set of problems, but it does appear safer than phenobarbital. So, why didn't we put Dash on potassium bromide in the first place? Well, for starters it can take up to four months of continued use before it starts to become effective at controlling seizures. Have I told you how I feel about pharmaceuticals? I'm sure I have.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I've got a new business meeting in the morning and Dot's physical therapy session in the afternoon. In between, I've got to find time to complete my regular allotment of writing and website assignments. The dogs have their weekly training class in the evening as well. Maybe with so much going on, I might actually have something interesting to write about for a change.

Are you as confused about politics as I am? The Democrats want to bomb someone because they are using weapons of mass destruction and the Republicans are against it. The last time I heard the words "weapons of mass destruction" mentioned in the news, it was the Republicans who wanted to bomb somebody and the Democrats were against it. Personally, I think we ought to mind our own business and mend our own fences instead. We've got enough problems right over here.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1357 - Labor Day

I usually get things backwards on Labor Day. Instead of a day of rest, it's usually a day of labor for me. Since there was a huge downpour last night, I started the day by getting the standing water off the roof. Since the neighbor's pecan tree is already raining down a bumper crop of nuts that the squirrels immediately crack open, the standing water was stained a dark brown by the broken pecan shells. Tannin stains from nuts and leaves have already discolored my pretty white energy efficient roof. As the roof grows darker, it will eventually start absorbing the sun's energy instead of reflecting them the way it is supposed to. This type of roof probably works great in barren warehouse districts where there are no trees. Unfortunately, I have an abundance of large oak trees that are already trying to make a mockery of my new roof.

I had to pick up some prescriptions at the pharmacy this afternoon, so I thought I'd look for a restaurant supply store on the way home and get a small colendar for my cutting board project. I should have known that all the restaurant supply stores would be closed today. Since Walmart, Home Depot, and the shopping malls are all open today, I keep forgetting that the whole point of Labor Day is to give working folks the day off. I came home and started looking for colendars and wire mesh baskets on the Internet instead. Although I found dozens of colendars, I couldn't find one in the size I needed. They were all too big. Then, I thought I might be able to use one those wire mesh baskets that are used in ultrasonic parts cleaners. I found plenty of these things as well, but they were all too small. While I was looking, I also discovered that there were already plenty of ready-made over-the-sink cutting boards with built-in colendars that looked much better than the one I was trying to build. Maybe it would be much simpler to just buy one of these.

Since I'd wasted most of the day already, I decided to waste the rest of it by cleaning my office. The office never seems to get much cleaner after my attempts to straighten, arrange, and declutter, but it still seems important to make an effort. Since I could write my name in the dust that has accumulated on the top of my desk, I thought it might be a good day to do a little dusting. I don't know where all this dust comes from. I never open the windows and I always use the highest rated furnace filters I can find. The dust still finds a way inside though. I might as well be living in a tent.

Janet was a lot more productive than I was today. She set up a sewing factory in the living room and made dozens of fancy dog bandanas for the upcoming Dalmatian Rescue golf tournament. Maybe I'll be more productive tomorrow. It's a work day, whatever that is.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1356 - Dot's Birthday

We don't actually know when our dogs were born, or how old they are. We celebrate their birthday on the day we adopted them, or if that doesn't work out, on the first weekend after their adoption day. By this convoluted logic, Dot's birthday is today. I think we actually adopted Dot on August 27, but this was the first day where there was time for a party.

Since the only gift a dog really appreciates is food, we wrapped up an assortment of dog biscuits and got a couple more doggie cupcakes from Sprinkles. The dog treats were greatly appreciated, but we could have skipped today's trip to the dog park. It was simply too hot. The dogs walked around the park once, sat under a tree for a while, drank some water, and then we came home again. It was 106 degrees today.

I spent longer waiting in line at Sprinkles for the cupcakes than I did at the dog park this morning, but that's the way it goes on a hot day in Dallas. I guess when there's nothing better to do, you eat cupcakes. When I was waiting in line, I noticed the store was selling frosting without the cupcake. Strange. People were ordering the little cups of frosting and consuming them like shots of Tequila.  I've decided that the Sprinkles store is God's gift to the dentists of Dallas.

I finally got tired of seeing the Low Coolant light come on every time I started the Evoque, so I decided to fix the problem myself. I downloaded an Evoque owner's manual off the Internet and located the coolant overflow tank. I topped up the tank with the distilled water I use in the coffeemaker and started the engine. The low coolant warning doesn't appear anymore. Problem solved.

When we were taking our evening walk, a group of kids approached us and asked if they could take their picture with Dot and Dash. They said their school was producing The 101 Dalmatians Musical as their class play and wanted to use Dot and Dash in their promotional pictures. Sure, why not. I didn't mention that Dot and Dash had actually met the cast of the Broadway production and even got to meet Rachel York when she was playing the Cruella DeVil role in the show. The dogs get around, but they're not name droppers.

Sp[ot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1355

Dot and Dash both got a medicated bath this morning. I wish our old self-bathe place hadn't gone out of business. The new place where we take the dogs for a bath is nice and clean, but the customers are so slow. The people ahead of us seemed determined to turn bathing your dog into a family entertainment event. They brought all their children with them and gave them each turns hosing down or putting soap on their dog. It took forever for Dot and Dash to get a tub, and as you know, they aren't the most patient canines in the world. I guess it was worth the effort though. Both dogs look a lot better now. Hopefully, Dot will be good to go for her water therapy next Wednesday.

I had a laundry list of things to get at Home Depot today. There was primer and paint for the ceiling, new stainless steel burner liners for the stove, jig saw blades, and a new Dremel tool with circle cutting attachments. I think I've got what I need to finish both the languishing sheet rock repairs and the cutting board project. Will I actually finish these projects in the next several days? Probably not.

When I was driving around this afternoon, I noticed that the Evoque wasn't in valet mode anymore. It seemed to have switched back to regular mode all by itself. I certainly didn't do anything. There is probably just some loose wiring somewhere and when I go over a bump, it switches back and forth. The weather's been so hot lately that I'm in no hurry to get the Defender back. I'm hoping now that Land Rover doesn't finish the repairs until Fall. The Evoque leaves a lot to be desired, but the air conditioning works great. It would be nice to go another year without any further overheating worries.

I had trouble sleeping last night, and as a result I had trouble staying awake today. Hopefully, the rest of the Labor Day weekend will be quiet and uneventful. I'm not sure what we'll be doing over the holidays. My new diet has made barbecue and beer a thing of the past, but there ought to be something fun to do. I'll ask the dogs what they want to do.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1354

I decided to make a kitchen cutting board today. You would have thought this endeavor would have involved a quick trip to Home Depot, or better yet, an even quicker trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for a ready-made cutting board. Nope. Nothing is this easy with me. We've had trouble with cutting boards warping or splitting apart in the past, so I wanted something that was impervious to water. I thought mahogany would be a good choice, because people make boats out of the stuff. I discovered very quickly that not many companies sell select quality mahogany lumber here in Dallas. Even fewer will sell you a single small piece of wood about the size of a cutting board. After much searching, I finally found a specialty lumber company that said I could look through their scrap bin and see if I could find a piece of mahogany that met my needs.

Too bad this odd little lumber company was a long way away.  I'm glad I still have the loaner car. My Defender would have never made the journey in this heat. School is back in session and the route to the lumber company was peppered with school zones. Throw a few broken stop lights in the mix and traffic just crawled along. Eventually, I reached the lumber company and found a nice looking piece of mahogany. I'm glad I wasn't building a boat. Select grade mahogany is a lot more expensive than I'd thought. Now I've got to sand the board, round the edges, and then cut an oval hole in the center so I can fit a small colander to drain food when I place the board over the sink. Alternately, I could forget all this and just use the board like it is.

It's always something with the dogs. When I was walking the pair through some tall grass, Dash let out a yelp and acted like something had bit him. I looked at his paw and found nothing. There were no cuts or abrasions and he hadn't stepped on a thorn either. When I extended his leg, there was no sign of pain or discomfort. I don't know what happened, but Dash limped periodically during the trip back home. The boy seems fine now. Maybe he's just a big baby.

I think most of my clients have already started their Labor Day holiday. Work was non-existent today. I didn't even have any website updates to do, which is rare for me. I'd like to tell you that I did something exciting with my free time, but all I've got to show for myself is a 10x21 inch piece of mahogany. I did try something new for breakfast though. That was nice.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day